Investigated the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and smoking-related, nonsmoking-related, and total cancer mortality, following 25,892 men age 30-87 years who had a preventive medical evaluation that included a maximal exercise test and self-reported health habits. Results indicated that cardiorespiratory fitness may have provided…

Conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the Cancer Locus of Control scale (M. Watson and others, 1990), administered to 543 women with a history of breast cancer. Results support a three-factor model of the scale and support use of the scale to assess control dimensions. (SLD)

Examines the role of the family counselor in working with cancer patients and their families. Suggests ways in which the family counselor can work proactively with families in the area of cancer prevention and helping them cope more effectively with its impact on their lives. Uses a clinical case example to illustrate intervention with cancer…

Evaluated ability of self-regulation and emotional-drive theories to explain effects of informational intervention entailing objective descriptions of experience on outcomes of coping with radiation therapy among 84 men with prostate cancer. Consistent with self-regulation theory, similarity between expectations and experience and degree of…

Examines the extent to which women's magazines with a strong interest in health covered various health hazards associated with smoking. Finds that six major women's magazines have virtually no coverage of smoking and cancer. Suggests that self-censorship may have helped determine editorial content more than pressure from tobacco companies. (RS)

Studied 16 parent/adolescent cancer patient pairs on their knowledge and understanding of illness, medications and treatments, and their medication compliance. Found that adolescent responses closely matched those of their parents on all topics. Age was positively correlated with agreement for medication instructions. Findings have implications…

Presents results of a descriptive study of lung cancer death rates compared to county levels of radon in Washington State. Age-specific death rates were computed for white female smokers according to radon exposure. A significant lung cancer excess was found in lowest radon counties. No significant difference was found between the proportion of…

Couples in which one spouse had terminal cancer reported expressions of love, marriage problems, and commitment to each other after diagnosis of cancer and before diagnosis. Cancer group reported expressing more love to each other after diagnosis and more love than comparison group of healthy subjects. Cancer couples were less committed to each…

Skin cancer in the United States is epidemic. About 90% of skin cancers are caused by sun exposure. The age of patients developing melanoma is dropping dramatically. Parents must protect their children from the sun during all outdoor activities year round. The article presents recommendations for preventing skin cancer. (SM)

Contributes to scholarship on the role of mass media in breast cancer coverage. Finds extremely high, significant correlations between numbers of medical-journal articles and newspaper, magazine, and TV coverage; a two-way concurrent relationship between breast cancer funding and media coverage, and between breast cancer incidence and TV coverage;…

Cancer patients who have completed medical treatment are often left with unresolved psychological issues. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York offers a group art therapy program for cancer patients to help them regain their self-confidence and readjust their self-identity. The response of 70 participants has been positive and has…

This abstract of a planned session on the future of medicine explains the use of nanotechnology in medicine to manipulate biomolecules that regulate life and death processes and to help improve health care delivery. Topics include nanodevices for drug delivery, cancer detection and cure, and repairing genes. (LRW)

Volume of certain surgical procedures has been linked to patient outcomes. The Leapfrog Group and others have recommended evidence-based referral using specific volume thresholds for nonemergent cases. The literature is limited on the effect of such referral on hospitals, especially in rural areas. To examine the impact of evidence-based referral…

Curcumin, the pungent yellow spice found in both turmeric and curry powders, blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers, according to a study that appears in the journal Cancer. Researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center demonstrate how curcumin stops laboratory strains of…

Although the need for evaluation of prevention programs is clear, the implementation of evaluation, particularly for large, complex projects with multiple investigators, poses numerous challenges. Program evaluators in these circumstances do not have the same degree of control as, say, experimental psychologists and must find ways to obtain data…