PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL MEDICINE NEWS BUREAU
Contact: Leonard N. Karp
lkarp@philadelphiamedicine.com
215-735-3989
August 29th, 2001

For Immediate Release:

1. Prostate Cancer Prevention Study Opens at Fox Chase Cancer Center
2. Japanese Television Features Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
3. New Computer Software Helps Stroke Survivors Regain Speech
4. Temple University Hospital Offers Treatment Trials to Help Prevent and Manage End-Stage Kidney Disease

Prostate Cancer Prevention Study Opens at Fox Chase Cancer Center

A new prostate cancer prevention study at Fox Chase Cancer Center, a member of the Philadelphia International Medicine network, is open for participation by eligible men. Called SELECT, the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, will evaluate the effects of the trace mineral selenium and vitamin E on rates of prostate cancer. As antioxidants, selenium and vitamin E may help control the cell damage that can lead to cancer. Selenium is found in water and foods, especially in grains, seafood, meats and Brazil nuts. Vitamin E occurs in a wide range of foods, from vegetables and vegetable oils to nuts and egg yolks. Two earlier studies focused on prevention of other cancers suggested that selenium and vitamin E might prevent prostate cancer. In one, a 10-year cancer prevention study in the United States, the rate of prostate cancer was reduced by almost two-thirds among men who took daily selenium supplements.

The U. S. study population came from a region of the eastern United States with relatively low selenium levels in soils and crops. Compared with people who received a placebo (inactive pill), those who took daily doses of selenium had 63 percent fewer cases of prostate cancer, 58 percent fewer colon or rectal cancers and 45 percent fewer lung cancers (Journal of the American Medical Association, Dec. 25, 1996).

The second study, conducted in Finland by the U. S. National Cancer Institute and the National Public Health Institute of Finland, found that vitamin E also reduced the risk of prostate cancer. Male smokers who took vitamin E supplements had a one-third reduction in prostate cancer incidence and a 40 percent reduction in prostate cancer mortality compared to those who took a placebo (the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene-ATBC-Cancer Prevention Study, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, March 18, 1998).

Neither of these studies, however, focused directly on prostate cancer. SELECT is the first study to look directly at the effect of selenium and/or vitamin E on prostate cancer risk.

"It's important that men not self-medicate using over-the-counter versions of selenium and vitamin E, " advised Paul F. Engstrom, MD, principal investigator for the study at Fox Chase. "We don't know enough about the possible side effects of these substances, so taking them without medical guidance is not advised. Also, even for the men in the study, continued prostate cancer screening is critical."

Recruitment for the study is expected to take five to seven years. Participants will receive regular follow-up every six months at their study site as well as telephone follow-up twice during the first year.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in America. More than 180,000 U.S. men develop prostate cancer each year and nearly 32,000 die of the disease annually.

Japanese Television Features Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia will be featured in an upcoming national Japanese TV documentary comparing various facets of the American health care system to the Japanese system to air in September.

The two-hour documentary produced for NHK - the Japanese equivalent of the US Public Broadcasting System - will focus on the challenges facing health care in the United States and contrast them with emerging concerns in Japan. Japan, which has national health care, faces increasing financial burdens on its health care system, as an aging population will soon outnumber the younger working population. The producers of the documentary hope to show what can be learned from the American health care experience.

A television production company spent more than a week in August filming around the hospital, working closely with medical oncologist Takami Sato, MD, associate professor of Medicine, and Masahito Jimbo, MD, PhD, assistant professor of family medicine, both of Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. Both physicians received medical training in Japan and have experience working in the Japanese health care system. In addition, Thomas J. Lewis, president and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, discussed the workings of the Jefferson Health System.

The documentary crew had access to a variety of medical procedures and patients, including interviewing and following a patient undergoing an outpatient knee procedure, going on teaching rounds in medical oncology and touring the bone marrow transplant unit. They also interviewed patients and physicians in outpatient medical oncology, the chemotherapy infusion unit and family medicine.

New Computer Software Helps Stroke Survivors Regain Speech

A new software program called MossTalk is helping people with aphasia, a communication disorder caused by stroke or brain injury, to rebuild their communication skills while using their own personal computers at home.

Designed by a team of rehabilitation researchers and clinicians at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, which is part of PIM-member MossRehab Hospital, the software allows patients to work on their communication skills independently, giving them more hours of practice than they can get in traditional speech therapy sessions.

"The software is an enhancement to traditional speech therapy," said Ruth Fink, clinical director of the MossRehab Aphasia Center. "Patients who are using the software usually work one-on-one with a clinician two or three times a week, and then practice what they've learned at home using the software."

MossTalk is based on aphasia therapy techniques and exercises that have proven successful through documented scientific research. It offers unique features, including: Audio prompting and audio-visual feedback; a vast number of words and customizable exercises; performance record keeping; natural sounding speech, touch screen or mouse accessibility, friendly interface, attractive screen design and graphics and ongoing technical support.

Temple University Hospital Offers Treatment Trials to Help Prevent and Manage End-Stage Kidney Disease

Temple University Hospital, a member of Philadelphia International Medicine, has stepped up efforts for prevention and more effective treatment of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) by offering new clinical trials for patients and the high-risk population. Ellie Kelepouris, associate chief of the department of nephrology, said three clinical trials at Temple are providing positive results.

New medications, specifically ACE inhibitors, have revolutionized the treatment of kidney disease. In one trial, ACE inhibitors alone, or in combination with similar agents, are randomly given to patients to assess the effectiveness of a combination treatment. "The patients in this study have normal kidney function, but have a predisposition for kidney disease. We want to assess if the combination of medications work better than the medication given alone to decrease the patient's risk of developing kidney disease," said Dr. Kelepouris.

Another study involves patients who have kidney disease, but are not yet on dialysis. Temple offers a new product called NESP, a long-acting hormone that stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. "One of the benefits is that patients don't have to come to the hospital for treatment; they can give it to themselves at home every two weeks," said Dr. Kelepouris.

The third study has made available a more effective alternative to oral iron supplements for dialysis and some pre-dialysis patients. Iron given orally isn't completely absorbed by the body, and it causes constipation. Instead, the patients were given intravenous iron preparation, and they had no allergic reaction, experienced a significant change in how they felt and in their appetite. "In fact, we found that all patients on the new intravenous iron preparation had higher blood counts."

Philadelphia International Medicine is an organization that provides medical and patient support services to international patients. It also provides continuing medical education and health care training and education to international physicians, administrators and other practitioners. As the international department of several Philadelphia-area hospitals, international patients gain access to physicians and hospitals rated among the best in the world through one telephone call to PIM. You can reach PIM by calling 1-215-735-3575; fax, 1-215-790-1267; or e-mail, physicians@philadelphiamedicine.com.  You can find out more about PIM through its Website at www.philadelphiamedicine.com.