JAMA news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm US Central time on the first 4 Tuesdays of each month. The Archives Journals news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm Central time on Mondays. We also provide a list of previous news releases.
THIS WEEK'S CONTENT
JAMA NEWS RELEASES
(Embargoed for Release: 3:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, January 24, 2006)
JAMA NEWS RELEASES
SUPPLEMENTAL RADIATION THERAPY BENEFICIAL FOR STAGE I ENDOMETRIAL CANCER
HEART INJURY DUE TO CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING INCREASES LONG-TERM RISK OF DEATH
CONSUMPTION OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS UNLIKELY TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE RISK OF CANCER
JAMA REPORT (VIDEO NEWS RELEASE SCRIPT)
VIDEO: Windows Media | Quicktime
RESEARCHERS DISCOVER LINK BETWEEN SEVERE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AND DEATH YEARS LATER FROM HEART DISEASE
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THESE NEWS RELEASES IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. JOURNAL ATTRIBUTION IS REQUIRED.
TV Note: This week's JAMA video news release is on carbon monoxide poisoning and heart injury and the long-term risk of death. The release will be fed Tuesday, January 24, from 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. ET on Intelsat America 6 (formerly Telstar 6), Transponder 11 (C-Band) and from 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET on Intelsat America 6, Transponder 11 (C-Band). For more information, call 312/464-JAMA (5262).
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Embargoed for Release: 3:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Media Advisory: To contact corresponding author David K. Gaffney, M.D., Ph.D., call Linda Aagard at 801-587-7639.
SUPPLEMENTAL RADIATION THERAPY BENEFICIAL FOR STAGE I ENDOMETRIAL CANCER
CHICAGO—Women with stage I endometrial cancer (with grade 1 and grades 3 and 4 disease) who receive radiation therapy in addition to other treatment have improved survival rates, according to a study in the January 25 issue of JAMA.
Endometrial cancer remains the most common gynecological malignancy in the United States, according to background information in the article. However, the optimal supplemental treatment for stage I endometrial cancer remains uncertain.
Christopher M. Lee, M.D., of Huntsman Cancer Hospital and University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City and colleagues conducted a study to quantitatively evaluate the frequency and effect of adjuvant (supplemental) radiation therapy (RT) on overall and relative survival for women with stage I endometrial cancer. The study included 21,249 patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage IA-C node-negative endometrial cancer. The researchers used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, from January 1, 1988, to December 31, 2001.
Of the 21,249 women, 4,080 received adjuvant RT (19.2 percent) and 17,169 did not receive adjuvant RT (80.8 percent). Adjuvant RT significantly improved overall survival for patients with stage IC/grade 1 and stage IC/grades 3 and 4 disease. Further analysis revealed a statistically detectable association of adjuvant RT with improved relative survival in patients with stage IC/grade 1 (56 percent lower rate of death) and stage IC/grades 3 and 4 (28 percent lower rate of death).
“As the largest reported population analysis to our knowledge of adjuvant RT in early stage endometrial adenocarcinoma to date, it is significant that our study reveals a benefit for improved overall and relative survival for adjuvant RT in stage IC/grade 1 and stage IC/grades 3 and 4 disease. This information should be added to previous articles in the literature that confirm beneficial effects of adjuvant RT on both local and distant tumor control for certain patient cohorts,” the authors write.
“Statistical analysis cannot replace clinical judgment when considering the individual patient, tumor characteristics, and the potential risks and benefits of adjuvant RT. Hopefully, appropriate adjuvant RT will be used to decrease the death rate from this most common of gynecological malignancies. Future work is needed to continue to delineate clinical and biological factors that can guide treatment and account for disparities in outcome between varied subsets of patients,” the researchers conclude.
(JAMA. 2006;295:389-397. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: This study was supported in part by a grant from the Cancer Center Support.
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or email: mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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Embargoed for Release: 3:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Media Advisory: To contact corresponding author Timothy D. Henry, M.D., call Steven Linders at 612-863-4801.
HEART INJURY DUE TO CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING INCREASES LONG-TERM RISK OF DEATH
CHICAGO—Of patients who were hospitalized and treated for moderate to severe carbon monoxide poisoning, those who sustained heart muscle injury due to their exposure had an increased risk of death during a mid-point follow-up period of 7.6 years compared to those without injury to the heart, according to an article in the January 25 issue of JAMA.
Despite a decline in the annual death rate from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, CO remains the most common type of accidental poisoning in the United Sates, contributing to 40,000 emergency department visits each year, according to background information. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that from 1968 through 1998 CO poisoning contributed to an average of 1,091 unintentional deaths and 2,385 suicidal deaths in the U.S. annually. Symptoms of CO poisoning include weakness, nausea, dizziness, lethargy, confusion and headache. In addition to neurological effects, heart damage has also often been reported in CO poisoning cases.
Christopher R. Henry, B.S., of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, and colleagues studied 230 patients treated for moderate to severe CO poisoning to evaluate the association between the patients’ heart damage following CO poisoning and long-term risk of death. Patients admitted to the Hennepin County Medical Center between January 1, 1994, and January 1, 2002, were included in the study, with follow-up conducted through November 11, 2005. Heart muscle damage was characterized by elevated levels of cardiac troponin I (type of protein) or creatine kinase-MB (type of enzyme), and/or changes in diagnostic electrocardiogram (ECG).
Heart muscle injury occurred in 85 (37 percent) of the 230 patients with CO poisoning. At a mid-point follow-up of 7.6 years (ranging up to 11.8 years), 54 deaths had occurred (24 percent), with 12 (five percent) of those deaths taking place in the hospital. Of the 85 patients with heart damage, 32 (38 percent) died during follow-up compared with 22 (15 percent) of 145 patients without damage to the heart. Of those patients with a heart injury who died, 44 percent (14) died of presumed cardiovascular causes (i.e., cardiac arrest, heart attack).
“Patients with suspected exposure to CO should be screened for myocardial injury, and further cardiovascular risk stratification should be considered in all patients with confirmed myocardial injury,” the researchers report. “Our data indicate these patients have poor long-term outcome, a topic that deserves further study.”
(JAMA. 2006;295:398–402. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: This study was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or email: mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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Embargoed for Release: 3:00 p.m. CT, Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Media Advisory: To contact Catherine H. MacLean, M.D., Ph.D., call Warren Robak at 310-451-6913.
CONSUMPTION OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS UNLIKELY TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE RISK OF CANCER
CHICAGO—A review of numerous studies finds no strong evidence indicating a significantly reduced risk of cancer associated with the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, according to an article in the January 25 issue of JAMA.
Epidemiological studies have suggested that groups of people who consume diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, found in certain fish and vegetables, may experience a lower prevalence of some types of cancer, according to background information in the article. Many small trials have attempted to assess the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cancer treatment by adding omega-3 fatty acid to the diet either as omega-3 fatty acid–rich foods or as dietary supplements. Because of the results of some studies, a number of omega-3 fatty acid–containing dietary supplements have appeared on the market claiming to protect against the development of a variety of conditions including cancer, even though studies have reported mixed results.
Catherine H. MacLean, M.D., Ph.D., of RAND Health, Santa Monica, Calif., and colleagues assessed the validity of claims that omega-3 fatty acids prevent cancer by systematically reviewing the literature for studies that evaluated the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on the incidence of cancer. Using several databases and other sources, the researchers identified 38 articles, published between 1966 to October 2005, which met the study criteria. Reviewers independently abstracted detailed data about the incidence of cancer, the type of cancer, the number and characteristics of the patients, details on the exposure to omega-3 fatty acids, and the elapsed time between the intervention and outcome measurements.
The researchers found: “Among 65 estimates of association calculated across 20 different cohorts for 11 different types of cancer and 6 different ways to assess omega-3 fatty acid consumption, only 10 are statistically significant. Significant associations between omega-3 fatty acid consumption and cancer risk were reported for breast cancer in 4 studies; for colorectal cancer in 1; for lung cancer in 2; for prostate cancer in 2; and for skin cancer in 1. However, for each breast, lung, and prostate cancer, there were significant associations for both increased risk and decreased risk and far more estimates that did not demonstrate any association. The study that assessed skin cancer risk found a significantly increased risk. Hence, no trend was found across many different cohorts and many different categories of omega-3 fatty acid consumption to suggest that omega-3 fatty acids reduce overall cancer risk.”
“... omega-3 fatty acids appear not to affect a mechanism of cancer development that is common across the different types of cancers evaluated in this report. Likewise, there is little to suggest that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of any single type of cancer,” they write.
“A large body of literature spanning numerous cohorts from many countries and with different demographic characteristics did not provide evidence to suggest a significant association between omega-3 fatty acids and cancer incidence. Dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids is unlikely to reduce the risk of cancer,” the researchers conclude.
(JAMA. 2006;295:403-415. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: Supported by the Agency of Health Care Policy and Research Quality (AHRQ). Dr. MacLean is a Veterans Health Administration Health Services Research and Development Career Development Awardee.
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or email: mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org.
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JAMA REPORTS
VIDEO: Windows Media | Quicktime
RESEARCHERS DISCOVER LINK BETWEEN SEVERE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AND DEATH YEARS LATER FROM HEART DISEASE
VIDEO:
Furnace
Car in garage/exhaust pipe
Man walking into ice-fishing house
AUDIO:
A FAULTY FURNACE. RUNNING THE CAR IN THE GARAGE. OR RUNNING MOTORS IN ANY CONFINED SPACES. THESE ARE SOME THINGS THAT CAUSE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
@ :09
Super: Cheryl Adkinson, M.D.
Emergency medicine doctor
Runs :14
AUDIO:
"Carbon monoxide attaches to the molecule in the blood that carries oxygen and it attaches instead of oxygen. So somebody who had carbon monoxide poisoning is loaded up with carbon monoxide instead of oxygen."
VIDEO:
Patient on table with electrodes taped to chest GFX/JAMA Cover Doctors looking at ultrasound of heart on computer screen Dr. Henry and colleague walking down hallway Walking into patient's room
AUDIO:
THIS MAKES PEOPLE FEEL LIGHT-HEADED, NAUSEOUS, OR THEY PASS OUT. BUT ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY IN JAMA, THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE POISONING, CARBON MONOXIDE CAN ALSO DAMAGE THE HEART. DR. TIMOTHY HENRY AND COLLEAGUES AT THE MINNEAPOLIS HEART INSTITUTE FOUNDATION WERE AMONG THOSE WHO AUTHORED THE STUDY, WHICH WAS BASED ON 230 PATIENTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
@ :48
Super: Timothy Henry, M.D.
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
Runs :12
AUDIO:
"I think that the overall results of the study were very surprising. The fact that almost 40% of patients had heart damage related to the carbon monoxide poisoning, which was much higher than we expected."
VIDEO:
FULL SCREEN GRAPHIC
Title: Severe Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Of those with heart damage: 38% died within 7 1/2 years
Of those with no heart damage: 15% died within 7 1/2 years
B-ROLL
Dr. Henry with colleague in exam room
AUDIO:
AND OF THOSE PATIENTS, THIRTY-EIGHT PERCENT HAD DIED WITHIN ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AFTER THEIR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING, MOST FROM HEART PROBLEMS. IN COMPARISON, FIFTEEN PERCENT OF THE PATIENTS WHO DID NOT HAVE HEART DAMAGE FROM THE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING DIED IN THAT TIME FRAME. DR. HENRY SAYS THE HEART DAMAGE WAS A SURPISE, AS WERE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
Timothy Henry, M.D.
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
Runs :19
AUDIO:
"Most of us believed that since this was a one-time exposure to carbon monoxide, that if you were going to have problems you'd have them right away. And I think the key result of this finding is that that effect of carbon monoxide poisoning has effects not only today, but consequences down the line."
VIDEO:
B-ROLL
Dr. Henry with colleagues in exam room
Dr. Henry with patient on table with electrodes taped to chest
AUDIO:
HE SAYS DOCTORS SHOULD CHECK PATIENTS WITH SEVERE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING FOR HEART DAMAGE, AND IN SOME CASES, GIVE THE PATIENTS MEDICINES TO PROTECT AGAINST HEART PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE. BUT, HE ALSO HAS THIS ADVICE.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
Timothy Henry, M.D.
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
Runs :04
AUDIO:
"The best way to prevent damage to your heart is to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in the first place."
VIDEO:
B-ROLL
Carbon monoxide detector
Close up detector
AUDIO:
AND HE SAYS GETTING A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR FOR YOUR HOME MAY HELP. THIS IS MAVIS PRALL WITH THE JAMA REPORT.
