Keep abreast of what your patients are currently seeing in the media with our round-up of popular news stories, available from WHF as abstracts with links to the full-text articles.

From the week of May 26, 2008:

Patch Form of HRT Poses Less Clotting Risks Than Pill Does

As the debate over the safety of using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat the symptoms of menopause rages on, a new finding stresses that the method of delivery of hormones should play a role in the discussion. Some of the side effects that have been associated with HRT include an increased risk of coronary heart disease, breast cancer, and blood clots. Now researchers believe that women who use HRT can reduce their risk of blood clots by administering the hormones via a skin patch, instead of in oral pill doses. Studies show that the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE)—a potentially fatal blood clot in the vein—was 2.5 times higher in women taking oral estrogen than in women taking no estrogen supplement. However, women receiving transdermal estrogen saw only a slightly elevated risk of VTE. This data is based on observational studies, and not randomized studies, which are more reliable, so further research is required to support these findings.

Read the full story on healthday.com

Paclitaxel Plus Chemo Improves Outcomes in Early Breast Cancer

A recent study conducted in Spain found that adding the drug paclitaxel to standard chemotherapy treatment improved disease-free survival in women with early-stage breast cancer. 1246 women with non-metastatic breast cancer were involved in the study, and received treatment either with fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC), or FEC followed by a weekly dose of paclitaxel. Women in the group that received FEC plus paclitaxel had a 78.5% 5-year survival rate, compared to a 72.1% 5-year survival rate among women in the FEC-only group. There was also a trend toward improvement in overall survival found with paclitaxel. Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City are also publishing their review of the usage of the class of drugs paclitaxel belongs to in addition to existing adjuvant therapy for breast cancer in the upcoming issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Read the full story on healthday.com

Scientists Break Into HIV 'Hideout'

Researchers have discovered a particular type of cell in the human body that shields HIV during drug treatment. Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) are located in lymphoid tissue throughout the body, and store material needed to maintain antibodies for the immune system. Researchers have now confirmed that FDCs also provide a safe haven for HIV, protecting the virus from drugs used to treat it. Two other types of cells—macrophages and latently infected CD4 + T-cells—also store HIV. These reservoirs of HIV previously acted as an obstacle to HIV treatment. Now that researchers have identified where in the body HIV hides, they can begin work on developing targeted treatments to kill the virus within its protective cells.

Read the full story on healthday.com

FDA Warns of Harmful Nipple Cream

Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream, a product marketed to nursing mothers to soothe dryness and cracking caused by breastfeeding, contains potentially harmful ingredients. The ingredients in question, chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol, may cause respiratory distress, vomiting, and diarrhea in nursing infants. The product is no longer being sold by MOM Enterprises Inc, a company based in San Rafael, California. The FDA is warning women to stop using the cream immediately, and to consult a doctor if they believe their infant is experiencing any side effects of the product. All adverse effects of the cream should be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch by calling 1-800-332-1088.

Read the full story on cnn.com