October 09. 2002
il,rJJortlanò © bsm icr
MED Week
Page A5
Health / Family
Cancer Study Targets African-Americans for Clinical Trials
The Columbia River Oncology
Program has entered the second
year of the largest-ever prostate
cancer prevention clinical trial,
known as SELECT.
The study is attempting to de
termine if either selenium or vita
min E can protect against prostate
cancer.
In Oregon, an estimated 2,800
men will get prostate cancer and
500 men will die of it this year. It is
the second leading cause o f can
cer death in men behind lung can
cer, and African-American men in
the United States have the highest
rates of prostate cancer rates in the
world.
In this second year of the trial,
there will be an increased empha
sis on reaching out to African-
American men.
"W e would like to see men of all
races and ethnic backgrounds par
ticipate," said Dr. Keith Lanier, the
principal investigator for the Co
lumbia River Oncology Program.
“But since African-American men
are at greatest risk o f developing
prostate cancer, we would like to
see more involved.”
Men aged 55 or older, or 50 or
older if African-American, who
have never had prostate cancer
and are in generally good health
may enroll. Men in the study will be
followed for 7 to 12 years, depend
ing on when they enroll in the trial.
African-American men are at
greatest risk o f developing prostate
cancer.
—Dr. Keith Lanier of the Columbia River Oncology Program
“In this second year of the trial,
we will continue to talk to men
about their prostate cancer risk
and ask them if they are willing to
help us learn whether the effects of
selenium and vitamin E, both sepa
rately and together, can prevent
the disease." Lanier said.
Previous research involving se
lenium and vitamin E for other can-
cers suggested these nutrients might
reduce the risk of prostate cancer by
60to 30percent,respectively. Sele
nium and vitamin E. are both anti
oxidants that are naturally occur
ring nutrients. They are capable of
neutralizing toxins known as "free
radicals" that might otherwise dam
• Come celebrate our connection to salmon and nature •
J 19th annual
Salmon
8 o f 8^
°
FESTIVAL5
For more information,
call Metro at (503) 797-1850
or visit www.metro-region.org
M ETRO
P f O F ll FlACBS
Help protect wildlife by leaving pets at home.
O FEN SFACCS
• Children's activities • Horse-drawn wagon rides •
L o o k in g for
D en ise Harrington
Linda Dano
H arrington also offers leader
ship-training program for women.
A fter the highlighted speak
ers, participants can choose three
o f the 18 offered w orkshops to
attend. Providence physicians
and health experts will speak
about a variety o f w om en’s is-
sues ranging from horm one re
placem ent therapy to financial
planning.
Cost for the conference is $30
for Providence Health Plan mem
bers and $40 for day-of-event
registration. Breakfast and lunch
are included.’
Minority kids’ fractures prompt more suspicion of abuse
other area of medicine where racial
disparities and possible bias may
affect health care. Others have
concluded that low income is more
strongly linked to abuse than race.
"All of us have personal biases,"
Christian said. “It’s human nature
not to be able to see something
negative in a person or group of
people who are like you.”
The study involved 388 chil
dren under 3 who were treated for
skull, arm or leg fractures at the
Philadelphiahospital between 1994
and 2000. Twochild-abuse experts
reviewed the injuries and deter
mined which ones were accidental
and which were caused by abuse.
Minority children 1 year old and up
with accidental injuries were three
times more likely to be reported to
authorities for suspected abuse.
The study echoes research into
shaken-baby syndrome that sug
g ested abuse w as com m only
missed in children from white, well-
educated parents "because those
are the kinds of families that medi
cal providers tend to suspect
least,” said Dr. Lawrence Ricci, a
Maine pediatrician who special
izes in child-abuse issues.
“Medical providers are taught,
and need to be taught, to com
pletely discount their impression
of parents” and to focus on the
child’s injury, Ricci said.
Disease Department.
People over age 65, people with
chronic health problems such as
diabetes, heart disease, or asthma
and those who care for them will be
given first priority during the first
two weeks o f vaccinations. All
other health plan members will be
able to receive shots after a special
Saturday clinic on Nov. 2, from 9
a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information about
Kaiser Permanente’s flu vaccina
tion program, call 503-813-2000.
Do you have
Type 2 Diabetes?
Legacy Clinical Research is seeking
volunteers for a study evaluating an investigational
medication for the treatment of T ype 2 Diabetes.
If you are only taking only one medication to
treat your diabetes and are 16 to 75 years old, you
may be eligible to participate in this study.
Co-investigators are W. Kenneth Ward, M.D.
and Alar Mirka, M.D.
For more information, please call
(503) 413-1742
or email 8tudyinfo@lhs.org
www.legacyhealth.org/research
I tG A CY
Health System
W h o * Port rim e jo b w ill p a y y o >
°ne x c e / / e n f
p a rt tim e
JQß?
up to $ 7 0 0 . 0 0 p e r m o n t h fo r
o n ly tw o d a y s w o rth o f w ork®
Excellent Educational Assistance Program:
-<—
•Student Loan Repayment Program (up to $20,000)
•Montgomery Gl Bill (up to $263.00 per month)
•Ask about our $350.00 per month (tax free) Incentive Kicker
•Ask about our $8,000.00 enlistment bonus
Openings N o w A vailable
in the Following Fields:
•Aircraft maintenance & avionics
•General purpose mechanic & vehicle operations
•Computer maintenance & switching
•Information & inventory management
w w w .o r p o r t.a n g .a f.m il
The power to
quit smoking
is within
your reach.
Season for Flu Shots Nears
Kai ser Permanente members can
receive free flu shots weekdays
from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on a drop-in
basis at Interstate Medical Office
Central, 3600 N. Interstate Ave.
starting M onday, Oct. 21, through
Friday, Nov. 15.
“Getting a flu shot in October
and November offers ample time
for people to build up their immu
nity before the usual flu peak in late
December through early M arch,”
says Joseph Kane, MD, chief of
Kaiser Perm anente’s Infectious
10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday
Oct. 12 and 13
Don't be afraid o f a
cloudy day - that’s perfect
for salmon viewing.
o p
Sponsors
O Q
• Metro
• Oregon Trout
• Mr. Hood National Forest
• Portland Water Bureau
• Portland General Electric
• Bureau of Land Management
• Portland Family Magazine
• Columbia Sportswear
Festival admission:
$6 per vehicle.
Study Finds Doctors Biased
(A P)— Black and Hispanic chil
dren hospitalized with broken
bones suffered in accidents are far
more likely than white youngsters
to be checked for child abuse, a
study found. The findings sug
gest that some doctors may be
unfairly suspicious of minorities
and are overlooking actual abuse
among whites, the researchers said.
“This study is a reminder to be
as thorough and objective as pos
sible in evaluating children with
injuries,” said Dr. Cindy Christian,
who led the study at C hildren’s
Hospital o f Philadelphia.
Researchers said the findings
b o lster su sp icio n s that abuse
among white children is under di
agnosed and it also points to an-
O
M e tro 's O xb o w
Regional Park
Women’s Health Addressed
Portland w om en will have the
o p p o rtu n ity to sp e n d a day
le arn in g ab o u t health re la te d
to p ic s at P ro v id e n c e H ealth
S y ste m ’s six th annual A D ay
fo r Y ou c o n fe re n c e , on S a tu r
day, O ct 12 fro m 7:45 a.m . to
4 :3 0 p.m . at the O reg o n C o n
v en tio n C e n te r, 111 N .E. M a r
tin L u th e r K ing Jr. B lvd.
Keynote speaker, TV and film
actress L inda D ano, will give in
sight into her role as a caretaker
follow ing the loss o f her father to
A lzheim er’s D isease. D ano is
also a spokesperson, colum nist
and novelist.
A lso speaking at the event is
D enise H arringtion, a com m uni
cations consultant, trainer and
speaker who specializes in teach
ing individuals and o rganiza
tio n s to te ll th e ir s to r ie s .
age the genetic material of cells and
possibly lead to cancer.
Men interested in joining the
study can call the Columbia River
Oncology Program at 503-216-
6 2 9 3 .o r on the In te rn e t at
www.cropor.org.
1-877-27D-ST0P
We know how hard it is to quit
smoking and we know what
works. Let us give you a helping
hand. Call us today.
)( dhs
H ro o n n D
n ru i
' Oregon
Department
of Human Services
Oregon Tobacco Prevention & Education Program
www.healthoregon.org/tobacco
1-877-2NO-FUME (Spanish) TTY: 1-877-777-6534
I