Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 7, 1998, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press Elizabeth hate if 69 01 today on television ably left his be in George i Tor me two hour Fig simulcast on viewers May Weenum Bernor l a moment of Freel Ifeora lather Mars with Broderick Towb Aughta ing dysfunctional Itai Safru i f her husband is i that life with and that Shes intrigued by her hew Harry ohs Star lies Truscott today in music history isl Cal career in spent making cmhs1972 if and yield two years discord was As a concert replayed More Many of win was Island one Workon born this Day soundbite i if find enjoy Accident today lineup Bode cancer Public by Leslie Papp Toronto to be cautious about accepting results of studies Toronto deep seated fear i huge demand for but tiie keen interest is s Strong under standing of we should be a lot More says Marcia executive editor of the new England journal of medi few people know How to interpret cancer studies with significant weak spots and uncertainties often slip into Media reports and inflate the Public in assessing Bear in mind exactly who or what was subjected to an experts a study showing Good results against cancer cells in a test tube is a lot less significant than one showing effective Ness in a and animal in Arent As telling As experiments conducted with when you squirt a drug on to cancer in a it just has to pop into the can cer so it looks says Tony Pawson of Sinai hospitals Samuel Lunenfeld research but when you put that drug into a its immediately exposed to enzymes that metabolize or process and then it has to be transported to the right place in the that process tends to spoil the effectiveness of most drugs that were cures in the test mice often Metabolise a drug differently than people there Are loads of medications that can cure cancer in but Are useless in there Are also human Side effects to photo illustration by Wayne Lowacki w1nnipeq free press be which cant be predicted with certainty using a test tube or a that where human testing comes three or of human testing must generally be done before a cancer drug reaches the Market phase i this involves a Small number of perhaps usually with advanced disease who have failed existing researchers give them eve increasing amounts of a new trying to find the maximum acceptable when researchers should have some idea of the drugs Side patients generally go on to die of their ii this recruits a larger number of perhaps with a variety of different researchers want to see How Many Dif Ferent cancers the drug might work and which Tumours Are the most effectiveness is measured by shrinkage of Tumour size and the length of time it takes for cancer to resume its deadly phase Iii this involves a Large Pool of from hundreds to thou depending on the the new drug is tested against without an Active medical plus Stan Dard neither patients nor researchers know who is getting the medication being that to pre vent researcher Bias from tainting the final if the drug extends patients or at least improves qual Ity of life by easing Side its deemed a and the medications manufacturer usually seeks Federal approval to provide it continued on Page c5 tips for new cancer patients by Leslie Papp t diagnosis of cancer is but there Are ways to get a handle on the medical world that envelops cancer any time you walk through the door of a Hospital you have a responsibility to make sure youre getting says Christopher Vic Epresi Dent of research at Princess Margaret and the Toronto Hospi ask a lot of get second consider enrolling in a clinical says Kathleen a breast cancer Spe cancer specialists at major Nedical and even in Ninny smaller routinely engage in studies exploring new patients get Good care in Tri als there treated with some thing that or something that May be says head of the Clini Cal trials division at the Toronto Sunnybrook regional cancer even if people end up in a group receiving a get Good conventional not the drug under when a Centre does it tells you this is a place that try ing to improve treatment and trying to move its an important measure of a Good the Normal route into a study is through a cancer says if a patient has an curable he or she probably wont be offered a place in a clinical but if the cancer is and Odds of survival enrolment in a study might offer extra regardless of whether there in a clinical cancer patients can take firm Steps toward optimum care open discussion with the doctor is be honest about your try to be As fac Tual As you can without overstating or under playing your plan before going for an appointment with your cancer make a list of questions you want answered or symptoms you want to bring a notebook and write Down the doctors you May want to bring a Friend or relative who can do this dont be afraid to ask your doctor to explain Why he or she has recommended a certain ask if there Are treat ment guidelines for your Condi and if there being whenever a doctor uses an unfamiliar admit you dont understand and ask for an exp la continued on Page c5 attention parents just say no to Furby theres something Creepy about the newest toy designed to drive parents nuts this Christmas tots see it but uses its own secret it has Happy Toiv versa ions with your Chili Cut gives you the hairy the interactive Gremlin sneezes and responds to making it a Cross Between the family dog and your and you cant int anyone a wee bit nervous about the Way this thing is unfolding Furby is More than its vaguely m a Jet sons Dag kind of wait looks Lite a owl with Chihuahua a Nasty Little Heastie with s today of in the Buddie of us the under Reynolds if your child wants an animal to buy her a if your child needs to learn a talk to if your i Bijj a gods someone to bub How hard is this u bad chatty Cath she in int revolt Aneth High in that so Only had u of to Nam sounded Slie did flt Jove i know tart Deal by int a we Aore Tao pole cabbage Patch dolls or j babies were critical to child d v Al it s oot an affix put tit an injvo8iblp we All fall for Ive got a Maple Bear Beanie baby once much it was obtained through vaguely Legal still has the tag on and is stuffed in a Green garbage under the basement i think its company with an old Holiday Barbie and a dead this toy buying frenzy happens every year one Lucky company develops a product that is sort fifteen and guaranteed to nuke nee4 leak stories about the immense demand and wait for the and it come weeks before Christ a Black Market develops in dogs fed with Beans or really ugly dolls plastic Mathers cruise the pathetic than the bad Mother needs therapy needs to be no Price too moms and its time for a real Ity your kids dont know spit about if they its because you told you could glue ears to an old sock and pitch it As the Christ Mas Winner of All its All in the presentation take cheerios and spell out Furby if they need extra convince there they cant get to toys r us without Usten up youre still in even if it does it seem that get go look in the Mirror and give your Bead a you dont to buy a toy that is friendlier and More appealing to your child than you theres also la outside Chance the thing knows Bow to work your Cash card your kids win forgive you Eye Atu ;