Sound Medicine -- July 20, 2002

Barbara Lewis and Dr. Mike Koch talk to physicians and experts about:

Gene therapy for ovarian cancer
Exercise and headcolds

Screening for peripheral vascular disease

Gene therapy for ovarian cancer

We're hearing a lot about genetics, genomics, and mapping human DNA. In the future, we'll be hearing how these breakthroughs are leading to treatments for diseases that presently have no cure.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most formidable cancers to effectively treat. To talk about gene therapies for ovarian cancer, we have Dr. Steve Williams, director of the Indiana University Cancer Center, and Dr. Mark Kelley, associate director of the Wells Center for Pediatric Research and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. Their work focuses on altering genes that kill the cancer cells and rendering cancer genes less resistant to the effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

Drs. Williams and Kelley first explain why current treatments, surgery and chemotherapy, can stave off but usually not eradicate ovarian cancer. Most patients suffer recurrence and die.

The researchers define "targeted therapies" which work on different cancers. They describe making tumor cells more sensitive to drugs using gene therapy, why a tumor may resist treatment, and why normal cells aren't affected by these new treatments. Another strategy Kelley and Williams employ uses "cell cycle inhibitors" which target cancer-specific genes and trick cells into killing themselves. These IU researchers foresee converting cancer from an acute disease to a chronic one that's treated with these new techniques along with chemotherapy and radiation.

Resources

The National Cancer Institute has a comprehensive Web site for ovarian cancer information, excellent for patients and medical professionals. Includes links to general information, research, and clinical trials.

Exercise and headcolds

When you are really sick with the flu or other illness, you're probably too zapped of energy to consider exercising. But what about when you have a simple head cold? Should you suit up or stay on the couch with a box of tissues and a TV remote control?

Tom Weidner, MD, recently conducted a study to find the answer. Dr. Weidner directs the Athletic Training Research and Education Laboratory at Ball State University in Muncie Indiana.

As a professional sports trainer, he was frequently asked, "should I exercise if I have a cold?" To find a definitive answer, he gathered a group of student volunteers, infected them with a rhinovirus, and studied the effects of exercising versus remaining sedentary. He looked at symptom severity and duration and found -- no difference! However, those who exercised reported feeling in a better mood.

Resources

 

HealthAtoZ.com has an article explaining Dr. Weidner's study. It includes links to more resources about exercising through a cold or the flu.

Screening for peripheral vascular disease

If your legs hurt when you walk, and if the pain goes away shortly after you stop, there is a national health campaign called Legs for Life designed to help you. Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) is sometimes dismissed as arthritis or as symptoms of old age. But even though it's simple to diagnose and treat, it's dangerous if ignored.

Two doctors instrumental in the in Legs for Life campaign are interventional radiologist Matthew Johnson, MD, and vascular surgeon Dr. Stephen Lalka, MD. Today they discuss peripheral vascular disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm, a condition that has fewer symptoms but is equally dangerous.

The two describe the symptoms of PVD, which stem from obstructed blood flow to the legs, and explain how symptoms differ from arthritis. Smokers and overweight people are more likely to suffer from PVD. Johnson and Lalka also explain the purpose of the Legs for Life screening campaign, which also profiles individuals who may be at risk for an abdominal aortal aneurysm.

Dr. Matthew Johnson is director of vascular and interventional radiology and an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Stephen Lalka is a professor of surgery and of endovascular surgery at the IU School of Medicine.

Resources

Visit the Web site of the national Legs For Life campaign.

Read a Saturday Evening Post article on peripheral arterial disease and LFL that features Dr. Matthew Johnson.

Dr. Johnson recommends Society of Interventional Radiology Web site for insight on minimally invasive treatments for common conditions.

Coming on the July 27 program:
We talk with IU School of Medicine's Dr. Ann Zerr about hormone replacement therapy.

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These symptoms may be caused by ovarian cancer or by other, less serious
conditions. It is important to check with a doctor about any of these symptoms.

Source: Ovarian Cancer Information from the National Institutes of Health