April 2003-1-up

JUDGES AND LAWYERS BREAST CANCER ALERT
SAVE THE DATE
The Twelfth Annual Ellen P. Hermanson Memorial Symposium
LOCATION:
Association of the Bar of the City of New York42 West 44th St., NYC SUBJECT:
Specific topics to be announced. Panelists and judges willgenerally discuss (1) the role of government policies andlaws, or absence thereof, in reduced breast cancer screeningand the significance of reduced screening to the reportedlower incidence of breast cancer and (2) the impact universalhealth care would have on cancer patients.
2 CLE credits – qualification pendingFree of charge – open to the publicPlease RSVP to JALBCA NYC GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL THAT PROVIDES NEW RIGHTS TO
CONSUMERS AND PHYSICIANS IN MANAGED CARE PLANS
On August 1, 2007, Governor Eliot Spitzer signed Provides for a cooling-off period so that con- legislation to broaden the rights of health care con- sumers aren’t needlessly alarmed by notices that sumers, physicians and hospitals associated with man- a hospital may no longer be in a health plan’s aged care health plans. The new law provides key legal network when a contract negotiation between the protections to address long-standing problems of health plan and a hospital goes down to the wire; patients who become caught in the middle between hos- Requires managed care plans to report key data pital and insurer disputes, as where a health plan denies on health care quality that the Department of care that it previously pre-authorized. The law also helps untangle the complicated maze of rules that have beendeveloped by hospitals and insurers so that clear and Sets a time limit of 15 months for hospitals to timely health care decisions can be made.
submit claims to health plans when they have The package of legal protections contained in the provided out-of-network services to patients.
new law advances consumer and provider rights in sev- Organizations that participated in this process include the Medical Society of the State of New York,the Healthcare Association of New York State, New York Limits a health plan’s ability to deny care that it Health Plan Association, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Suburban Gives consumers the ability to appeal to an inde- Health Care Alliance and the Greater New York Hospital pendent reviewer when a health plan denies a Association. Senator Kemp Hannon sponsored the bill in request to see an out-of-network specialist for a the Senate, and Assembly Health Committee Chair service not available in their plan network; Richard N. Gottfried sponsored the bill in the Assembly.
OCTOBER COURTHOUSE ALERT
PESTICIDE PRODUCTS -
ANNOUNCEMENT
ACTIVE AND INERT INGREDIENTS
The Harlem Mammography Van will be located in Pesticide products contain both active ingredients front of the Harlem Community Justice Center, 170 East (that control the pest) and inert ingredients (added ingre- 121st St., on October 22, 2007, beginning at 8 am.
dients which do not have pesticide activity but can be Appointments can be made by calling 1-800-564-6868.
biologically active). Inert ingredients may comprise most of the weight of the pesticide product and include,for example, water, solvents, emulsifiers, surfactants, JALBCA COCKTAIL RECEPTION
clay or propellants. Many inert ingredients used in these IN SEPTEMBER
products are listed as hazardous chemicals under the JALBCA has scheduled its annual cocktail reception Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe to kick-off the Annual Courthouse Alert. The reception is Drinking Water Act. Environmental organizations, con- scheduled for Wednesday, September 19, 2007 from 5 sumers and policy makers have expressed concern about PM to 7 PM at the Appellate Division, Second potential health effects of many of these substances.
Department Courthouse, 45 Monroe Place, Brooklyn Under current labeling requirements, there is no need to Heights, NY. The Honorary Event Chair is Hon. Gail A.
identify the inert ingredients by name, or state the toxi- Prudenti, Presiding Justice, Appellate Division, Second city of inert ingredients on the pesticide product label.
Department. The Event Co-Chairs, as in prior years, are To learn more about this subject and applicable ref- Hon. Ellen Spodek and Hon. William C. Thompson of erence material, you may want to refer to the Spring 2007 Newsletter of the Cornell University Program on All persons interested in attending are asked to Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors R.S.V.P. by contacting JALBCA at 212-289-9720.
(BCERF) at http://envirocancer.cornell.edu.
BCERF REGIONAL CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM
Relevant Environmental Exposures in the 21st September 27, 2007, 10 am – 3 pm, at Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Dining Room, Rockefeller University, 1230 York Ave, NYC. The subjects to be covered are: Panel Discussion: Local Efforts on Breast Breast Cancer, Estrogens, and Environmental Cancer Research, Education and Activism.
Prophylactic Human Papilloma Virus Vaccines To RSVP or for further information, contact Carmi New Developments in Breast Cancer Detection Orenstein at 607-255-1185 or cso1@cornell.edu.
BREAST CANCER NEWS
ous surgeries and women with a strong positive family The Journal of Academic Radiology recently pub- lished results of a study concerning breast-specificgamma imaging (BSGI), which involves nuclear medi- Evista Recommended for Approval to FDA for Breast cine imaging of the breast utilizing a high-resolution gamma camera. The results indicated that BSGI provides An expert panel that advises the US Food and Drug a higher sensitivity for the detection of Ductal Administration (FDA) voted in July 2007 to recommend Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) than mammography or MRI that the osteoporosis drug Evista, manufactured by Eli and can reliably detect small, sub-centimeter lesions.
Lilly, be approved for use in preventing invasive breast This would support the value of BSGI as a complemen- cancer in post-menopausal women. Evista (chemical tary diagnostic procedure to mammography to detect name raloxifene hydrochloride) is a prescription drug breast cancer when post-mammogram evaluation is indi- that prevents and treats osteoporosis in post-menopausal cated. Standard film and digital mammography are the women. It is a selective estrogen receptor modulator accepted imaging procedures for breast cancer screen- (SERM) which the FDA has recently classified as an ing, and mammograms (and ultrasound) can detect the Three studies filed by Eli Lilly all showed that women BSGI, however, involves a test to determine if a sus- who took Evista for up to five years developed fewer inva- picious mass is benign or malignant. Therefore, results sive breast cancers than women who took a placebo. But can be of assistance in a decision as to whether a breast women who took the drug also had a higher risk of seri- biopsy is appropriate. The test involves the injection of a ous blood clots and fatal stroke. Evista is not recommend- small amount of a radioactive tracer that is absorbed by ed for women who are pregnant or breast feeding, or who all the cells in the body. Because cancerous cells in the have liver or kidney problems or are under treatment for breast have an increased rate of metabolic activity, they blood clots or have a history of them. Being immobile for absorb a greater amount of the tracing agent than normal, long periods would add to the risk of blood clots develop- healthy cells. Breast compression is not required for the ing in the veins. An FDA analysis of the three studies was procedure. It appears that BSGI is particularly helpful reportedly inconclusive as to whether Evista’s potential for patients with mammograms that are difficult to inter- benefits outweighed its risks. It is recommended that pret because of a variety of factors: dense breast tissue, women with a history of stroke or associated risk factors, suspicious areas on a mammogram, lumps that can be smoking, or irregular heart beat (atrial fibrillation) should felt but not seen with mammography or ultrasound, discuss both the risks and the benefits of taking Evista implants and breast augmentation, scarring from previ- with their medical provider before taking the drug.
CALENDAR/CONTACTS
ADELPHI NY STATEWIDE
TOPIC:
BREAST CANCER
This is a disease-specific meeting, co-led by social workers and nurses, and is tai- CancerCare
MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING
CANCER CENTER
Post-Treatment Resource Program
Educational Forums1275 York Avenue- Room-M107 SHARE (Self-Help for Women with
DATE:
TIME:
TOPIC:
Bendheim Integrative Medicine Center SPEAKERS:
DATE:
TIME:
PRESORTED
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
U.S. POSTAGE
TERMINAL PRINTING

Source: http://www.jalbca.org/oldnewsletter/sept_07_newsletter.pdf