The Terrible Week That Was

As you know, it is hard to concentrate on anything right now except the horrendous news. Images of destruction are engraved on our minds and the minds of our children and grandchildren. I was born and spent most of my life in New York, although I moved out of the City last May. But the main office of the Moss Reports is in Park Slope, directly in the path of the smoke and dust of the explosions. Luckily none of our staff or family was hurt. But many of our neighbors were not so lucky; I just learned that 11 firefighters from the local firehouse are presumed dead...including the husband of a friend. Even we in the cancer field, who are inured to bad news are overwhelmed with the waste of it all. For myself and the Moss Reports staff, I wish to express the deepest condolences for any of you who lost loved ones during this event.

The least helpful comment in this tragedy came from a politician who said that "terrorism is the cancer of our age." Whoa! First of all, I don't like to see cancer patients associated in any way with terrorism. This will only make them feel like pariahs. Second, you know what is the "cancer of our age"? It is cancer itself. Cancer continues to kill 1,516 Americans per day...about 9,000 more since last Tuesday's tragedy. Many years ago, Susan Sontag (who has survived two bouts with cancer) deplored the use of "cancer as a metaphor." Cancer is enough of a problem without being made the metaphor for every other evil in the world.

On a mundane note: You will not be surprised to hear that some of our Moss Reports have been slow in arriving. The Reports are sent via Federal Express, which has also suffered disruption. If this happened to you, do not panic or despair. Please try to contact our coordinator Diane Galbo at 800-980-1234. She will try to work it out, but please understand the delay.

Reference to "terrorism is the cancer of our age":  www.nytimes.com/2001/09/14/opinion/14FRIE.html

Richard Klausner Resigns

At the very moment that the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center, Richard "Rick" Klausner, MD told a meeting of the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) that he was resigning from his post as Director of the National Cancer Institute as of September 30. The news seems to have been lost in the pandemonium of the WTC and Pentagon attacks (the New York Times still has not reported it). Soon after his announcement, word came that all federal buildings would be vacated.

In a letter dated Sept. 7, Klausner wrote to Pres. Bush, "It has not and will not be easy, but real progress is achievable. Our research enterprise is both robust and fragile--it works well but it requires sustained nurturing."

President Clinton appointed Klausner as the 11th NCI director on Aug. 1, 1995. Klausner came in as a reformer after years of stagnant budgets and Congressional investigations involving the Institute. Over the past six years, the organization has been revamped and many new programs have begun. Science magazine called this "The Klausner Revolution."

What interests me most of course has been Klausner's influence on the study of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). My own involvement with him was mainly positive. After I testified before Congress in Feb. 1998, and sharply criticized NCI's lack of progress in evaluating CAM, Klausner called me at home and promised me that changes would be made. That evening I looked on the NCI website and saw, as I had asked and he had promised, that the very derogatory NCI statements on CAM treatments had been removed.

Klausner then set up the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM), headed by Jeffrey White, MD, which has been attempting to find "best case series" and carry out evaluations of promising treatments. It is my pleasure to work closely with Dr. White on the Cancer Advisory Panel on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAPCAM) of the NIH.

As of September 30, three of the country's top biomedical jobs are unstaffed: the directorships of NIH and NCI, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Here is an opportunity for proponents of CAM to influence the direction of research for many years.

Antioxidants Make Progress Against Hearing Loss

A form of the dietary antioxidant, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), has been found to prevent damage to the inner ear by chemotherapy. Inner ear cells and their connecting nerve fiLemonts were grown in a test tube. Then they were exposed to the toxic drug cisplatin. As expected, the drug damaged the cells. However, when scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine added L-NAC, a form of acetyl cysteine, they were able to prevent this damage. Their findings were reported by Joseph Feghali, et al. in the journal The Laryngoscope {2001;111:1148-1155}. These scientists conducted an experiment in the laboratory using tissue culture techniques allowing inner ear cells and their connecting nerve fiLemonts to grow.

According to the American Cancer Society, "This study represents a first laboratory step to combat one treatment's side effect. Additional research studies need to be done before a treatment recommendation can be made to patients. However, scientists can now focus on this area of research and perhaps build on the findings to develop clinical evidence that eventually benefits patients."

NAC is readily available in health food outlets. Since this was a test tube study I cannot comment on what might be an appropriate human dose. Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org) sells 600 mg capsules over the Internet and recommends one to three capsules per day for various purposes. They strongly recommend that patients also simultaneously take two to three times as much vitamin C with their NAC. If you are facing chemotherapy with cisplatin it would be wise to bring this study to the attention of your oncologist and see if he or she has any objection to you take NAC supplements.

The Albert Einstein study is part of the growing body of literature showing that antioxidants can and do prevent some of the side effects of chemotherapy. In my opinion, the opposition of many oncologists to the concurrent use of antioxidants and chemotherapy is not in the best interest of their patients.

Phone Consultations For Clients

Despite the tragedy, I managed to do several individualized phone consultations for clients this week. I helped these patients deal with some difficult treatment decisions. Phone consultations are only available to clients who have already ordered a Moss Report on their particular diagnosis.

I have now completed 209 separate reports on different cancer diagnoses. I am currently working on #210, a report on pediatric melanoma, which presents features that are different from melanoma in adults. If you are facing a diagnosis of cancer we probably have a report on it. If not, I can usually write a report, no matter how rare the diagnosis. Please call coordinator Diane Galbo at 800-980-1234 (718-636-4433) to find out more about our services.

Till next week...Best wishes for your safety and good health!

Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

The news and other items in this newsletter are intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this newsletter is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.