Dr. Hermann Brenner, who lead a team analyzing data on more than 1.4 million Americans diagnosed with 24 common forms invasive cancer between 1998 and 2003 reported, “By using the most up-to-date available data and the latest developments in techniques of survival analyses, we were able to show that long-term survival expectations are much better for patients with many forms of cancer than previously available survival statistics have shown."

There was a significant improvement in 5-year relative survival for 14 types of cancer, with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma having the highest rate followed by kidney cancer and leukemia. In addition, there were also gains in colorectal cancer as well as malignancies of the prostate and breast. According to this study, five-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer was almost 100% while that for breast cancer was over 90%. Relative survival for pancreatic cancer was only about 7%, but that was an improvement. Meanwhile, lung cancer relative survival showed no change and remained at 16%. Dr. Brenner concluded, "this encouraging news should be disclosed to patients, their relatives and clinicians in as timely a manner as possible."

We have series in our extensive library on cancer that can be used for in hospitals inservices or orientation, or schools of nursing.

Titles include:

• Basic Genetics for the Oncology Nurse (504)
• Managing Physical Assessments and Supportive Cancer Care (505)
• Leukemia: Implications of the Initial Diagnosis (506)
• Caring for the Patient with Breast Cancer (507)
• Symptom Management for the Patient with Lung Cancer (508)
• Tumor Lysis Syndrome and Pleural Effusion (509)
• Sepsis and DIC (510)
• Guided Visualization: Working with the Healing Power of Your Immune System (511)
• Chemotherapy Administration for the Oncology Nurse (512)
• Symptom Management for the Radiation Oncology Patient (513)
• Preventing Medication Errors for the Oncology Nurse (514)
• Cancer as a Family Diagnosis: Supporting the Caregivers (515)
• Cancer: Supporting Couples and Children (516)
• Traditional Pain Management in Oncology Treatment (517)
• Alternative Pain Management in Oncology Treatment (518)

We also have a program on Lung Cancer (113.3) in our series Respiratory Disorders (113)

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has increased its testing on children's toys and jewelry. So far this year, it has issued numerous lead-related recalls for items containing lead paint, especially those made in China. According to Dr. Michael Shannon, co-director of the Pediatric Environmental Health Center at Children's Hospital Boston, families who have these toys should not panic. He says, "The general message to parents should be one of reassurance...A child would really have to chew on these toys or peel off the paint and ingest it to be harmed. Or they would have to leave the toy in their mouth for a long period of time." He added that lead cannot be absorbed through the skin, so just playing with a toy away from the face is fine.

Lead poisoning, which affects more than 310,000 American children under six years, is most often a result of their eating paint in houses built before 1978, the year when lead-paint was banned. When ingested, lead goes into the blood and brain and even amounts as low as 10 mcg/dL may cause lower intelligence, learning disabilities, hearing problems and anti-social behaviors. As a result, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that children be tested for lead at ages one and two years. If the results are high, chelation therapy, using medications to bind heavy metals in the body to treat toxicity, can be initiated.

Our program, Human Development: Enhancing Social and Cognitive Growth in Children (630) addresses pica, or the ingesting of non-food substances such as lead-based items. Other programs, Human Development: Birth to 2½ (670) and Human Development: 2½ to 6 Years (620) discuss how children move from the oral stage to more mature stages of development. These series can be used for student and professional nurses, social workers, pre-school teachers, day-care providers, and child life specialists.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, The rate of women who die during childbirth in the US has increased from one death per 100,000 in 2003 to 13 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2004, which is a statistically significant increase. This is the first time since 1977 that the rate has exceed 10 deaths per 100,000. According to Dr. Elliott Main, who reviews obstetrics care in California, the reasons for the increase in mortality include obesity and performing Caesarean sections as well as new reporting systems. He added, "There's an inherent risk to C-sections…As you do thousands and thousands of them, there's going to be a price."

We have two series which deal with issues concerning pregnancy and delivery and the risk factors associated with them: Human Development: Conception to Neonate (618) and Pregnancy, Labor, and Delivery (687). These programs can be used by schools of nursing or hospitals for inservices or orientation.

• September 6, 2007: Cortical Stimulation Gives New Hope to Stroke Patients
• August 30, 2007: 50% of All Cancer Deaths can be Linked to Obesity and Smoking
• August 23, 2007: Physical Activity Found to Improve Cardiovascular Risk in Children with Type 1 Diabetes
• August 16, 2007: Hostility and Depression Harmful to Men's Immune System
• August 7, 2007: Decrease in Women's Use of Hormone Therapy Linked to Drop in Breast Cancer
• August 2, 2007: Use of SSRI's Down in Teens While Suicide Number Rises
• July 26, 2007: New Definitions from the International Diabetes Federation

Concept Media produces and distributes award winning education media for colleges, healthcare institutions, social service agencies and counseling centers throughout North America, Europe, and the South Pacific. Most programs come in VHS, DVD and CD formats. Site Licenses and Distance Learning packages are also available for our library of programs.

Concept Media is best known in the area of professional nursing education and represented in more than 95% of the nation's nursing school media libraries. We have developed partnerships with leading nursing education institutions including Brigham Young University, Drexel University, and ICN/ Washington State University College of Nursing. Concept Media is well-respected and has received numerous awards for programs on diabetes, human development, mental health, substance abuse, counseling, and addiction.

For your convenience, Concept Media also offers additional resources in the form of Instructor's Guides which are available online. And, in keeping with our mission to focus on the needs of educators in the healthcare field, we invite you to call with any suggestions, questions, program requests, or ways in which we can better serve you.

We would like to hear from you. Please email us on any topics you would like to see covered in Hot Topics.

hottopics@conceptmedia.com. Or call us at (800) 233-7078.