Table of Contents
FDA Consumer magazine
July-August 1999

More than 60 resources related to cancer clinical trials can be found on a Website sponsored by FDA's Office of Special Health Issues. Most of those listed have toll-free numbers, and many have Websites. Included on www.fda.gov/oashi/cancer/trials.html are the National Cancer Institute, which offers access to clinical trials for more than 100 types of cancer, and renowned treatment centers such as the Mayo Clinic and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

During the 1990s, home-testing kits came into their own. Screening tests for hepatitis C, cholesterol, illegal drugs, and, of course, pregnancy, are now on the market. Consumers also can test at home for HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. But only one such kit is approved--the Home Access Express HIV-1 Test System. Other test systems promoted on the Internet and through print promotions are not approved, though they sometimes claim approval falsely. You can read all about these bogus tests on www.fda.gov/cber/infosheets/hiv-home2.htm. Included is the "Lei-Home Access HIV Test," which landed a businessman in jail for five years for selling the useless kits. (For the full story on these bogus kits, see "Investigators' Reports" in this issue.)

The Website, sponsored by FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, also answers frequently asked questions about home-test kit reliability, counseling, and confidentiality of results.

The federal government offers many programs designed to help senior citizens maintain good health. But these are spread across many agencies--such as FDA, the National Institute on Aging, the Health Care Financing Administration, even the Veterans Administration--so finding the information might be confusing. Now a Website called Access America for Seniors (www.seniors.gov) brings federal health information for older Americans together in one spot. Information on senior health issues, insurance, food assistance, nursing homes, and hospitalization is available at a click. The Social Security Administration hosts the site, which also includes information for seniors on taxes, volunteer activities, travel, and educational opportunities.

An estimated 129,400 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year, and 56,000 will die. But many of these deaths could be prevented if consumers aged 50 and older would get a simple screening test that can detect small growths in the colon before they become malignant and deadly. To help consumers understand colon cancer, a Website sponsored by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains how men and women can reduce their risk of dying from this disease by early detection. The site has artwork showing where the colon is and explains the two most common screening tests: blood stool tests and physician exams of the rectum and lower colon. The Website, www.cdc.gov/cancer/screenforlife/, is part of a massive campaign by CDC, the Health Care Financing Administration, and the National Cancer Institute to educate consumers about preventing the disease.

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