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Below are selected highlights of recent medical research
conducted at Stanford Medical Center.
Detailed news releases are available on the Internet at
http://mednews.stanford.edu

LUNG CANCER TOOL. A study by researchers at Stanford and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System found that an imaging system known as FDG-PET (positron emission tomography with 18-fluorodeoxyglucoseis) can provide useful information and serve as a cost-effective diagnostic tool for lung cancer. The FDG-PET test can identify malignant tumors of the lung on the basis of their increased metabolic rate. Though expensive, the imaging test can be a good value when used selectively, according to a study in the May 6 Annals of Internal Medicine by lead author Michael Gould, assistant professor of medicine, and colleagues at Stanford and VAPAHCS..

DRUG-PROMOTION COSTS. A study by researchers at the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention estimates that the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spent $12.7 billion promoting its products in 1998 and focused its marketing on a relatively small number of drugs. The study - conducted by assistant professor of medicine Randall Stafford, social science research assistant Jun Ma, and colleagues at Boston University and MIT - found that the most dominant drug-promotion strategies were free drug samples (totaling $6.6 billion of retail value); in-office detailing (totaling $3.5 billion); and direct-to-consumer advertising for selected drug classes ($1.3 billion). The authors say physicians should be aware of the influence of drug promotion and should seek out multiple sources of objective information instead of relying on pharmaceutical advertising or pitches by drug reps. The study appeared in the May issue of Clinical Therapeutics.

YOUTHFUL STEM CELLS. Scientists at Stanford have isolated the first in a group of proteins needed for cell maintenance. These proteins, called Wnts, play a role in keeping stem cells in their youthful undifferentiated state, according to research reported in the April 27 advance online edition of Nature by professor of developmental biology Roland Nusse, professor of pathology Irving Weissman and colleagues working in their labs. The ability to isolate these proteins, which are important regulators in animal development, could help researchers grow some types of stem cells for use in bone marrow transplants or other therapies.