Cancer

THE ROLAND PARK Second Presbyterian Church looked absolutely stunning last Saturday for the wedding of Natalia Pia Melanie Sommer and Richard Matthew Dohler. Thousands of wildflowers, miles of lace ribbons and tulle, and window sills decorated with Singapore orchids set the stage for the nuptials of the daughter of pop music star Donna Summer and her first husband, Helmut Sommer,and the son of Dick and Bonna Dohler, he's an Ellicott City builder.The church was filled with the music of German trumpeteer Langston Fitzgerald and selections of Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi, played by the church's music director Margaret Budd on the organ.

North County High School freshman Jack Andraka stood on the auditorium stage, speaking about the invention that earned him the $75,000 grand prize at the recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Behind him stood Dr. Anirban Maitra, a professor in the Johns Hopkins University's department of pathology who gave Jack use of his lab to craft his invention, a cheap and effective "dipstick-sensor" method of testing blood or urine to identify early-stage pancreatic cancer and other diseases.

North County High School freshman Jack Andraka stood on the auditorium stage, speaking about the invention that earned him the $75,000 grand prize at the recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Behind him stood Dr. Anirban Maitra, a professor in the Johns Hopkins University's department of pathology who gave Jack use of his lab to craft his invention, a cheap and effective "dipstick-sensor" method of testing blood or urine to identify early-stage pancreatic cancer and other diseases.

An estimated 3.5 million cancer patients around the globe are in severe pain from their disease, but many get no relief. In poor countries the cost is considered too high for drugs like morphine when such opioids are often stolen, abused or not taken according to instruction. But some Johns Hopkins University scientists have been working on a solution for those patients, as well as some in the United States, that uses a flexible button-sized disk implanted under the skin that releases consistent doses of painkiller over a month.

AMMAN, Jordan -- Hussein Ibn Talal, king of Jordan, longest-serving ruler in the world.He has survived war against Israel, the occasional enmity of neighboring Syria and Iraq, about a dozen assassination attempts and a bloody civil war against the Palestine Liberation Organization.Once ignored and stripped of influence, the king has come to be regarded as the elder statesman of the Middle East, a voice of sanity in a world of hateful rhetoric, a moderate among radicals, a binding force for his own diverse community of tribesmen and Palestinians.

Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn is battling cancer of a salivary gland, according to an interview he gave to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Gwynn told the paper he has had surgery three times to remove tumors on the parotid, the largest of the salivary glands. He said procedures done in 1997 and three years ago were cancer-free, but a surgery performed last month revealed a malignancy. Gwynn told the paper that doctors removed three lymph nodes, and testing showed the cancer.

Evidence is mounting that dogs aren't just man's favorite companion -- they can also literally save our lives. Researchers in Germany have found that dogs, using just their power of scent, can detect cancer in 71 percent of patients. According to this report in the BBC , the findings build on earlier research into canine's ability to sniff out cancer. This type of research goes back to 1989, the story says, and scientists since have proven that dogs can find skin, bladder, bowel and breast cancers.

Regarding "Cell phone use, tumors linked" (June 1), I am always amazed at what passes for news. Chances are that banning cell phones or other possible causes of cancer won't extend life. And there are far more dangerous endeavors we participate in. My advice is to relax, enjoy life and don't worry too much about the ills could befall us, because eventually one surely will. Michael W. Kohlman, Parkville,

The sentencing of a 38-year-old Dundalk woman accused of bilking friends by pretending she had terminal cancer has been postponed until Oct. 28. Dina Perouty-Leone, a 1990 graduate of Dundalk High School and the mother of two teenagers, faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. Initially charged with four theft and conspiracy counts, she pleaded guilty in June to a single charge of felony theft. The sentencing by Baltimore County Circuit Judge John G. Turnbull II had been set for Tuesday, but was rescheduled after Perouty-Leone retained an attorney new to her case, John M. Hassett.

An independent panel of scientists says two government-issued studies can't show if people were harmed by toxic pollution from Fort Detrick contaminating the ground water, but further studies are unlikely to answer lingering questions about the health impacts of the cancer-causing chemicals buried decades ago at the Frederick military base. In a review sponsored by the Army, a committee of environmental and health experts with the National Research Council took issue with a study by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which concluded that tainted ground water seeping out from Detrick's Area B was "unlikely to have produced any harmful health effects, including cancer.

It is irresponsible to claim, as the letter writer from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) does, that eating meat is equivalent to smoking cigarettes ("Unhealthful foods kill more Americans every year than tobacco," May 13). In moderation, eating meat is perfectly fine. Studies of the supposed link between meat and cancer regularly find statistically weak or no associations. That's nowhere approaching the level of risk from cigarettes on lung cancer, which range upward of 20-fold.

Fifteen-year-old Jack Andraka of Crownsville won the top prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for designing a new method to detect pancreatic cancer, Intel announced Friday. The fair, held in Pittsburgh, is the world's largest high school science research competition. Jack will receive $75,000 for first place. Jack used diabetic test paper to create a dip-stick sensor to test blood or urine for early-stage pancreatic cancer. It was deemed 90 percent accurate, and is 28 times faster and cheaper and over 100 times more sensitive than tests used now. The senior has a patent pending.

Two new government studies show young people are still putting themselves at risk for skin cancer by getting sunburned and going to indoor tanning beds. One study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that half of those aged 18 to 29 had at least one sunburn it the past year, though they were increasingly using sunscreen, seeking shade and wearing protective clothing. The other study by the National Cancer Institute found 32 percent of those 18 to 21 were going to indoor tanning salons and 30 percent of those 22 to 25 were.

Colleges Terps ' Vellano named to IMPACT watch list   Maryland defensive lineman Joe Vellano was named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list, which honors the top college defensive player in the country. The list of 42 players, including seven from the Atlantic Coast Conference, was announced at a luncheon Monday held by Ronnie Lott, the NFL Hall of Fame safety, and the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation. Vellano, who will be a senior in the fall, was a second-team All-American and a consensus first-team All-ACC choice last season.

The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center is hosting its annual Maryland Half Marathon this Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon in the Maple Lawn community of Howard County. This is the race made famous by Dozer the Dog, who ran much of the course along with about 1,200 other runners. Proceeds will be used by the cancer center for breast cancer and health disparities research. There will be activities for kids as well as the 13.1-mile race. But Dozer will likely be a big draw.

Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron was a young coach at the University of Michigan when his then head coach Bo Schembechler noticed a spot on his back. The spot turned out to be a malignant mole and Cameron was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma. Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer. Cameron was treated and survived and is now speaking out about skin cancer. He will be featured in a 30-second public service announcement for the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, a national nonprofit headquartered in Maryland that promoted melanoma research and prevention.

A Harford County restaurant manager is continuing his efforts to assist families coping with childhood cancer by holding a superhero event in Bel Air on Saturday. The Dominator, a character inspired by one child's battle with a brain tumor, will take part in an ice cream social and fundraiser from noon to 5 p.m. at Moore's Candies at 138 N. Bond St. Children will receive a free scoop of ice cream and visit with the red-suited superhero. Members of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company will be on hand at 3:30 p.m. with their mascot and several giveaways.

Thanks to The Sun for all its coverage of the bill to re-label trash incinerators as renewable energy ("Waste-energy bill to get O'Malley's signature," May 18). But once again, industry wins and the people lose. We are now going to pay more money to trash incinerator companies for giving us cancer. Thanks, Gov. Martin O'Malley. Jane Page

House Speaker Michael E. Busch was treated this week for what he called a non life-threatening form of skin cancer -- a condition he attributes largely to his years of work as a lifeguard at a time when sunblock was less effective and often went unused. Busch revealed the treatment, which involved cutting away an affected patch of skin on his leg,  during an interview on an unrelated topic. He said the condition is a basal cell cancer that is neither malignant nor life-threatening.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine has begun construction of a $200 million proton center that will bring the latest in cancer treatment to the region and double investment in the University of Maryland's growing BioPark in West Baltimore. University officials will join state and local officials, including Gov. Martin O'Malley, for an official groundbreaking Tuesday at the site of the 110,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to treat 2,000 cancer patients a year.