THE QUESTION: For years, people with lung cancer generally underwent radiation treatment after surgery. But that has changed dramatically in the past decade after research revealed that the radiation often damaged nearby heart and lung tissue and contributed to a person's death. With advances in equipment and techniques that allow more-focused radiation, have survival rates changed as well?

THIS STUDY analyzed data on 7,465 people who had surgery for lung cancer; 47 percent of them also had radiation after surgery. If the cancer had not spread beyond the lungs, people lived longer if they did not have radiation. However, if the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes, survival improved with radiation treatment, with a five-year survival rate of 27 percent, compared with 20 percent for those not given radiation.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Anyone with lung cancer. Although the occurrence of lung cancer has declined in men in recent years and appears to be stabilizing in women, more people in the United States still die from lung cancer than from any other type of cancer.

CAVEATS: Detailed information on the type of radiation given and whether the surgeries removed all evidence of cancer was not available to the researchers.

FIND THIS STUDY: June 12 online issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology; abstract available at www.jco.org.

Information

Learn more about lung cancer: www.cancer.gov and www.cancer.org.

HPV INFECTION

Condom use appears to limit the spread of infection from men to women.

THE QUESTION: Using a condom not only reduces the risk of pregnancy but also makes the transmission of HIV infection less likely. Might condom use also thwart the male-to-female transfer of human papillomavirus virus (HPV)?

THIS STUDY involved 82 female university students who averaged 19 years old and had recently had sexual intercourse for the first time. The women had periodic gynecologic exams and recorded information on their sexual behavior in electronic diaries for nearly three years. About 37 percent of the women developed an HPV infection during the first year. Infections occurred 70 percent less often when partners always used condoms than when condoms were used rarely or never; infection occurred 50 percent less often when condoms were used about half the time.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Heterosexual women. More than 30 types of sexually transmitted HPV exist; some viruses cause genital warts, others can lead to cervical cancer. Genital HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with at least half of all sexually active adults expected to become infected at some point. The highest levels of infection occur among young women.

CAVEATS: The data did not reflect whether condoms were used correctly.

FIND THIS STUDY: June 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine; abstract available online at www.nejm.org.

DIARRHEA

An antiviral medication may bring a quicker end to children's loose stools.

THE QUESTION: Most of the time, severe diarrhea in youngsters stems from rotavirus. Anxious parents can do little more than try to prevent dehydration in their child. Might a drug that's effective against other gastrointestinal viruses offer some relief?

THIS STUDY involved 38 children, nearly all younger than 2, who had been hospitalized with severe diarrhea and tested positive for rotavirus. The children were randomly assigned to take Alinia (nitazoxanide) or a placebo twice daily for three days, along with replacement fluids; all children remained in the hospital for a week. For those who took Alinia, diarrhea ended an average of 31 hours after the first dose; it ended about 75 hours after the first placebo dose. The children did not have trouble tolerating the drug.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Children with diarrhea caused by rotavirus, the most common cause of severe childhood diarrhea. It usually resolves within nine days but can quickly lead to dehydration, an especially dangerous condition in young children.

CAVEATS: The study involved a small number of participants. Romark Laboratories, which developed Alinia, funded and assisted in the design and conduct of the study. One of the four authors worked for the company; another was a consultant to it.

FIND THIS STUDY June 13 online issue of The Lancet; abstract available at www.thelancet.com.

The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult a physician.

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