Thursday, December 1,1983/The Battalion/Page 7
\Cancer test to
redid survival
Women will protest build-up
'is, Bitulioi
ks outii
iree times
)
United Press International
BOSTON — A recently de
veloped test may give women
with breast cancer a more
accurate prediction of their
chance for survival and doc
tors a better idea of how to
treat the cancer aggressively,
researchers reported
Wednesday.
“We now have a very
strong predictor of whether
the disease will come back,”
said Dr. William L. McGuire,
chief of oncology at the Uni
versity of Texas Health Scien
ce Center in San Antonio.
Breast cancer specialists
say the test has been available
for a couple of years, but this is
the first study to show it is bet
ter than more common tests.
The test, reported in the
New England Journal of
Medicine, measures the level
of progesterone receptors in
breast cancers. Progesterone
is a female hormone secreted
by the ovaries.
Breast cancer is the most
common cause of death in
middle-aged women. An esti
mated l 10,000 cases are disco
vered each year in the United
States and 36,000 women die
of the disease.
In a study of 189 patients,
McGuire and his team at the
University of Texas found
tumors with high levels of
progesterone receptors are
easily destroyed, whereas
tumors with low levels of
progesterone receptors are
tough to kill.
Therefore, if the test
proves positive, women know
they have a good chance for
survival. Women with a nega
tive test should be treated with
stronger chemotherapy and
radiation, McGuire said.
“This study shows for the
first time that progesterone
receptors are the second most
important thing a physician
needs to know for an accurate
prognosis,” said McGuire.
The most important indica
tion of survival after surgery is
whether the cancer has spread
to the lymph nodes. If the dis
united Press International
NEW YORK — More than
150 U.S. and Canadian women
are planning a prayer vigil at two
Army and Navy bases in Hon
duras where they claim ihe Un
ited States is increasing its milit-
ary presence in Central
America.
The women represent the
largest group of religious lead
ers and activists to visit the re
gion on what an organizer
Wednesday called a pilgrimage
for peace.
“The response has been way
beyond our expectations,”'said
Sister Margaret Coakley, a Ro
man Catholic nun and member
of the Women’s Coalition to
Stop Intervention in the Carib
bean and Central America.
The coalition is the sponsor
for the four-day trip which be
gins Monday.
The coalition has more than
150 religious women — both
Catholic and Protestant from
the United States and Canada —
signed up for the visit and a total
of about 200 is expected.
The group leaves Saturday
night for a one-day orientation
in both Miami and New Orleans.
They plan to leave those cities
for Honduras on Monday.
The peace group scheduled
the first prayer vigil for Tuesday
at the military base at Palmerola
and the second for Wednesday
at a naval base at San Lorenzo.
The idea for the peace vigil
was hatched during a trip to
Nicaragua in September, when
20 women from 17 cities made
the journey, Sr. Coakley said.
“We decided we had to do
something,” Sr. Coakley said.
“We got an idea of getting 200
religious women leaders and
going on a prayer pilgramage
for peace to military bases. It’s
strictly a religious event.”
Sr. Coakley said the coalition
also wants to highlight “what’s
going on in Honduras” so it
chose the largest permanent
military base in Central Amer
ica, at Palmerola.
Coalition spokeswoman Ann
Pillsbury said Honduras is the
staging area being used to beef
up a military presence in Central
America.
Crop-swap program saves farmers
after this year’s poor cotton crop
Breast cancer is the
most common cause
of death in middle-
aged women. An esti
mated 110,000 cases
are discovered each
year.
ease has spread into the lymph
nodes, the chances of survival
are not as good.
“The progesterone recep
tor was a better indicator of
recurrence than the estrogen
receptor in patients with nega
tive (lymph) nodes,” the re
port said.
The test supplements a cur
rent test for estrogen (another
type of hormone) receptors.
The progesterone test is able
to filler out conditions that
throw off the accuracy of the
estrogen test.
United Press International
LUBBOCK — The Payment-
In-Kind Program saved many
West fexas cotton farmers from
a dismal crop year characterized
by the drought, an early frost,
hail and floods, a Texas Tech
marketing professor said
Wednesday.
Many farmers may have had
to go out of business during
1983 had it not been for the fed
eral crop-swap program, Louise
Luchsinger said.
“As it has turned out, this has
been a good year to have the P1K
Program and to have the far
mers participate,” she said.
Many farmers could have been
devastated by the weather prob
lems if they had planted the
usual acreage.
“If we had not had PIK, we
would have had 8 million bales
in carryover and in a good pro
duction year have a crop of
maybe 9 or 10 million bales,”
Luchsinger said.
A small enough carryover
this cotton season means a possi
ble price rise next season, Luch
singer said, predicting: “I don’t the supply enough to increase
believe PIK.will have reduced the price significantly.”
Fop Christinas
40% Off
ALL LOOSE DLVMONDS SET
IN AGGIE RINGS THIS WEEK!
Layaways
All major credit cards accepted
415 University Or. NORTHGATE
Charges
S45-5816
president
gralion, Hi
) Forum, a|
trials slioulil
ionai t
S
Trio may go
o trial soon
United Press International
I COVINGTON, La. — Pro-
50 percentn ismitors said a trial might be
owlh is atn tied tiled in February for two
tration,"S«exas men and an Alabama
40 to jdwian accused of killing St. Tam-
percent fliBany Parish police jury candi-
be non-^Bate Stephen L. Stinson.
■ Stinson, 34, a Slidell, La.,
3 get a hascljivvyer, was slain early the morn-
akesuret! ingot Oct. 17, five days before
isionsareiujitlie election.
te available® Police said he apparently had
Bopped on Interstate 10 to help
Bhat he thought were stranded
t t ; travelers and was shot in the
iry/Ace. They said robbery
I ll®>peavec\ to be the motive.
' 'll fai ry D. Taylor. 27, and Lar-
B Benjamin, 25, both of Hous
ton, pleaded innocent this week
gbclore District Judge France
^ X Batts. A third suspect, David
Brl Wilson, 30, of Mobile, Ala.,
Beaded innocent at his Oct. 2(3
adem ’ “fairaignment.
A spokesman for the St.
Tammany Parish district attor
ney’s office said the suspects
might be tried in February.
Their attorneys have been given
30 days to file special motions.
The sheriffs office said Stin
son was driving toward New
Orleans when he was flagged
down by Benjamin and Taylor.
Wilson was hiding off the side of
the road.
Authorities said Stinson
agreed to take the two to a ser
vice station, but was shot.
Three days after Stinson's
death, his wife qualified to run
for the seat he was seeking.
Qualifying was reopened and
the election was rescheduled for
Nov. 19 after Sharon Stinson be
came a candidate.
She was defeated, running
second to Barry Bagert, in the
three-candidate race.
■M S C-
AfiGUi CINEM/y
presents
ourt revers
ered a niil'
re me
ly.
xaminer ®
a blood
erceiil "’fc
ipened
0 to 25 cofl
two bouts
extreme s“
s well l 1101
md fello" ’
me Court ss
testinrt
jervisot'
i no cone-
* | v diaM||
2
Of
ood
H0A rt
iRSIttj
iO-91
HR0U ci
1983
10
ood OW
HGAjt
:rs |T *
hr#
' V/
/ rt V '
WarGames
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
7:30 & 9:45 p.m.
SUNDAY - 7:30 p.m.
RUDDER THEATRE
BLAKE EDWARDS'
1
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
MIDNIGHT
RUDDER THEATRE
Sponsored by Lowenbrau
$1.50 with TAMU I.D.
Advance tickets available at MSC Box Office
Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30
Also available 45 minutes before showtime