Your Health

Good News
A TEST IN TIME When ovarian cancer is spotted soon enough, the five-year survival rate is 95%. Because there is no good test for early ovarian cancer, however, only a quarter of all cases are discovered at this stage. The rest are not caught until later, when the survival rate drops below 30%. That picture is suddenly looking brighter. A new blood test, which detected 100% of Stage 1 tumors in trials, could lead to lifesaving screening techniques.

PMS RELIEF? Millions of women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome may someday find relief just a spray away. Researchers at the University of Michigan and seven other institutions are testing a promising new drug delivered via a nasal spray. Trials are not yet complete, but early results are encouraging.

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Bad News
DANGEROUS LIAISONS Candy is dandy, but--alas--liquor is still quicker. More than a third of sexually active teens and young adults in a new survey admit that alcohol and drugs have influenced their decisions about sex. Nearly a quarter say they have had unprotected sex while under the influence. The lesson for young people, says Joseph Califano, head of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, is that "drinking and sex is as dangerous as drinking and driving."

Sources: Good News--Lancet (2/16/02); University of Michigan. Bad News--Kaiser Family Foundation