Health Buzz: Kidney Transplant Drug Warnings and Other Health News

FDA Requires Transplant Drug Labels to Indicate Infection Risk

The Food and Drug Administration will require a new warning on the labels of drugs used by kidney transplant patients, Reuters reports. The immunosuppressant medications Rapamune, Sandimmune, Neoral, Cellcept, and Myfortic increase patients' risk of opportunistic infections, the FDA said in a statement on its website. For example, the BK virus can cause the kidney to be damaged or rejected. BK viral infections have also been linked to Prograf, another drug used by transplant patients. Its prescribing information, however, already indicates such risks, according to the FDA.

Consider 4 ways to avoid dangerous drug errors and 5 hazardous drug combinations you need to avoid.

Cancer and Supplements: What Vitamins, Herbs, and Botanicals Can (and Can't) Do

Recent clinical trials suggest that supplements of single nutrients like vitamins B, C, and E and the mineral selenium do not, as once thought, prevent chronic or age-related diseases including prostate and other kinds of cancer. Some substances, like green tea and ginger, seem to have potential in preventing or helping to treat cancer, but they may also actually interfere with treatment or have other serious side effects, U.S. News's Katherine Hobson reports. Hobson uncovers 5 reasons why researchers haven't determined which vitamins, herbs, or botanicals help prevent or relieve symptoms of cancer—and offers guidance on what to do in the face of incomplete information.

One reason their effects are difficult to study is that the pills and capsules on health-food store shelves vary enormously in quality and dose. Moreover, the botanical—and then how it acts in the body—can vary depending on where it's grown, how much sunlight it receives, the soil, and other factors, says one expert. That can make botanicals tough to standardize, which is essential in order to study and take advantage of their effects, Hobson reports. So what's a person concerned about cancer prevention—or who is fighting the disease—to do? Two good databases of information on specific supplements are produced by the American Cancer Society and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Both outline the evidence for the role of herbals, botanicals, and vitamin or mineral supplements in preventing and treating cancer, plus any possible risks and drug interactions. Continue reading.

Learn what experts say on whether you can get vitamins and minerals through diet alone. Here's the latest evidence for the use of vitamins and supplements.

Hormones Linked to Ovarian Cancer: What to Do

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows a link between hormone use and ovarian cancer. In the study, which culled the health records of nearly 1 million Danish women, researchers found a 38 percent greater risk of ovarian cancer among women who were currently taking hormone therapy. The risks didn't appear to be affected by the types of hormones women were taking, the dose, the duration, or whether they were taking estrogen alone or a combination of estrogen and progesterone. The actual increased risk of ovarian cancer was very low, however, U.S. News's Deborah Kotz reports. Previous research has also found a link between hormones and ovarian cancer. How much should this latest news factor into a woman's decision about taking hormones? The risk should inform decisions about hormone therapy, writes one expert. Another says that the heightened caution may be unnecessary. Read more.

Consider 3 reasons not to panic if youre taking hormone replacement therapy. And read how three women are dealing with their hormone therapy dilemmas.

—Megan Johnson

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