Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Early Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer Identified

Bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and frequent or urgent need to urinate may be early signs of ovarian cancer so women who have these symptoms for more than a few weeks should see their doctors, new recommendations from a coalition of cancer experts suggest.

It was long believed that ovarian cancer gave no warning signs until it was far advanced, which is why it is considered one of the deadliest cancers. The new recommendations are the first official recognition that ovarian cancer does cause symptoms at earlier stages in many women, The New York Times reported.

The new recommendations -- from the American Cancer Society, the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists -- are expected to be formally announced on June 25.

It's hoped that the new recommendations will increase doctor and patient awareness about early symptoms of ovarian cancer, which could help prolong patient survival and possibly save lives, the Times reported.

The new recommendations have been endorsed by more than a dozen other groups, including CancerCare, Gilda's Club and several medical societies.

-----

FDA Announces Tomato Safety Initiative

In an effort to reduce the incidence of tomato-related foodborne illness, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched a multi-year Tomato Safety Initiative.

The program -- a collaborative effort between the FDA and state and agriculture departments in Florida and Virginia -- will identify practices or conditions that can cause contamination of tomatoes and will evaluate the need for additional safety research, education and outreach.

Several universities and members of the produce industry are also taking part in the program, which the FDA announced on Tuesday.

Over the past decade, 12 different foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States have been caused by fresh and fresh-cut tomatoes. There were 1,840 confirmed cases of illness in those outbreaks, most of which were traced to tomatoes from Florida and the eastern shore of Virginia, the FDA said in a prepared statement.

-----

EU Approves New Flu Vaccine

The European Union has approved a new flu vaccine called Optaflu, made by Swiss drug maker Novartis AG. The drug has also been approved in Iceland and Norway.

Company officials say the use of proprietary cell culture technology to produce Optaflu represents a major advance in flu vaccine production, the Associated Press reported. The increased flexibility and reliability of the manufacturing process will help meet demand for seasonal vaccines, as well as vaccines that can be used in the event of a pandemic, according to Novartis.

It's expected that Optaflu will be available in Austria and Germany for the next flu season and will be available in the other 25 EU countries by the 2008-09 flu season, the AP reported.

Novartis said that it will probably apply next year for approval in the United States.

-----

Camp Lejeune Drinking Water Tainted

For 30 years, drinking water at the Tarawa Terrace family housing area of U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina, was contaminated with the dry cleaning solvent tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a chemical that may cause cancer and birth defects.

During those 30 years, from November 1957 to February 1987, as many as 75,000 people may have lived in Tarawa Terrace, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) said Tuesday.

The PCE leaked into the drinking water system from a dry cleaning business located off the base. In 1987, the Tarawa Terrace water treatment plant was disconnected from the base's drinking water supply.

The maximum concentration of PCE in the drinking water was estimated to be about 200 micrograms per liter, at a time when the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum contaminant level for PCE was five micrograms per liter.

Former Marines and their families who lived in Tarawa Terrace can get more information by calling the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 1-800-232-4636.

-----

Survey Shows Women's Knowledge of Breast Cancer

Many American women believe they are more informed and educated than ever about breast cancer, suggests a survey of more than 500 women released Tuesday by the nonprofit group CancerCare.

The survey of women ages 50 to 65 found that 76 percent said they believe they know a fair amount about breast cancer. But the survey also found that while 67 percent of respondents know chemotherapy and radiation are used to treat breast cancer, only 23 percent knew about newer targeted treatment options.

Among the other findings:

• 82 percent said they believed progress had been made in breast cancer treatments, but 63 percent did not know the benefits of these treatments
• If they were diagnosed with breast cancer, 71 percent said they'd research breast cancer on their own in addition to discussing treatment options with their doctor
• However, 86 percent said they were uncertain about the right questions to ask their doctor in the event of a breast cancer diagnosis.

CancerCare offers five key questions that women diagnosed with breast cancer should ask their doctor:

• What kind of breast cancer do I have?
• What kind of treatment will help me the most?
• What are the risks and benefits of that treatment?
• What is my risk that it will come back and/or spread to another part of my body?
• Where do I go for support when I need it?

-----

Scientists Developing Clothing That Monitors Health

Clothing with sensors designed to monitor a wearer's health is being developed by European scientists. The embedded sensors in the "intelligent textiles" will be able to scrutinize body fluids such as sweat and blood.

The clothing would be used to check the status of recovering hospital patients, injured athletes and people with chronic illnesses, BBC News reported.

A prototype multi-sensor test patch is nearly complete. Once it is, the experimental fabric will be tested on volunteers. The first sensor will track sweat by measuring perspiration rate, salinity and acidity.

Researchers involved in the Biotex project hope to eventually develop clothing with sensors that are able to provide a wide range of information including: vital signs; progression of wound healing; and early detection of infections and illnesses by identifying abnormalities in metabolism, BBC News reported.

Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.