Health Report

THE GOOD NEWS

-- Contrary to recent anecdotal evidence, women with silicone or saline breast implants do not have a greater risk of developing connective-tissue diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, a new study shows.

-- Breakthroughs offer hope for more effective treatment for two illnesses. A genetic test can now identify those at high risk for cancer of the esophagus, and researchers have isolated the gene that causes a potentially fatal disorder known as polycystic kidney disease.

-- Women who have breast-cancer surgery during the second half of their menstrual cycle are less likely to have a relapse than those who have surgery earlier.

THE BAD NEWS

-- In about 40% of people with active tuberculosis, the disease results from new infections rather than reactivated ones, according to two studies. Doctors previously believed that up to 90% of patients with active TB had contracted the disease-causing bacterium years earlier. The findings have prompted researchers to emphasize the need for better detection and treatment.

-- A survey of nearly 140,000 death certificates in 24 states found that women who are regularly exposed to electric or magnetic fields on the job (electrical engineers and telephone workers, for example) have a higher incidence of breast cancer than other women.

Sources -- GOOD: New England Journal of Medicine; University of Washington Medical Center; Reuter; Cell; A.P.; Lancet.

BAD -- New England Journal of Medicine; Journal of the National Cancer Institute; A.P.