Gulf war syndrome finally recognized as a 'real' disease It's a little late for Veteran's Day, but I wanted to pass on this bit of good news for some of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that served in the first Gulf War back in 1991: A recently released congressionally mandated report has concluded - finally - that Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) is a legitimate medical condition. As many as 175,000 veterans of the Gulf War reported suffering from this GWS, a hard- to-pin-down ailment that's been associated with a wide range of maladies, from neurological issues, to birth defects, brain cancer, and even multiple sclerosis. Because of the various and indeterminate source of these issues, many veterans had difficulty getting treatment for their issues, and their claims of illness were called into question by doctors and insurance companies. The new study is the first to rule that GWS is a real disorder. The Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses determined that the ailment derives from exposure to chemical toxins during the war. The exact source of these toxins, however, is still in question. Possible causes include the anti-nerve gas drugs administered to troops, smoke from oil well fires started by Saddam Hussein's retreating troops, and exposure to destroyed stocks of Sarin nerve gas. This news is a belated "welcome home" to the brave men and women who served in that conflict, and will hopefully redress the wrongs and shortcomings these vets received from the government and the healthcare system after their return. As usual, a huge medical breakthrough which could help millions has a big price tag. In this case, I'm talking about the lung cancer treatment called Iressa - a new pill that targets specific growth receptors on cancer cells, and it's less harmful to patients than a regular course of chemotherapy. Currently, there are very few treatments for this disease, in spite of the fact that it kills as many 1.4 million people every year. Iressa's upsides are huge: it replaces chemotherapy for patients who've already undergone chemo. Its side effects are not nearly as extreme as chemo (Iressa only causes diarrhea, rash and acne). Meanwhile, it seems nearly as effective as chemo, with 32 percent of Iressa patients still alive after 32 months (compared with 34 months for chemo patients). The downside: a course of treatment for Iressa costs far more than a course of chemo treatment. According to Chris Twelves, a professor of clinical cancer oncology at Leeds University, "Though the benefits of a prolonged life are modest, patients … get a higher quality of life. That should swing the pendulum in [Iressa's] favor." Wanna bet? The high cost will make Iressa a hard sell insurance companies. Which means that more often than not, this next weapon against lung cancer is likely to sit idle in the arsenal until it becomes more affordable. | 
