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Many states have considered implementing payback programs on state-subsidized medical education to increase the rate of graduates returning to those states to practice. An alternative is for states to offer and expand loan repayment programs to entice medical school graduates from rural states to return to their home states. The goal of this study is to determine and contrast the impact these two types of programs might have on medical school choice and students' intentions to return to their home states. Two hundred twenty-nine medical students were surveyed (response rate 80 percent). The questionnaire collected background information on the students and addressed the possible impact of payback and loan repayment policy proposals on student plans. Forty-seven percent of students reported that they would attend a different medical school if a required payback program were in place. Students who were more competitive at the time of admission to medical school were significantly more likely to say they would attend another medical school than were less competitive students. In contrast, 48 percent of students reported that they would be more likely to return to their home states if expanded loan repayment programs were available for service in areas of need. The findings suggest that payback programs may dissuade more competitive students from entering medical schools with such requirements, compromising the pool of students most likely to return to rural areas. Conversely, medical students appear willing to consider loan repayment programs upon completion of their training.

BACKGROUND This annual report to the nation addresses progress in cancer prevention and control in the U.S. with a special section on colorectal cancer. This report is the joint effort of the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). METHODS Age-adjusted rates were based on cancer incidence data from the NCI and NAACCR and underlying cause of death as compiled by NCHS. Joinpoint analysis was based on NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program incidence rates and NCHS death rates for 1973–1997. The prevalence of screening examinations for colorectal cancer was obtained from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the NCHS's National Health Interview Survey. RESULTS Between 1990–1997, overall cancer incidence and death rates declined. Joinpoint analyses of cancer incidence and death rates confirmed the declines described in earlier reports. The incidence trends for colorectal cancer have shown recent steep declines for whites in contrast to a leveling off of the rates for blacks. State-to-state variations occurred in colorectal cancer screening prevalence as well as incidence and death rates. CONCLUSIONS The continuing declines in overall cancer incidence and death rates are encouraging. However, a few of the top ten incidence or mortality cancer sites continued to increase or remained level. For many cancer sites, whites had lower incidence and mortality rates than blacks but higher rates than Hispanics, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaska Natives. The variations in colorectal cancer incidence and death rates by race/ethnicity, gender, age, and geographic area may be related to differences in risk factors, demographic characteristics, screening, and medical practice. New efforts currently are underway to increase awareness of screening benefits and treatment for colorectal cancer. Cancer 2000;88:2398–424. © 2000 American Cancer Society.

The TNM classification is a worldwide benchmark for reporting the extent of malignant disease and is a major prognostic factor in predicting the outcome of patients with cancer. The objectives for cancer staging were defined by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) TNM Committee almost 50 years ago and are still broadly applicable today. To keep pace with the modern demands of evidence-based practice, the UICC introduced a structured process for introducing changes to the TNM classification. The elements of the TNM process were determined to include the development of unambiguous criteria for the information and documentation required to consider changes in the classification, establishment of a well-defined process for the annual review of relevant literature, formation of site-specific expert panels, and the participation of experts from all over the world in the TNM review process. Communication between the oncology community and those involved in the TNM classification was established as being essential to the success of the process. The process, which was introduced in 2002, will be tested over the next 3-4 years and evaluated. In addition to the formal process, individual initiative, involvement by the national staging committees, and group consensus are required. Furthermore, increased involvement by the experts should improve the understanding and dissemination of the TNM classification.

Civil commitment to outpatient psychiatric treatment has only recently become the subject of significant discussion, not only in the professional literature, but also in state legislatures and mental health departments. Task Forces from the American Psychiatric Association and the National Center for State Courts have drafted detailed reports on outpatient commitment, and a growing number of states have modified their statutes and regulations governing the process. The author presents the existing research literature on outpatient commitment in practice, reports recent statutory developments, and discusses specific areas of concern for those planning to propose or implement new procedures, including the right to refuse treatment, confidentiality, and the duty to warn or protect third parties. Language: en

All 51 jurisdictions in the United States require physicians to report suspected child abuse. In most jurisdictions, reporting requirements override both confidentiality and privilege associated with the physician-patient relationship. The authors review the literature relevant to the conflict between privacy and reporting abuse and report the results of a national survey of therapists at sex offender treatment units. They discuss ethical problems experienced under these statutes by therapists who attempt to provide treatment for sex offenders, and by therapists who are required to report past instances of child abuse even when there is no evidence of ongoing abuse.

The triad of fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, and episodic attacks of vertigo known as Meniere's disease can be a frustrating therapeutic problem. While most patients respond to a medical regime consisting of a low salt diet, diuretics, diazepam, and propantheline bromide, there is a significant group who remain refractory to conservative management. These individuals either continue to experience their distressing symptoms or undergo some type of surgical procedure in an attempt to seek relief. There are a multitude of such techniques available to the otologic surgeon and he must make the decision as- to which procedure is best for any given individual. The authors' employ three surgical approaches for the management of Meniere's disease. These are the translabyrinthine laby-rinthectomy, the endolymphatic subarachnoid shunt, and the middle fossa vestibular nerve section. In this paper the indications for surgery, technique, results and complications are covered in detail. Thirty-one patients are reviewed who have been followed from one to four years postoperatively. Seventeen had total and 14 had superior vestibular nerve sections. The results were much better in the total group, as 94 percent had complete relief of vertigo and 76 percent were able to maintain their preoperative hearing level. The authors feel the middle fossa vestibular nerve section is a valuable addition to the otologist's armamentarium in the treatment of the patient who is refractory to medical management

Tumors involving the base of the skull are often occult and may become quite large before detection is possible. Symptomology varies depending upon the nature of the tumor and its placement. These neoplasms have frequently been considered inoperable simply because of their location, but in recent years microsurgical technique and high speed air drills have allowed the modern temporal bone surgeon to gain improved access to the skull base. A wide variety of surgical approaches to tumors in this area have been described in the past 20 years: translabyrinthine, middle fossa, transcochlear, retrolabyrinthine, retrosigmoid, transpalatal-transclival, and through the jugular bulb. The purpose of this paper is to review the indications, complications, and results of each of these procedures in relation to specific tumors involving the skull base. Case reports illustrate the diagnosis and surgical management of a variety of unusual neoplasms, including an extradural meningioma of the temporal bone and clivus, a low grade squamous cell carcinoma on the tegmen in a radical cavity, a large primary cholesteatoma, an osteoblastoma of the temporal and occipital bones, an XIth nerve neuroma in the jugular bulb area, and an osseous hemangioma involving the facial nerve at the geniculate ganglion.

The early stages of Meniere's disease may consist only of vestibular symptoms. These patients with vertigo alone may be incapacitated by this condition. A great many of these patients are unresponsive to medical therapy and tend to progress to cochleovestibular disease. Early surgery on such individuals may decrease vertigo and give the added benefit of preserving hearing This paper reports the results of endolymphatic mastoid shunts performed on 24 patients with normal hearing who had medically uncontrolled vestibular Meniere's disease. The patients underwent surgery between 1978 and 1981, and each has been followed for at least 1 year. Vertigo was decreased or abolished in 21 of 24 patients (87%). Hearing remained unchanged in 19 of the 24 patients (79%) and was mildly impaired postoperatively in 4 (16.7%). Only 1 patient had moderate postoperative hearing loss. Of the 5 patients with reduced hearing, 4 had improvement of vertigo. There were no cases of surgically-induced deafness.

The majority of individuals with Meniere's Disease can be successfully managed by medical means; however, there are some patients who become refractory to this form of therapy. It is this group of patients who are candidates f or some type of surgical procedure. This paper reviews 109 patients who underwent 112 endolymphatic subarachnoid shunt procedures for the control of their Meniere's Disease. Medical therapy, indications for surgery, surgical technique, results, and complications are covered in detail.