CHECKUP USC TO OFFER FASTER BREAST-CANCER TREATMENT.

Byline: - Mariko Thompson

The USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center will begin offering a new radiation therapy technique for women with breast cancer.

The procedure cuts treatment time and concentrates radiation where it is most needed. The MammoSite Radiation Therapy System, which uses a technique called brachytherapy, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In traditional radiation therapy, high-energy X-rays focus on the breast from outside the body. Brachytherapy works from the inside. Doctors temporarily insert a radioactive seed into the cavity left by the removed tumor.

USC doctors say brachytherapy cuts treatment time from five to seven seeks down to four or five days. The treatment is designed to accompany a lumpectomy. Women over 45 tend to be better candidates for the procedure.

GREEN TEA PARTY: Drinking green tea may help prevent cancer. Now researchers at UCLA want to know why. Researchers are seeking adults to participate in a study that will examine the anti-oxidant properties of green tea.

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will look at whether one ingredient or more found in green tea exhibits anti-oxidant properties. Anti-oxidants, mostly found in fruits and vegetables, protect cells from damage caused by oxidation. The study may help to determine whether one compound, epigallocatechin 3-gallate, is the only anti-oxidant in green tea.

To qualify for the eight-week study, adults should be between 20 and 50 years old and in good health. The study requires an initial screening visit that includes a standard physical exam, blood samples and an EKG. Volunteers will be paid up to $100 for their participation. For more information, call [phone].

REACHING WOMEN: The Pfizer Women's Health Mobile Outreach Project will provide free comprehensive health assessments to low-income women through the end of May.

Screenings will be held 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at My Friend's House, 6525 S. Norwalk Blvd., Whittier; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at St. Basil's Catholic Church, 3535 W. Sixth St., Los Angeles; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 31 at the Armenian Relief Society, 1205 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. For more information, call [phone].