Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 17, 1991                   TAG: 9102170041
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

ABORTION PILL TRIED ON TUMORS/ U.S. WITHHOLDS FUNDING FOR STUDY

Studies have shown that RU-486, which acts to block the action of some hormones, may have important uses in treating breast cancer and other diseases affected by those hormones, Dr. Gary D. Hodgen of the Eastern Virginia Medical School said Saturday.

Hodgen, part of a panel presenting new studies on RU-486 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said the drug and others of similar chemistry have been shown in studies to slow or stop the growth of some types of breast tumors.

The drug also have been shown in studies to aid in cervical dilation, an effect that eases births in difficult deliveries, Hodgen said.

Other studies, he said, have shown that RU-486 may be valuable in treating endometriosis, a painful condition in which tissue lining the uterus starts growing elsewhere in the pelvis. Serious cases now require surgery. About 15 percent of all women have at least one episode of this disease and it commonly leads to hysterectomies.

The researcher said that RU-486 is being prescribed in France for the treatment of Cushing's Syndrome, a serious endocrine disorder that can cause high blood pressure and emotional disturbances.

"It's treating Cushing's now, saving lives and making lives better," Hodgen said.

The drug works by blocking the effects of progesterone, a hormone that seems to encourage growth of some breast cancers.

But the most common use of RU-486 is as an abortion pill.

RU-486 is not available in the United States. Policy introduced in the Reagan administration blocks federal support for research that might make it available.