EXTRA...

Cape's cancer screenings raise fears; Middleborough Selectmen survive recall

Cancer scares grow as screening rises
Better tests sought to reduce anxiety

Cancer specialists are proud that the United States is home to more cancer survivors than any other nation, 10.5 million peopleJane Lee Johnson thought her swelling waistline was just an unwelcome sign of menopause. But when the 49-year-old's abdominal pain grew so severe that she could scarcely breathe earlier this month, doctors at Falmouth Hospital told her that she had something far more frightening: A CT scan had detected a large tumor on her ovaries.

"I was really upset," said Johnson, who underwent surgery at a Rhode Island cancer center a few days later. "I always heard that, once ovarian cancer is detected, it must be serious, because it usually goes undetected. I thought it might be fatal."  But she did not have cancer at all. The large growth on her ovaries was benign, which could have been determined early if doctors had a reliable test for ovarian cancer. The growth needed to come out, but Cape Cod doctors could have removed it without all the anxiety ... Globe. 
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Middleborough selectmen retain seats in recall election
Casino battle helped spur vote

MIDDLEBOROUGH - Three selectmen survived a recall Saturday, a vote spurred in part by town leaders' efforts to land a billion-dollar casino run by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. Wayne Perkins, Steven Spataro, and Marsha Brunelle, three of the five-member panel, fended off challengers by wide margins in a highly charged special election.

When results were read last night, most victors and challengers agreed they would begin working together.  Brunelle, the chairwoman who had been criticized during the summer for gaveling down casino debate, said, "It's time for more open dialogue." 

Jessie Powell, the initiator of the recall who had challenged Perkins, said her camp is planning events aimed at unifying the town, which had been practically torn apart this summer by the casino issue.  Robert Dunphy, who unsuccessfully ran against Spataro and campaigned for a more transparent government, said he still plans to publish an online newspaper about goings-on in town ... Globe.