The following stories appear in full on today's Vidyya Medical News Service Web site.

The FDA today approved a new indication for the breast cancer drug, Femara (letrozole) as a first-line treatment for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive or hormone receptor unknown, advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Femara, an aromatase inhibitor, was approved for treatment of advanced breast cancer in 1997 in women whose cancer had not responded to antiestrogen drugs.

For more information: FDA Approves Femara As First-Line Therapy For Advanced Breast Cancer

A treatment commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of chronic lung disease in extremely premature infants does not reduce the risk of death or chronic lung disease in these infants and may increase the risk for perforation of the intestines, according to a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network.

For more information: Newborn Lung Treatment Poses Risk Of Intestinal Perforation

Vidyya keeps a close eye on any world wide disease outbreaks. Since last fall we have kept our readers up-to-date on the Ebola epidemic in Uganda. As the cholera epidemic in South Africa worsens, it is our mission to follow and report on any news as it is released. Get information on the current situation in both countries in today's issue.

For more information: Update: Ebola In Uganda; Cholera In South Africa

The Antiviral Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today unanimously recommended approval of Cancidas® (caspofungin acetate), an investigational intravenous antifungal medicine, for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis in patients who did not respond to or were intolerant of other antifungal therapies.

For more information: FDA Panel Recommends Approval Of Cancidas®, An Investigational Antifungal Drug

Since there may be a new drug approval soon for serious mycotic infections, Vidyya presents the results of a recent workshop regarding fungal infection. Learn more about the infections, how they are diagnosed and the unfortunate dearth of available, effective treatment. You'll learn information from the NIAID, such as the mainstay of diagnosis of systemic fungal disease and more.

The Second NIAID Workshop In Medical Mycology: Molecular And Immunologic Approaches To The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Systemic Mycoses

Today's Vidyya articles are:

• FDA Approves Femara As First-Line Therapy For Advanced Breast Cancer

• Newborn Lung Treatment Poses Risk Of Intestinal Perforation

• Update: Ebola In Uganda; Cholera In South Africa

• FDA Panel Recommends Approval Of Cancidas®, An Investigational Antifungal Drug

• The Second NIAID Workshop In Medical Mycology: Molecular And Immunologic Approaches To The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Systemic Mycoses