Health Highlights: April 22, 2009

April 23 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

California Swine Flu Cases Investigated by CDC

Two California children were diagnosed with a unique type of swine flu, and the cases are being investigated by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A 10-year-old boy in San Diego County and a 9-year-old girl in neighboring Imperial County were diagnosed last week, and both have recovered, the Associated Press reported.

The CDC is determining the genetics of the virus in these two cases and trying to track down and test people who may have had contact with the children. However, the agency said there's no reason for the public to take special measures to protect themselves.

Both children, who had no contact with each other, became sick in late March, the AP reported. The boy's mother and brother, and the girl's brother and cousin, also had flu-like illnesses recently, but weren't tested for flu while they were sick.

More than a dozen cases of human swine flu virus infections have been reported in the United States since late 2005. Prior to that, about one case was reported to the CDC every one or two years.

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Avastin Has Little Impact in Colon Cancer Recurrence: Trial

A clinical trial of about 2,700 early-stage colon cancer patients found that the drug Avastin didn't reduce the risk of recurrent colon cancer by a significant amount, drug manufacturer Genentech announced Wednesday.

The patients in the study had surgery and then received six months of standard chemotherapy or six months of standard chemotherapy plus Avastin. The trial did not meet its endpoint, which means the drug didn't reduce the risk of cancer recurrence by the targeted amount, The New York Times reported.

No more details were made public. Study data was expected to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, in Orlando, Fla., that begins in late May.

Avastin is approved for treatment of late-stage colon, breast and lung cancers. The new trial was designed to assess its effects on the course of colon cancer when used immediately after surgery to remove the tumor, The Times reported.