dr. nancy snyderman, our chief medical editor joins us in studio. u.s. panel advises against routine prostate test. what is this story about? >> this is a little bit of a controversy that's been spinning around in the medical arenas for quite some time. the risk benefit ratio of the routine blood test men are accustomed to. now it is expected that's going to play out with the u.s. preventative task force. on tuesday it is expected that this force -- this is the same group that suggested changing the mammogram guidelines a couple of years ago. it is expected that they will issue new recommendations that the psa test men routinely take to check for prostate cancer may not be a good screening test at all and should not be routinely done and here's why. the concern is that the test could be elevated even with benign problems like inflammation or enlarged prostate and once you have the elevated test it leads you to a biopsy, unnecessary treatment. as we talk about economics it comes back to not hurting the patient, not spending undue money. >> of course cance

dr. nancy snyderman. dr. nancy snyderman, what do we know about this illness that has taken steve jobs? >> lawrence, we've known for quite some time that he has had a rare pancreatic cancer that no one even from day one has ever used the word cure, but he had seven years of really aggressive and really concentrated treatment. i remember the day he announced that he had a hormone imbalance with his pancreas. i thought that was probably a code word for a rare kind of cancer that only makes up about 5% of the 47,000 cases of pancreatic cancer that we see every year. and at that time started concentrated treatment and then you may remember years later when he announced he had a liver transplant. it was for many doctors a sign that the tumor had spread to his liver. good news that he got a liver transplant, but guarded news in that any time you get an organ transplant, you have to go on medicines that suppress your immune system and that always raised the question of whether it would hurt his immune system and allow the cancer to grow back. most people with his cancer, maybe two or three yea

dr. nancy snyderman and dr. susan love. of the dr.arch foundation >> susan and i used to be in love, we're still friends and we do check in on each other and very affectionate so i want you to know girl power exists. there's a future in girl power. >> thank goodness because we need girl power right now, talking about breast cancer, such an important issue and dr. love i think a lot of people, we know that the cure rates are getting better. we know that people are living longer with this disease, which is great news but you say still not good enough. >> it's not good enough because the treatments, surgery, radiation, chemo, hormones, targeted treatments all have side effects, they all have collateral damage and 40,000 women still die of breast cancer and so what we really need is to focus on finding the cause of breast cancer as opposed to the cure. i think when the nfl is wearing pink, we're aware. awareness is not the issue. the issue is what causes it and how can we stop it? and how can we refocus that, whether it's looking for a vi

dr. nancy snyderman, nbc's chief medical editor, good morning to all of but >> good morning. >> hello. >>ve got the michael jackson death trial going on in los angeles, and yesterday we heard testimony from the e.r. docs who once again said when given the opportunity dr. conrad murray who was taking care of michael jackson, failed to say that he had given the drug propofol to michael jackson. we'll talk about the legal significance first, but just as a doctor, nancy, if you were in that same set of circumstances, is there any justification for providing only partial information as prosecutors? >> web a patient comes to the e.r. comatose or out of it, whatever family member is there should give the laundry list of everything that's happened and it was very interesting to me yesterday that the doctor in the e.r. said she knew he was dead but yet they tried to revive him and you do that, you go to sometimes heroic places because one, the family is there, and they just need to know it's okay and dr. murray said "please try, please try," but the doctors knew he was dead on arrival. >> what do

dr. nancy snyderman will tackle that and more in today's professionals. >>> okay. also ahead when some major banks recently announced they'll be charging for debit card transactions a lot of people got angry and are now thinking about taking their business somewhere else. we'll help you get some advice on how to ask the right questions and switch to a better bank to suit your needs. >>> then a little bit later on we'll have bobbi thomas here to help us save money with affordable jewelry items pulling double, sometimes triple duty, can be mixed and matched. >> what is that? >> i think it's a belt. >> i thought it was a skirt. >> hopefully not. >> very short. >> that would be rather revealing. >> anyway, some of the jewelry pieces are pretty lovely. >> good ideas. >>> let's check the top stories with natalie morales over at the news desk. >> good morning, matt, ann, and savannah. good morning, everyone. >>> a stunning revelation from the wife of admitted swindler bernie madoff. rug madoff tells "60 minutes" she and her husband tried to take their own lives by taking

dr. nancy snyderman is a head and neck surgeon, nbc's chief medical editor. good morning to you all.rt on a sad note. steve jobs passed and i think it's remarkable to see how many lives he touched. there was that moment this morning when matt had everybody on the plaza hold up their iphone and it just shows you in just that one image how wide ranging his impact was. star? what do you think? >> changed the way i work, explore, create, and think because of his brain. he's like my generation's edison. >> donnie, as someone in business you must admire him greatly. >> you said there is something obviously sad about his passing but how many people can you say in the last half century changed our lives for the better? i mean, think about that. what he did is he took people, technology, and he went like this. >> and what is so interesting about it is he wasn't a hardware engineer. he wasn't a software developer, but we all agree -- >> he sold us things we didn't even really need which was really cool and what amazed me as a physician was that seven years after a diagnosis of a lethal tumor,

dr. nancy snyderman. >> good morning. >> a lot to get to.rial have been made public after being kept secret for a while because of the fallout over the trial. given the nature of the case, star, and the controversy over the verdict, is this the right move? >> i definitely don't think that the names and addresses, that's the part that bothers me more than anything, that the addresses have been made public. >> didn't the state release the names and then someone else go dig up the addresses? >> which is so easy to do. >> nowadays in a technological world that we live in, you can get anybody's address at any time but then people show up at your home. that is extremely dangerous with the kind of volatility that came out of this trial. >> what is the logic of releases -- why is there a law that allows it. explain the advantage. >> it's called the sunshine law, where the public has a right to information. >> but it's insane. by the way what happens god forbid somebody gets hurt. there's no privacy in the law. >> people want to get out of jury duty

dr. nancy snyderman is here with us with more. nancy, good evening. >> hi, brian. good evening. this study comes from the university of texas galveston and suggests there could be a link between hpv, the common sexually transmitted virus we talk about a lot, and it may be linked to more than cancer. in this case, heart disease in women. you have seen the commercials about hpv. >> i chose to get my daughter vaccinated because i want her to be one less -- >> reporter: and families are listening. millions of girls received the vaccine to prevent hpv and cervical cancer. in a report out today, surprising new research links hpv to the number one killer of women -- cardiovascular disease. >> the risk of cardiovascular disease for women with hpv infection is almost two times higher. >> reporter: dr. quo and his fellow researchers studied nearly 2,500 women in the united states. for women infected with hpv one in 55 are at risk for heart attack or stroke. for those infected with specific cancer-causing strains of hpv, their risk is even higher. the theory is the infection causes inflamm

dr. nancy snyderman. nancy, good evening. >> we're talking about human papilloma virus. it's a commonly sexually transmitted disease that's escalating in the united states. in fact, at least 15 million americans are expected to be exposed to this in their life times. the vaccine, hpv, has been around to protect boys from 2009, but there have really been no firm guidelines about boys until today. millions of girls have already received the hpv vaccine, and today, the centers for disease control expanded those same recommendations to include boys. under guidelines approved today, the cdc recommends all boys 11 to 12 years old be vaccinated, three doses over the course of six months to prevent hpv and hpv-related diseases. why so early? the vaccine needs to be given before a young person becomes sexually active. to give the body a chance to build antibodies to fight hpv if a person is exposed. each year there are 18,000 hpv-related cancers in women. mostly cervical cancers. 7,000 hpv-related cancers in men. last month the virus was linked to mouth and throat cancers and in

dr. nancy snyderman. good morning.specifically breast cancer, nancy? >> no. >> at all? >> no. in vitro fertilization and birth control pills both forms of hormones that women take have been studied and there's no known cause and effect. what we do know is that women who are older usually ask for ivf because they're having a harder time getting pregnant and women who are holdolder have a higher chance of getting breast cancer so there is an age relation but not a hormonal relationship with cause and effect with ivf. >> what about the treatments, the pills and injection that is women take regarding boosting their hormone levels given we know estrogen fuels 80% of breast cancer. >> in some tumors. so let's assume you're diagnosed with a tomb their feeds off some hormone. doctors say let's put your hormones to the side whether it's hormone replacement therapy until we treat the tumor then we can talk about individualizing whether you get pregnant. interestingly, we do know that moms that that are pregnant can get chemother

dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: hip replacement surgery has given millions of americans a second chance to enjoy an active life. there's a growing concern that one type of hip replacement device called metal on metal is failing faster than devices made of other materials. in these implants, the ball and socket of the device are made of metal. >> those hips were going to last me 20 years, i was told. >> reporter: within just five years of getting this kind of implant, she had to have both hips replaced. >> i was experiencing a 102 degree fever. and pain much worse than what sent me to get a hip replacement in the first place. >> reporter: tiny particles can wear off, causing damage in the joint. in rare cases the debris can enter the blood stream and cause a reaction. >> if you start to get any symptoms around the hip such as pain or swelling, you should consult with your orthopedic surgeon. >> reporter: so far this year, the fda has received nearly 11,000 complaints on metal on metal implants. one model, the asr xl was recalled in the u.s. after reports of a high early failure rate. the

dr. nancy snyderman nbc's chief medical editor. good morning to all of you. ngland are experimenting with the idea of giving obese children as young as 11 this weight loss surgery and it's very controversial. what's your take on it? >> what's interesting is there is some science to show if these children are morbidly obese that they have high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease, and they're going to die, that a gastric band, some way of minimizing the amount of food they can get in their stomachs works. now, is it a cure-all for not pushing yourself away from the table? no one is saying that. these are the kids who are at high risk of premature death. >> donny, you said if you think it is controversial then kids shouldn't get it period. >> no. i think you have to distinguish. obviously if it is going to save a life or there is a real health issue that's one thing. we have to be careful parents don't start using it for they're taking the kids to mcdonald's every night, the kids are stuffing their face and not doing the hard work of losing weight versu

dr. nancy snyderman, thanks so much. >> you bet. >> stay tuned for nbc "nightly news." brian williams will have more with nancy and her report on findings that link hpv to women's heart health. >>> coming up on news 4 at 5:00, why apple may be looking to build the second washington, d.c. store. >>> i'm liz crenshaw. halloween, halloween costumes and fire. a dangerous combination. my story is coming up. >>> kim kardashian working on a >>> kim kardashian working on a project for the ♪ and the flowers and the trees ♪ ♪ all laugh when you walk by ♪ and the neighbors' kids run and hide ♪ deep inside you, there's a person who refuses to be kept deep inside you. ♪ but you're not ♪ you're the one be true to yourself. what's healthier than that? pnc virtual wallet gathers your spending and saving in one place. credit and debit purchases, checks, bills, and other financial information. it lets you see the details as well as the big financial picture. so you can do more with your money. see what a complete view of your money can do for you at pncvirtualwallet.com. ♪ pnc bank. for

dr. nancy snyderman, nbc's chief medical editor. good morning to all of you. nice to see you bright and early. let's start with something getting a lot of buzz this morning in the political world, herman cain has a new web ad, rather than describe it, how about we just play it. do we have the ad? >> or not. i could act it out. >> it features the chief of staff of cain's campaign saying why herman cain is the best and the last shot is of him smoking, exhaling and a shot of herman cain. and a lot of people are talking about it, number one because it's weird and number two because he's smoking. >> i'll jump in donny's territory it's a lousy ad and the smoking at the end, it's like are you kidding me? >> i'm told we now have it. i think people should see it. roll it. ♪ ♪ i am america ♪ one voice, united we stand >> i stand by my former synopsis. >> are you ready to hire this person for your ad company? >> it's obviously ridiculous. nobody is going to say that's a good ad. what must have happened, let's do a parody of ourselves, run it on youtube to youth. there's

dr. nancy. >> pretty cool stuff. >> very, very cool. thank you so much, dr. nancy snydermang yourself as a brand. but first, this is "today" on nbc. bge's instant discounts got our homeowner to switch to energy star® cfl bulbs. 3-way cfls really click with my style. learn to speak the language of energy efficiency at bgesmartenergy.com. >>> from your business to your facebook page perception is key and branding can make or break your image. so how can you successfully market yourself in the right way? steve addubato is the author of "you are the brand." i get the branding idea when it comes to a celebrity or a politician who needs to have the image out in the public but you think branding is important for average people too. why? >> it is used. especially in this economy when people are losing their jobs. they're thinking if i do a good job and work hard it's good enough. it isn't. you should really become more confident and comfortable with self-promotion. does that mean bragging and boasting in an arrogant way? no. it means if there is a job opening here at nbc or today sh

dr. nancy snyderman, nbc's chief medical editor. good morning to all of you. one segment is not enough.need more professionals and opinions. >> absolutely. >> that's popular demand. >> the e mailies have been flooding in. let's talk about oprah winfrey's own network, struggles in the ratings answers rosie o'donnell will have her own show, tons of advertising about it. donny, is it going to be rosie to the rescue? can she salvage the ratings here? >> the one mistake the open with a network made and oprah is brilliant, so is rosie, it's the oprah network. we're about empowerment. i think rosie can be a road map. i would make it all the entire day women empowering other women talk shows and i think that could be a great format so she thinks she to be a road map to that, all talk all the time. >> everyone wants to see oprah. nancy do you think she needs to be more involved in the programming? people want to see more of her in. >> people followed the oprah brand because they wanted to be her, wanted to follow her and wanted to emulate her. they wanted more of her, and network isn't a network

dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor. good morning to all of you. >> do you notice nancy always touches me at the beginning of the segment? >> like you guys have your little moment. >> i need the energy. >> she is transferring her power to you. okay. let's start with demi and ashton. i don't know if any of us really knows what's going on behind closed doors between these two but it would appear there are marital problems because there's this 22-year-old woman who is talking to "us weekly" about her one night stand with ashton that took place on their sixth anniversary. >> she needs to shut up. >> that may be the case. >> there are two things. you live by the sword you die by the sword. people who are so engaged in social media and tweet about every single thing and then something bad happens you go radio silent and people are going to assume the worst. this is part of, you know, the age we live in. but i have to say, agree with star. this blonde who allegedly slept with him, shame on her. >> hold on a second. >> i love hea

dr. nancy snyderman is nbc's chief medical editor.d morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> you all right, donny? going to make it through? >> just got a little -- she -- i'm all right. >> just wanted to put his head in nancy's lap. >> let's move on to our hot topics shall we? lindsay lohan back in court. she was handcuffed in court. hauled off to jail momentarily after getting a dressing down from the judge. now there will be a subsequent hearing on whether or not she should be take tone jail. >> she really did wear that well, you know. >> is that your legal opinion? >> that is my absolute legal opinion. my true legal opinion is this is someone who is a train wreck that we enjoy watching and that's sad for us as a society and even sadder for her. she is self-destructive. >> this judge really gave her a talking to. i had to wonder whether or not she was getting a different kind of celebrity justice. >> i don't know. if you start, roll it back, this is a classic example i believe of watching a public figure who's had really bad pare

dr. nancy snyderman. good morning to you all.t moment. >> millions of things, half of me was just scared to death that it was going to come on and i wasn't going to like it, just because you know, before this is all i've ever known for 29 years so the new, the fear of the unknown and not knowing what it was going to sound like, was it going to be overwhelming, and it was just nervousness, and then the other half of me was just like oh, hurry up and turn it on and i was so nervous, i kept moving the remote, and the remote had to be in a certain spot to get it turned on so it was like the third try before it actually happened so the anticipation was horrible. >> for the record the very first voice you heard was the voice of the technician. >> yes, ma'am, i believe her name was melinda. >> and your own voice did it sound the way you imagined it would sound? >> well, the funny thing is you know, we live in texas, and the first time we ever traveled outside of the country everyone kept talking about her accents, so i was kind of surpr