Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a potentially life-threatening metabolic disorder characterized by an elevated uric acid level, elevated serum potassium and phosphorus levels, and a decreased calcium level.
Osteopenia and osteoporosis are increasingly common in cancer patients, owing to the aging of the population and to new forms of cancer treatment. Several treatments have been effective in the prevention and management of osteoporosis.
Oral mucositis (OM), also referred to as stomatitis, can negatively impact radiation and chemotherapy treatment schedules and add to oncology patients’ emotional and physical distress. About 35% to 40% of patients treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy will develop OM, with higher rates occurring in bone marrow transplant patients.
Patients who have experienced oral mucositis report it as the most bothersome side effect of cancer therapy. It can result in pain, infection, and nutritional defi cits, and can interfere with appropriate cancer treatment. Many patients with mucositis are opiate-naive, presenting clinical challenges.
Modern medicine has made most infectious diseases of bacterial origin easily managed. However, research has shown that chronic infections caused by a handful of viruses, bacteria, and parasites play a significant role in the development of certain cancers.
Exelixis, Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company will collaborate to co-develop and co-commercialize Exelixis' compound XL139, a small molecule inhibitor of the hedgehog pathway, in the United States.
Pain in older cancer patients is a common event, and many times it is undertreated. Barriers to cancer pain management in the elderly include concerns about the use of medications, the atypical manifestations of pain in the elderly, and side effects related to opioid and other analgesic drugs. The care of older cancer patients experiencing pain involves a comprehensive assessment, which includes evaluation for conditions that may exacerbate or be exacerbated by pain, affecting its expression, such as emotional and spiritual distress, disability, and comorbid conditions. It is important to use appropriate tools to evaluate pain and other symptoms that can be related to it. Pain in older cancer patients should be managed in an interdisciplinary environment using pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions whose main goals are decreasing suffering and improving quality of life. In this two-part article, the authors present a review of the management of pain in older cancer patients, emphasizing the roles of adequate assessment and a multidisciplinary team approach.
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Cephalon's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for fentanyl buccal tablets (Fentora) for the management of breakthrough pain in opioid-tolerant patients with chronic pain.
The authors address several commonly cited beliefs that have hindered the development of therapeutic agents for central nervous system malignancies, and advance reasons that they feel justify including patients with brain metastases in clinical trials of new therapeutic approaches for lung cancer.
• Lung Cancer-Related Brain Metastases: Further Considerations
Pain in older cancer patients is a common event, and many times it is undertreated. Barriers to cancer pain management in the elderly include concerns about the use of medications, the atypical manifestations of pain in the elderly, and side effects related to opioid and other analgesic drugs. The care of older cancer patients experiencing pain involves a comprehensive assessment, which includes evaluation for conditions that may exacerbate or be exacerbated by pain, affecting its expression, such as emotional and spiritual distress, disability, and comorbid conditions. It is important to use appropriate tools to evaluate pain and other symptoms that can be related to it. Pain in older cancer patients should be managed in an interdisciplinary environment using pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions whose main goals are decreasing suffering and improving quality of life. In this two-part article, the authors present a review of the management of pain in older cancer patients, emphasizing the roles of adequate assessment and a multidisciplinary team approach.
A 68-year-old man with a history of small-cell lung cancer with bony metastases was admitted with diarrhea. The patient had completed chemotherapy one week earlier with cisplatin and etoposide, along with radiation therapy, and irinotecan (Camptosar). The patient was found to be neutropenic.
This review covers symptoms and complications in patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer, including venous thromboembolism, anorexia-cachexia,... More »
The Come Home project will demonstrate that community oncology practices can aggressively manage the symptoms and complications of cancer and its... More »
Given their greater convenience and, in most cases, decreased costs, APBI and AWBI are becoming increasingly popular alternatives to conventional WBI... More »
Review of the pathophysiology of foodborne illness and pertinent studies about the neutropenic diet lead to the conclusion that there is no clear... More »
Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a potentially life-threatening metabolic disorder characterized by an elevated uric acid level, elevated serum potassium and phosphorus levels, and a decreased calcium level.
This review describes the clinical features that should suggest a search for systemic malignancy as the cause of unexpected MAHA and thrombocytopenia. Recognition of a systemic malignancy is critical to the initiation of appropriate chemotherapy and avoidance of inappropriate use of plasma exchange treatment.
Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is an oncology emergency that occurs as a result of rapid tumor cell breakdown and the consequent release of massive amounts of intracellular contents, including potassium, phosphate, and uric acid, into the systemic circulation.
The authors address several commonly cited beliefs that have hindered the development of therapeutic agents for central nervous system malignancies, and advance reasons that they feel justify including patients with brain metastases in clinical trials of new therapeutic approaches for lung cancer.
