Barabra Boughton

SAN FRANCISCO-While genetics has opened up new possibilities for predicting treatment response in patients with acute myeloid leukemia, there are still unanswered questions about the relationship between genetic mutations and treatment outcome, according to Bob Lowenberg, MD, PhD, who delivered the Ham-Wasserman lecture at ASH 200

SAN FRANCISCO – Results from two early-phase clinical trials showed that adding vorinostat (Zolinza) to bortezomib can produce favorable response rates in up to 40% in patients with refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma. In the combined results of these two phase I trials, 39% of patients refractory or relapsed aft er bortezomib treatment achieved a partial response, and 43% had stable disease, said Donna Weber, MD, of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

SAN FRANCISCO-A regimen of perifosine, bortezomib (Velcade), and dexamethasone provides favorable outcomes with manageable toxicities, even in heavily pretreated multiple myeloma patients, according to data presented at ASH 2008.

In 1993, Laura Esserman, MD, took a trip to the UK and noted that breast cancer diagnosis was handled far diff erently than in the U.S. Because all the breast cancer imaging is done centrally in the UK, physicians offer same-day clinics.

MUNICH-Final results from the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) trial were released at the 2008 European Society of Cardiology Congress, and the lead researcher urged oncologists to continue treatment for their patients who are also on cholesterol-lowering drugs.