The population dynamics of cellular entry, traverse, and exit, through and from each phase of the cell cycle is coordinated throughout the day in the tissue of the human body. This coordination is particularly robust-ie, the daily peaks and valleys are particularly high and low-in tissues with the greatest average daily cellular proliferation. These tissues are also the most severely damaged by cancer treatments, most prominently cytotoxic drugs and ionizing irradiation.
NEW YORK CITY-Weekly irinotecan (Camptosar) and cisplatin (Platinol) can be successfully given as first-line treatment to women with advanced ovarian cancer. The toxicity is manageable, and some patients with suboptimally resected disease achieved an extended disease-free survival, David Spriggs, MD, reported. He is chief of the Developmental Chemotherapy Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) inaugurated a new program in July that
BMS-247550 is a methyl, semi-synthetic analog of the natural product epothilone B. Provided to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by Bristol-Myers Squibb, BMS-247550 was chosen for clinical development because it demonstrated
Advances in molecular virology and biotechnology have led to the engineering of vectors that can efficiently transfer genes to target cells. Gene therapy strategies were developed along two lines: Cytotoxic approaches
In part I of this series, we identified currently active clinical trials that include health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) outcomes as a primary or secondary objective of the overall study (Trimble EL et al: ONCOLOGY 15:601-611, 2001). The goal of this
Advances in molecular virology and biotechnology have led to the engineering of vectors that can efficiently transfer genes to target cells. Gene therapy strategies were developed along two lines: Cytotoxic approaches
HOUSTON, Texas-David M. Gershenson, MD, painted a bleak picture of current treatment for advanced ovarian cancer and suggested that new agents such as topoisomerase inhibitors should be studied further in clinical trials. Dr. Gershenson said that although CA-125 and transvaginal ultrasound are used for screening, they have limited efficacy, with the result that over 70% of ovarian cancers have already spread beyond the ovary by the time they are detected.
Promising interim results of a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of the monoclonal antibody OvaRex in 345 patients with
At the 37th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, investigators from the Scottish Gynaecologic
SAN FRANCISCO-More than four out of 10 cancer patients received chemotherapy during their last year of life, according to a study of Medicare patients in Massachusetts. Even a proportion of patients with tumors considered unresponsive to chemotherapy received treatments within 1 month of their death.
SAN FRANCISCO-Preliminary data from an uncontrolled pilot study suggest that levocarnitine (L-Carnitine, Carnitor) supplementation can reduce fatigue in some patients. Francesco Graziano, MD, found that 87% of patients given levocarnitine 4 g/day po for 7 days reported reduced fatigue. Dr. Graziano is in the medical oncology department at the Hospital of Urbino, Italy.
SAN FRANCISCO-Amifostine (Ethyol) provided cytoprotection and allowed the maximum tolerated dose of melphalan (Alkeran) to be increased to 280 mg/m2 for cancer patients receiving autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a phase I and II study. Dose-limiting toxicity of melphalan was not able to be clearly determined from the trial, however, and might be higher, according to Gordon L. Phillips II, MD, director of the bone marrow transplantation program of the Greenebaum Cancer Center at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Assessing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer starts with obtaining a complete and accurate family history. This can reveal evidence of inherited cancer risk. The highest risk of cancer is associated with germ-line abnormalities
Assessing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer starts with obtaining a complete and accurate family history. This can reveal evidence of inherited cancer risk. The highest risk of cancer is associated with germ-line abnormalities
Assessing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer starts with obtaining a complete and accurate family history. This can reveal evidence of inherited cancer risk. The highest risk of cancer is associated with germ-line abnormalities
Assessing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer starts with obtaining a complete and accurate family history. This can reveal evidence of inherited cancer risk. The highest risk of cancer is associated with germ-line abnormalities
Irinotecan (CPT-11, Camptosar) is a camptothecin derivative thatis thought to exert its cytotoxic effects by targeting topoisomerase
With the understanding of the mechanism of malignant transformation has come the knowledge that oncogene products are frequently growth factors, growth factor receptors, or elements of growth factor signal-transduction pathways. Overexpression
Combination chemotherapy with carboplatin (Paraplatin) and docetaxel (Taxotere) is a highly active and generally well-tolerated regimen when used as initial therapy for gynecologic cancers, including cancers of the ovary, fallopian tubes, and the
The Clinical Trials Referral Resource that appeared in the April issue of ONCOLOGY began a series on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Part I of this series, which concludes this month, focuses on HRQOL questions in cancer treatment trials. Part II (on investigator-initiated HRQOL research) and part III (on HRQOL research as part of cancer prevention trials) will appear in upcoming issues. Information about these studies can be obtained from the contacts listed for each trial or from Edward L. Trimble, MD, MPH, at the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), trimble@ctep.nci.nih.gov or (301) 496-1196
NEW YORK-In a phase I/II study combining gemcitabine (Gemzar) and oxaliplatin, French investigators saw a 47% objective response rate among evaluable patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
HOUSTON-New studies of irinotecan-based regimens for gynecologic cancers were reviewed by Andrzej P. Kudelka, MD, and Claire Verschaegen, MD. He is associate professor and she is an assistant professor in the Division of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
NASHVILLE-Long-term aspirin use may decrease the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer, Arslan Akhmedkhanov, MD, reported at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO). The study involved 748 patients from a prospective cohort followed for an average of 12 years.
WASHINGTON-Cigarette smoking has inflicted an enormous toll on American women during the last two decades, according to the latest Surgeon General’s report. "The single overarching theme emerging from this report is that smoking is a women’s issue," said Surgeon General David Satcher, MD.
