ONCOLOGY Vol 12 No 5

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has named its officers and directors for 1998-1999. Webster K. Cavenee, PhD, will serve as AACR president for 1998-1999 with Daniel D. Von Hoff, MD, assuming the role of President-

Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and Zale Lipshy University Hospital are using an experimental radiation therapy device to treat brain cancer patients for whom conventional radiation treatments have not been effective.

Early in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, infection occurred disproportionately among older persons as a result of transmission through receipt of contaminated blood or blood products. Through 1989, receipt of contaminated

A new study from the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center has shown that celebrity role models can influence decisions about medical care. The national study of breast cancer treatment patterns following Mrs. Ronald Reagan’s decision to have a mastectomy in 1987 showed that 25% fewer women than expected underwent lumpectomy or breast-conserving surgery.

Helping Hand: The Resource Guide for People with Cancer, published by Cancer Care, Inc., is designed to “show what kinds of help are available, and where to find that help.” The second edition of A Helping Hand was recently released with updated listings, new sections (eg, using the Internet to find resources), and a myriad of information on national, regional, and local cancer-related organizations that provide important services for people with cancer. Included in the listings of A Helping Hand are the names of support groups, as well as medical information about a specific type of cancer, a second opinion, financial assistance, or hospice care.

A clinical pathway for pain management, developed by a task force of 18 registered nurses from Fox Chase Cancer Center and its network of community hospitals, was published in the January/February issue of Oncology Issues, the official journal

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is now recognized as standard treatment for many diseases. Patients with cancer, especially those with certain types of leukemia, lymphoma, breast and ovarian cancers, multiple myeloma, and aplastic

Proposed changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement have “enormous implications for appropriate cancer treatment,” according to Joseph S. Bailes, MD, winner of this year’s Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) National Achievement Award. Accepting the prize at the ACCC’s 24th Annual National Meeting, Bailes, chairman of the Clinical Practice Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), added that he’s very concerned about the proposed changes. But he told of plans to streamline and strengthen ASCO’S public policy apparatus by: establishing a “more constant presence” in Congress; bringing all cancer professionals, advocacy groups, and academics under a single “big tent,” and solidifying ties with the patient community.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center announced a new phase I clinical trial recently to investigate a genetically re-engineered herpes simplex virus as a treatment of malignant brain tumors.

Individualizing the dosage of cancer chemotherapy can increase survival rates for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) without causing excessive toxicity, according to a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Although creating and sustaining a successful bone marrow transplant (BMT) program poses tricky challenges in today’s rapidly evolving managed care environment, it can be done, says Albert B. Einstein, Jr., MD, associate director for clinical

Dr. Charles H. Mayo performed one of the first successful operations to remove a tumor from the adrenal glands in 1927. After 187 days in the hospital, the patient recovered completely.

David E. Fisher, MD, PhD is the recipient of the sixth Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award, sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Since 1993, the award has been presented annually to one nontenured

I was quite disappointed with Dr. Graham A. Colditz’s review of the literature concerning the use of estrogen replacement therapy in patients with breast cancer, which appeared in the November 1997 issue of ONCOLOGY (pp 1491-1497).

Passik and colleagues address an important and badly neglected issue in cancer care. Alcoholism has been reported to occur in 5% to 15% of the North American population, and drug abuse in approximately 5%. In hospitalized patients, the prevalence of alcoholism increases to approximately 20%.[1] In 200 patients admitted to a tertiary palliative care program in a health care system providing universal access, the prevalence of alcoholism was 27%.[2]

Since physicians have stressed complete rehabilitation after breast cancer treatment, including breast reconstruction and psychosocial aspects, it follows that young women who have undergone such treatment may wish to resume their life roles, which often include motherhood. Consequently, the issue of pregnancy after breast cancer treatment has assumed paramount importance. This pertinent, accurate review of such a complex issue can be so brief because there are so few data on the subject. Given the diversity of the issues presented in the review, it is helpful to consider them individually.

Breast cancer, the most common malignancy in women, frequently develops during the premenopausal years. The great majority of these breast cancers can be successfully treated, and the decision to have children remains a real and important consideration. The relationship between breast cancer and a subsequent pregnancy is complex, and decisions regarding one may ultimately affect the course or outcome of the other.

Among the most challenging problems in medicine is the management of patients with simultaneous cancer, pain, and psychological chemical dependency (substance abuse). It has been our experience at the UT

Cark and Ihde have written an excellent review of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). My commentary will provide some additional information, as well as explore several issues that require clarification.

Although small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) represents only 20% of all lung cancer cases in the United States, it is the most lethal subtype. Combination chemotherapy unequivocally offers the best chance for improved survival in

Results of treatment for patients with salivary gland carcinoma have improved in recent years, most likely due to earlier diagnosis and the use of more effective locoregional therapy. Salivary gland tumors are treated surgically, often in conjunction with postoperative radiation therapy when the tumor is malignant. Good results rest strongly on the performance of an adequate, en bloc initial resection. Radical neck dissection is indicated in patients with obvious cervical metastasis, and limited neck dissection may be appropriate in patients with clinically negative nodes in whom occult nodal involvement is likely. Postoperative radiation therapy should be administered when the tumor is high stage or high grade, the adequacy of the resection is in question, or the tumor has ominous pathologic features. Neutron beam therapy shows promise in controlling locoregional disease but requires further study. No single chemotherapeutic agent or combination regimen has produced consistent results. At present, chemotherapy is clearly indicated only for palliation in symptomatic patients with recurrent and/or unresectable cancers. Patients with salivary gland carcinomas must be followed for long periods, as recurrence may occur a decade or more following therapy. Distant metastasis appears to occur in approximately 20% of patients.[ONCOLOGY 12 (5): 671-683, 1998]

The relationship between the therapeutic use of potentially abusable drugs for symptom control and the multifaceted nature of abuse and addiction is extremely complex. Research is only beginning to elucidate the

Women face numerous issues if they either contemplate childbearing or become pregnant after the diagnosis of breast cancer. Based on a search of the English medical literature from 1966 to 1997, we make the following

I was pleased to read the timely update on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) by Drs. Jürgen Pannek and Alan W. Partin in the September 1997 issue of oncology (pp 1273-1278) and the accompanying review by Dr. Steven J. Jacobsen (pp 1281-

The management of patients with the less aggressive subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma remains a clinical challenge. As pointed out by Webster and Cella, this challenge relates, at least in part, to the comparatively long median survival that can be achieved in such patients with a wide variety of treatment approaches. However, it is very important to realize that not all patients with the indolent varieties of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are the same.

Cancer treatment often has debilitating effects on the patients who receive it. Chemotherapy regimens can produce toxicities, such as gastrointestinal disturbances, hematologic deficiencies, fatigue, and neurotoxicity. Patients typically undergo these chemotherapy regimens to increase their disease-free survival time. Given that these therapies can negatively affect a patient’s quality of life (QOL), treatments need to provide clear curative potential and/or survival benefits to offset detrimental effects on QOL.

Low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is an indolent form of the disease with a generally slow course of progression. Although still usually incurable, low-grade disease has shown responsiveness to some of the newer

The Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson has received a 5-year, $500,000 unrestricted cancer research grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb, making the center one of a select group of institutions worldwide to receive this no-strings-attached funding.

This comprehensive, well-written review of small-cell lung cancer by Drs. Clark and Ihde covers nearly all of the important clinical issues. However, a few areas warrant additional comment and discussion.