ONCOLOGY Vol 12 No 8

Both fluorouracil (5-FU) and irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) have shown activity in metastatic colorectal cancer and are approved for its treatment in the United States. Preclinical experiments in cell cultures and human tumor

A life with cancer is often a life with pain. But it does not have to be that way.Physicians and award-winning multimedia designers at Michigan State University have developed a new CD-ROM that

Investigators at the University of Pittsburgh have received a $7.7 million, 5-year award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study how dendritic cells participate in: (1) generating immunity against cancer cells, (2) inducing transplant tolerance,

Leaders of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) discussed the society’s comprehensive position statement calling for the removal of all barriers to high-quality end-of-life care. ASCO’s recommendations include greatly expanded

A new, 1-hour television documentary features conversations with some of the nearly 10 million American cancer survivors. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Anne Bancroft and filmed at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Rochester,

The Center for Breast Care at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation have teamed up to offer a new 1-year fellowship for physicians interested in the multidisciplinary care of breast

Current controversies in the treatment of stage I seminoma center on the relative roles of surveillance, adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), and adjuvant single-agent chemotherapy. Surveillance has been studied in over 800 patients,

A team of molecular biologists have located a genetic switch in prostate cancer cells that may play a role in triggering a quiescent tumor to erupt into an invasive, deadly cancer.

Women are more likely to start getting regular mammograms if health information is tailored to their personal concerns, according to the results of a Brown University study.

Individualizing the dosage of cancer chemotherapy can increase survival rates for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) without causing excessive toxicity, according to a study published in the February 18, 1998, issue of The New

The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended the approval of topotecan hydrochloride for injection (Hycamtin) for the second-line treatment of sensitive small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Patients in pain may soon be better treated with fewer side effects using lower morphine doses combined with newer painkillers, according to a study reported by researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in the

Researchers from the Pittsburgh-based National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) presented data on the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT) during a plenary session of the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology

Roger Byhardt, MD, professor of radiation oncology and member of the Cancer Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin, has been named principal investigator of a $355,700 grant to help improve the access of veterans and other military personnel

Two phase III, multicenter clinical trials are seeking patients to participate in studies evaluating PSC 833, an investigational agent,in combating multidrug resistance in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia. The studies, sponsored by Novartis,

Researchers at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas are offering the first plausible, molecular explanation of the behavior of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in people with syphilis. The virus is transmitted more

Athough managed care represents a major change from the way many cancer centers have traditionallydone business, it is

Current controversies in the treatment of stage I seminoma center on the relative roles of surveillance, adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), and adjuvant single-agent chemotherapy. Surveillance has been studied in over 800 patients,

Management of patients who have head and neck cancer necessitates a multidisciplinary approach.[1,2] Comprehensive care must be initiated prior to therapy, maintained throughout course of treatment, and systematically coordinated for the rest of the patient’s life. As Dwyer and Minasian note, a multidisciplinary team that includes dental professionals, a speech/language pathologist, and a registered dietician is best suited for this complex management challenge. These individuals, working in conjunction with physicians, nurses, and other professionals, can provide patients with key preventive and therapeutic supportive care interventions.

he authors are to be commended for providing an overview of several important, though often overlooked, management issues in head and neck cancer. In their overview of nutrition, they correctly state that the nutritional status of head and neck cancer patients is frequently compromised even before cancer diagnosis and treatment. Documented reasons for this include poor oral hygiene, ill-fitting dentures, and a high incidence of alcoholism.[1] Consequently, it is imperative that patients’ pretreatment nutritional status be determined so that necessary dietary modifications can be made prior to therapy. As the authors emphasize, nutritional reassessment and intervention should continue during and after treatment.

Current controversies in the treatment of stage I seminoma center on the relative roles of surveillance, adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), and adjuvant single-agent chemotherapy. Surveillance has been studied in over 800 patients,

In this excellent article, Dr. Minsky examines the current state of knowledge about adjuvant therapy for resectable rectal cancer, as well as ongoing research in this area. Reasonable recommendations for the management of patients with rectal cancer are made based on data obtained from clinical trials.

Nearly a decade ago, irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) began clinical development in Japan. Early clinical trials in that country recognized its anti-tumor activity in a variety of advanced malignancies, including stomach, colon, cervical, and lung

Radiosurgery uses stereotactic targeting methods to precisely deliver highly focused, large doses of radiation to small intracranial tumors and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). This article reviews the most common

Dr. Minsky provides an excellent overview of the current status of adjuvant therapy for patients with rectal cancer. The article includes not only the results of completed randomized and phase II trials but also some of the early toxicity data from ongoing and maturing neoadjuvant trials. Although it would appear that Dr. Minsky’s personal bias favors neoadjuvant combined-modality therapy, he clearly defines gaps in our existing knowledge that will need to be filled in by randomized trials.

Irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) is currently approved for use as a second-line agent in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Phase II studies have also shown substantial single-agent activity of irinotecan in the

Phase I trials of irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]), conducted at Johns Hopkins and the University of Texas, San Antonio, demonstrated some activity in patients with refractory advanced cancer. Three pivotal phase II studies of

Advanced gastric carcinoma remains an incurable disease with a median survival of 6 to 9 months, and available therapeutic approaches are predominantly palliative. In small controlled trials, systemic chemotherapy has

Tremendous progress has been made in the medical treatment of advanced colorectal cancer during the past 2 to 3 years, due to the availability of several new drugs. Of these new agents, irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) seems

Most clinical drug regimens for irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) have been empirically based on classic in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations. We propose an alternative approach that attempts to