ONCOLOGY Vol 13 No 7

Few of us enjoy performing a task if we feel that we are not very good at it. Furthermore, the simpler the task appears to be, the more embarrassed we feel about our perceived lack of ability. As a result, we tend to avoid the whole situation

Docetaxel (Taxotere) combined with estramustine phosphate (Emcyt) and low-dose hydrocortisone appears to be a promising treatment for men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer, according to the results of a phase II trial conducted

In the course of a cancer-related study, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center stumbled upon an important genetic mechanism that may help in the treatment of two rare thyroid diseases.

Fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most extensively investigated chemotherapy agents in medical oncology. Generations of medical oncologists have equated this agent with the optimal treatment of colorectal cancer, both in the advanced and

Standard radiation therapy for patients with latestage cervical cancer (stage IIIB) should be adjusted so that each patient receives moderate doses of external-beam radiation therapy plus radioactive implants, according to a study led by Dr. Mark

In November 1996, residents of Oregon approved a $0.30 increase in the cigarette tax (to $0.68 per pack). The measure stipulated that 10% of the additional tax revenue be allocated to the Oregon Health Division to develop and implement a

Some factors that lead to the development of breast cancer are similar to those responsible for the development of ovarian cancer, say the authors of a new study. Consequently, women who survive breast cancer, especially those under the age of

A pharmaceutical treatment may offer patients an alternative to the usual surgical removal of basal cell carcinomas, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in New Orleans.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) relieves swallowing problems associated with esophageal cancer in the majority of patients treated, according to a study conducted from November 1996 to June 1998 at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

Stanford researchers have devised a novel approach for delivering a clot-busting gene to blocked leg arteries in animals, effectively restoring blood flow to the damaged vessels, according to a new study presented at the 24th scientific meeting of

Members of Congress are trying to assure coverage of cancer screening tests under private insurance plans that Congress equired Medicare to cover as part of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and

The physician-patient relationship is based on effective communication. In oncology, higher expectations for communication are driven by increased media attention to cancer, patient-directed pharmaceutical advertising, and

New research shows that women who smoke menthol cigarettes may be more likely to inhale deeper and potentially inhale more nicotine than do smokers of nonmenthol cigarettes. The study also showed that menthol cigarette smokers tend to have

Discontinuing the practice of drawing blood every week from patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer can save time and money without jeopardizing the patient’s care, a new study has found.

Because of the absence of severe toxicities, UFT plus oral leucovorin is an optimal candidate for combination chemotherapy regimens. Its excellent acceptance by patients and well-tolerated safety profile make it a potential therapy for patients with poor performance status or patients who have been extensively pretreated

Carcinoma of the Thyroid is the first edition of a text dedicated to the anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, and treatment of thyroid malignancy. The book is written in a fairly uniform format, with 17 chapters contributed either by one of the editors or

The use of alternative therapies in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy is a potentially important clinical issue. Most patients assume that alternative therapies are harmless since they are “not drugs” and, thus, do not have an established

Total-body irradiation (TBI), when given as part of bone marrow transplantation (BMT), works by enhancing immune suppression and by exerting a tumoricidal effect. The modality has been made less toxic because of new approaches to

The article by Drs. Grondin and Sugarbaker discussing the clinical management of malignant pleural mesothelioma provides an excellent overview but also highlights many of the controversies surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of this difficult

The use of alternative therapies among cancer patients has increased dramatically since the 1970s. A recent review of published surveys found that anywhere from 7% to 64% of adult cancer patients were using such therapies.[1] Preliminary

Grondin and Sugarbaker provide an excellent, thorough review of malignant pleural mesotheliomas. Nearly 3,000 new mesotheliomas will be diagnosed in the United States this year. On the positive side, epidemiologists estimate that workplace

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is cell-cycle specific for its cytotoxicity and has a pharmacokinetic profile characterized by a short, single-dose half-life of 10 to 20 minutes in plasma. Efforts to maximize its clinical efficacy have been

Oxaliplatin is a unique platinum compound with single-agent activity in both chemotherapy-naïve colorectal cancer patients and patients who progressed on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The combination of oxaliplatin and 5-FU

UFT (uracil and tegafur in a 4:1 molar ratio) plus calcium folinate treatment has favorable activity and tolerable toxicity in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma. High response rates have been reported in patients with

Many patients treat themselves with oral antioxidants and other alternative therapies during chemotherapy, frequently without advising their conventional health care provider. No definitive studies have demonstrated

We evaluated combination therapy for advanced and recurrent breast cancer with cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), doxorubicin (Adriamycin), uracil and tegafur (UFT), and tamoxifen (Nolvadex) (CAUT), designed as

Gemcitabine (Gemzar) (2-deoxy-2,2-difluorocytidine) is a new antimetabolite being increasingly used in the treatment of solid tumors. It is an analog of deoxycytidine and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) (Figure 1) that has shown significant activity

Protracted infusions of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combined with pelvic radiotherapy have been associated with improved survival and decreased local and distant metastases in the adjuvant therapy of rectal cancer. However,

This phase I trial combining UFT plus oral calcium folinate (Orzel) with irinotecan (CPT-11) (Camptosar) for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer

Adjuvant chemotherapy has been shown to alter the natural history of resected colon cancer. Two regimens (5-fluorouracil [5-FU] plus calcium folinate and 5-FU plus levamisole [Ergamisol]) have been found to prolong