ONCOLOGY Vol 14 No 3

In 1998, a retrospective cost-minimization analysis from the perspective of a British hospital was performed comparing the use of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, Oncovin, and prednisolone (CHOP), fludarabine (FLU [Fludara]), and rituximab

At the recent annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO), researchers announced findings suggesting that the putative tumor-suppressor gene-the fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene-may be central to the development of

This phase II trial investigated the safety and efficacy of retreatment with rituximab (Rituxan) in patients with low-grade or follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma who relapsed following a response to rituximab therapy.

Ibritumomab tiuxetan (IDEC-Y2B8 [Zevalin]) is an anti-CD20 murine immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) kappa monoclonal antibody conjugated to tiuxetan (MXDTPA), which can securely chelate either indium-111 (111In) for imaging/dosimetry or yttrium-90 (90Y) for therapy.

When Janet Woodcock, MD, a top FDA official, appeared before a Senate committee in early February, she tried to put the issue of medical errors in perspective by referring to a patient who dies after chemotherapy. She rhetorically asked whether

Researchers in Germany and Austria have found a way to achieve high survival rates in children with Hodgkin’s disease while reducing serious long-term side effects. Until now, children with Hodgkin’s disease have experienced high survival rates but

A study released at the recent annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) challenges the traditional management of ovarian cancer in young women by suggesting that conservative surgery (which often allows for future

Transformation of low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) to a more aggressive histology is associated with a very poor response to chemotherapy and shortened survival. Therefore, new therapeutic agents are needed. Tositumomab/iodine-

Research presented recently at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) annual meeting found that survival rates of African-American women with advanced-stage endometrial cancers are significantly worse than those of Caucasian women.

Rituximab (Rituxan) is a chimeric monoclonal antibody binding to CD20. A multicenter trial in relapsed low-grade lymphoma (375 mg/m²/wk × 4) produced a response rate of 48%. However, patients with small lymphocytic lymphoma

Rituximab (Rituxan) has mechanisms of antilymphoma action that differ significantly from those of chemotherapeutic agents: both direct (induction of apoptosis and chemosensitization) and indirect (complement-dependent cytotoxicity and antibody

Due to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, physicians have been clamoring for new drug companies to ratchet up antibiotic research and development. Congress had the same concern when it passed the FDA Modernization Act in 1997,

The rationale for combining rituximab (Rituxan), a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, with chemotherapy includes single-agent efficacy, non–cross-resistant mechanisms of action, possible synergy, and few overlapping toxicities. The safety

Results from the compassionate use program for linezolid (Zyvox), an investigational new antibiotic still under development, show that the drug is effective in the treatment of patients with bacteremia associated with significant gram-positive infections,

Ibritumomab tiuxetan (IDEC-Y2B8 [Zevalin]) is an anti-CD20 murine immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) kappa monoclonal antibody conjugated to tiuxetan that can securely chelate either indium-111 (111In) for imaging/dosimetry or yttrium-90 (90Y) for

Avax Technologies, Inc., has released 9-year follow-up data of stage III melanoma patients from company-sponsored phase II studies of M-Vax, an individualized cell-based vaccine for cancer. Ernest W. Yankee, PhD, the company’s executive vice-president, presented the data at the 26th annual meeting of the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia in Melbourne.

An Arkansas Cancer Research Center study, published in the November 18, 1999, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, found that thalidomide (Thalidomid) effectively reduced or, in some cases, eliminated tumor activity in multiple myeloma patients who had not responded previously to other agents.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a recently identified, aggressive, B-cell neoplasm that is incurable with current combination chemotherapy regimens. Novel therapeutic strategies are needed. MCLs express high levels of cell-surface CD20 and are

Autologous peripheral blood stem-cell (PBSC) transplantation may play an important role in the treatment of indolent lymphomas, as well as aggressive lymphomas. Concern about the contamination of the autologous graft with lymphoma

There is no formula for telling a patient that he or she has cancer. The diagnosis is still perceived, for the most part, as a death sentence, and a patient’s reaction is usually a combination of fear, despair, and anger. How a physician

Rituximab (Rituxan) may be an ideal agent for combination with chemotherapy in patients with extensive indolent lymphoma because of non–cross-resistant efficacy and differential toxicity. However, lethal complications have occurred. Furthermore

Epratuzumab is a humanized anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody immunoglobulin G1 (hLL2 [LymphoCide]) that has been studied in radiolabeled forms (iodine-131[131I] and yttrium-90 [90Y]) in the treatment of chemotherapy-refractory

Childhood Leukemias is a comprehensive text that encompasses every aspect of leukemia in children, ranging from general diagnosis, classification, and pathobiology to management and supportive care.

Campath-1H is a humanized anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, which has demonstrated marked activity against advanced, refractory CLL. This multicenter phase II clinical trial sought to establish the level of activity against CLL patients exposed to

Tositumomab/iodine-131 tositumomab (Bexxar) is a new radioimmunotherapy for relapsed and refractory low-grade and transformed low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Iodine-131 tositumomab is a radiolabeled murine immunoglobulin

Rituximab (Rituxan) has significant activity in low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), but lower responses were noted in small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), a nodal variant of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Pharmacokinetic data

B cells, plasma cells, or both may act as clonogenic cells in multiple myeloma. Circulating CD20-positive B cells bearing identical immunoglobulin H (IgH) rearrangements as autologous plasma cells circulate in most multiple myeloma patients. In

A total of 29 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) refractory to therapy, including purine analogs in all cases, were treated with the monoclonal antibody, Campath-1H. (A 30-mg dose of Campath-1H was administered intravenously

CMA-676 (gemtuzumab zogamicin) is an antibody-targeted chemotherapeutic agent consisting of a humanized anti-CD33 antibody linked to calicheamicin, a potent cytotoxic

Originally described in the 1980s, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is an indolent, B-cell lymphoma that has been reclassified by the revised European-American Lymphoma (REAL) classification system as extranodal, marginal