ONCOLOGY Vol 15 No 1

During this symposium, faculty participated in a roundtable discussion of the relative merits and weaknesses associated with use of the fluorinated pyrimidines. Dehydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency and the impact of this deficiency on

The fluorinated pyrimidines, in particular 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), are among the oldest cytotoxic agents still in broad use today. To some degree, this continued use of 5-FU is a bit of an embarrassment to those of us who spend considerable amounts of

Oncology nurses play a pivotal role in educating the cancer patient who is about to commence oral chemotherapy. Increasing numbers of patients are receiving oral chemotherapy at home, and with this move to oral self-

Capecitabine (Xeloda) is the first orally available fluoropyrimidine approved for use in patients with cancer. It was initially approved for use in metastatic breast cancer, but significant data also support its use in the management

UFT and leucovorin (Orzel) is a combination of tegafur and uracil in a molar ratio of 1:4. Tegafur, a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), is converted to 5-FU by the hepatic cytochrome P450 pathway, whereas uracil enhances the

Randomized studies have tested a variety of strategies to improve the activity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in colorectal cancer patients. Results from 14 randomized trials comparing 5-FU administered via intravenous ( IV) bolus either

New treatment strategies for advanced breast cancer have focused on both the development of new molecular targets in breast cancer cells, as well as improving the therapeutic index of presently available therapy. The

Oral chemotherapy has evolved with several new agents such as capecitabine, UFT, eniluracil, etc. in active clinical trials or already approved for use in the western world. Several distinct issues, apart from the usual criteria

Researchers, primarily in Japan, Europe, and the United States, have evaluated several new fluorinated pyrimidines in recent years. Most of these drugs are orally active prodrugs of fluorouracil (5-FU), and some also

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the initial rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), accounting for catabolism of over 85% of an administered dose of 5-FU. DPD plays an important role in

Significant emphasis has been placed recently on designing more effective fluorouracil (5-FU)-based combination protocols for gastrointestinal cancer. Promising results were seen with 5-FU/leucovorin in combination with

In the formal medical curriculum, little has been provided to prepare the clinician for an understanding of the economics of health care. The questions are often far more complicated than they initially appear to be, and the

The injectable form of arsenic trioxide (Trisenox) was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with a severe form of leukemia-acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)-whose disease has recurred or who have failed to respond to standard therapy.

There is no evidence that a high-fat diet predisposes older women to breast cancer, report researchers from Harvard Medical School. It has long been thought that dietary fat can increase production of sex hormones, including estrogen, and

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in Texas. From 1990 to 1997, the average annual number of prostate cancer-related deaths in Texas was 1900, and the average annual death rate was 20.9 per

In an era of information "overload" for the practicing oncologist, keeping up with the latest therapies for the many distinct clinical scenarios that arise in daily practice can be quite a challenge. Thus, a concise synthesis of the current knowledge in a field, such as provided in Lung Cancer Therapy Annual 2000 by Drs. Heine Hansen and Paul Bunn, can be quite useful. These authors, whose clinical expertise and contributions to lung cancer therapy are internationally acknowledged, offer a complete review of the literature pertaining to lung cancer therapy from the year 1999, including a review of abstracts from major meetings. A brief summary is provided at the end, outlining standard, accepted strategies based on histologic and stage-by-stage criteria. This text serves as a reference that summarizes the major existing literature, evaluates the strength of the evidence, and makes reasonable recommendations on how to proceed with clinical care.

Medicare payment for chemotherapy administration has been a controversial issue beyond accurate practice expense RVUs; a more inflammatory side of the story involves the cuts in payments to oncologists for drugs they purchase and then administer in their office.

Ravi Salgia, MD, PhD, and colleagues at Dana-Farber Cancer Center presented an encouraging follow-up report on an initial clinical trial of Cell Genesys’ GVAX lung cancer vaccine at the Ninth World Conference on Lung Cancer in Tokyo,

Minimally invasive surgery for esophagectomy may lower the morbidity often associated with open esophagectomy, according to a study conducted by surgeons at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and published in the September

Ateam of European researchers recently reported that the addition of oxaliplatin to the standard regimen for advanced colorectal cancer of fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin doubled the response to therapy and significantly prolonged progression-free survival, compared to leucovorin and 5-FU alone.

The care of a pregnant breast cancer patient is a challenging clinical situation that historically has placed the welfare of the mother in conflict with that of the fetus. For the woman in this situation, the emotions usually

Transurethral resection remains the standard for first-line treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. This technique clearly defines the pathologic grade and is essential in determining the clinical stage of

The care of a pregnant breast cancer patient is a challenging clinical situation that historically has placed the welfare of the mother in conflict with that of the fetus. For the woman in this situation, the emotions usually

Transurethral resection remains the standard for first-line treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. This technique clearly defines the pathologic grade and is essential in determining the clinical stage of

The optimal management of opioid-related side effects is hampered by a lack of comparative studies of management strategies. The prevalence of such side effects is influenced by the extent of disease, the patient’s

Phase I and II clinical trial data have demonstrated the safety, pharmacokinetic advantage, and potential for enhanced cytotoxicity associated with the intraperitoneal administration of antineoplastic agents in the

Phase I and II clinical trial data have demonstrated the safety, pharmacokinetic advantage, and potential for enhanced cytotoxicity associated with the intraperitoneal administration of antineoplastic agents in the

Transurethral resection remains the standard for first-line treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. This technique clearly defines the pathologic grade and is essential in determining the clinical stage of

The optimal management of opioid-related side effects is hampered by a lack of comparative studies of management strategies. The prevalence of such side effects is influenced by the extent of disease, the patient’s

The optimal management of opioid-related side effects is hampered by a lack of comparative studies of management strategies. The prevalence of such side effects is influenced by the extent of disease, the patient’s