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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama’s health plan bested the plan put forth by Republican Sen. John McCain in an online survey posted at www.CancerNetwork.com (see “Which healthcare reform approach do you favor?,” October 2008, page 5).

Conducting colonoscopies for people in their mid 50s can save money, according to research presented at the 2008 American College of Gastroenterology meeting in Orlando, Fla. The savings averages $2 for every dollar spent, the study found.

Philips Healthcare will continue its relationship with the University Medical Center (UMC) in Utrecht, the Netherlands to develop new imaging products for the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of cancer. The partners will focus on image-guided oncology interventions to direct translational research into clinical applications.

The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group and US Oncology have entered into a collaboration to increase patient access to national cancer clinical trials.

The U.S. District Court in Boston upheld a prior jury decision (October 2) declaring Roche infringed on Amgen’s erythropoietin patents. The court also said Amgen is entitled to a permanent injunction prohibiting Roche from selling its pegylated-erythropoietin (peg-EPO) product Mircera in the U.S.

STOCKHOLM-Clinical trials have not clearly determined if advanced colorectal cancer patients should receive their first line of chemotherapy in combination or in sequence. In a debate at ESMO 2008, Cornelis J.A. Punt, MD, PhD, from Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and Aimery de Gramont, MD, of Hospital Saint-Antoine in Paris, discussed the pearls and pitfalls of each approach.

Dr. Von Roenn, from the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University in Chicago, commented that “this is a well-conceived and well-implemented trial.”

A documentary on his best friend’s battle with cancer garnered Jann Gassman Best of the Fest award at the Reel Lives: Cancer Chronicles Film Festival, the first international documentary film festival on cancer.

ProCure Treatment Centers of Bloomington, Ind., is launching a network of proton therapy training centers across the US. ProCure provides comprehensive services in developing proton therapy centers, ranging from design and construction to daily operation. Th ere are currently five operational ProCure proton therapy centers in the country, including one in Bloomington (below).

MUNICH-Final results from the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) trial were released at the 2008 European Society of Cardiology Congress, and the lead researcher urged oncologists to continue treatment for their patients who are also on cholesterol-lowering drugs.

BOSTON-Accelerated partial breast irradiation using balloon brachytherapy drastically shortens treatment duration without aff ecting mortality and ipsilateral recurrence rates, according to three- and four-year follow-up data presented at ASTRO 2008.

Endocrine therapy plays a critical role in the management of early-stage hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, providing a nearly 50% reduction in the risk of distant and local recurrence.

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Canada- Previous studies have shown that 20% to 40% of survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia will have some form of neuropsychological impairment. “However, we do not fully understand why some children are so strongly affected by therapy, and would like to develop a model to determine which children are most at risk for these negative late effects,” said Kala Y. Kamdar, MD, of the department of pediatric hematology/oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Canada- Retinoblastoma is a rare form of pediatric cancer, affecting approximately 300 new patients in the United States each year. The two variants of this cancer, hereditary and nonhereditary, have excellent survival rates, but there is a tremendous risk of secondary malignant cancers in those with the hereditary form, especially if they are treated with radiotherapy.

Here are some simple things that can be done to keep the billing related to skilled nursing facilities in order. Here’s a scenario that most likely plays out in oncology practices on a routine basis: A Medicare beneficiary arrives at a community offi ce for treatment. She has a blood draw followed by a 2-hour chemotherapy infusion. Th e oncology practice’s offi ce submits a reimbursement claim through Medicare Part B. Two weeks later a notice from Medicare arrives-claim denied!

About 80% of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and 89% of those who undergo radiation therapy, experience fatigue during their treatment. But about 30% of cancer patients continue to feel fatigued for years aft er treatment. A phase III study demonstrated that the eugeroic agent modafinil (Provigil) reduces severe fatigue and sleepiness among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The psychological challenges of cancer can become more evident when treatment is complete. The focus on survival and acute symptom management fades and is supplanted by a re-focus on living with the after-effects of diagnosis and treatment. As well described by Drs. Recklitis, Varela and Bober, worry, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sexual difficulties are some of the most common and yet sometimes intangible issues faced by survivors.

Enticing monetary donations out of homeowners in exchange for address labels remains a staple in philanthropic fundraising. But the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) organization has taken a more modern approach to recruiting support through online social networking.

Helping cancer patients to recover and heal goes beyond managing physical consequences of treatment. Mental scars from the cancer experience can run deep. Patients often face profound psychological, spiritual, and emotional challenges as they navigate difficult treatments-and then, if all goes well, move into long-term follow-up.

Men over 70 years of age with early-stage prostate cancer have a 20% higher mortality if they are treated first with hormone therapy before being treated with radiation seed implants (brachytherapy), compared to men who are treated with brachytherapy alone, according to the largest cohort study of its kind presented September 23, 2008, at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Boston.

With the race for the presidency in full swing, the American Cancer Society (ACS) is taking a leading role in increasing the nation’s focus on the country’s ailing health care system.

SAN FRANCISCO-New patient visits to oncologists increased by 22% over the past 3 years; however, oncologists’ average profit per patient fell by 91%. These were among the key findings of Onmark’s 2008 “Office-Based Oncology Benchmarking Survey,” which measures m operational and financial benchmarks among community-based oncology practices.

DES PLAINES, Illinois-Fully 87% of U.S. radiation oncology sites have adopted intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), according to the “2007 Radiation Oncology Market Summary Report.”

SCIENTIFIC NAMES: Silybum marianum, Carduus marianum

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will devote $70 million to accelerate the development of small molecule probes at 9 US centers, including the Burnham Center for Chemical Genomics in La Jolla, California (John Reed, MD, PhD, principal investigator); Johns Hopkins Ion Channel Center in Baltimore (Min Li, PhD); and the University of Kansas Specialized Chemistry Center in Lawrence (Jeffrey Aube, PhD).

BOSTON-A multicenter trial that tested intensity-modulated radiation therapy for patients with early-stage oropharyngeal cancer showed a reduction in long-term salivary toxicity while achieving good tumor control, according to research presented at ASTRO 2008.

Hard-working community doctors may lose valuable cash flow if they undercode for services. But that is just what many oncologists do, generally out of fear of penalties for overcoding.