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LUGANO, Switzerland-Forlow-grade lymphomas, fludarabine(Fludara)-based combination therapymay have greater efficacy thansingle-agent fludarabine, especiallywhen a monoclonal antibody is partof the combination, a series of recentEuropean investigations suggest.The investigations, presentedat the Eighth International Conferenceon Malignant Lymphoma(ICML), show that various combinationtherapies hold promise, althougha lack of coordinationamong non-US study groups hashampered progress somewhat.

ORLANDO-In a phase IIIstudy, imatinib mesylate (Gleevec),formerly known as STI-571, produceda 96% complete hematologicresponse rate and a 68% completecytogenetic response rate in newly diagnosedchronic myeloid leukemia(CML) patients, Brian Druker, MD,said on behalf of the IRIS (InternationalRandomized Interferon vs STI-571) Study Group at the 38th AnnualMeeting of the American Societyof Clinical Oncology (abstract 1).

The past year hasseen a number of excitingadvances in the managementof patients withhematologic malignancies.The principal developmentshave beenthose focused on the conceptof targeted therapy.Though this conceptis not new, continuedevolution in therapeuticstrategies and advancesin knowledge of the biologyof various cellulartargets more than everare bringing about thepotential for new therapieswith additive or synergisticpotential and minimal additional toxicity.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

The American Cancer Society has estimated that 23,300 women will develop ovarian cancer in 2002, and 13,900 women will die from the disease.[1] The 5-year survival rate is about 80% for women with stage I disease, 50% for women with stage II disease, 25% for women with stage III disease, and 15% for women with stage IV disease. Among women with advanced-stage disease, optimal debulking surgery, as well as platinum/taxane-based adjuvant therapy prolongs disease-free and median survival.[2,3] Population-based data suggest that guidelines for therapy are not uniformly followed in community practice.[4] In addition, older patients appear to receive less aggressive treatment than younger patients.

The review by Drs. Konner and O’Reilly addresses a number of important issues in pancreatic cancer. Adenocarcinoma of the pancreas is a devastating disease,[1] not only because it will occur in approximately 30,000 Americans this year, and perhaps 200,000 people worldwide, but also because of its high associated mortality. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the least treatable and, therefore, most lethal of all cancers. Fully 95% of all patients with an established diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas will die of their disease.

Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Treatment has limited efficacy, and 5-year survival rates remain less than 5%. Insights from epidemiology and discoveries in molecular genetics have laid

HOMBURG, Germany-Afterconducting trials comparingCHOP (cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan,Neosar], doxorubicin HCl,vincristine [Oncovin], prednisone)with and without etoposide andvarying time intervals, the GermanHigh-Grade Non-Hodgkin’s LymphomaStudy Group concluded thatCHOP plus etoposide is the newstandard regimen for younger patientswith low-risk non-Hodgkin’slymphoma (NHL), and CHOP at2-week intervals is the new standardregimen for aggressive NHL in olderpatients.

WASHINGTON-A federal court has invalidated the FDA’s "Pediatric Rule" after concluding that its requirement that drug companies test the safety of adult drugs in children is contrary to the intent of Congress.

WASHINGTON-The blood of the human umbilical cord, although often discarded after childbirth, is a "very rich source" of lymphocytes potentially capable of killing cancer cells, according to Shantaram Joshi, PhD, professor of genetics, cell biology, and anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

ORLANDO-Allogeneicbone marrow transplant (BMT) significantlyreduced relapse rates andincreased event-free survival (EFS)rates, but not overall survival, inadults with Philadelphia chromosome(Ph)-negative acute lymphoblasticleukemia (ALL) in first completeremission.

ORLANDO-About onethird of “bad prognosis” refractoryB-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia(B-CLL) patients are salvageablewith alemtuzumab (Campath-1H), according to a compassionateuse study presented at the 43rd AnnualMeeting of the American Societyof Hematology (abstract 1538).

H O U S T O N - A d d i n grituximab (Rituxan) to fludarabine(Fludara)/cyclophosphamide(Cytoxan, Neosar) (FCR) prolongssurvival in patients with relapsedchronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL), according to GuillermoGarcia-Manero, MD. Dr. Garcia-Manero is assistant professor in theDepartment of Leukemia at TheUniversity of Texas M. D. AndersonCancer Center in Houston. Hepresented updated data on thisstudy in a poster at the 43rd AnnualMeeting of the American Society ofHematology (abstract 2650).

BOSTON-A rare pediatricleukemia, previously thought to bea subset of acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL), is actually a distinctform of the disease, according toinvestigators who used gene chipsto create and contrast genetic profilesof cancer cells.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

ORLANDO-Patients withchronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL) complicated by autoimmunehemolytic anemia (AIHA) usuallyimprove following treatment withhigh-dose steroids but have few optionsif such treatment fail

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

ORLANDO-Despite earlymortality risks, HLA-matched siblingbone marrow transplants(BMTs) offer a greater possibility ofcure for patients with relapsedchronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL) than does chemotherapy, accordingto a report presented at the43rd Annual Meeting of the AmericanSociety of Hematology (abstract2011). A second report (abstract2013) showed that allogeneic transplantled to better event-free survivalthan autologous transplant.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

ORLANDO-Zoledronic acid (Zo-meta) reduces the incidence of skeletal-related events (SREs) such as bone pain and pathologic fractures in patients with bone metastases from prostate and other solid tumors, researchers reported at two major medical meetings.

NEW YORK-Blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities are less likely than whites to receive appropriate analgesia, as illustrated in the cancer literature and anecdotal reports from those who work with minority populations, said Stacie T. Pinderhughes, MD. "This is a high-risk group with regard to adequate and appropriate treatment of pain," said Dr. Pinderhughes, assistant professor of geriatrics and internal medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.

Calling his initial months as director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) "absolutely exhilarating," Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD, described three interrelated themes that will guide his leadership of the Institute. The three, he said at a

WASHINGTON-Donna Przepiorka, MD, PhD, formerly of the Baylor College of Medicine and now at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, has become chair of the Food and Drug Administration’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC). She replaces Stacy Nerenstone, MD, of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, whose term expired. Dr. Przepiorka’s research has focused largely on transplantation immunobiol-ogy and she has a background in cellular and gene therapy. Her term as committee chair will end on June 30, 2004.

ORLANDO-Polysaccharides (a type of carbohydrate) are the most highly expressed antigens on the surface of cancer cells, and they can be uniquely effective targets for immunotherapy, said Philip Livingston, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University Medical College.

WASHINGTON-Managing the associated neurological problems of brain tumors is a crucial issue for oncology nurses, said Karen Baumgartner, MSN, APRN, BC, advance practice nurse in the Neuro Center at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. If nurses fail to notice the signs indicating increased intracranial pressure (ICP), neurological injury and even death can result.

ORLANDO-The activity of rituxi-mab (Rituxan) in lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s disease (LPHD) warrants additional investigation, according to a presentation at the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (abstract 1052).