Change is in the air-and I don’t just mean the arrival of spring. The current national focus on health care is clearly evident from many quarters, including policy makers, health care institutions, and clinical staff. In addition to the discussion on health care coverage, there is an increasing emphasis on patient-centered care. As a result, we have before us a unique opportunity to assure the inclusion of survivorship and end-of-life care as formal parts of the health care continuum.
Champions Biotechnology has obtained royalty rights to Concordia Pharmaceuticals’ Salirasib (farsnesyl thiosalicylic acid), an RAS antagonist.
Oncolytics will start a U.S. phase II trial on Reolysin (reovirus serotype 3) and chemotherapy for NSCLC. Oncolytics said that Reolysin, in combination with certain chemotherapeutics, results in more efficient and synergistic anti-cancer activity than when each agent is used on its own.
Thoracic CT scans in cancer patients require careful inspection in order to pinpoint previously undetected lesions, according to a study by Canadian radiologists. Jean-Charles Vinet, MD, and colleagues found that PET/CT detected an additional 20% of lesions from the supraclavicular notch to the adrenals that were not found on chest CT alone.
Not long ago, our approach to treating difficult metastatic tumors was to “spray and pray.” We knew that chemotherapy and other traditional treatment approaches could cause great damage and had a limited chance of successfully destroying the entire tumor. At the time, a proven safer and more effective option did not exist, and patients were desperately in need of treatment. Fortunately, as our knowledge of the complexities of advanced liver tumors has grown, so has our ability to develop treatments that target and treat tumors while avoiding harmful side effects to normal tissue.
John C. Hayes Editorial DirectorShalmali Pal News EditorAnne Landry, Ronald Piana Feature EditorsTerri Gelfand Managing EditorLisa Katz Creative DirectorNancy Bitteker Group Creative DirectorCarolyn Harrington Art DirectorBarbara Boughton, Catherine Donnelly, Jordana Bieze Foster, Caroline Helwick, Susan London, June Skinner, Kathlyn Stone, Steven Wagner Contributing WritersAndrew Barkus Group Production ManagerAmy Birnbach Associate PublisherChrissy Sheehan Advertising CoordinatorCara H. Glynn Senior Editorial DirectorKathy Mischak Group PublisherBeth Scholz Senior Vice President, Oncology and RadiologyBeatrix Eriksen Vice President, Research Marketing, and CirculationAmy Erdman Director of ResearchColleen Tricarico Circulation Manager
Henry ElkingtonCEO, UBM Medica Ltd, UKPatrick McAleenanCFO, UBM Medica Ltd, UKSally ShanklandCEO, UBM Medica USASteve ResnickVP, Finance Director, USAJulia MurphyVP, Director of Human Resources, USAPamela L. Moore, PhDEVP, Content & Strategy, USAMorgan KelseyVP, Technology, USA
The American Society for RadiationOncology will host a connectathonat its headquarters in Fairfax, Va. inSeptember.
ONCOLOGY’s Nurse Edition publishes articles related to practical management issues in the care of patients with neoplastic disease. Through the Nurse Edition, ONCOLOGY aims to provide readers with useful insights into all aspects of patient management, with an emphasis on information and tools that can be applied to daily practice and patient education.
In the past decade, core biopsy has largely replaced fine-needle aspiration for breast tissue evaluation. The latter technique’s inability to distinguish between invasive cancer and in situ cases and a general unease among pathologists not trained in cytopathology (in interpreting cells rather than tissue) are two of the main reasons that FNA has fallen out of favor (Diagnostic Cytopathology online, November 19, 2008).
ONCOLOGY will not consider articles that are sponsored directly or indirectly by a commercial entity (eg, a pharmaceutical company or public relations firm). Financial Disclosure statements are published for all authors and reviewers.
George Bernard Shaw once said “Youth is wasted on the young.” But for Sharon Murphy, MD, youth is in the hands of exactly the right people. As a medical student, Dr. Murphy was considering a career in internal medicine; doing rounds on the adult wards changed her mind.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has announced the addition of a survivorship section to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for colon and rectal cancers, as well as other key updates in colorectal cancer. The NCCN also recently updated its guidelines for breast cancer and breast cancer risk reduction. These changes reflect leading developments in the treatment of cancer patients and represent the standard of clinical policy in oncology in both community and academic settings.
The entry of new technology into medical practice is complex. New technology in radiation oncology includes advances in imaging (including anatomic and molecular/functional imaging) and radiation therapy planning and delivery involving intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT), and therapy with particles such as protons and carbon ions.
The recommendation to minimize sun exposure to prevent skin cancer has produced a pandemic of vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D has generated considerable interest in the past decade, as accumulating evidence from both retrospective and prospective epidemiologic studies suggests an association between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of autoimmune, infectious, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer.
Cancer drugs and indications newly approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, May 2007 – February 2009
Celator Pharmaceuticals and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society have partnered for the phase II development of CPX-351 (cytarabine:daunorubicin), a liposome injection for treatment of adults with acute myeloid leukemia.
The Food and Drug Administration has kicked off a voluntary pilot program to help promote the safety of drugs, and active drug ingredients, produced outside the U.S. The FDA plans to select 100 applicants to participate in the Secure Supply Chain pilot program.
The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) has changed its name to the American Society for Radiation Oncology, but will continue to use the “T’ in its logo as part of its tagline “Targeting Cancer Care.”
Varian Medical Systems, of Palo Alto, Calif., has installed new radiotherapy units at multiple sites worldwide:
SAN FRANCISCO-Adding thalidomide to a regimen of bortezomib (Velcade), melphalan, and prednisone nearly doubled the rate of complete responses and improved the overall response rate in elderly patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to the results of a phase III trial.
SAN FRANCISCO-Mismatched cord blood can be a suitable alternative for stem cell transplants for patients with acute leukemia, especially in emergency situations, according to research presented at ASH 2008.
This study shows that in patients with acute leukemia, cord blood can be a good alternative,” said Dr. Keating, director of the division of hematology at the University of Toronto.
In a subset of 2,366 patients from NSABP B-30 with menstrual history available at follow-up, amenorrheic patients (≥ six months) had significantly improved overall and diseasefree survival across treatment arms. Mortality was significantly reduced by 24% and recurrence by 30%.
WASHINGTON, DC- In much of the developing world, exposure to mycotoxins, which are generated by various types of fungus that grow on food, is ubiquitous. Th e most well-known mycotoxin, aflatoxin, is commonly found on nuts and is a known carcinogen, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
A study of Pittsburgh-area cancer patients suggests that many are opting out of clinical trials because, as members of Medicare HMO plans, they cannot afford the additional expense such trials entail.