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WASHINGTON--Although the role of erythropoietin, or epoetin (Epogen, Procrit), in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia is generally well known and accepted, its potential for prophylactic use to prevent the development of anemia in cancer patients remains at issue.

Athough managed care represents a major change from the way many cancer centers have traditionallydone business, it is

WASHINGTON--Following the demise of the McCain comprehensive tobacco bill in the US Senate, House Republicans offered an outline of new, less extensive antitobacco legislation they plan to draft.

NEW YORK--Using x-ray crystallography, researchers have managed to catch an HIV surface glycoprotein (gp120) in the act of binding to a CD 4T-cell receptor (Figure 1). The images are a collaborative effort led by researchers from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Use of hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) following induction and consolidation chemotherapy for elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a controversial area. Studies have shown that CSFs can decrease the likelihood and/or shorten the duration of therapy-related neutropenic complications when given following induction chemotherapy.[1-7]

Current controversies in the treatment of stage I seminoma center on the relative roles of surveillance, adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), and adjuvant single-agent chemotherapy. Surveillance has been studied in over 800 patients,

Current controversies in the treatment of stage I seminoma center on the relative roles of surveillance, adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), and adjuvant single-agent chemotherapy. Surveillance has been studied in over 800 patients,

Nearly a decade ago, irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) began clinical development in Japan. Early clinical trials in that country recognized its anti-tumor activity in a variety of advanced malignancies, including stomach, colon, cervical, and lung

Radiosurgery uses stereotactic targeting methods to precisely deliver highly focused, large doses of radiation to small intracranial tumors and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). This article reviews the most common

Phase I trials of irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]), conducted at Johns Hopkins and the University of Texas, San Antonio, demonstrated some activity in patients with refractory advanced cancer. Three pivotal phase II studies of

Advanced gastric carcinoma remains an incurable disease with a median survival of 6 to 9 months, and available therapeutic approaches are predominantly palliative. In small controlled trials, systemic chemotherapy has

Tremendous progress has been made in the medical treatment of advanced colorectal cancer during the past 2 to 3 years, due to the availability of several new drugs. Of these new agents, irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) seems

Most clinical drug regimens for irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) have been empirically based on classic in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations. We propose an alternative approach that attempts to

Most of the clinical experience with irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) has been with either a weekly or an every-3-week schedule. Recent phase I trials have explored new routes and schedules of administration. One approach

The objective response rate is the initial method to assess the activity of a novel anticancer agent. Response rates may not characterize a new agent’s clinical benefit, however, especially if moderate to severe toxicity may be

It has been hypothesized that intratumoral thymidylate synthase (TS) gene expression might be used to select therapy for patients with disseminated colorectal cancer. We recently

Based on high tumoricidal activity of the camptothecin analogs topotecan (Hycamtin), irinotecan (CPT-11[Camptosar]), and 9-aminocamptothecin (9-AC) in preclinical studies, clinical trials began testing these agents

Irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) is an important new chemotherapeutic drug that demonstrates activity against a broad spectrum of malignancies, including carcinomas of the colon, stomach, and lung. Unfortunately, frequent and

The unique mechanism of action of irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]), topoisomerase I inhibition, together with the results of preclinical studies, suggest that the drug’s antitumor and toxicologic effects may be schedule-dependent.

Clinical results with irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) and other camptothecin derivatives in various cancers, although encouraging, have fallen short of the expectations predicted by preclinical models. One proposed

LOS ANGELES--If the basic protocol for imparting bad news to cancer patients could be reduced to a T-shirt slogan, it would be, "Before you tell, ask," Robert Buckman, MD, PhD, said at an educational session on breaking bad news to cancer patients at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting. "Find out the patient’s expectations before you give information," he said.

WASHINGTON--Up to one-third of callers to the National Cancer Institute’s hot line for cancer information(1-800-4-CANCER) get a busy signal or hang up because of the long wait for someone to pick up, according to a report by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services.

LOS ANGELES--Visitors to the Exhibitor’s Hall at this year’s ASCO meeting had the opportunity to walk in the shoes of a patient with cancer-related fatigue at Ortho-Biotech’s In My Steps virtual reality experience, developed in cooperation with cancer patients and the Fatigue Coalition.

In his article, "Genetic Testing for Cancer Susceptibility: Challenges for Creators of Practice Guide-lines" [11(11A):171-176, 1997], Henry Greely, JD, provides a comprehensive review of the complex issues that patients consider when deciding

BETHESDA, Md--NIH director Harold Varmus, MD, has named Neal Nathanson, MD, to serve as the new director of NIH’s Office of AIDS Research (OAR). Dr. Nathanson, a leader in viral pathogenesis, comes to the NIH from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, where he was Vice Dean for Research and Research Training. He is an active member of the NIH AIDS Vaccine Research Committee, chaired by Dr. David Baltimore.

LOS ANGELES--An exhibit featuring works by five women artists who have lived with cancer was displayed in conjunction with the 1998 Oncology Nursing Society and ASCO meetings.

At its 15th Annual Human Services Award Dinner in New York, Cancer Care, Inc, honored Cokie Roberts with its Regulus Award for members of the media, Carol Webb of Ortho Biotech with its Human Services Award, and H. Frank Doroff of

SAN DIEGO--Since thrombopoie-tin (TPO), the ligand for the Mpl receptor, was cloned by four separate laboratories in 1994, researchers have been exploring, with animal models and in clinical settings, how it can be used to benefit patients. Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, a prominent researcher in the field, summarized some of the results of the studies to date, at the Sixth International Symposium on Recent Advances in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, sponsored by the University of California, San Diego.

WASHINGTON--One in four Americans starting treatment for HIV infection does not receive care that meets the most up-to-date and recognized standards, according to the results of the first National HIV/AIDS Treatment Survey.

NEW ORLEANS--A mutation in the gene for E-cadherin may partly explain the high rate of stomach cancer among the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, Parry Guilford, PhD, a research fellow in the Cancer Genetics Laboratory, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, reported at the 89th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.