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There is no formula for telling a patient that he or she has cancer. The diagnosis is still perceived, for the most part, as a death sentence, and a patient’s reaction is usually a combination of fear, despair, and anger. How a physician

Rituximab (Rituxan) may be an ideal agent for combination with chemotherapy in patients with extensive indolent lymphoma because of non–cross-resistant efficacy and differential toxicity. However, lethal complications have occurred. Furthermore

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia-The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has launched the first study aimed at developing a national monitoring system for cancer care in the United States. A panel of ASCO physicians and other health experts will oversee the study, which will be conducted by researchers at Harvard University and the RAND Corporation, the organization said in a news release.

Epratuzumab is a humanized anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody immunoglobulin G1 (hLL2 [LymphoCide]) that has been studied in radiolabeled forms (iodine-131[131I] and yttrium-90 [90Y]) in the treatment of chemotherapy-refractory

CHICAGO-Poor reading ability and low income affect many aspects of health care, including cancer screening. Preliminary analysis of data from a study of new enrollees in a Medicare managed care program showed that women with low or inadequate functional literacy were less likely than literate patients to have a Pap smear, and those with yearly incomes below $20,000 were less likely to have mammography.

Childhood Leukemias is a comprehensive text that encompasses every aspect of leukemia in children, ranging from general diagnosis, classification, and pathobiology to management and supportive care.

Campath-1H is a humanized anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, which has demonstrated marked activity against advanced, refractory CLL. This multicenter phase II clinical trial sought to establish the level of activity against CLL patients exposed to

Tositumomab/iodine-131 tositumomab (Bexxar) is a new radioimmunotherapy for relapsed and refractory low-grade and transformed low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Iodine-131 tositumomab is a radiolabeled murine immunoglobulin

Rituximab (Rituxan) has significant activity in low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), but lower responses were noted in small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), a nodal variant of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Pharmacokinetic data

BOSTON-In a survey of 103 parents of children who had died of cancer, 89% said their children suffered “a lot” or “a great deal” from at least one symptom of the cancer or its treatment during their last month of life. The symptoms mentioned most often were pain, fatigue, and dyspnea. “Our results suggest that greater attention to symptom control and the overall well-being of children with advanced disease might ease their suffering,” the researchers, from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital, Boston, said in their report (N Engl J Med 342:326-333, 2000).

A less frequent dosing schedule of recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin alfa, Epogen, Procrit) may offer effective and more convenient treatment for the fatigue and malaise associated with cancer therapies, said George D.

A total of 29 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) refractory to therapy, including purine analogs in all cases, were treated with the monoclonal antibody, Campath-1H. (A 30-mg dose of Campath-1H was administered intravenously

ALEXANDRIA, Va-The Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) has doubled the number of issues it publishes each year, but not the number of articles it will accept. The JCO, a publication of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), now publishes two issues monthly, one mailed in the middle and the other at the end of the month.

ROCKVILLE, Md-The FDA has accused Lane Labs-USA, Inc., of Allendale, NJ, with illegally promoting three products as treatments for cancer and other diseases, and is seeking a permanent federal court injunction against the marketing of the products: BeneFin, produced from shark cartilage; SkinAnswer, a glycoalkaloid skin cream; and MGN-3, a rice-bran extract.

WASHINGTON-The Clinton Administration wants to sharply increase funding for studies to determine environmental causes of cancer, particularly of the breast and prostate. The President is asking Congress to provide $27 million in fiscal year 2001 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Environmental Health Lab, an increase of 56% over the current budget.

We evaluated the safety and efficacy of rituximab (Rituxan) in combination with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin HCl, Oncovin, and prednisone) in a study of 40 patients (31 treatment-naive, 9 previously treated) with low-grade/follicular

-“Science relies on trust,” Peter Cleaton-Jones, chairman of the Committee for Research on Human Subjects (Medical), University of Witwatersrand, said in an interview about the recently discovered scientific misconduct by

Treatment of recurrent or nucleoside analog–refractory hairy cell leukemia (HCL) may be limited by poor tolerance (eg, interferon), profound CD4 lymphopenia, or comorbid conditions in which prolonged myelosuppression from nucleoside analog

ROCKVILLE, Md-The NCI has awarded the contract to develop and implement the Cancer Trials Support Unit (CTSU) to Westat Corporation (Rockville, Md), a health and social sciences research organization. Westat will work with the Coalition of National Cancer Cooperative Groups and Oracle Corporation’s Health Informatics Consulting Practice.

The program currently sends artists to work in cancer units at New York Hospital (oncology, bone marrow transplant, and pediatric oncology units), Lenox Hill Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, Roosevelt-St. Luke’s Hospital, and Columbia

A total of 77 patients have been entered into an ongoing, randomized protocol integrating rituximab (Rituxan) with chemotherapy for patients with newly diagnosed stage IV indolent lymphoma. Patients are receiving FND (fludarabine

Newly updated guidelines for treating HIV-infected adults and adolescents are now available and include recommendations for the use of recently developed tests that help determine whether the virus carried by a patient has become

Low toxicity and high efficacy have been observed after treatment of patients with relapsed low-grade follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) using the chimeric monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (Rituxan). Since the CD20-

The efficacy and toxicity of readministration of rituximab (Rituxan) in patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) that recurs after an initial response to rituximab are unknown.

With ever more new therapeutic agents in development, more practitioners are needed to shepherd patients through clinical trials-coordinating the trials, developing standardized treatment orders, managing symptoms, providing patient

Iodine-131 tositumomab (Bexxar), a radiolabeled immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a) monoclonal antibody directed against the CD20 antigen, is effective in the treatment of previously untreated, as well as relapsed and refractory, low-grade and transformed, low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

BETHESDA, Md-Seeking better mice for research, the National Cancer Institute has funded the Mouse Models of Human Cancer Consortium, which will consist of 19 new research groups involving investigators at 30 US institutions. The teams will seek to create models that duplicate the ways human cancers develop, progress, and respond to therapies or preventive agents.

Anti–B-cell monoclonal antibodies have been proven effective in B-cell post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases (PTLDs; Benkerrou et al: Blood 92,3137, 1998). Other treatments, such as chemotherapy or antiviral drugs, are toxic or

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major public health problem worldwide, although at present it remains a relatively uncommon cancer in the United States. As pointed out by Dr. Venook in his elegant review of the topic, most hepatocellular carcinomas progress locoregionally. Hepatic failure is the most common mode of death for patients with this disease. For this reason, regional management strategies would appear to be attractive. Dr. Venook is to be commended for an accurate review of the literature regarding this issue. Unfortunately, that literature suffers from many limitations.

Drs. Lee and Levine have written a thoughtful, thorough review of the management of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients. Venous thromboembolism remains an important, common, and potentially fatal complication of cancer and many of its therapies. Certainly, the incidence of upper extremity and catheter-related thrombosis has increased significantly in recent years with the widespread use of central venous catheters. On the other hand, recent years have also brought new, less invasive methods of diagnosis and the promise of still more new diagnostic methods to come.