All News
‘Oxaliplatin should be a part of standard therapy’
September 1st 2008Taken together, the results of the C-07 and MOSAIC trials suggest that oxaliplatin improves both disease-free and overall survival in this population [resected stage II-III colon cancer patients], said Dr. Goldberg, of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
FDA Approves Oral Palonosetron for Prevention of Acute Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
September 1st 2008The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new oral formulation of palonosetron hydrochloride (Aloxi) for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Oral administration of palonosetron capsules is indicated for the prevention of acute nausea and vomiting following initial and repeat courses of moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. A single 0.5-mg palonosetron capsule is administered approximately 1 hour prior to the start of chemotherapy.
The surgeon who challenged the breast ca paradigm
September 1st 2008Bernard Fisher, MD received his medical degree in 1943 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. As a young doctor, he was torn between a life in the operating room and one in the research lab. His curiosity about the biology of the diseases that were being treated by surgery eventually led to his decision to combine those interests.
Growth hormone deficiency spurs late effects of childhood cancer
September 1st 2008NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Canada-Long-term survivors of childhood cancer are at increased risk of several late effects, including premature cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance as young adults. New research suggests that one cause of these conditions may be growth hormone deficiency (GHD) caused by cancer therapy.
Are rebates for ca drugs a good deal?
September 1st 2008Basically, the manufacturer list price for darbepoetin is so high that it is nearly impossible to buy it as a single-source drug. Instead, companies are creatively bundling drugs, putting physicians under contractual obligation to purchase drugs as a package in order to get the best price and get the “rebate.”
Women reveal only mild anxiety after double mastectomy
September 1st 2008Deciding on a bilateral mastectomy is a bold move for any woman. But for a Hollywood actress, whose very livelihood depends in large part on her being attractive, such a drastic step could verge on foolhardy. It was both heartening and surprising when 36-year-old actress Christina Applegate, star of the ABC TV show Samantha Who?, announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy.
High cost of biologics takes a toll on hem/onc practices
August 2nd 2008The difficulty of manufacturing new chemotherapeutic agents-particularly specially formulated biologic cytotoxins-escalates the financial outlay that must be made by physicians as well as driving up the cost of drug delivery to patients, said Howard A. Burris III, MD, chief medical officer and director of drug development at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute and associate with Tennessee Oncology, both in Nashville.
FDA mandates changes to ESA labeling info
August 1st 2008New labeling for Aranesp and Procrit will tighten the use of both medications in cancer patients. The Food and Drug Administration ordered Amgen of Thousand Oaks, California to make changes to the prescribing information for its anemia drug darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp). Johnson & Johnson’s Ortho Biotech had already accepted the changes for the labeling of its ESA epoetin alfa (Procrit).
Avastin/sunitnib RCC trial closes after serious toxicities
August 1st 2008The lead investigator in an evaluation of bevacizumab (Avastin) combined with sunitinib malate (Sutent) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) said the project would be abandoned. FDA issued a product safety alert after Genentech, Avastin’s developer, reported serious complications in several patients enrolled in the phase I trial.
Polypharmacy, Aging, and Cancer
August 1st 2008Polypharmacy, defined as concurrent use of several drugs, is not uncommon in the elderly and increases their risk of adverse drug reactions and interactions.[1] Besides adverse drug reactions and drug-drug interactions, other clinical sequelae of polypharmacy include nonadherence, increased risk of hospitalizations, and medication errors.
Sorafenib Study Demonstrates Significant Improvement in Overall Survival in Liver Cancer Patients
August 1st 2008Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc, recently announced that The New England Journal of Medicine published results of a phase III trial demonstrating that sorafenib (Nexavar) tablets decreased the absolute risk of death by 31% in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) vs patients who received placebo. This represents a 44% improvement in median overall survival for patients treated with sorafenib.
FDA cracks down on counterfeit cancer cure products
August 1st 2008There are a plethora of websites that hawk miracle cancer cures, luring consumers in with seductive testimonials of instant good health. To the average person, these sites are dubious at best. But for some cancer patients, the promise of an easy panacea veers on dangerous.
LaSalle Leffall: Often the ‘first,’ & never the last
August 1st 2008As a boy growing up in the Jim Crow South, LaSalle Leffall, Jr., MD, lifted himself above that era’s stifling segregation by embracing his father’s rock-solid credo: With a good education and hard work, combined with honesty and integrity, there are no boundaries.
How to bill a referral: New patient or consultation?
August 1st 2008A common conundrum that community oncologists face in their practices is whether to bill a first encounter with a new patient referred by another physician as a consultation or as a new patient visit. Making the distinction may seem like splitting hairs, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has very specific billing criteria on this issue.
Oncologic drug safety: Separating fact from fiction
August 1st 2008Annually, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) result in costs of $3.6 billion and 140,000 deaths.1 Yet in 2005, only 15,107 reports of fatalities linked to potential drug toxicity were reported to the US Food and Drug Administration.2 This low number suggests that, despite significant morbidity and morality, ADRs remain underappreciated by clinicians. This is particularly troublesome when it comes to ADRs associated with oncology drugs.
Synergizing Radiation Therapy and Immunotherapy for Curing Incurable Cancers
Radiation is often considered immunosuppressive, an activity that is most likely a result of the complex interplay of hormesis and the abscopal effect. The abscopal effect, also called the “distant bystander” effect, is a paradoxical effect of radiation on cellular systems whereby local radiation may have an antitumor effect on tumors distant from the site of radiation.
