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Do oncologists treat their patients with colon cancer the same as they would treat themselves? Usually. A survey presented at the 2008 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium probed the secret world of oncologists' personal preferences (abstract 444).

A novel approach aimed at depleting host hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by an immunologic method may facilitate subsequent donor stem cell transplantation without the need for traditional myeloablative conditioning regimens. Agnieszka Czechowicz, a medical student conducting research in the laboratory of Irving Weissman, MD, at Stanford, discussed results of her research using murine transplantation models that could reduce the toxicity associated with traditional approaches and expand the potential applications for HSC transplantation (ASH 2007, abstract LB2).

Accurate detection of micrometastases in the lymph nodes of colorectal cancer patients appears possible with an emerging quantitative RT-PCR assay being developed by DiagnoCure Oncology Laboratories (West Chester, Pennsylvania), according to an interview with investigators at the 2008 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Data from a large prospective NIH-sponsored trial are expected to be reported at ASCO 2008.

Survival and staging in colon cancer are related to the number of lymph nodes containing metastasis. But according to several reports from the 2008 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, there may be a better way to determine prognosis. The “index of metastasis,” also called the “lymph node ratio,” may be a more accurate predictor of cancer-related survival than the number of positive nodes, according to investigators who presented data at the meeting.

In unselected patients, results with the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody panitumumab (Vectibix) in metastatic colorectal cancer patients were disappointing. However, patients with wild-type KRAS tumor status did benefit from panitumumab, according to several studies reported at the recent 2008 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

Results of a phase III trial show for the first time a significant survival advantage in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome who were treated with the DNA methylation inhibitor azacitidine (Vidaza). Pierre Fenaux, MD, of the Hôpital Avicenne, Bobigny, France, presented these findings on behalf of the International Vidaza High-Risk MDS Survival Study Group at ASH 2007 (abstract 817).

Phase III study results show that addition of the proteosome inhibitor bortezomib (Velcade) to standard chemotherapy significantly improves outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are not eligible for high-dose chemotherapy and stem-cell transplantation (SCT).

Multiple myeloma patients receiving lenalidomide (Revlimid) plus dexamethasone had improved responses, longer time to progression, and improved overall survival than those receiving dexamethasone alone in pooled phase III clinical trial results. Donna Weber, MD, of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, presented the findings at ASH 2007 (abstract 412).

Breast cancer is the most common life-threatening malignancy in women, and the second leading cancer killer of women, claiming the lives of over 40,000 American women annually. Breast cancer incidence increases with advancing age until age 80, and the median age at diagnosis is 61.

When colorectal cancer metastasizes to the liver, hepatic resection can offer a survival benefit and even a "cure" in a fraction of patients. Five-year overall survival in some recent series approaches 60%. But the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in this group of patients has not been well established

As a young boy, Vincent DeVita dissected frogs on the front steps of his parents' house in Yonkers. In the eyes of his encouraging mother, he was already a budding physician fascinated by the internal complications of life.

In a pivotal phase III study, rituximab (Rituxan) in combination with standard chemotherapy significantly increased time to progression in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Preliminary results suggest that immunotherapy with recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) may prolong survival in younger patients with acute myeloid leukemia in first remission. However, the high rate of refusal or discontinuation of such therapy presents challenges for its acceptance

A new formulation of Emend has entered oncology's antiemetic armamentarium. Emend (fosaprepitant dimeglumine, Merck) for Injection received US Food and Drug Administration approval in late January for use in combination with other antiemetic agents for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting associated with initial and repeated courses of moderate- or high-emetogenic chemotherapies, including high-dose cisplatin.

Modern medicine has made most infectious diseases of bacterial origin easily managed. However, research has shown that chronic infections caused by a handful of viruses, bacteria, and parasites play a significant role in the development of certain cancers.

A novel frontline regimen has shown efficacy in high-risk patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, with no significant increase in hematologic toxicity, compared with historical data on the standard regimen

A 31-year-old man presented in May 2007 with generalized painful, ulcerated, and necrotic papules and plaques worsening for the last few months. He had been diagnosed with mycosis fungoides in October 2005. Treatments included topical corticosteroids and psoralen with ultraviolet A light therapy (PUVA), with the latter being discontinued because of the development of blisters. For the last 6 months, he had been treated with oral bexarotene (Targretin), with initial improvement of his skin lesions.

Palliative care for patients and their families across the cancer disease trajectory-from diagnosis, through survivorship, to end of life-is essential for quality cancer care. In their excellent article, Ferrell and Virani emphasize the important role of oncology nurses in providing palliative care, and they present the National Consensus Project (NCP) Guidelines[1] and the National Quality Forum (NQF)[2] preferred practices as a roadmap for all oncology nurses to use in their practice.

Patients with cancer have significant needs for palliative care, including pain and symptom management and psychosocial and spiritual support. The experience of cancer has an impact on family caregivers as well, and palliative care needs exist from diagnosis through survivorship and end-of-life care. Oncology nurses have opportunities to integrate palliative care into disease-focused care.

Pain in older cancer patients is a common event, and many times it is undertreated. Barriers to cancer pain management in the elderly include concerns about the use of medications, the atypical manifestations of pain in the elderly, and side effects related to opioid and other analgesic drugs. The care of older cancer patients experiencing pain involves a comprehensive assessment, which includes evaluation for conditions that may exacerbate or be exacerbated by pain, affecting its expression, such as emotional and spiritual distress, disability, and comorbid conditions. It is important to use appropriate tools to evaluate pain and other symptoms that can be related to it. Pain in older cancer patients should be managed in an interdisciplinary environment using pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions whose main goals are decreasing suffering and improving quality of life. In this two-part article, the authors present a review of the management of pain in older cancer patients, emphasizing the roles of adequate assessment and a multidisciplinary team approach.

Imagine my surprise to unwrap my Sunday paper one day last month and find inside a clever advertising pamphlet and a card good for a free tin of Camel Snus (pronounced "snoose"), R.J. Reynolds' new flavored spitless chewing tobacco.

Steven Rosen, MD, Genevieve Teuton Professor of Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, and director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, has agreed to accept the position of Editor-in-Chief for Oncology News International (ONI).

Soaring expenditures must be contained or they will end up sinking the healthcare system, Allen S. Lichter, MD, CEO of ASCO, said during a featured appearance at the Radiological Society of North America meeting (see photograph below). Among the changes that could help attack the problem is mandatory insurance coverage for all citizens, Dr. Lichter said. He also cast doubt on the ability of one currently popular approach, consumer-driven, high-deductible healthcare plans, to solve the system's problems.

The first interim results from the first study of dasatinib (Sprycel) as induction therapy of Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) show complete and early hematologic responses with good overall compliance

A cutting-edge prognostic tool called MammaPrint, developed by Agendia, a laboratory located in The Netherlands, uses molecular technology to predict whether breast cancer will metastasize, helping clinicians make more accurate management decisions for their patients.

Use of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) with multicatheter brachytherapy to treat resected early-stage breast cancer is associated with good early outcomes in terms of local control, adverse effects, and cosmesis

Pharmion Corporation announced final data from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial demonstrating that the addition of thalidomide (Thalomid) to standard treatment improves survival by 17.6 months in patients over age 75 newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma compared to standard treatment, consisting of melphalan and prednisone (MP) alone.

Pain in older cancer patients is a common event, and many times it is undertreated. Barriers to cancer pain management in the elderly include concerns about the use of medications, the atypical manifestations of pain in the elderly, and side effects related to opioid and other analgesic drugs. The care of older cancer patients experiencing pain involves a comprehensive assessment, which includes evaluation for conditions that may exacerbate or be exacerbated by pain, affecting its expression, such as emotional and spiritual distress, disability, and comorbid conditions. It is important to use appropriate tools to evaluate pain and other symptoms that can be related to it. Pain in older cancer patients should be managed in an interdisciplinary environment using pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions whose main goals are decreasing suffering and improving quality of life. In this two-part article, the authors present a review of the management of pain in older cancer patients, emphasizing the roles of adequate assessment and a multidisciplinary team approach.