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Electronic health records can help oncology practices save money and work smarter. Then why has the adoption of e-technology been so frustratingly slow? A recent survey in the New England Journal of Medicine found that only 4% of physicians reported having a fully functional electronic health record (EHR) system; only 13% reported having a basic system (NEJM 359: 50-60, 2008).

The person diagnosed with cancer typically is confronted with a variety of difficult challenges. Treatment for cancer can be physically arduous, it generally disrupts patients’ social and work life, and it may even limit their ability to care for themselves or live independently for some period of time. In addition to these physical and functional burdens, cancer patients often face fears of death or disability, and may be prone to feelings of isolation or depression.

Diagnosis and treatment of cancer are potential traumatic stressors.[1,2] Others may include but are not limited to interpersonal violence, military combat, natural and man-made disasters, and displacement.[2] In response to the intense fear, helplessness, terror, and uncertainty that traumatic stressors can provoke, post-trauma symptoms (PTS) classically develop in three clusters: re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal.[2]

ProStrakan Group announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of granisetron transdermal system (Sancuso), the first and only patch to provide up to 5 consecutive days of control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).

When you remodel an old bank building, you may wind up with your office in a vault, as did two staff members at the Bendheim Integrative Medicine Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s outpatient facility for complementary services and therapies.

STANFORD, California-In a bid to become free of commercial influence, Stanford University School of Medicine has cut off funding from pharmaceutical and medical device companies for some continuing medical education (CME) programs. As of last month, educational offerings will be held at Stanford facilities rather than resorts and hotels, whenever possible.

SAN FRANCISCO-In a recent debate, both speakers agreed that IMRT with concurrent chemotherapy is toxic in patients with head and neck cancer, but disagreed on whether the risk/benefit ratio justifies its use. The event was held at the 2008 International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer, sponsored by the American Head & Neck Society.

Fully 88% of older adults with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma have at least a very good partial response when treated with low-dose autologous stem cell transplantation that is preceded by bortezomib-containing induction therapy and followed by lenalidomide-containing consolidation and maintenance therapy, according to trial results from the University of Turin in Italy.

The combination of intravenous calcium and magnesium salts (CaMg) is associated with a nearly one-half reduction in the rate of chronic oxaliplatin (Eloxatin)-induced sensory neurotoxicity among patients receiving adjuvant FOLFOX therapy for colon cancer, compared with placebo.

BOSTON-It’s no secret that quality assurance is essential for ensuring the accuracy of clinical trials. But the potential for real-time intervention also gives modern-era QA an unprecedented ability to improve outcomes, according to research presented at the ASTRO 2008 meeting (abstract 2576).

The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a transmembrane receptor with tyrosine kinase activity overexpressed in about 20% to 25% of invasive carcinomas of the breast.

La fatiga relacionada con el cáncer, un problema común y desconcertante que puede presentarse durante y después del tratamiento del cáncer, puede tener aspectos físicos, mentales y emocionales.

Cancer-related fatigue, a common and upsetting problem that can occur during and after cancer treatment, can have physical, mental, and emotional aspects. It can occur months or even years after cancer treatment ends and is typically more severe than fatigue experienced by people without cancer.

A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services advisory panel has found that most available clinical data for nine conditionally approved cancer indications of FDG-PET, evaluated by the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) and a separate Canadian study, are too ambivalent to support Medicare coverage.

News of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s diagnosis with a malignant glioma shocked the nation. It has also raised awareness about the grim prognosis associated with this type of brain tumor. A new study conducted by the American College of Radiology’s Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) could bring hope to glioma patients.

The question of a well-defined role for the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of ovarian cancer is recognized to be one of the most hotly debated issues in the management of female pelvic malignancies.[1-3] One group of oncologists would argue that it should be the rare patient (eg, with severe comorbidity) who is not a candidate for an initial attempt at maximal cytoreduction.[1]

When laboratory tests are inaccurate or misinterpreted, patients may receive costly targeted drugs that provide no benefit. If the medical community doesn’t resolve the problem, payers will take action on their own.

MELBOURNE, Australia-The largest multi-institutional study to date examining the effect of PET on the management of recurrent colorectal cancer has shown that PET led to change in the treatment plans for more than half of patients.

Radiofrequency ablation (RA) is effective for the complete eradication of nondysplastic Barrett’s esophagus (BE), according to researchers from the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam.

President George W. Bush approved a bill that devotes $30 million annually over 5 years to fund pediatric cancer research.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved romiplostim (Nplate), the first platelet producer for the treatment of adult chronic ITP (immune thrombocytopenic purpura).

FAIRFAX, Virginia-The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) has invested $5 million in the newly created Radiation Oncology Institute (ROI). The goal of ROI is to support research and education in radiation therapy.

Progression-free survival (PFS) is a perfectly reasonable basis for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve new drug indications, according to ONI readers.

The director of technical services for all Viennese hospitals and clinics has banned Crocs, the plastic clogs popular with healthcare staff.

LAS VEGAS-The increased speed and improved visualization of dual-energy CT helps pinpoint lesions at an earlier, more treatable stage. Faster and better visualization are the main reasons to use dual-energy CT for the assessment of pancreatic masses, according to a radiologist from the University of Munich.

The basis for the increased risks of cytomegalovirus and P. carinii infections with DENSE-R-CHOP-14 was puzzling, said Dr. Zelenetz of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

GENOA-Investigators from the San Martino Hospital in Italy are reporting that direct intrabone cord-blood transplantation overcomes graft failure even when low numbers of human leucocyte antigen-mismatched cord-blood cells are transplanted.

Preliminary data from a Children’s Oncology Group (COG) study has calculated the maximum tolerated dose of motexafin gadolinium (MGd) for radiation therapy for pontine glioma.

The CONKO-001 trial presents a mix of good news and bad news, said Dr. Wolff of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.