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When patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still have viable tumor after radiofrequency ablation (RFA), further treatment with chemoembolization using doxorubicin-eluting beads increases the ablation volume by an average of 61%,

A 45-year-old man with chronic ulcerative colitis for more than 10 years presents with diarrhea for 4 days. The diarrhea is nonbloody, watery, and associated with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, low-grade fevers, and chills for 2 days. The abdominal pain was diffuse, but worse in the right upper quadrant.

Nonchemotherapeutic (bland) embolization with superabsorbent polymer microspheres can provide prolonged control of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in the majority of patients

Since the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 was signed, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) has initiated a series of fairly dramatic structural changes in reimbursement policies covering drugs and services provided in cancer care.

Many cancer patients who have heart attacks often are not treated with lifesaving aspirin given the belief in the medical community that they could experience lethal bleeding.

Clinicians, researchers, and survivorship communities are beginning to recognize the late effects of cancer treatment, such as infertility, and the negative impact this can have on cancer survivorship. Reproductive concerns that emerge within cancer experiences have been shown to be negatively associated with quality of life. Gynecologic cancer can present before childbearing has been started or completed, during pregnancy, or can even arise out of pregnancy, as is the case with gestational trophoblastic disease. Parenthood has been cited as an important aspect of cancer survivorship. As a result, interest concerning fertility preservation, reproductive concerns, and family-building options in cancer survivorship has increased, in addition to awareness of the emotional ramifications of cancer-related infertility. Education and support are clearly an essential component of cancer survivorship. Furthermore, more attention and investigation is still needed about the reproductive issues of gynecologic cancer survivors in the future.

Clinicians, researchers, and survivorship communities are beginning to recognize the late effects of cancer treatment, such as infertility, and the negative impact this can have on cancer survivorship. Reproductive concerns that emerge within cancer experiences have been shown to be negatively associated with quality of life. Gynecologic cancer can present before childbearing has been started or completed, during pregnancy, or can even arise out of pregnancy, as is the case with gestational trophoblastic disease. Parenthood has been cited as an important aspect of cancer survivorship. As a result, interest concerning fertility preservation, reproductive concerns, and family-building options in cancer survivorship has increased, in addition to awareness of the emotional ramifications of cancer-related infertility. Education and support are clearly an essential component of cancer survivorship. Furthermore, more attention and investigation is still needed about the reproductive issues of gynecologic cancer survivors in the future.

For women with a gynecologic cancer, reproductive concerns may vary not only by site of disease but also by the presentation and manifestation of the disease. Gynecologic cancer can present before childbearing has been started or completed, during pregnancy, or can even arise out of pregnancy.

Palliative care differs from other oncology care settings because it involves end-of-life discussions. This article is intended to help oncology nurses who deliver news that involves palliative care by describing components of breaking bad news, providing an example for how to break bad news, and suggesting methods for evaluating a nurse-patient interaction. One possible scenario for achieving a positive outcome after delivering unwelcome information will also be described. Applying the methods described in this article can help to promote a positive outcome when a nurse delivers bad news to a patient.

Oncology is undergoing a sea change. Because of sophisticated cancer screening, combined with increasingly effective treatments, the majority of cancer patients are surviving beyond the period of active treatment. As a consequence, cancer care teams are striving to confront the new—and very welcome—challenge of caring for long-term cancer survivors.

Transgene S. A. has announced that the first patients have been enrolled in a two-step phase II trial of its immunotherapy product candidate TG 1042 (Ad-IFNϒ) to treat relapsing cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (CBCL).

Eisai to Acquire Morphotek to Expand into Biologic Therapeutics

Dr. Francis Giles, Dr. Louis Munoz, Dr. Carl Morrison

In this edition, we offer an example of how clinicians and patients can be fooled and/or injured by fraudulent healthcare practitioners and their services. The clinical care team must be sure that the references it provides to patients are safe and reliable. Keep a list of reliable references and a list of those practitioners and services/treatments that should be avoided. Maintain an open door policy with your patients designed to encourage questions and exchange such information.

The number of mutated genes driving the development of cancer is larger than previously believed, a finding that unveils a new challenge for researchers.

A newly released ASCO study, titled "Future Supply and Demand for Oncologists: Challenges to Assuring Access to Oncology Services," projects a potential shortfall of medical oncologists in the United States, which could severely compromise access to quality care. Cancer Care & Economics (CC&E) recently spoke with Michael Goldstein, MD, an oncologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. Dr. Goldstein, chair of the ASCO Workforce in Oncology Task Force, contributed to the development and analysis of this important study.

Updated Varian Brachytherapy Applicator Receives Clearance

Erlotinib (Tarceva) showed activity and was "relatively well tolerated" in chemotherapy-naive elderly patients with stage IIIB/IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Preliminary results with dose-adjusted EPOCH-rituximab (Rituxan) (DA-EPOCH-R) for Burkitt's Lymphoma suggest that the treatment is very promising and has low toxicity

On June 29, 2005, President Bush signed into law the Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005 (H.R. 1812). This legislation authorized the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to oversee the distribution of $25 million in competitive 5-year grants to help underserved communities access health care services.

Despite significant improvements in the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma over the past 2 decades, physicians continue to face dilemmas in therapy for the disease, and many cured patients live with complications of treatment. Newer therapeutic options are still needed for the disease, to minimize complications and to improve the treatment of patients in relapse. This review considers the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma in younger patients, addressing such issues as which patients with early-stage disease may require radiotherapy, what prognostic factors provide information that can affect treatment choices in patients with advanced disease, and what we have learned about treatment complications in this setting.

Despite significant improvements in the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma over the past 2 decades, physicians continue to face dilemmas in therapy for the disease, and many cured patients live with complications of treatment. Newer therapeutic options are still needed for the disease, to minimize complications and to improve the treatment of patients in relapse. This review considers the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma in younger patients, addressing such issues as which patients with early-stage disease may require radiotherapy, what prognostic factors provide information that can affect treatment choices in patients with advanced disease, and what we have learned about treatment complications in this setting.

Despite significant improvements in the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma over the past 2 decades, physicians continue to face dilemmas in therapy for the disease, and many cured patients live with complications of treatment. Newer therapeutic options are still needed for the disease, to minimize complications and to improve the treatment of patients in relapse. This review considers the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma in younger patients, addressing such issues as which patients with early-stage disease may require radiotherapy, what prognostic factors provide information that can affect treatment choices in patients with advanced disease, and what we have learned about treatment complications in this setting.

There is an increased incidence of cancer in minority populations, accompanied by reduced survival. This review will address specific areas of disparity in cancer care, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, and will consider steps toward resolving these issues.

It is commonly accepted that nonmedical issues, such as loss of benefits, employment concerns, and debt management, may negatively impact the outcomes of patients fighting cancer.

Three cancer organizations have joined in supporting FDA in an appeal to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a decision that terminally ill patients have a fundamental right of access to experimental drugs.

Ultrasound-guided placement of a balloon catheter for partial breast brachytherapy can be safely delayed until after the final pathology report has confirmed that the patient is a candidate for the procedure, according to a new study.

Biogen Initiates Randomized Trial of Lumiliximab for Advanced CLL

In July 2005, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) issued a sentinel event alert on the prevention of inadvertent intrathecal (IT) administration of vincristine.