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SAN DIEGO, California-The Workflow Information Systems for European Nursing Care (WISECARE) program is using information technology to foster knowledge sharing and to promote evidence-based nursing care among 15 European cancer centers.

At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, nurses are recruiting newly diagnosed cancer patients into a smoking cessation program. At Marshfield Clinic Cancer Care, Marshfield, Wisconsin, nurses are teaching phlebotomists how to do venous access device (VAD) blood draws. And at St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson, Maryland, nurses have made depression assessment part of standard oncology care.

Cancer patients are at high riskof potentially fatal blood clots

SAN FRANCISCO-In a phase II trial, recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor (rHuKGF, or KGF) significantly reduced severe mucositis and improved quality of life for patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation.

WASHINGTON-With a Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) visit looming, nurses at George Washington University Hospital used the opportunity to implement a staff education program to improve pain assessment and management.

In the United States, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)

The incidence of invasive aspergillosis is increasing parallel to the intensity of immunosuppressive and myelosuppressive anticancer treatments. Successful management is linked to an understanding of the

The incidence of invasive aspergillosis is increasing parallel to the intensity of immunosuppressive and myelosuppressive anticancer treatments. Successful management is linked to an understanding of the

Myeloproliferative disorders originate in the clonal expansion of a transformed pluripotential hematopoietic progenitor cell. This results in a group of syndromes that include polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia,

The incidence of invasive aspergillosis is increasing parallel to the intensity of immunosuppressive and myelosuppressive anticancer treatments. Successful management is linked to an understanding of the

SAN DIEGO, California-A symposium at the Oncology Nursing Society’s 26th Annual Congress addressed the challenges of managing cancer-related cognitive impairment, fatigue, and pain. Each of three speakers gave an overview of one of these problems, including contributing factors and current research, and then discussed new approaches to symptom management.

WASHINGTON-The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to review potential new endpoints for use in approving cancer drugs. The decision-making process will include public discussions involving practicing oncologists, academic physicians, the pharmaceutical industry, and advocacy groups.

SAN FRANCISCO-Most cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy expect to be cured, even when cautioned by their physicians that the chemotherapy can only relieve symptoms, according to Geetha N. Varma, MD. Research conducted at three cancer clinics in the metropolitan Milwaukee area showed that patients and physicians agree on the goal of treatment less than half the time and that almost a quarter of patients do not have a realistic idea of the likelihood of achieving the goal.

SAN FRANCISCO-In patients with potentially resectable cancer of the larynx, concurrent chemoradiotherapy cuts in half the incidence of larynx removal vs radiation therapy alone-and vs the current standard of care of induction chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy, Arlene A. Forastiere, MD, reported at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Clinical Radiation Oncology, edited by Drs. Gunderson and Tepper, is a first-edition textbook designed primarily for those

SAN FRANCISCO-A new morphine formulation that combines immediate-release and extended-release beads offers a once-daily alternative to the controlled-release morphine formulation MS Contin (MSC). A study compared the new product, once-daily Morphelan (morphine sulfate, rapid onset extended relief [MROER]), a convenient and effective option for pain management, with twice-daily MSC.

ROCKVILLE, Md-To comply with a mandate in the Children’s Health Act of 2000, the FDA has issued an interim rule implementing additional requirements to safeguard children enrolled in clinical trials. "A key aspect of the new rule sets standards and procedures for assuring that children have assented to participating in clinical trials (when possible), and that their parents or guardians are able to give fully informed consent to the child’s participation in a study," the agency said in a statement.

SAN FRANCISCO-The theory that serotonin might mediate both depression and fatigue in cancer patients was debunked by results of a community-based study involving more than 700 cancer patients. Reporting on behalf of the University of Rochester Cancer Center Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP), Gary R. Morrow, MD, said, "Our data suggest that it is unlikely that serotonin is involved as a final common pathway for fatigue and depression."

WASHINGTON-A long-term University of Michigan study of smoking among 8th and 10th graders indicates that raising the price of cigarettes can prevent some youths from beginning to use tobacco products. The researchers examined three initiation points: any smoking at all (including experimentation), daily smoking, and smoking a half-pack or more a day. Depending on the type of initiation, an increase of 10% in the price of cigarettes decreased the probability that an adolescent would begin smoking by 3% to 10%.

The purpose of the annual workshops sponsored by The Universityof Texas M. D. Anderson

The results of a recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) survey of more than 2,500 cancer physicians

SAN FRANCISCO-More than four out of 10 cancer patients received chemotherapy during their last year of life, according to a study of Medicare patients in Massachusetts. Even a proportion of patients with tumors considered unresponsive to chemotherapy received treatments within 1 month of their death.

NEW YORK-Cancer Care, Inc.’s 18th Annual Human Services Award Dinner honored four outstanding champions in the fight to help people with cancer and their families. More than 750 guests attended the black-tie event at the Waldorf-Astoria, which was hosted by Dana Tyler of WCBS-TV.

Thomas Scully, the new administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration, is moving fast to make improvements to Medicare. A proposal to collect and publish quality and outcome information on health-care practitioners who treat

NEW YORK-Eat your fruits and vegetables is generally good advice, but patients undergoing cancer therapy also need to heed the following warning: Wash them thoroughly, to prevent infection, said Stewart Fleishman, MD, director of cancer supportive services, Beth Israel Cancer Center, Continuum Health Partners, New York.

BALTIMORE, Md-Medicare will expedite coverage of pneumatic compression pumps for its beneficiaries with lymphedema. The new policy provides coverage for the pumps after a beneficiary undergoes conservative therapy, including elevation, exercise, and the use of a compression garment for a least 4 weeks without beneficial results. The new coverage eliminates the need for patients to buy a more expensive, custom-made compression garment before becoming eligible for a pump.

SAN FRANCISCO-Two brief questions can help clinicians decide which cancer patients might benefit from treatment with antidepressant drugs.

SAN FRANCISCO-Recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor (rHuKGF) reduces the risk of dose-limiting oral mucositis in patients with advanced colorectal cancer according to Stephen J. Clarke, MD, of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Australia. Reviewing results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of rHuKGF, Dr. Clarke also called for further study of the growth factor as an adjunct to standard chemotherapy.

SAN FRANCISCO-Glutamine appears useful in preventing taxane-induced neuropathies, according to Linda T. Vahdat, MD, assistant professor of medical oncology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City. A short course of oral glutamine given after high-dose paclitaxel (Taxol) significantly reduced the severity of peripheral neuropathy compared to prior patients who did not receive glutamine in a pilot study. Glutamine has also been under study for prevention of gastrointestinal toxicities associated with camptothecins.

WASHINGTON-A presidential commission has urged the enactment of a 17-cents-a-pack increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes to pay for programs to aid tobacco farmers and support smoking cessation and prevention programs. It also recommended that the FDA be given strong regulatory powers over the tobacco industry.