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HOUSTON-The COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (Celebrex) appears to improve tumor response to capecitabine (Xeloda) and may help relieve hand-foot syndrome, according to results of a retrospective study by researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Lead investigator Edward H. Lin, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, said that the group is planning a prospective trial of the combination.

MANHASSET, New York-Early results from a phase I trial at North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, New York, found irinotecan (CPT-11, Camptosar) with capecitabine (Xeloda) to be well tolerated by patients with inoperable or metastatic solid tumors who had failed standard therapy or had no therapy options, according to an abstract published at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting (abstract 2127).

BARCELONA, Spain-A large European, multicenter phase II trial of XELOX-capecitabine (Xeloda) and oxaliplatin (Eloxatin, investigational in the United States)-as first-line therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer produced an objective response in 55% of patients.

ORLANDO-Evolving targeted therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer hold promise for greater therapeutic efficacy and improved quality of life for patients, according to Edward H. Lin, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Speaking at an industry-sponsored symposium held in conjunction with the ASCO meeting, Dr. Lin discussed the general concepts of targeted therapy and reviewed several treatments under investigation.

BETHESDA, Maryland-Wyeth Vaccines, a unit of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, has won a 5-year, $22.8 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The contract was awarded by NIAID’s HIV Vaccine Design and Development Teams (HVDDT) program, a public-private effort that seeks to accelerate the development of HIV vaccines.

ATLANTA-A novel breast imaging technology that uses radiowaves in the microwave frequency range to detect and locate lesions shows promise in preliminary case reports and will be entering clinical trials, said Allan Malmed, MD, medical director, Northwest Community Hospital Interdisciplinary Breast Center, Arlington Heights, Illinois. Dr. Malmed and his colleagues presented the findings at a poster session of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society (abstract 159).

SAN FRANCISCO-The drug anethole dithiolethione (ADT)-normally used for dry mouth and marketed as Sialor or Sulfarlem-reduced the risk of new or worsening dysplastic lesions in the lungs of current and former smokers by 22%, compared with placebo, according to a study presented at a late-breaking research session of the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (abstract LB-119).

LOS ANGELES-The North American Brain Tumor Consortium (NABTC) reported that R115777 (Zarnesta) shows modest activity against recurrent glioblastoma multiforme and might be effective as a therapy for certain subtypes of these

SEATTLE-A response to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) independently predicts the outcome of AIDS-related lymphoma, underscoring the importance of giving HIV-positive patients this therapy whenever possible, Christian

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida-Current conservative management of pediatric intraocular retinoblastoma is very effective, especially with chemotherapy plus focal ablation of tumors. But enucleation remains the primary therapeutic choice in children, undertaken in almost three quarters of cases, investigators reported at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting.

ORLANDO-Prolonged maintenance treatment improves long-term outcome in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) more than intensive consolidation, even in those patients with poor prognosis, according to a study reported by Thomas Buchner, MD, professor of internal medicine, hematology and oncology at the University of Muenster in Germany (ASCO abstract 1046).

Any new medical textbook must compete for readership under new rules. It is not just the numerous other books being published but also the wealth of information on the Internet that vies for the time and attention of the inquiring reader. Web-based general search engines and medical literature tools have made the previous frequent trips to the hospital library nearly obsolete for many of us. There is ready access to original references or discussion about almost any topic in cancer care. A successful book on cancer treatment, therefore, must provide more-something unique for the practicing physician, student, or teacher. Ideally, it will present a useful synthesis, interpretation, and, with luck, clinical wisdom

ORLANDO-Preliminary results of a French study show improved event-free survival for patients with indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) who received high-dose chemotherapy with purged autologous stem cell transplantation as first-line therapy, compared with conventional standard therapy.

NANTES, France-The farnesyl transferase inhibitor R115777 (tipifarnib, also known as Zarnestra) is well-tolerated and effective even in relapsed, refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), according to interim results of a phase II study (ASCO abstract 1056). "In this multicenter trial, we have treated relapsed and refractory patients including those who never had a complete response," lead author Jean-Luc Harousseau, MD, professor and head of the hematology department at University Hospital (hotel Dieu) in Nantes, France, told Oncology News International. "Disappearance of blasts and complete response is very encouraging for the future of Zarnestra in AML."

WASHINGTON-A Delaware judge has sided with the American Legacy Foundation in its legal jousting with Lorillard Tobacco Co. The judge denied Lorillard’s request to stay or dismiss a lawsuit filed by the foundation in a series of court maneuvers that began in January. His ruling would allow the Legacy lawsuit to go forward before one filed in North Carolina by Lorillard against the foundation.

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida-As a nurse and 22-year survivor of Hodgkin’s disease, Debra Thaler-DeMers, RN, OCN, from the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), brought her personal survivorship perspective to the Late Effects of Normal Tissues (LENT) IV workshop on late effects criteria and applications.

NEW YORK-"In 2002 there is a lot of activity in mesothelioma research," Nicholas J. Vogelzang, director, University of Chicago Cancer Research Center, said at a media briefing on malignant mesothelioma, sponsored by the American College of Preventive Medicine. "This was an orphan disease for many years." Roman Perez-Soler, MD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, added: "We’re moving from empiricism to rational therapies."

BRISBANE, Australia-Progen Industries is conducting a phase I trial combining its cancer drug PI-88 with docetaxel (Taxotere) in patients with advanced malignancies. The trial is taking place at the University of Colorado Cancer Center,

NEW YORK-The death toll associated with the World Trade Center disaster of September 11 may rise 20 or 30 years from now, according to experts who spoke at a media briefing on malignant pleural mesothelioma. Many thousands of people at or near the disaster site had some exposure to asbestos, a causative agent of mesothelioma, said Stephen M. Levin, MD, medical director, Mount Sinai-Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

HOUSTON-Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown PTK787/ZK 222584 (PTK/ZK), an antiangiogenesis agent, to be capable of blocking vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)/VEGF activity in recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (ASCO abstract 315).

BETHESDA, Maryland-Total annual cancer cases will likely double in the United States during the first half of the 21st century, with 2.6 million people diagnosed with the disease in the year 2050, according to a new federal report (see Figure). The major driving force for this projected increase is the growth and aging of the American population, which will sharply increase the number of cases even if the cancer rate remains constant.

ORLANDO-Despite early mortality risks, HLA-matched sibling bone marrow transplants (BMTs) offer a greater possibility of cure for patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) than does chemotherapy, according to a report presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (abstract 2011). A second report (abstract 2013) showed that allogeneic transplant led to better event-free survival than autologous transplant.

BURLINGTON, Vermont-Despite the availability of effective antiemetics, oncologists and oncology nurses often fail to recognize chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. This finding was based on a study comparing predictions of physicians and nurses to the experiences of patients as recorded in their diaries and reported in questionnaires (ASCO abstract 996).

WASHINGTON-Almost twice as many blacks (45%) smoke as the general population (25%), but blacks are 34% less successful than others at kicking the habit. Smoking cessation approaches that work with this population are particularly important.

BETHESDA, Maryland-Oncologists nationwide now have access to National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical trials under a new policy intended to encourage a wider participation in phase III studies. The new policy makes it easier for oncologists to become credentialed as investigators and to enroll their patients in the advanced studies through NCI’s Cancer Trials Support Unit (CTSU). Previously, access to NCI’s clinical trials was limited to members of NCI’s cooperative groups.

Previous research has demonstrated that many patients enrolled in clinical trials incorrectly believe that the primary purpose of

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California-Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil, Caelyx) offered a sustained clinical benefit to 37% of patients with AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma vs 16% of patients treated with liposomal daunorubicin (DaunoXome) in a randomized trial comparing the two drugs (ASCO abstract 1640).

ORLANDO-European researchers have shown that transdermal fentanyl (Duragesic) is as effective as sustained-release morphine and better tolerated when given to strong-opioid-naïve patients with chronic cancer pain, according to a poster presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s 38th Annual Meeting (abstract 1506).

SEATTLE-The standard treatments for cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) are significantly less effective in HIV-infected women than in HIV-uninfected women, according to the results of a study presented at the 9th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (abstract LB16).

ROCKVILLE, Maryland-The FDA has approved the MammoSite Radiation Therapy System (Proxima Therapeutics, Alpharetta, Georgia), to deliver adjuvant radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery for patients with early-stage disease. The device is designed to irradiate the surgical site with minimal exposure to surrounding tissue. It consists of a hollow catheter, to which an inflatable balloon is attached. After surgery, the device is implanted, the balloon inflated, and a radiation source is placed in the catheter. The balloon centers the radiation source at the wound site. After a series of treatments, generally extending over several days, the catheter is withdrawn.