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NEW YORK-With new tests, it is easy to identify certain gene mutations associated with a predisposition to cancer. But it is more difficult to deal with the social and legal consequences of those tests, a panel of experts said at a briefing organized by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and entitled "The Human Genome and its Implications for Cancer." Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, discussed a case that he faced at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he is chief of the Clinical Genetics Service, Department of Human Genetics.

NEW YORK-Despite considerable progress in the management and treatment of cancer in the overall population, cancer-related mortality among the elderly increased by 20% between 1970 and 1984. Cancer is often undertreated in the elderly, which affects their prognosis, said Roberto Bernabei, MD, of the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome.

Both rituximab (Rituximab) and fludarabine (Fludara) monotherapies have demonstrated good antitumor activity in patients with indolent lymphoma. In vitro data demonstrate synergistic activity against resistant cell lines when rituximab and

CHARLOTTE, NC-Mobile mammography programs that serve poor and working women in hard-to-reach, rural communities are an endangered species, according to Jean Griswold, founder and CEO of Mobile Health Outreach, Inc., one of the oldest surviving programs in the United States.

PEAPACK, NJ- Pharmacia Oncology has announced the 11 recipients of its first $1 million Ellence Research Fund, aimed at promoting research to advance the use of anthracyclines in various cancer settings. The recipients were chosen by a scientific advisory board composed of leading oncologists. The company has created a second $1 million Ellence Research Fund and is currently accepting research proposals.

BOSTON-Hyperfractionated radiation improved local control and survival rates for advanced pharyngeal and laryngeal cancer patients in a randomized Canadian study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO).

CHICAGO-With the Internet, specialty radiology departments should be able to provide a virtual link that gives clinicians anywhere in the country or the world the same access to expert image interpretation as their colleagues in major metropolitan areas, said Michael P. Recht, MD, director of the Section of E-Radiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He spoke at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

BETHESDA, Md-An addendum to the National Toxicology Program’s Ninth Report on Carcinogens moves the dioxin TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) from the "reasonably anticipated" to cause human cancers category to the "known to be a human carcinogen" designation. A legal challenge to the change prevented the new designation from being published in the full report last May.

Rituximab (Rituxan) is a genetically engineered chimeric murine/human monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to CD20 on pre-B and mature B lymphocytes. While binding of the Fab domain may induce apoptosis, the Fc domain recruits immune

Rituximab (Rituxan) is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that targets the CD20 anti-gen on normal and malignant non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) cells. It has been shown to produce immediate, severe, and specific B-cell depletion in

Oncologists who have a financial interest in-or are thinking about investing in-a related business that provides such things as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or radiology services should pay attention to the final rules from the

Cancer Nursing: Principles and Practice is widely considered to be the basic textbook on cancer nursing. With this edition, every chapter has been updated to reflect the latest research and references, and many of the chapters now include

CHICAGO-In HIV-positive patients, antiretroviral therapy should be started when CD4+ lymphocyte counts drop below 350 cells/mL3, according to a new study reported at the 8th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

Treatment of low-grade or follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is associated with a high rate of initial response, followed invariably by relapse. Subsequent remissions occur at a progressively lower rate and with progressively shorter

WASHINGTON-Only 17 states have committed substantial funds from the tobacco settlement to tobacco prevention and cessation programs, according to a new report released by the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and American Lung Association.

Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc, won a Gold Award in the patient education category for the children’s guidebook Me and My Marrow at the seventh annual National Health Information Awards.

BOSTON-A Rare Cancer Network study of testicular lymphoma found that relapses are most likely to occur in the central nervous system (CNS), Mahmut Ozsahin, MD, PhD, said at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

Rituximab has been an effective treatment for chemotherapy-refractory low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). The integration of rituximab (Rituxan) into standard first-line oral chemotherapy for low-grade NHL was initiated in order to

CHICAGO-The permanent placement of radioactive seeds in the prostate gland is proving to be equivalent to radical prostatectomy in the treatment of men with prostate cancer, according to some recently published data. However, some men have been reluctant to choose this treatment option because of the chance that the seeds may expose family members to excessively high radiation doses.

WASHINGTON-A new President and a new Congress have taken office, but Washington is still locked in debates over some of the same old issues. The inauguration of George W. Bush brought a new administration with a considerably different outlook from that of the Clinton era and a political philosophy and ethical and moral beliefs that could significantly affect health care policy and medical research, including oncology practice and research.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ-The cancer community must address the barriers that prevent the introduction of the language of dying into the survivorship lexicon, said Ellen Stovall, president and CEO of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

RFB4(dsFv)-PE38 (BL22) is a recombinant disulfide-stabilized immunotoxin composed of the variable domains (VH and VL) of the anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody RFB4 attached by a disulfide bond and with VH fused to truncated

Physicians will have 2 years to develop the consent forms and compliance programs dictated by the medical records confidentiality rule published by the Clinton administration on December 28. Some provider groups, particularly in the health

Possible mechanisms of action of the chimeric CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan) involve complement- and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Because granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF [Neupogen])

Stage IV indolent lymphomas are currently considered incurable disorders. However, the achievement of an early molecular remission, as determined by the bcl-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, is associated with a better outcome. In view

CHICAGO-A study of 129 patients with intermediate-grade and large-cell immunoblastic lymphomas shows that the radiotherapy dose should be adjusted to the initial size of the tumor, said Richard Wilder, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The study constitutes the largest series of these patients in the modern era of chemoradiation, he said.

Tositumomab/iodine-131 tositumomab (Bexxar) is a new radioimmunotherapy active in chemotherapy-relapsed or -refractory indolent (IN) or transformed indolent (TR) non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The current study was undertaken to assess

LOS ANGELES-The Group Room, a weekly syndicated radio call-in talk show about cancer, is expanding internationally after 5 successful years of broadcasting in the United States. Vital Options TeleSupport Cancer Network, the not-for-profit cancer communications, advocacy, and support organization that produces the show, announced that its first live broadcast from Europe took place January 28, 2001, at The Royal Marsden Hospital, London. A broadcast from Paris followed on February 9. Selma R. Schimmel is host of The Group Room and CEO and founder of Vital Options.

ROCKVILLE, Md-The FDA approved 160 medications and medical devices last year, including a number of oncology products. Among the most important cancer medications approved for the first time or for a new indication were:

WASHINGTON-The President’s tobacco commission is supporting the federal regulation of tobacco products. The Supreme Court ruled last March that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have the authority to regulate tobacco products, and federal legislation that would have provided the agency with the ability to regulate tobacco products failed in Congress last year.