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The first attempt at using monoclonal antibodies in lymphoma therapy, reported in 1980, was unsuccessful. Since that time, several immunotherapeutic approaches to treating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have been developed,

Physicians who diagnose and treat cancer have an enormous responsibility. They not only have to be aware of the medical aspects of cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment, but also have the difficult task of talking about these issues with their patients.

Despite impressive response rates, none of the current array of monoclonal antibodies has produced cures. The median duration of response following rituximab is about 1 year, and all patients eventually relapse and require additional treatment

Other active unconjugated antibodies are in various stages of their clinical development. CAMPATH-1H has recently been approved for the treatment of refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (Keating et al: Blood 94:705a[abstract 3118],

Once the radioimmunoconjugates (RICs) become more widely available, the practicing physician will be faced with important questions regarding their role relative to the unconjugated antibodies, and with a decision as to which is the

Rituximab is also being explored in other lymphoid malignancies. Some of the most interesting data are in patients with CD20-positive Hodgkin’s disease (abstract #3153). The Stanford group (abstract #3592) reported on 13 patients. Of the 9

The availability of a continually increasing menu of effective monoclonal antibodies has revolutionized the management of patients with indolent B-cell malignancies. The dilemma we now face is how to best incorporate these agents into our

The first attempt at using monoclonal antibodies in lymphoma therapy, reported in 1980, was unsuccessful. Since that time, several immunotherapeutic approaches to treating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have been developed,

Whole-breast external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) involves a 6-week course of fractionated treatments. In

The field of stereotactic radiosurgery is rapidly advancing as a result of both improvements in radiosurgical equipment and better physician understanding of the clinical applications of stereotactic radiosurgery. This

The field of stereotactic radiosurgery is rapidly advancing as a result of both improvements in radiosurgical equipment and better physician understanding of the clinical applications of stereotactic radiosurgery. This

Despite the fact that there are only a few controlled trials demonstrating the benefits associated with the use of corticosteroids in specific situations, these agents are administered frequently to patients with advanced cancer. Corticosteroids may be used alone or as adjuvants in combination with other palliative or antineoplastic treatments. For example, corticosteroids may help prevent nausea, vomiting, and hypersensitivity reactions to treatment with chemotherapy or radiation. They are also commonly used as appetite stimulants in patients with advanced cancer. In the adjuvant setting, corticosteroids help to alleviate pain in advanced cancer patients, including specific situations such as back pain related to epidural compression. This article reviews the evidence supporting the use of corticosteroids in a broad range of situations seen in patients with advanced cancer. [ONCOLOGY 15(2):225-236, 2001]

The second edition of the Textbook of Uncommon Cancer is a useful resource for practicing oncologists who encounter unusual presentations of common tumors or esoteric subtypes of more common cancers. The text is laid out according to

ROCHESTER, Minnesota-Ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) significantly improves quality of life for patients with low-grade, follicular, or transformed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients, according to the results of a phase-III study reported by Gregory A. Wiseman, MD. "Low-grade lymphoma is not a curable disease, but patients live for a long time with it," said Dr. Wiseman, lead researcher and assistant professor, Radiology Department, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "We want to know how patients are feeling, especially if they’re going through difficult treatments. What we discovered is that after receiving Zevalin, patients’ quality of life was good."

INDIANAPOLIS-Eli Lilly and Company has launched a new website for community medical oncologists and their staffs. The site, located at www.lillydirect.com, is designed to save oncology health care professionals time by streamlining many of their business-related responsibilities.

During this symposium, faculty participated in a roundtable discussion of the relative merits and weaknesses associated with use of the fluorinated pyrimidines. Dehydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency and the impact of this deficiency on

The fluorinated pyrimidines, in particular 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), are among the oldest cytotoxic agents still in broad use today. To some degree, this continued use of 5-FU is a bit of an embarrassment to those of us who spend considerable amounts of

UFT and leucovorin (Orzel) is a combination of tegafur and uracil in a molar ratio of 1:4. Tegafur, a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), is converted to 5-FU by the hepatic cytochrome P450 pathway, whereas uracil enhances the

Randomized studies have tested a variety of strategies to improve the activity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in colorectal cancer patients. Results from 14 randomized trials comparing 5-FU administered via intravenous ( IV) bolus either

Researchers, primarily in Japan, Europe, and the United States, have evaluated several new fluorinated pyrimidines in recent years. Most of these drugs are orally active prodrugs of fluorouracil (5-FU), and some also

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the initial rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), accounting for catabolism of over 85% of an administered dose of 5-FU. DPD plays an important role in

BETHESDA, Md-The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) has voted 14 to 1 to recommend that the agency grant accelerated approval to Campath (alemtuzumab, Millennium & ILEX Partners) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have been treated with alkylating agents and have failed fludarabine (Fludara) therapy.

The injectable form of arsenic trioxide (Trisenox) was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with a severe form of leukemia-acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)-whose disease has recurred or who have failed to respond to standard therapy.

WASHINGTON-Physicians will receive an average 4.5% increase in Medicare payment rates in 2001, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) announced. Increases will range from nothing to 12%, depending on specialty.

NEW YORK-A program to screen for lung cancer that was remarkably successful in recruiting participants has produced some surprises and taught the investigators some lessons about what to expect from large-scale lung cancer screening.

SAN FRANCISCO-Interim results of a phase III European study show that combining conventional chemotherapy with the monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan) improves survival rates over chemotherapy alone in elderly patients with aggressive lymphoma.

Medicare payment for chemotherapy administration has been a controversial issue beyond accurate practice expense RVUs; a more inflammatory side of the story involves the cuts in payments to oncologists for drugs they purchase and then administer in their office.

SAN FRANCISCO-A regimen combining the monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan) with fludarabine (Fludara) and cyclophosphamide may become the standard treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). That projection is based on preliminary findings from a phase II trial of 56 previously untreated patients with advanced CLL presented at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

NEW YORK-Long banished from the pharmacopoeia because of its teratogenic effects, thalidomide (Thalomid) has recently reemerged as a potentially promising chemotherapeutic agent in a variety of cancers. Four presentations at the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XVIII looked at its use as a single agent and in combination therapy.

BOSTON-A new regimen of adjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy significantly raised 3-year survival rates for locally advanced stomach cancer patients in a randomized phase III intergroup trial reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO).