Medicare Part D, the outpatient prescription drug plan that went into effect on January 1, is having a major impact on community oncology practices as they struggle to deal with widespread confusion as well as the extra requirements imposed by the private plans.
President Bush has nominated NCI director Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD, as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Age alone should not be a contraindication to FOLFOX4 chemotherapy in older adults with colorectal cancer.
Neuropsychologists play a key role in helping identify cognitive issues in childhood cancer survivors and in developing rehabilitation programs to increase their functioning, Lisa A. Jackson, PhD, said at the Cancer in the Classroom meeting hosted by Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Psychosocial factors influence life-or-death eligibility decisions in bone marrow transplant (BMT) procedures, and yet there is a serious lack of consensus as to what these factors are and how they should be weighted.
Liver transplantation is lifesaving in patients with localized hepatocellular carcinoma, with some 75% of transplant recipients still alive 5 years later, compared with only 12% of other patients, finds the first large population-based study of this treatment for this disease.
The American Journal of Nursing (AJN) recently released a consensus report based on the outcome of the invitational symposium, "The State of the Science on Nursing Approaches to Managing Late and Long-Term Sequelae of Cancer and Cancer Treatment," which took place in Philadelphia in July 2005. The report, which accompanied the March issue of AJN, offers action strategies and recommendations, from a nursing perspective, for addressing the health needs of the more than 10 million long-term cancer survivors alive today.
Elderly patients with stage I-III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitute a peculiar patient population and need specific therapeutic approaches. Limited resections are an attractive alternative for elderly patients with resectable NSCLC because of the potential reduction in postoperative complications. Curative radiation therapy is an acceptable alternative for elderly patients who are unfit for or refuse surgery. Hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy is of particular interest for this population because of its favorable tolerance.
Elderly patients with stage I-III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitute a peculiar patient population and need specific therapeutic approaches. Limited resections are an attractive alternative for elderly patients with resectable NSCLC because of the potential reduction in postoperative complications. Curative radiation therapy is an acceptable alternative for elderly patients who are unfit for or refuse surgery. Hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy is of particular interest for this population because of its favorable tolerance.
Elderly patients with stage I-III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitute a peculiar patient population and need specific therapeutic approaches. Limited resections are an attractive alternative for elderly patients with resectable NSCLC because of the potential reduction in postoperative complications. Curative radiation therapy is an acceptable alternative for elderly patients who are unfit for or refuse surgery. Hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy is of particular interest for this population because of its favorable tolerance.
President Bush's budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2007 contained some unpleasant news for the cancer community, including a small but symbolically significant cut in funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Eli Lilly and Company and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship have issued a call for entries for the 2006 Lilly Oncology on Canvas: Expressions of a Cancer Journey International Art Competition and Exhibition.
Officials at the National Cancer Institute have welcomed two new guidance documents issued by the FDA. The two aim at making it easier for clinical researchers to conduct small-scale human studies of exploratory drugs prior to phase I trials. The documents are designed to increase the number of promising drugs that researchers can evaluate by administering them at microdose levels to small numbers of patients before deciding whether the agents warrant further human study.
When an adjacent hospital closed its research unit with cancer trials pending, the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, Ohio State Univesity, Columbus, successfully added a clinical study component to an existing hematology-oncology unit, to ensure that patients could enroll in phase I trials and receive the care they need during their enrollment.
The North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System has opened its Monter Cancer Center, a $17 million, 37,000-square-foot facility that offers a spectrum of cancer services in a stunning outpatient setting, providing patients with a calming atmosphere complete with indoor gardens and skylights.
Unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT) appears at least as effective as haploidentical T-cell-depleted peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) in adults with acute leukemia, with outcomes varying according to leukemia subtype, according to a retrospective analysis of European transplant patients.
In patients undergoing treatment for follicular lymphoma, (FL) maintenance rituximab (Rituxan) after a cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (CVP) regimen appears to confer a survival benefit, Sandra Horning, MD, professor of medicine, Stanford University, said at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (abstract 349).
This case study illustrates some of the off-treatment issues your patients may face and provides some practical solutions to help patients overcome them whether you see them for regular follow-up or just receive an occasional phone call requesting assistance.
The Medicare program needs to be restructured if it is to remain solvent for the generation of baby boomers now reaching age 60. Since many cancer patients are Medicare beneficiaries, the health of the program is vital to the oncology community.
Part 1 of this two-part article describes in detail the distinct types of thyroid cancer, as well as risk factors, outcomes, and prognostic factors, with a focus on thyroid cancers of follicular cell origin.
Approximately 6% of colorectal cancers can be attributed to recognizable heritable germline mutations. Familial adenomatous polyposis is an autosomal dominant syndrome classically presenting with hundreds to thousands of adenomatous colorectal polyps that are caused by mutations in the APC gene.
Approximately 6% of colorectal cancers can be attributed to recognizable heritable germline mutations. Familial adenomatous polyposis is an autosomal dominant syndrome classically presenting with hundreds to thousands of adenomatous colorectal polyps that are caused by mutations in the APC gene.
Approximately 6% of colorectal cancers can be attributed to recognizable heritable germline mutations. Familial adenomatous polyposis is an autosomal dominant syndrome classically presenting with hundreds to thousands of adenomatous colorectal polyps that are caused by mutations in the APC gene.
The authors of abstract #2396 conducted a 6-week trial of thalidomide (Thalomid), 100 and 200 mg at bedtime, in 15 cachectic patients. The main findings of this uncontrolled study were cessation of weight loss, increased body fat percentage,
Thalidomide (Thalomid) has been commercially available in the United States since October 1998. The use of thalidomide in the treatment of malignancies is growing as its potential utility for treating multiple myeloma, renal-cell cancer, and AIDS-
Neovascularization has been shown to be a critical step in the progression of metastatic disease. Most tumors in humans do not grow beyond 2 to 3 mm³ without neovascularization. Angiogenesis increases tumor growth via perfusion and paracrine
Thalidomide (Thalomid) is a derivative of glutamic acid that was introduced as a nonbarbiturate hypnotic in 1956 by a West German company. It was used widely as an over-the-counter sedative and antiemetic drug in countries other than the United States. Because of its presumed safety and antinausea effect, it was given to pregnant women suffering from morning sickness and to influenza patients experiencing nausea. Subsequently, over 12,000 malformed babies were born as the result of fetal exposure to thalidomide early in pregnancy. When its teratogenic effects-notably flipperlike limbs-became known, thalidomide was withdrawn from the market in 1961. In the mid-1960s, after it was given as a sedative to a small number of leprosy patients in Israel afflicted with erythema nodosum leprosum, it was noted that the patients’ symptoms rapidly and markedly improved.
Ventura and Roberts (abstract #2268) made an interesting observation of a disease response in a patient with angiosarcoma. This patient initially received radiation to a large mass in the neck and had a minor response-less than 10% shrinkage of the
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) will begin with a $100 million pilot project aimed at determining the feasibility of undertaking a full-scale, comprehensive effort to systematically identify and characterize the genetic mutations and other genomic changes associated with cancer.
Research on angiogenesis is revealing the role this phenomenon plays in the response of cancers to radiation and, in the process, providing some important lessons for clinicians, according to a keynote address given by Judah Folkman, MD, professor of cell biology, Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.