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The initial reaction to President Clinton’s June directive on Medicare payment for patient care costs in clinical trials was extremely positive. Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Connie Mack (R-FL), who have long and unsuccessfully pushed a

SAN DIEGO-Wheat bran fiber does not appear to reduce the recurrence of colorectal adenomas, Richard E. Sampliner, MD, said at the American Gastroenterological Association annual meeting, held during the Digestive Disease Week conference. Dr. Sampliner is professor of medicine and chief of gastroenterology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson.

WILMINGTON, Del-AstraZen-eca announced in a news release that the FDA has approved Nolvadex (tamoxifen) to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer in women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) following breast surgery and radiation. Nolvadex is the first medication to be approved for DCIS, which accounts for nearly 20% of all newly diagnosed breast cancers, the company said.

ARLINGTON, Va-The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a division of the National Institutes of Health, has undertaken the task of making a science out of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

ROCHESTER, Minnesota-Despite their age, people over 70 who have colon cancer can benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy, Daniel Sargent, PhD, assistant professor of biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, reported at the 36th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

MENLO PARK, Calif–Pro •Duct Health, Inc. has launched the Pro •Duct Breast Aspirator and Catheter for use in ductal lavage.

NEW ORLEANS-Results of three phase II trials suggest that ET-743 (ecteinascidin), a novel marine compound (see box at right), may have a role to play in treating certain soft-tissue sarcomas, George D. Demetri, MD, said at the 36th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

NEW ORLEANS-Smokers can reduce smoking-related complications of breast reconstruction by quitting smoking several weeks before surgery. For heavy smokers, delaying reconstruction may result in fewer complications, according to a study presented at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (now known as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons).

ARLINGTON, VA-To move into mainstream oncology, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) must find convincing ways to prove efficacy in the treatment of cancer, said Jeffrey White, MD, director of the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM). This means moving beyond anecdotal evidence supporting CAM cancer therapies and finding appropriate standards for judging their effectiveness.

BETHESDA, Md-The addition of interleukin-2 (IL-2) to standard anti-retroviral therapy significantly improved CD4 cell response in HIV-infected patients, reported Richard T. Davey Jr, MD, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Sen. Mack has been cochair of the Senate Cancer Coalition, so he was also quite happy that the Senate approved a National Institutes of Health budget for fiscal year 2001 (starting October 1) that would be a $2.7 billion increase over the

NEW YORK-Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College are investigating retinoic acid in the hope of extending its use in cancer chemoprevention as well as chemotherapy. Various vitamin A derivatives have already been shown to be useful in reversing premalignant changes such as leukoplakia and in treating pro-myelocytic leukemia.

ARLINGTON, Va-One measure of the influence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) on the world of conventional medicine may be the acceptance by major cancer centers of programs designed to integrate these therapies into their services.

Chemotherapy is an integral part of treatment for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Chemotherapy can achieve long-term survival rates of up to 15% to 20%, even in patients with recurrent or metastatic disease. In

Chemotherapy is an integral part of treatment for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Chemotherapy can achieve long-term survival rates of up to 15% to 20%, even in patients with recurrent or metastatic disease. In

Chemotherapy is an integral part of treatment for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Chemotherapy can achieve long-term survival rates of up to 15% to 20%, even in patients with recurrent or metastatic disease. In

Three-dimensional (3D) treatment planning refers to the use of software and hardware tools to design and implement more accurate and conformal radiation therapy. This is a major advance in oncology that should lead

Nucleoside analogs have marked efficacy in indolent lymphoid malignancies, but the tradeoff is the challenge of preventing and treating infections in these patients, according to Susan O’Brien, MD, of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. At

Laparoscopic surgery for colorectal malignancy is an important topic because of its potential advantages and its oncologic controversies. Drs. Wexner and Hwang have prepared a comprehensive review of the current status of laparoscopic colorectal surgery for malignancy. The relative merits of the new procedure are discussed from a number of perspectives, including the technical aspects of laparoscopic bowel resection, oncologic concerns, and experimental and theoretical effects on tumor growth and host immunity.

Three-dimensional (3D) treatment planning refers to the use of software and hardware tools to design and implement more accurate and conformal radiation therapy. This is a major advance in oncology that should lead

Over the past decade, extensive research and promotion efforts have led to increased awareness and utilization of cancer prevention and screening methods. Many minority groups, however, have not benefited equally from these advances, and continue to have elevated cancer incidence or mortality rates compared with whites.

The increase in serious gram-positive infections has increased the need for treatment of gram-positive infections in patients with hematologic malignancies. Common gram-positive pathogens exhibit a variety of resistance

Bloodstream infections cause significant morbidity and mortality for patients with hematologic malignancy. Antimicrobial drugs are the most reliable currently available treatment for infection, but several issues must be

Neutropenic patients with cancer are a heterogeneous group of patients who carry a variable risk for infection. When such patients present with fever, appropriate empiric antibiotic therapy is initiated and continued until

Risk prediction in patients with neutropenia and fever in a reliable and timely manner has only become possible in the last decade. Patients have been categorized as high risk or low risk based on certain presenting

Three-dimensional (3D) treatment planning refers to the use of software and hardware tools to design and implement more accurate and conformal radiation therapy. This is a major advance in oncology that should lead to

DURBAN, South Africa-Leading experts on HIV/AIDS gathered at the 13th International AIDS Conference, held for the first time in Africa, the continent most severely affected by the pandemic. Experts estimate that 70% of the 34 million people infected with HIV worldwide live in sub-Saharan Africa.

This phase I/II nonrandomized, open-label study was designed to assess the safety and benefit of sequencing irinotecan (Camptosar, CPT-11) plus paclitaxel (Taxol) immediately after cisplatin (Platinol)/etoposide (VePesid,

In preclinical studies, the topoisomerase I inhibitor irinotecan (Camptosar, CPT-11) has demonstrated activity as a radiosensitizer, probably due to its ability to inhibit potentially lethal radiation damage repair. We conducted a

WASHINGTON-One way to ensure that the right parties receive imaging study results and actually look at them is to make notification nearly fail-safe. A system in use at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Asheville, NC, as well as other VAs, does exactly that, David M. Schuster, MD, staff radiologist at the hospital, said at the 100th annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society.