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Overuse Syndromes May Be an Emerging Hazard for Radiologists

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SEATTLE-Radiology practices that are converting to digital systems should be alert to the possibility of overuse syndromes, based on the experience of the radiology department at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu. Lynne Ruess, MD, chief of pediatric radiology at Tripler, reported her department’s experience at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society (abstract 175).

In this article (the first of a two-part interview), Benjamin Djulbegovic, MD, PhD, discusses the uncertainty principle in clinical trials, a subject he has written about in The Lancet and elsewhere. Dr. Djulbegovic is associate professor of medicine, Divisions of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

RIT Safe, Effective in Elderly and Poor-Prognosis Patients

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SAN FRANCISCO-Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) with the investigational radiolabeled monoclonal antibody known as Bexxar (tositumomab and iodine I-131 tositumomab) is effective and well tolerated in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients with poor prognostic features, according to retrospective analyses presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

ODAC Recommends Approval of Radiolabeled Zevalin

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BETHESDA, Maryland-The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) has unanimously recommended that the Food and Drug Administration approve the marketing of Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan, IDEC Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of patients with rituximab (Rituxan)-refractory follicular, B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

Proteomics Moves From the Laboratory to Clinical Research

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ROCKVILLE, Maryland-The emerging science of protein analysis called proteomics is being applied directly to the care of cancer patients in a joint research and clinical program of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Proteomics is the study of the body’s proteins and how they function and interact.

Physician Fee Cuts Also a Possibility

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As if the prospective Medicare cuts in payments for outpatient chemotherapy drugs were not troubling enough, there is another dark Medicare cloud. The American Medical Association (AMA) is predicting that Medicare may also cut physician

Mental Fatigue Worries Chemotherapy Patients

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NEW YORK-More than 500 cancer patients across the country participated in a Cancer Care, Inc. teleconference addressing a little-discussed concern literally on the mind of many chemotherapy patients: forgetfulness during and after chemotherapy.

Patients Urged to Work With Professionals Against Fatigue

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NEW YORK-The persistence of fatigue for up to a year after cancer treatment is a common and debilitating occurrence. Participants in a Cancer Care, Inc. teleconference were given information on the causes of cancer-related fatigue and strategies for coping with it.

NCI Director Resigns to Head New Scientific Institute

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BETHESDA, Maryland-Richard D. Klausner, MD, has resigned as director of the National Cancer Institute to become president of a new scientific organization, the Case Institute for Health, Science and Technology. In a letter to President George W. Bush, Dr. Klausner called his 6-year tenure "the most challenging and rewarding of my career. The NCI is a jewel that I have had the honor to lead."

Combined PET/CT Aids in Head and Neck Cancer Management

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TORONTO, Canada-The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) has proved particularly advantageous in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer of the head and neck, Carolyn Cidis Meltzer, MD, said at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine (abstract 133).

MRI Method Predicts Early Response

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NEW ORLEANS-Diffusion-weighted MRI reveals rapid changes in tumor water diffusion values after successful therapeutic intervention in solid tumors. It therefore appears capable of predicting treatment response within days of initiating therapy, Brian D. Ross, PhD, of the University of Michigan, said at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

New Cellular Target Shows Promise in Cancer Treatment

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SAN FRANCISCO-Aberrant responses to growth signals lead to the development of several types of cancer. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a protein kinase involved in the signal transduction pathway that links growth stimuli and cell cycle progression. It has emerged as a promising new target for intervening in the cancer process.

Post-HAART HIV+ NHL Patients Benefit From Chemotherapy

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SAN FRANCISCO-HIV-positive patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) should not be excluded from chemotherapy or given a limited-dose regimen, Joseph Sparano, MD, said at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 1172).

Agency Considers Agents for Listing as Known or Likely Human Carcinogens

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, North Carolina-Sixteen chemicals and other agents will undergo toxicologic review by the National Toxicology Program for possible listing as known or reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens in the 11th edition of the federal Report on Carcinogens.

Breast Conservation Effective in Occult Primary Cancer With Axillary Metastases

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WASHINGTON-Mastectomy does not improve either survival or local control when patients present with axillary node metastases and an occult primary tumor, Georges Vlastos, MD, of Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland, said at the 54th Annual Cancer Symposium of the Society of Surgical Oncology. He described a retrospective study of 45 women with this rare condition, conducted when he was at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Raloxifene Not Recommended After Tamoxifen Failure

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SAN FRANCISCO-Five years of tamoxifen (Nolvadex) is standard treatment for many women with estrogen-receptor (ER)-sensitive breast cancer, but the question of what to do after that is unresolved. Raloxifene (Evista) has been considered by some researchers as a possible next treatment, but preclinical data suggest this will not be a successful strategy. Ruth M. O’Regan, MD, of Northwestern University Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, presented the data at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 95).

Tobacco Money Pot: Half Full or Half Empty?

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WASHINGTON-More than beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. For example, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids offered quite different interpretations of a report released by NCSL at its annual meeting.

Studies Seek to Find Female Biologic Factors That Affect HIV

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BETHESDA, Maryland-A 5-year, $17.5-million program will investigate how HIV infection affects adolescent and adult women. Three research centers will house the Women’s HIV Pathogenesis Program, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Researchers at the centers will collaborate with others in an effort to identify biologic factors unique to women that affect HIV.

ONI Names Sharon Krumm, PhD, RN, Editor of Oncology Nursing

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MELVILLE, New York-The publishers of ONI are pleased to announce that Sharon K. Krumm, PhD, RN, will serve as Editor of Oncology Nursing. Dr. Krumm earned her bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Missouri School of Nursing, Columbia, and her MS and PhD from the University of Missouri.

Reaching Kids With ‘Tar Wars’

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SAN DIEGO--A 13-year-old program developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians can make inroads in educating students about myths and misconceptions of tobacco, said Anne Slivjak, RN, MSN, AOCN, a research assistant in the Nursing Research Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Ibandronate vs Pamidronate in the Treatment of Malignant Hypercalcemia

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Data from the first study to compare ibandronate with pamidronate (Aredia) in the treatment of malignant hypercalcemia were presented at the 37th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The results demonstrated that rates

Many More Patients Will Be Needed for Trials of the Future

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BOSTON-Targeted anticancer drugs such as trastuzumab (Herceptin) targeting HER-2 and imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) targeting Bcr-Abl represent the potential of genome-based medicine, but the future may not be as close as it seems, according to pharmaceutical executives who spoke at the 2001 Drug Discovery Technology Conference.