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BETHESDA, Md-At the request of the Food and Drug Administration, a special subcommittee of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) has begun assessing issues related to the use of quality-of-life (QOL) endpoints in the approval process for new oncology drugs.

WASHINGTON-The National Cancer Policy Board (NCPB) has a message for states still deciding whether to devote some or all of their tobacco settlement funds to lowering tobacco use: Aggressive, focused control efforts work and save lives. “As states contemplate increasing their tobacco control efforts, many have asked if such programs can make a difference. The evidence is clear: They can,” a new NCPB report says.

ROCKVILLE, Md-A new initiative by the Food and Drug Administration seeks to move more oncology drugs into pediatric testing and onto the market. In a letter sent to drug companies and researchers, and made public, the FDA said that such an effort “merits special consideration” and notes that the “known and potential differences in the biology of pediatric and adult tumors usually will not permit the extrapolation of clinical activity from adults to children.”

Sedation is a clinically important therapeutic intervention in the imminently dying patient. As the patient with an advanced, irreversible illness nears the end of life, symptoms accumulate that are progressively more difficult to

Over the past decade, increased attention has focused on the care of dying patients. The role of the physician in caring for these patients has been the subject of renewed interest and intense, sometimes passionate, debate. Patient groups have formed to advocate for the promotion of compassion in the care of the dying, and some of these advocacy groups have asserted a fundamental “right” to physician-assisted suicide. The US Supreme Court has ruled against a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide but has asserted its willingness to reconsider the issue if it learned that dying patients were not receiving appropriate, high-quality end-of-life care.[1]

Local tumor recurrence after radiation therapy is due primarily to the failure to eradicate all of the tumor cells within the treatment fields. Theoretically, all cancers could be controlled locally if a sufficiently high radiation dose

An innovative approach to treating glioblastoma multiforme-the use of a bacterial toxin attached to interleukin-13 (IL-13)-has been tested in animals, and a phase I study

In 1998, a retrospective cost-minimization analysis from the perspective of a British hospital was performed comparing the use of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, Oncovin, and prednisolone (CHOP), fludarabine (FLU [Fludara]), and rituximab

Among patients with low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), combining CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) chemotherapy with rituximab (Rituxan) adds therapeutic benefit

This phase II trial investigated the safety and efficacy of retreatment with rituximab (Rituxan) in patients with low-grade or follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma who relapsed following a response to rituximab therapy.

Ibritumomab tiuxetan (IDEC-Y2B8 [Zevalin]) is an anti-CD20 murine immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) kappa monoclonal antibody conjugated to tiuxetan (MXDTPA), which can securely chelate either indium-111 (111In) for imaging/dosimetry or yttrium-90 (90Y) for therapy.

When Janet Woodcock, MD, a top FDA official, appeared before a Senate committee in early February, she tried to put the issue of medical errors in perspective by referring to a patient who dies after chemotherapy. She rhetorically asked whether

Transformation of low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) to a more aggressive histology is associated with a very poor response to chemotherapy and shortened survival. Therefore, new therapeutic agents are needed. Tositumomab/iodine-

Rituximab (Rituxan) is a chimeric monoclonal antibody binding to CD20. A multicenter trial in relapsed low-grade lymphoma (375 mg/m²/wk × 4) produced a response rate of 48%. However, patients with small lymphocytic lymphoma

Rituximab (Rituxan) has mechanisms of antilymphoma action that differ significantly from those of chemotherapeutic agents: both direct (induction of apoptosis and chemosensitization) and indirect (complement-dependent cytotoxicity and antibody

Due to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, physicians have been clamoring for new drug companies to ratchet up antibiotic research and development. Congress had the same concern when it passed the FDA Modernization Act in 1997,

The rationale for combining rituximab (Rituxan), a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, with chemotherapy includes single-agent efficacy, non–cross-resistant mechanisms of action, possible synergy, and few overlapping toxicities. The safety

CHICAGO-A simple coaxial breast biopsy tool that can be guided by mammography provides a larger tissue specimen than standard core needle biopsies, causes less bleeding and scarring than surgical biopsy, and carries a smaller price than stereotactically guided biopsy procedures, according to Lincoln Russin, MD, who devised the new biopsy tool. Dr. Russin is a radiologist at Noble Hospital, Westfield, Massachusetts, and associate clinical professor of radiology, Yale University.

NEW ORLEANS-A novel imaging system-consisting of a three-dimensional digital camera mounted on a tripod, an LCD display monitor, and a standard desktop computer (see Figure 1)-may be the harbinger of the future of breast surgery,

Results from the compassionate use program for linezolid (Zyvox), an investigational new antibiotic still under development, show that the drug is effective in the treatment of patients with bacteremia associated with significant gram-positive infections,

Ibritumomab tiuxetan (IDEC-Y2B8 [Zevalin]) is an anti-CD20 murine immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) kappa monoclonal antibody conjugated to tiuxetan that can securely chelate either indium-111 (111In) for imaging/dosimetry or yttrium-90 (90Y) for

ARLINGTON, Va-A scientific panel has recommended listing nine substances as either “known” or “reasonably anticipated” to be human carcinogens. If upheld after review, the substances will be listed in the 10th “Report on

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a recently identified, aggressive, B-cell neoplasm that is incurable with current combination chemotherapy regimens. Novel therapeutic strategies are needed. MCLs express high levels of cell-surface CD20 and are

WASHINGTON-The most comprehensive survey of tobacco use among young people has found that 12.8% of middle school students and 34.8% of those in high school reported using some form of tobacco product in the month prior to answering a questionnaire. Cigarettes were favored by most of the students, with cigars second.

Autologous peripheral blood stem-cell (PBSC) transplantation may play an important role in the treatment of indolent lymphomas, as well as aggressive lymphomas. Concern about the contamination of the autologous graft with lymphoma

There is no formula for telling a patient that he or she has cancer. The diagnosis is still perceived, for the most part, as a death sentence, and a patient’s reaction is usually a combination of fear, despair, and anger. How a physician

Rituximab (Rituxan) may be an ideal agent for combination with chemotherapy in patients with extensive indolent lymphoma because of non–cross-resistant efficacy and differential toxicity. However, lethal complications have occurred. Furthermore

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia-The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has launched the first study aimed at developing a national monitoring system for cancer care in the United States. A panel of ASCO physicians and other health experts will oversee the study, which will be conducted by researchers at Harvard University and the RAND Corporation, the organization said in a news release.

Epratuzumab is a humanized anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody immunoglobulin G1 (hLL2 [LymphoCide]) that has been studied in radiolabeled forms (iodine-131[131I] and yttrium-90 [90Y]) in the treatment of chemotherapy-refractory

CHICAGO-Poor reading ability and low income affect many aspects of health care, including cancer screening. Preliminary analysis of data from a study of new enrollees in a Medicare managed care program showed that women with low or inadequate functional literacy were less likely than literate patients to have a Pap smear, and those with yearly incomes below $20,000 were less likely to have mammography.