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WASHINGTON-Palpable and nonpalpable breast cancers differ in a variety of inherent characteristics, reported Kristin Skinner, MD, of the University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles. She presented her study results at the 54th Annual Cancer Symposium of the Society of Surgical Oncology.

MONTVILLE, NJ-The FDA has approved Campath (alemtuzumab) humanized monoclonal antibody for the treatment of patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have been treated with alkylating agents and have failed fludarabine (Fludara) therapy. Campath was developed by M&I Partners, a 50-50 joint venture of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ILEX Oncology, Inc. The agent will be marketed and distributed in the United States by Berlex Laboratories, Inc.

Most patients do not want to use investigational treatments even though entry into cancer clinical trials is frequently associated with a higher survival rate. This is just one of the reasons why patients do not participate in trials, according to researchers at

WASHINGTON-The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $845.7 million in grants to assist poor and uninsured HIV-infected persons in obtaining primary care, support, services, and anti-AIDS drugs. About two thirds of the money, $571.3 million, will pay for the purchase of medications through state-run AIDS Drug Assistance Programs.

WASHINGTON-Four members of Congress received the 2001 Paul E. Tsongas Memorial Award for their contributions to forwarding cancer research and awareness of the disease. This year’s honorees were Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass), Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Rep. C. W. Bill Young (R-Fla), and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif).

NEW ORLEANS-Pediatric cancer survivors face an increased risk of second malignancies later in life, especially breast cancer, according to a large database of some 14,000 persons diagnosed with cancer before age 21 and alive 5 years or longer.

Outline of Oncology Therapeutics is a well-written, concise, and up-to-date book providing detailed descriptions of a variety of medications and issues important to the overall care and treatment of patients with cancer. Oncology practice today

The field of surgical oncology isgrowing rapidly. As it assumes

NEW YORK-A topical sustained-release fluorouracil product for actinic keratosis that is applied once a day is now available from Dermik Laboratories (Beryn, Penn). The concentration of active ingredient in the new product, Carac, is 0.5%, or one tenth that in most fluorouracil creams. In clinical trials, use of the preparation cleared more than 70% of actinic keratoses within 1 week.

Rep. Pryce is also cochair of the House Cancer Working Group. In March, she introduced the Access to Cancer Clinical Trials Act (H.R. 967), which would require health insurers to pay for the routine costs incurred by patients in

CHICAGO-A vaccinia-based vaccine against a modified simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen has proven efficacious in animal models, said Michael Imperiale, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor. He described the vaccine at a conference on the role of SV40 in malignant mesothelioma, sponsored by the University of Chicago.

WASHINGTON-National exposure data for 27 contaminants are detailed in the first National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, assembled and released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unlike studies that estimate population exposures by measuring air, water, and soil samples, the new data represent direct measurements of chemicals in blood and urine samples. The samples were collected in 1999 as part of CDC’s periodic National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The article by Dr. Weinstein is a discussion of the newer surgical options available for the treatment of patients with laryngeal cancer. Several aspects of the article deserve mention.

The management of cancer of the larynx has arguably become the most complicated task in the field of head and neck oncology. Both physicians and patients struggle to decide how initial treatment should be delivered. Treatment decisions

In the past 10 years, the introduction of combined chemotherapy and radiation as an alternative to total laryngectomy for patients with advanced laryngeal cancer ushered in a new treatment paradigm termed "organ preservation." The adoption of

WASHINGTON-Medicine and other sciences need to move beyond institutional review boards (IRBs) and adapt a broader focus for protecting participants in human research studies, according to a new Institute of Medicine (IOM) report. It recommends a vigorous accreditation system to oversee what it terms "human research participant protection programs," or HRPPPs.

NEW ORLEANS-New research presented at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) shows that medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children, is actually two diseases with distinctly different clinical, pathologic, and genetic characteristics.

NEW ORLEANS-A number of investigators reported studies of chemopreventive substances at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla-A descriptive study drawing cancer patients from seven outpatient clinics has found that female patients with bone metastases were prescribed half the pain medication as male patients with the same pain intensity scores. The disparity was significant whether the researchers counted all of the analgesics prescribed to each patient or only the opioid analgesics.

SAN FRANCISCO-Umbilical cord blood from unrelated donors can be a useful source of hematopoietic stem cells for treating hematologic malignancies in adults as well as infants, according to a multicenter study presented by Mary J. Laughlin, MD, at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Dr. Laughlin is director of the Allogeneic Transplant Program, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Ireland Cancer Center.

In their new book entitled Current Therapy in Cancer, Drs. Foley, Vose, and Armitage endeavor to provide a short and concise presentation of various cancers. Their purpose is to aid clinicians in presenting a succinct overview of individual

HOUSTON-Preclinical studies showing that irinotecan (Camptosar) has broad-spectrum activity in vitro and in vivo in xenografts derived from pediatric tumors are being followed by phase I and phase II clinical trials. Susan Blaney, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Texas Children’s Cancer Center in Houston said that irinotecan has shown activity in pediatric neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and medulloblastoma (including glioma) in preclinical studies.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee-Irinotecan (Camptosar) has moved from scientific investigation to clinical application, but questions remain about its optimal use. These questions and related issues were outlined at the opening session of the Vanderbilt University Symposium, "Irinotecan: from Scientific Investigation to Clinical Application," by program chairman Mace L. Rothenberg, MD. Dr. Rothenberg is associate professor of medicine, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The symposium was sponsored by Pharmacia Oncology.

WASHINGTON-Twenty-two public health organizations have again called on the federal government to initiate action against R.J. Reynolds Co. to stop it from making unsubstantiated health-related claims about its Eclipse cigarette.

ROCHESTER, Minnesota-According to Richard M. Goldberg, MD, the potential advantages of oral irinotecan include prolonged blood levels, less toxicity, greater convenience, and reduced cost. Interestingly, more complete responses and sustained remissions were associated with oral irinotecan vs IV administration in mice with CX-1 colon cancer xenografts. Dr. Goldberg is chair of gastrointestinal oncology research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

NEW YORK-The Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR) has launched a new website, Cancer-pain.org, to provide cancer patients with the education and support they need to obtain effective pain relief.

NEW YORK-"In my sculpture, I see women as rich earthbound creatures. They are rooted to the ground while simultaneously reaching up and outward, vulnerable yet strong," says Leonda Finke, creator of the bronze sculpture shown at left (Standing Figure #3 ? by Leonda Finke). The sculpture was featured in the 2001 desk calendar of the New York-based Creative Center for Women With Cancer. The calendar is sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

ROCHESTER, Minnesota-Accurate surrogate markers that would help researchers predict clinical response to systemic cancer chemotherapy and greatly speed development of new treatments may be on the way. Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, discussed these anticipated markers that will be much more precise than those currently in use. Dr. Adjei is consultant in oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

I read with interest the article based on a presentation by Dr. David Hussey concerning physician competency reviews (December 2000). Dr. Hussey, who is president of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology

CHICAGO-Obtaining an individual patient’s genetic profile for genetic polymorphisms known to affect drug responsiveness or risk of drug toxicity will become a routine part of medical care over the next 25 years and will dramatically transform the prescribing process, Mark J. Ratain, MD, predicted at the Vanderbilt University Symposium. Dr. Ratain is professor of medicine and chairman of the Committee on Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Chicago.