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BETHESDA-For many oncologists, the term “complementary and alternative medicine,” or CAM, brings to mind laetrile and other worthless cancer “cures.” Last October, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) established the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine and named Jeffrey D. White, MD, as its director.

PHILADELPHIA-Several phase II clinical trials are now underway to test chemoprevention of colon cancer through selected cyclooxygenase enzyme (COX2) inhibitors.

BALTIMORE-A series of colon cancer case studies presented at a meeting on clinical cancer genetics at Johns Hopkins University illustrated the complexity, medical and otherwise, that accompanies genetic testing for cancer.

BALTIMORE-“However unfamiliar the territory, physicians, nurses, and other health care providers must understand the murky region surrounding genetic testing where legal, ethical, and social questions overlap science,” said Karen H. Rothenberg, JD, MPA, director of the Law and Health Care Program, University of Maryland School of Law. She spoke at a program on clinical cancer genetics held at Johns Hopkins University.

Stanford researchers have devised a novel approach for delivering a clot-busting gene to blocked leg arteries in animals, effectively restoring blood flow to the damaged vessels, according to a new study presented at the 24th scientific meeting of

Members of Congress are trying to assure coverage of cancer screening tests under private insurance plans that Congress equired Medicare to cover as part of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and

The physician-patient relationship is based on effective communication. In oncology, higher expectations for communication are driven by increased media attention to cancer, patient-directed pharmaceutical advertising, and

BALTIMORE-Physicians must help patients sort through the many diagnostic, predictive, and therapeutic alternatives raised by genetic testing, a trio of genetic specialists from Johns Hopkins said at a meeting on clinical cancer genetics and genetic testing.

New research shows that women who smoke menthol cigarettes may be more likely to inhale deeper and potentially inhale more nicotine than do smokers of nonmenthol cigarettes. The study also showed that menthol cigarette smokers tend to have

PHILADELPHIA-A simple new test can detect which individuals may be at risk for hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), or Lynch’s syndrome, and therefore should undergo genetic screening for HNPCC mutations.

Because of the absence of severe toxicities, UFT plus oral leucovorin is an optimal candidate for combination chemotherapy regimens. Its excellent acceptance by patients and well-tolerated safety profile make it a potential therapy for patients with poor performance status or patients who have been extensively pretreated

NEW YORK-More than 1,000 guests attended a black-tie event at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria to commemorate Cancer Care’s 16th Annual Human Services Award Dinner. Hosted by WCBS TV Anchor Dana Tyler, the event acknowledged “four outstanding champions in the fight to help people and their families with cancer.”

ASCO-A one-year retrospective study of 111 hospice patients with progressive cancer and chronic pain showed that the average daily narcotic requirement for pain control was “very high,” with a wide range of required dosages, Hossam A. Abdel-Rahman, MD, said at an ASCO poster session on symptom management.

The use of alternative therapies in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy is a potentially important clinical issue. Most patients assume that alternative therapies are harmless since they are “not drugs” and, thus, do not have an established

ASCO-Fatigue can severely affect a patient’s daily life, even as long as 2 years after chemotherapy (see box ). But three studies presented at ASCO show that epoietin alfa (Procrit) can successfully treat the anemia that contributes to chemotherapy-related fatigue and improve patients’ quality of life (QOL).

SILVER SPRING, Md-The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended at its most recent meeting that the Food and Drug Administration approve one new anticancer agent and additional indications for two available agents. Complete reports on the panel’s three recommendations will appear in the next issue of Oncology News International.

Total-body irradiation (TBI), when given as part of bone marrow transplantation (BMT), works by enhancing immune suppression and by exerting a tumoricidal effect. The modality has been made less toxic because of new approaches to

The article by Drs. Grondin and Sugarbaker discussing the clinical management of malignant pleural mesothelioma provides an excellent overview but also highlights many of the controversies surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of this difficult

The use of alternative therapies among cancer patients has increased dramatically since the 1970s. A recent review of published surveys found that anywhere from 7% to 64% of adult cancer patients were using such therapies.[1] Preliminary

Grondin and Sugarbaker provide an excellent, thorough review of malignant pleural mesotheliomas. Nearly 3,000 new mesotheliomas will be diagnosed in the United States this year. On the positive side, epidemiologists estimate that workplace

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is cell-cycle specific for its cytotoxicity and has a pharmacokinetic profile characterized by a short, single-dose half-life of 10 to 20 minutes in plasma. Efforts to maximize its clinical efficacy have been

Oxaliplatin is a unique platinum compound with single-agent activity in both chemotherapy-naïve colorectal cancer patients and patients who progressed on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The combination of oxaliplatin and 5-FU

UFT (uracil and tegafur in a 4:1 molar ratio) plus calcium folinate treatment has favorable activity and tolerable toxicity in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma. High response rates have been reported in patients with

Many patients treat themselves with oral antioxidants and other alternative therapies during chemotherapy, frequently without advising their conventional health care provider. No definitive studies have demonstrated

Gemcitabine (Gemzar) (2-deoxy-2,2-difluorocytidine) is a new antimetabolite being increasingly used in the treatment of solid tumors. It is an analog of deoxycytidine and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) (Figure 1) that has shown significant activity

Data from a multinational phase III trial were analyzed to evaluate the use of in- and outpatient services for 373 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer being administered uracil/tegafur (in a molar ratio of 4:1 [UFT]) plus

In recent years, due to the advent of sensitive instrumentation and methodologies, it has been possible to identify parameters that predict the quality of response of individual patients to treatments for specific selected diseases,

Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a relatively unique drug in oncology because administration in different doses and schedules results in dramatically different patterns of qualitative toxicity. In the 41 years 5-FU has been

Since cancer is incurable in many patients, palliation of symptoms and quality-of-life issues are important aspects of therapy. Uracil and tegafur (UFT) plus calcium folinate are the components of the oral agent known

Because most patients now want to know the truth about their diagnosis and prognosis, the ability to discuss the cancer diagnosis, disease recurrence, or treatment failure, and to solicit patients’ views about resuscitation