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Predicting the survival of terminal cancer patients is a difficult task. To better understand this difficulty, we divide prognostication into two distinct elements: foreseeing and foretelling. Foreseeing is a physician’s silent cognitive

NEW YORK-Clinical trials of the experimental oral agent exisulind (Prevatac) are underway for chemopre-vention of a variety of cancers, according to a report at Current Concepts in Cancer Therapy II, a scientific symposium sponsored by Long Ridge Associates.

NEW YORK-Two mornings a week, women who have had mastectomies or lumpectomies dip into the blue and white tiled pool at The Sol Goldman Young Men and Women’s Hebrew Association in Manhattan to laugh and splash, to reduce postoperative complications, and to feel alive and accepted. Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center offer the Renewal Pool Program free to any woman who has had breast cancer surgery.

NEW ORLEANS-Steps can be taken to reduce the number of false-positive results with screening mammography, W. Phil Evans, MD, said at the American Society of Breast Disease annual meeting. “But false positives may not be such a catastrophe. Reducing the false-positive rate should never overshadow the fundamental goal of screening mammography-the early detection of clinically occult breast cancer,” said Dr. Evans, medical director, Susan G. Komen Breast Center, Baylor University Medical Center, and clinical associate professor of radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas.

Few of us enjoy performing a task if we feel that we are not very good at it. Furthermore, the simpler the task appears to be, the more embarrassed we feel about our perceived lack of ability. As a result, we tend to avoid the whole situation

ASCO-In a phase II trial, more than one-third of patients with AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma responded to self-administration of a nasal solution containing the small antiangiogenic peptide IM862, Parkash Gill, MD, of the University of Southern California, reported at the ASCO annual meeting.

Fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most extensively investigated chemotherapy agents in medical oncology. Generations of medical oncologists have equated this agent with the optimal treatment of colorectal cancer, both in the advanced and

In November 1996, residents of Oregon approved a $0.30 increase in the cigarette tax (to $0.68 per pack). The measure stipulated that 10% of the additional tax revenue be allocated to the Oregon Health Division to develop and implement a

PHILADELPHIA-It has been shown that the fetus may be damaged by maternal smoking. Now, new research finds that even maternal exposure to second-hand smoke may harm the fetus. The findings were presented in two studies at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC-The National Toxicology Program (NTP) plans to review the three wavelength groups of ultraviolet light-UVA, UVB, and UVC-for possible listing in the federal government’s Tenth Annual Report on Carcinogens. The three wavelengths occur in varying amounts in sunlight and in some forms of artificial light, such as that used in sun lamps and tanning beds.

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