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In 1995, tobacco use contributed to the deaths of 6,274 persons in Oregon (1995 population, 3,132,000) as reported by

Provisional surveillance data about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) for the first 6 months of 1996 indicated a

HAMBURG-More than 6,000 cancer researchers, clinical oncologists, and specialist cancer nurses from all over the world attended the Ninth European Cancer Conference (ECCO 9), considered Europe’s foremost multidisciplinary oncology event. (See reports on pages 1, 2, 3, 8, 13, 15, 24, 27, and 40.)

WASHINGTON-The House and Senate have each passed bills revising the process by which the Food and Drug Administration approves new drugs and medical devices. But what happens in the conference committee that resolves a significant difference between the two measures may well decide whether President Clinton signs or vetoes the final bill.

n PRINCETON, NJ-A single dose of Quadramet (Samarium Sm 153 Lexidronam injection) significantly relieved bone pain in patients with metastatic breast, prostate, and other primary cancers in a dose-dependent manner, a multicenter European study has shown.

CHICAGO-“Is the private practice oncologist at risk? I think we are,” said Bruce Feinberg, DO, at the first national conference on purchasing oncology services, sponsored by the American Cancer Society and the Kerr L. White Institute for Health Services Research, Decatur, Ga.

CHICAGO-When the US Supreme Court decided recently that patients have no inherent right to physician-assisted suicide, it neglected to help physicians decide how to respond to those “exceptional cases involving real patients with real suffering,” said Timothy E. Quill, MD, at the American Academy of Family Physicians annual meeting.

Current and former smokers may not be not so different after all. Although the appearance of lung tissue in smokers returns to

CHICAGO-The purchasers that make critical health care decisions for approximately 75% of the American population who have insurance readily acknowledge they have little understanding of the cost of oncology care or the types of services that cancer patients need.

BARCELONA, Spain-Intrathecal administration of the selective neuronal channel blocker SNX-111 via an external pump proved safe and feasible in 11 patients with chronic intractable pain. More than half of the group saw an improvement in pain control, William Brose, MD, reported at a meeting of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

SAN DIEGO-Just as a glacier may advance and retreat simultaneously, managed oncology care appears to be experiencing both integration and disintegration, said James L. Wade III, MD, president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC).

PITTSBURGH-A special microscope capable of “seeing” some 40 different wavelengths of the visible color spectrum is being used to add dramatic new colors to stained tissues, which may enhance the pathologist’s ability to detect malignancies.

With a few clicks of a computer mouse, scientists now can access a free on-line index that will soon show tens of thousands of

Olive Garden Italian Restaurants recently reached their goal of raising $2 million through its “Pasta for Pennies” program to

Cancer outcome is improving by 1% each year, which adds up to very substantial progress over 5 years, says Professor

BALTIMORE-The $368.5 billion settlement worked out between 40 state attorneys general and the tobacco industry now faces the lengthy congressional process. Congress must enact and the President must sign into law a number of provisions to finalize the agreement.

Presenting the nursing perspective on cancer, Ms. Nora Jodrell, Macmillan Lecturer in Cancer Nursing and President Elect of

SAN DIEGO-Many oncologists attending a session on capitation at the Association of Community Cancer Centers’ 14th National Oncology Economics Conference may have hoped the speaker would reveal the “ideal rate” to charge for capitated oncology care, but, unfortunately, “there is no such thing,” Philip L. Beard told the gathering.

PHILADELPHIA-“Litigation is killing the Pap test. You have to allow patients to sue, but suing because the test is imperfect, we can’t allow,” Richard M. DeMay, MD, told Oncology News International. The solution, he believes, is “some sort of legislation.”

PHILADELPHIA-The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is seeking applications for its sixth annual Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award, as well as Research Fellowships for young scientists.

PHILADELPHIA-The FDA has approved testing for HPV (human papillomavirus) directly from Cytyc’s ThinPrep Pap Test collection vial. HPV testing is performed using Digene Corporation’s Hybrid Capture HPV DNA Assay, the only HPV test currently approved for marketing by the FDA.

TORONTO-Potent new anti-HIV three-drug “cocktails” are far more likely to fail in the real world of primary care than in carefully controlled clinical trials, researchers reported at the American Society for Microbiology’s 37th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC). However, it appears that such failures are much less likely if patients are started on the three agents concurrently rather than sequentially.

NEW YORK-The North American Brain Tumor Coalition (NABTC) kicked off the first Brain Tumor Awareness Week, October 19 to 25, 1997. The national event is designed to educate the public about the impact of brain tumors, as well as highlight the need for increased research funding.

BETHESDA, Md-A major re-evaluation of the nation’s cancer surveillance system is in the offing. National Cancer Institute director Richard D. Klausner, MD, told the President’s Cancer Panel that he has asked for such a review by NCI staff, working with other relevant agencies such as the National Center for Health Statistics.

ATLANTA-Gazing up at a canopy of red fall foliage or a placid blue lake, the cancer patient is able to relax and momentarily forget the large radiation machine looming over her. She remains still and calm for her radiation treatment, and leaves the facility in good spirits. This is the goal of “visual therapy,” the use of nature photography throughout treatment centers but especially in high-stress areas such as radiation oncology.

HAMBURG-Pathologists may soon be able to obtain expert second opinions on specimens through microscope teleconferencing on the Internet, thanks to an oncologic pathology network now under development by a consortium of European Union pathologists and companies. In addition to allowing long-distance consultations, the EURO-PATH project-European Pathology Assisted by Telematics for Health-will provide pathologists with access to a multimedia European database.

Dr. Blum has written a comprehensive summary of the natural history, pathology, prevention, and management of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. His excellent state-of-the-art review updates readers on most of the recent advances in this field.

There are many challenges facing those involved in chemotherapy drug development. In addition to identification of new agents, clinical investigators must address questions regarding the optimal methods of administration of established agents so as to maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity. Treatment toxicity affects not only morbidity and mortality but also issues of dose intensity, quality of life, and health-care costs. Therefore, there is great interest in preventing the side effects associated with chemotherapy.

Over the past 10 years, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group has evaluated, by Phase III trials, the value of using a combination regimen, including androgen suppression (goserelin [Zoladex] and flutamide [Eulexin]) and radiation therapy, in locally advanced prostate cancer. Androgen suppression prior to or during radiation has not been shown to increase overall survival, but it has been shown to increase progression-free survival and freedom from distant metastases. In addition, a subset of men with poorly differentiated tumors who received goserelin following external beam radiation have had a significant overall survival benefit at 5 years’ follow-up. [Oncol News Int 6(Suppl 3):19-20, 1997]

Androgen deprivation has been used prior to radical prostatectomy in an attempt to improve local control of prostate cancer and delay time to cancer progression. Thirty men (mean age of 65) with clinical stage T3 adenocarcinoma of the prostate were entered into a phase II trial at the University of California, San Francisco, examining the effects of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation (luteinizing hormone-releasing agonist and an antiandrogen) before radical prostatectomy. Twenty-six of these patients subsequently underwent radical prostatectomy. Despite impressive physiological changes in prostate and tumor volume, stage reduction was noted in only 4 patients (15%). Overall, with a mean follow-up of 32.7 months, 72% of patients had evidence of disease recurrence, including detectable PSA. Several series suggest that in patients with stage T1 and T2 disease, the likelihood of a positive surgical margin after radical prostatectomy is decreased substantially by neoadjuvant deprivation. The effect on long-term disease-free survival, however, is still unknown. [Oncol News Int 6(Suppl 3):16-17, 1997