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WASHINGTON-US spending on research and development has fallen over the last 20 years from 3% to 2.6% of the Gross Domestic Product, and the United States now ranks behind Japan and Germany in R&D spending, according to a study released by the Institute for the Future, a California-based think tank sponsored by 23 research-oriented pharmaceutical companies.

BALTIMORE-Although standard imaging methods are not sensitive enough to catch early-stage pancreatic tumors, positron emission tomography (PET), currently under investigation for this purpose, may prove to be a useful addition to CT scans, said Karl F. Hubner, MD, professor of radiology, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville. Dr. Hubner spoke, along with Pankaj Jay Pasricha, MD, at a meeting on nuclear medicine sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

BALTIMORE-The advent of spiral CT offers advantages over regular CT scans, Elliot K. Fishman, MD, said at a conference sponsored by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he is professor of radiology and oncology.

PARIS-Rhône-Poulenc Rorer Inc.'s Campto (irinotecan/CPT-11), the first new therapeutic agent for the treatment of colorectal cancer since the introduction of fluorouracil nearly 40 years ago, is now available in France. France is the first country outside Japan to approve this agent for marketing.

MONTREAL-The newest beta-lactam plus beta-lactamase inhibitor combination, piperacillin/tazobactam (Zosyn), when combined with amikacin, is highly effective for empiric treatment of patients with febrile granulocyto-penia, Jean A. Klastersky, MD, said at the 19th International Congress of Chemotherapy. He was speaking at a symposium sponsored by Lederle/Wyeth-Ayerst International, manufacturer of Zosyn.

Last January, 13 of the nation's foremost cancer centers formed the Na-tional Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), an alliance that spans the nation geographically, with the goal of providing high-quality cost-effective medical services to cancer patients across the country.

SEATTLE-Improvements in standard imaging techniques may lead toenhanced prostate cancer detection and local staging accuracyin the near future, Gary Sudakoff, MD, said at the Pacific NorthwestCancer Foundation Meeting on Transperi-neal Brachytherapy forEarly Stage Prostate Cancer. Such methods may include combiningcolor Doppler imaging with endorectal ultrasound (see image )and using new types of coils with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),said Dr. Sudakoff, of the University of Chicago.

It is by now axiomatic that information is vitally important in a managed care environment. Whether you are preparing for participation with managed care plans, beginning to evaluate the results of ongoing participation, considering expansion of existing managed care arrangements, or assessing capitation, you will need a plan.

MONTREAL-In a small Canadian study of patients with cancer-related pain, nearly 75% said that 12-hour dosing with sustained-release morphine sulfate tablets (MS Contin) offers advantages over 8-hour dosing, and nearly all (94.5%) preferred 12-hour to 4-hour dosing, report Gérard G. Mignault, MD, and colleagues from the Hôtel-Dieu de Mon-tréal and Purdue Frederick, Pickering, Ontario, manufacturer of MS Contin.

MONTREAL-Altering genes to express therapeutic cytokines may represent an improved approach to direct delivery of these increasingly utilized recombinant proteins, Michael T. Lotze, MD, said during a plenary session at the 19th International Congress of Chemotherapy (ICC).

NEW YORK-Many cancer patients struggling to return to normal life still believe in the John Wayne school of psychotherapy: "Tough it out, stranger," quipped Allen Levine, ACSW, at a symposium on fatigue and cancer, sponsored by Cancer Care, Inc.

NEW YORK-Although 90% of prostate cancer patients in a Harris poll cited delay of disease progression as a key benefit they seek from a therapy, only one third of physicians said they would be very likely to recommend complete hormonal therapy (CHT) (an oral antian-drogen drug plus castration therapy) for all of their stage D patients. Nearly all physicians said they discuss CHT with patients, but more than 50% of patients said it had not been presented as a treatment option. The poll was sponsored by the advocacy group US TOO! and funded by Schering Oncology/Biotech.

PHILADELPHIA-The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is sponsoring its fourth annual Gertrude Elion Cancer Research Award. This award, provided through an educational grant from Glaxo Wellcome Oncology, is open to nontenured cancer investigators in clinical, basic, or translational research in the United States and Canada.

NEW YORK-Life expectancy in the United States fell slightly between 1992 and 1993 and did not improve in 1994. The increase in overall mortality stems from increases in the number of deaths caused by the major killers (heart disease and cancer), as well as respiratory diseases (COPD, pneumonia, and influenza) and diabetes mellitus.

MONTREAL-The emergence of resistant microorganisms is a worldwide threat, Robert C. Moellering, Jr, MD, said at a plenary session of the 19th International Congress of Chemotherapy. While the balance is still on the side of the clinician, he warned that "we are coming perilously close to running out of targets for new antibacterial strategies."

Congenital vascular lesions are often misdiagnosed and, for the most part, left untreated. The absence of a uniformly accepted classification of these lesions and confusion over their natural history are partly responsible. A new classification of these lesions recognizes two distinct groups of lesions, hemangiomas and vascular malformations.

WASHINGTON-Phytochemicals are naturally occurring substances found in plants. They differ from vitamins and minerals in that they have no known nutritive value, but many have been found to have a protective effect against cancer, according to reports from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) annual research conference.

BETHESDA, Md-Robert W. Day, MD, told fellow members of the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) that a brief survey he sent to teaching hospitals across the country showed that reimbursement per case has dropped, and the likely culprit is managed care.

This is part 2 of a two-part article that provides a behind the scenes look at the workings of the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee. Part 1, which appeared last month, described the committees' duties and how members are selected. This article outlines a typical meeting and tells how the FDA uses the recommendations.

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill--Vysis Inc. has announced the availability of the Locus Specific Identifier (LSITM) bcr/abl translocation probe, a dual-color probe mixture that detects gene fusion of the bcr and abl genes.

This two-part article provides a behind the scenes look at the workings of the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC), based on interviews by Washington Bureau Chief Margot Fromer with the ODAC administrator, current chairman, and immediate past chairman. Part 1 describes ODAC's duties and how members are selected. Part 2, to appear next month, outlines a typical meeting and tells how FDA uses ODAC's recommendations.

DETROIT--The Michigan Cancer Foundation has received a $15 million gift from Peter Karmanos, Jr., chairman and CEO of Compuware Corporation, Farmington Hills, Michigan.

A previously unrecognized biochemical mechanism by which the immune system reins in the tissue-destroying activities of T

GAITHERSBURG, Md--Genetic Therapy, Inc. has begun phase I testing of a gene therapy protocol designed to protect patients' blood from the destructive effects of high-dose chemotherapy. The trial, headed by Kenneth H. Cowan, MD, PhD, of the NCI, will include approximately 18 metastatic breast cancer patients being treated at the NIH.

BETHESDA, Md--Of the more than 30 million African-Americans in the United States today, fewer than 60 are board-certified oncologists, according to an NIH research report on minority health.

This column is the first in a series of articles in Oncology News International that will focus on the impact of managed care on oncology practice. The series will discuss aspects of managed care that need to be considered by oncologists, either in communities or in academic centers, to remain state-of-the-art into the 21st century.

MANHASSET, NY--North Shore University Hospital-Cornell University Medical College has announced the start of a phase I study of continuous infusion interleukin-2 given with a circadian modified pattern (CORN 9476).

LA JOLLA, Calif--Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has received FDA approval to extend its phase II clinical trials of AG1343, conducted in England, to the United States. Under an investigational new drug application, researchers at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, New York, and Conant Medical Group, San Francisco, will evaluate alternative daily doses of the oral agent in approximately 30 patients.

WASHINGTON--In a surprise move, the House Labor, HHS and Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee voted to increase NIH funding by about $642 million for FY 1996. NCI's 1996 budget of $2.25 billion represents a $31 million increase over the current budget.

BETHESDA, Md--Carol Mans-field, MD, professor of radiation oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, has been appointed chief of NCI's Radiation Research Program. She is former president of the American Radium Society and the American Cancer Society, Philadelphia Division.