Oncology Business Management

German researchers sought to confirm the results of a previous Japanese trial that found patients with extensive-disease small–cell lung cancer (ED SCLC) treated with irinotecan plus cisplatin lived longer than subjects given therapy with etoposide plus cisplatin.

Women with ovarian cancer have few nonplatinum-based chemotherapy options. At the 33rd ESMO Congress in September 2008, researchers reported findings from OVA-301, a phase III trial that compared efficacy and safety of trabectedin (Yondelis) in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) versus PLD monotherapy in women with relapsed ovarian cancer.

Previous studies have demonstrated that patients who have recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell head and neck cancer (SCHNC) that is resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy can be treated effectively with cetuximab. Belgian researchers hoped to discover whether cetuximab plus platinum-based chemotherapy would be an effective first-line treatment in patients with SCHNC.

A pivotal phase III study is currently underway to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Novartis' novel anti-cancer compound ASA404 in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC is the most prevalent cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States and globally.

The International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA) takes a multidisciplinary approach to furthering the understanding and management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In September 2008, researchers from more than 40 countries attended the Second Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois to discuss the most recent findings on diagnosis and treatment.

Reporting on ASCO's October 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium and the Second Annual Conference of the International Liver Cancer Association held in September, highlighting new research and emerging trends in patient care and treatments.

Key findings from the 2008 ASCO Breast Cancer Conference focus on the latest multidisciplinary research as well as in-depth discussions on how and when to translate new findings into patient care. Highlighted presentations address the need for greater selectivity in choosing a therapy regimen for a specific patient with breast cancer. In particular, what efforts are underway to develop targeted treatments for triple-negative breast tumors?

The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute opened on July 9, 1990,as the adult patient-care component of The Ohio State University (OSU) Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC).Today, "The James," as it is referred to, is the only dedicated cancer hospital in the Midwest.

The motto for Onyx Pharmaceuticals is "Changing the Way Cancer is Treated." With a successful 2009 behind it and a busy 2010 ahead, Onyx is staying true to its word.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) updated its 2003 recommendations for genetic testing to keep pace with exponential progress in genetic science.

The United States spent $2.3 trillion ($7681 per person) on healthcare in 2008, with costs continuing to outstrip available resources.

The FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute Enterprise Vocabulary Service, launched a Website (http://tinyurl.com/mlptu7) updating its coding system for reporting adverse events related to medical devices.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has issued new practice guidelines for managing certain patients with prostate cancer.

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, for 35 to 40 seconds.The island country's capital of Port-au-Prince was hardest hit, with heavy damage to buildings and infrastructure and major loss of life.

The FDA concludes that the cholesterol-lowering drugs simvastatin (Zocor),ezetimibe (Zetia), and Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin) are not likely to increase cancer risk.

According to data from a French study, patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer who experience a chemotherapy-free interval (CFI) following first-line chemotherapy have shorter durations of disease control(DDC)and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with patients who begin maintenance therapy immediately.

According to a multi-institutional study, terminally ill cancer patients are more likely to seek hospice care and less likely to pursue aggressive end-of-life (EOL) treatment if the medical team supports their spiritual needs.

Jianfeng Xu, MD, professor of epidemiology and cancer biology, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, North Carolina, and colleagues discovered a variant predictive of aggressive prostate cancer.

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma (OU) have been investigating focused microwave thermotherapy (FMT), a microwave treatment capable of destroying large cancer tumors in patients with breast cancer.

In 2009, we covered several long-term studies investigating the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) alone or sequenced with tamoxifen. This includes the Intergroup Exemestane Study (IES), the TEAM trial, and the BIG 1-98 trial, all of which presented new or updated data at the 2009 SABCS in December.

For women with breast cancer, alcohol consumption and obesity herald a poorer prognosis. In one of only a few studies to evaluate the role of alcohol in breast cancer outcomes, researchers found that imbibing just half a drink per day���¢�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½or 2 to 3 per week���¢�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½raised the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 39%. In a second study involving ~19,000 women, body mass index (BMI) ���¢�¯�¿�½���¥25 increased the risk of distant metastasis by approximately 45%, study involving ~19,000 women, body mass index (BMI) ���¢�¯�¿�½���¥25 increased the risk of distant metastasis by approximately 45%.

Bisphosphonates have been a hot topic at the past several SABCS meetings. This year was no exception. In addition to bisphosphonates' protective effects on bone, researchers have been looking at whether they have anticancer effects.

As part of our ongoing coast-to-coast oncology coverage, our writers were live in Texas at the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Our special SABCS wrap-up delivers all the major breast cancer news�including data on MRI screening, bisphosphonates, and aromatase inhibitors�to oncologists unable to attend the event.

When our home state of New Jersey became the 14th state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana, OBTN decided to take a closer look at the herbal remedy. With help from oncologists on our advisory board, we sought to filter through the smoke and examine the ealities of medical marijuana.

In another discovery that may help tailor the treatment of women with breast cancer, researchers from the Dana-Farber Women's Cancers Program determined that overexpression of the LAPTM4B and YWHAZ genes on chromosome 8q22, combined with amplification of other genes, conveys resistance to anthracyclines and increases the likelihood of metastatic recurrence.

Chemotherapy recipients have long complained of decreased mental function during and after treatment, yet the medical community has only recently acknowledged the reality of chemo brain, the term for chemotherapy's degenerative effect on normal cognitive function.

The Ancient Indians were the fi rst to use pens around 5000 BCE. While these writing implements were primitive, typically consisting of hollowed out reeds that could hold a small amount of ink, which was generally soot in water with a plant gum binder, they were used for thousands of years and are still used today in certain parts of Pakistan.

Once a human malignancy metastasizes, currently available cytotoxic chemotherapy is usually palliative. While conventional chemotherapy regimens are associated with objective tumor regression, this only occurs in a minority of patients.