May 2008

The Academy delivers the latest news on biotech and oncology research, providing a link between the clinical world of cancer care and the university researchers who are pushing the envelope of knowledge and discovery. In this issue: Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles; Harvard Medical School, Boston; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston; Yale School of Medicine, New Haven; and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School,Piscataway, NJ.

Phase IV: 1) Cancer Risks and Postmenopausal Hormone Link Confirmed Phase III: 1) Do Vitamins Protect Against Lung Cancer? 2) Longer Life Expectancy in Pancreatic Cancer When Gemcitabine Is Added to Chemotherapy 3) Outcomes Improve With Letrozole Treatment in Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer 4. Pemetrexed vs. Docetaxel for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment Phase II: 1) Talactoferrin-Alfa Treatment for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer 2) Advanced Carcinoid Systemic Therapy

Physicians' Financial News focuses on news-making and/or notable companies in the oncology biotechnology sector. In this issue: Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Flourishing on Strength of Single Agent With Multiple Applications Cephalon, Inc.: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treatment Approved: First New Option in Seven Years Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: New Challenges, New Hope Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Potential Ovarian Cancer Treatment Advancing Through Development Pipeline BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ASKA Pharmaceutical: Enhanced Survival, Tolerability Observed in Joint Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Trial

1) Cost Is Creeping Into the Therapy Decision-Making Discussion 2) Rounding Down Chemotherapy Doses: Does It Save Money for the Health System? 3) HER2 Testing and Treatment Patterns in Breast Cancer 4) Cost Effectiveness of a Drug Combination in Malignant Mesothelioma 5) The Effect of Epoetin Alfa on Quality of Life in Patients With Anemia 6) ASCO Seeks to Improve Coordination of Care, Introduces Treatment Template 7) What Factors Increase the Likelihood of Colon Cancer Screening?

A dual phase clinical trial of Millennium Pharmaceuticals' injectable bortezomib assessed the efficacy and safety of the drug in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients. The study findings were notable in that results included one of the highest reported complete remission rates ever attained in a trial of a prospective MM therapy.

Highly targeted chemotherapeutic agents, which have emerged over the past decade, offer renewed hope to many patients diagnosed with cancers once considered difficult or impossible to treat. However, with the new hope many of these "super drugs" bring come new challenges in the management of side effects, some which can become debilitating enough to interfere with cancer treatment.

The 13th annual conference of The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) was held in Hollywood, Florida, from March 5-9, 2008. Attendees were provided with updates to the organization's Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology, protocols that, according to NCCN (a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers), currently cover the management of more than 97% of all cancer patients. Updated treatment guidelines were presented for an array of disease states, including breast cancer, leukemia, colon and rectal cancer, kidney cancer, multiple myeloma, and lung cancer.

In this issue, we provide a general overview of the 13th meeting of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)as well as session highlights,focusing on updated treatment guidelines. Our editors attended the Sixth International Symposium on Supportive Care in Oncology,Cancer Management in the Era of Targeted Agents,and present both the hope and the challenge of these "super drugs".