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Showing 10251 - 10300New Assessment Tools in Development to Guide Care for Older Patients
More than 1,400 people from 62 countries attended the 2012 Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer, held in New York last June. One of the featured sessions, which was jointly...
A Physician, Who Is Also a Cancer Patient, Talks about Medical Errors
In a whispered but resolute voice, Itzhak Brook, MD, MSc, led off his presentation at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting1 by telling the audience his voice is weak because he doesn’t have vocal cords. He spoke with the aid of a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis. “I have practiced medicine for more than ...
Supportive Care Experts Explore 30 Years of Progress in the Field
Thirty years ago, when the first supportive care meeting as a forerunner of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Symposium was held in New York, supportive care was largely ignored, with little discussion at major cancer meetings, which focused primarily on...
Older Chemotherapy Studies in Breast Cancer Coming of Age
Results of several long-running chemotherapy trials were reported at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting breast cancer oral session, reported in brief here. NSABP B-38 The final analysis of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-38 trial showed that the addition of gemcitabine...
Taking Family History and Referral to Genetic Counseling Could Be Improved, Survey Finds
Obtaining a thorough family history of cancer should be a key component in evaluating patients and deciding whether to refer those at increased risk of either primary or second cancers for genetic counseling and testing. Many community oncology practices comply with this practice, but there is room ...
Antidepressant Drug Has ‘Clinically Meaningful’ Effect on Chemotherapy-induced Painful Neuropathy
The oral antidepressant duloxetine (Cymbalta) at 60 mg/d improved chemotherapy-induced painful neuropathy in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial.1 Overall, 59% of patients treated with duloxetine experienced some pain relief, 33% reported at least a 30% decrease in pain, ...
Patient Preference Studied in Treatment Selection for Renal Cell Carcinoma
More attention is being paid to the importance of patient preference as a factor in treatment selection. An innovative randomized, double-blind study in patients with metastatic kidney cancer demonstrates that quality of life and side effects drive patient preference.1 Results also suggest that...
Expert Point of View: Eun-Sil Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH
Eun-Sil Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, who discussed both papers on ductal carcinoma in situ at the ASCO Annual Meeting, noted that better risk stratification and treatments are substantially changing the outlook for DCIS. “We are getting close to ...
Improving Outcomes and Prediction in Ductal Carcinoma in Situ
Risk stratification and outcomes can be improved for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), according to two studies presented at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting. RTOG 9804 Findings from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9804 trial suggested that even for DCIS patients whose prognosis...
Trailblazer in Argentinean Oncology Remains Optimistic about War on Cancer
Eduardo Cazap, MD, PhD, is founder and first President of the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM). In 2008, he was elected to a 2-year term as President of the International Union against Cancer (UICC). The ASCO Post recently spoke with Dr. Cazap about his roots in...
ASCO’s Guideline on Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Melanoma
Direct your patients to www.cancer.net/whattoknow so they can learn about ASCO’s recent guideline on sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma, including what it means for patients and a list of questions to ask the doctor. In addition, patients can find more information about melanoma at...
ASCO University’s e-Seminars Offer a Stimulating Way to Stay on Top of Trends as Well as Meeting Highlights
Did you miss one of the symposia this year and need to quickly catch up on the highlights in small, digestible portions? No problem. ASCO University’s e-Seminar series now has you covered. Or, is there a new journal article that everyone’s talking about, and you need guidance on how to interpret...
Understanding and Managing Pseudoprogression in Glioblastoma Patients
Pearls in Neuro-oncology is guest edited by Tracy Batchelor, MD, Director, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston. The series is intended to provide the practicing oncologist with guidance in managing...
Radiotracer Targeting of Free Prostate-specific Antigen
Serum levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are widely used as a biomarker for prostate cancer, although they often do not distinguish between normal tissue and cancer and do not always accurately reflect clinical outcome. In order to overcome the fact that the small proportion of...
Expert Point of View: Grant McArthur, MB, BS, PhD
Grant McArthur, MB, BS, PhD, Head of the Cancer Therapeutics Program at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, congratulated the investigators on a rapidly accrued, well-conducted, and ethical study that encouraged crossover to the active arm. He noted that regorafenib is an...
Molecularly Targeted Treatment of Thyroid Cancer Rapidly Evolving
Recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis and altered signaling pathways in thyroid cancer are improving treatment options for this malignancy, especially for the subset of patients with medullary thyroid cancer and those with differentiated thyroid cancer that has metastasized, according...
Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: Who, When, and How to Treat?
Differentiated thyroid cancer—papillary, follicular, and Hürthle cell carcinomas—has historically been managed by endocrinologists, surgeons, and radiation oncologists, but recent progress in the field has led to greater involvement by medical oncologists, especially in the care of patients with...
‘Young and Strong’ Program Addresses Multiple Needs of Women in 40s and Younger Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
“Young and Strong” is an exportable model of a program developed at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston to address the significant challenges facing young women with breast cancer. The new model has been designed to “serve young women with breast cancer who are...
Supportive Care Research Runs the Gamut from Genetic Markers of Treatment Side Effects to Neuropathic Pain Therapies
Attendees from around the world gathered for the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer, held June 28–30 in New York. Below are highlights from the meeting, representing...
Expert Point of View: Bruno C. Medeiros, MD
Bruno C. Medeiros, MD, of Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, commented, “It’s clear to say that new treatment strategies are needed for adults with [acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)] to improve outcomes of relapsed disease and to prevent relapses to begin with.” He noted that while ...
Expert Point of View: Constantine S. Tam, MBBS, MD
The findings in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) were discussed by Constantine S. Tam, MBBS, MD, of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, who observed, “There is a long list of novel agents in CLL. I think some of the most promising are those targeting the B-cell receptor pathway. This...
FDA Approves Colon-cleansing Drug for Prep Prior to Colonoscopy
The FDA has approved sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, and citric acid (Prepopik) to help cleanse the colon in adults preparing for colonoscopy, Ferring Pharmaceuticals announced. The new solution is a low-volume, dual-acting stimulant and osmotic laxative. The FDA approval is based on data from ...
FDA Approves Ziv-aflibercept for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
The FDA has approved ziv-aflibercept (Zaltrap) for use in combination with a FOLFIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil, irinotecan) chemotherapy regimen to treat adults with colorectal cancer. Ziv-aflibercept is an angiogenesis inhibitor that inhibits the blood supply to tumors. It is intended for patients ...
Rethinking the Role of PSA Screening in Public Health
Population screening to identify preclinical disease is considered a central factor in the decades-long decrease in mortality seen in certain cancers. However, hope in the face of deadly disease can sometimes blind us to the scientific evidence. According to the recent U.S. Preventive Services Task ...
SIDEBAR: Don’t Expect Questions: Be Proactive with Younger Patients
It is unrealistic to expect adolescents and young adults with cancer to initiate questions about disease-related or or treatment-related issues that are troubling them, according to Bradley Zebrack, PhD, MSW, MPH, Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor....
Adolescent and Young Adult Patients Report Unmet Needs for Cancer Information and Psychosocial Support Services
In the News focuses on media reports that your patients may have questions about at their next visit. This continuing column will provide summaries of articles in the popular press that may prompt such questions, as well as comments from colleagues in the field. Psychosocial care needs are not...
New Agents That Improve Efficacy Can Also Increase Morbidity and Treatment-related Mortality
Newly approved anticancer drugs that lead to improvements in efficacy can also lead to increased morbidity and treatment-related mortality, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The investigators conducted a meta-analysis of 38 randomized controlled trials evaluating agents...
It’s Time to Get Ready for New Medicare Reporting Requirements
As if you didn’t already have enough to worry about, now add this: If your practice doesn’t meet the requirements of the Physicians Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive, you don’t just miss out on the bonuses the programs offered as incentive in recent years....
Conquer Cancer Foundation $10K Challenge: Multiply Your Donation’s Impact in September
The Foundation proudly announces its first-ever Conquer Cancer Foundation $10K Challenge. In September, a portion of online gifts to the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology will be matched by the generous support of Ariad Pharmaceuticals®. The Conquer Cancer...
Coping with Liver Cancer
From the moment I had a partial hysterectomy in 2010, I started having unexplained bouts of nausea. My surgeon and even my primary care physician chalked it up to everything from the difficult 6-hour surgery I had just had to anxiety over a move I’d recently made from Connecticut to North Carolina. ...
Carfilzomib: New Drug with Accelerated Approval for Multiple Myeloma
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. Indication In July 2012, carfilzomib (Kyprolis) was granted...
Ongoing and Future Directions in Pancreatic Cancer Research
Margaret A. Tempero, MD, is a pioneer in pancreatic cancer treatment and research. She has long been a leader in the research and development of therapeutics for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, particularly in studying investigational antibody-based therapies, developing the fixed-dose-rate...
The Problem of Monitoring Remission
How wonderful it is that we now have to concern ourselves with survivorship issues! The ever-increasing success of cancer therapy means that more and more patients can look to a life beyond cancer diagnosis and treatment. But living with cancer creates its own problems. While treatment often may be ...
The Science of Resilience: Exploring the Process of Grieving from a New Perspective
How human beings cope with bereavement, loss, extreme adversity, and life-threatening illness has dominated the research interests of George A. Bonanno, PhD, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Teachers College at Columbia University, New York, for more than 20 years. In his book, The Other Side of...
No Advantage to Longer Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Women with Early Breast Cancer: CALGB 40101 Trial
The ideal duration of adjuvant therapy for women with lower-risk primary breast cancer remains unknown. The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-15 trial, reported more than 20 years ago, found no difference in outcomes between six cycles of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate,...
Letter to the Editor: Dr. Ablin’s Reply
Given my explanation and widely publicized opinion on the improper use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for screening asymptomatic men for prostate cancer—most recently expressed in a feature article in The ASCO Post (August 15, 2012)—I was pleased to read that Drs. James Mohler and...
Letter to the Editor: More Thoughts on PSA
An article that appeared in the August 15 issue of The ASCO Post (“Rethinking the Role of PSA Screening in Public Health”) contains false statements about the discovery of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and its effectiveness as a test for early detection of prostate cancer. Contrary to what’s...
Patients with Unresectable Metastases Can Be Spared Noncurative Resection of Intact Primary Tumor
Patients with surgically unresectable metastatic colon cancer and an asymptomatic intact primary tumor can be spared initial noncurative resection of their intact primary tumor, National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) C-10 trial investigators reported in the Journal of Clinical...
Being Well Informed Helped Me Cope with Breast Cancer
I had been putting off getting a screening mammogram for a few years. When I finally made an appointment in March 2011 and was told that I needed a follow-up sonogram because the test had picked up a suspicious-looking mass in my right breast, I knew I was in trouble. A biopsy of the tumor showed...
SIDEBAR: Unique Considerations for Radiation Exposure in Children
There are three “unique considerations” for radiation exposure in children, according to Radiation Risks and Pediatric Computed Tomography (CT): A Guide for Health Care Providers, an educational leaflet for health-care providers that was developed by the NCI: Children are considerably more...
SIDEBAR: Expect Questions from Parents
Results of a study finding that exposure to radiation from multiple CT scans in childhood can triple the risk of leukemia and brain tumors may cause some parents to question the overall benefit of CT scans and to directly question physicians. “The three key questions that parents can ask are: (1)...
CT Scans in Childhood Can Triple Risk of Leukemia and Brain Cancer Later in Life, Study Finds
In the News focuses on media reports that your patients may have questions about at their next visit. This continuing column will provide summaries of articles in the popular press that may prompt such questions, as well as comments from colleagues in the field. Computed tomography scans with...
Getting the Right End-of-life Care: Coming to Terms with the Realities of Advanced Disease and Mortality
“Dying is at once a fact of life and a profound mystery.” That was the opening sentence of a 1997 Institute of Medicine report, Approaching Death: Improving Care at the End of Life, a much-needed jump-start in the national dialogue over identifying the barriers that impede the delivery of...
Ziv-aflibercept with FOLFIRI in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In August 2012, the antiangiogenic agent ziv-aflibercept (Zaltrap) was approved for use in combination with FOLFIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan) for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer resistant to or progressing after an oxaliplatin-containing regimen.1,2 Approval was based on...
Inaugural Quality Care Symposium Will Detail How to Pioneer Successful Quality Initiatives in Your Practice
Over the past 10 years, Wilshire Oncology Medical Group of La Verne, California, has reengineered itself so that all processes—from front-desk operations at all eight locations to the 10 oncologists’ interactions with patients and payers—capture quality data that can be used for robust benchmarking ...
A Great IDEA: Supporting the Next Generation of Oncology Leaders in Low- and Middle-income Countries
Leadership has been cited as a critical success factor in improving access to cancer care in low- and middle-income countries.1 Effective clinical leaders in these countries can be transformative by supporting the development of cancer treatments to meet the needs of their patients, by advocating...
What the Latest Breast Cancer News Means For Patients
Direct your patients to www.cancer.net/breastsymposium to learn about the research highlighted at the 2012 Breast Cancer Symposium in the special online newsletter, Cancer Advances: News for Patients from the 2012 Breast Cancer Symposium. In addition, your patients can listen to a podcast of the...
Genitourinary Cancers Symposium Still Intimate Despite Record Growth
Despite its exponential growth since launching in 2007—from 1,450 attendees then to a record 2,530 last year—the Genitourinary (GU) Cancers Symposium remains an inviting meeting that feels small, accessible, and comfortable. And that’s the perfect blend for networking, said Jeff Michalski, MD,...
Expert Point of View: Sergio Giralt, MD
Sergio Giralt, MD, Chief of Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, commented on the findings by Papanikolaou et al presented at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting. “To put this trial into context, in a recent study of 283 double-refractory multiple...
Is There a Role for Metronomic Chemotherapy in Patients with Highly Refractory Multiple Myeloma?
Metronomic chemotherapy using a multidrug regimen appears beneficial and fairly well tolerated in patients with multiple myeloma that is highly refractory to previous treatments, investigators from the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy in Little Rock, Arkansas, reported.1 Their results...
