The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and the University of New Mexico Cancer Center, Albuquerque, recently announced the recruitment of four cancer physicians and scientists. The UNM Cancer Center is the Official Cancer Center of the State of New Mexico and one of the nation’s 60...
Positively charged gold nanoparticles are usually toxic to cells, but cancer cells somehow manage to avoid nanoparticle toxicity. Mayo Clinic researchers found out why and determined how to make the nanoparticles effective against ovarian cancer cells. The discovery is detailed in the current...
The American Cancer Society encourages all to assist in efforts to fight cancer by: Donating at cancer.org/fight Participating in a local Relay For Life or Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in their community Enrolling in its Cancer Prevention Study-3 to find better ways to prevent...
The American Cancer Society announced the Society’s 100th birthday on May 22, 2013. Founded 100 years ago by 15 prominent physicians and business leaders in New York, the American Cancer Society, first known as the American Society for the Control of Cancer, launched the fight against a disease...
Conquering cancer has been the goal of Bert Vogelstein, MD, since he was a teenager in Baltimore. For more than 3 decades, Dr. Vogelstein, Co-Director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Johns Hopkins Medical...
The use of dietary supplements by cancer patients has risen significantly over the past 2 decades despite insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness. Finding reliable sources of information about dietary supplements can be daunting. Patients typically rely on family, friends, and the...
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), was honored with the 2013 Stanley P. Reimann Honor Award for her deep and far-reaching contributions to cancer science and medicine at a celebration hosted by Fox Chase Cancer Center, held...
Mayo Clinic researchers have used next-generation genomic analysis to determine that some of the more aggressive prostate cancer tumors have similar genetic origins, which may help in predicting cancer progression. The findings appeared online recently in the journal Cancer Research.1 Gleason...
In a study testing the effectiveness of three strategies to improve oral chemotherapy adherence, tailored coaching was beneficial for some patients, reducing barriers to adherence, reported Susan M. Schneider, PhD, RN, AOCN, ACNS-BC, FAAN, Associate Professor and Director of Oncology Nursing...
As of the ONS Annual Congress, three patients at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center had been successfully treated in the outpatient setting with genetically modified T cell therapy, without major events or readmissions to the hospital, reported study author Cheryl Caravano, RN. Ms. Caravano...
Quality nursing and ongoing education are critical for success in using gene-modified T-cell therapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), said Cheryl Caravano, RN, at the recent Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society. Ms. Caravano is a clinical nurse IV at Memorial...
The annual memorial lecture is named for a remarkable patient with cancer who was the “model of survivorship,” sharing her story and helping others cope with the disease. The talk always focuses on a psychosocial aspect of cancer. Since its inception, over 125,000 nurses have attended Mara Mogensen ...
The Mara Mogensen Flagherty Lecture at this year’s 38th Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society in Washington, DC, focused on the importance of listening to and acknowledging the individual stories of patients with cancer and survivors. Once they are adept at listening, clinicians need to...
A new clinical trial is testing whether targeting treatments to a genetic anomaly can lead to better treatments for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer. The trial, led by investigators at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, is being conducted at 11 sites throughout...
According to an analysis reported by Amanda Phipps, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington and Assistant Member at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, and colleagues in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, patients with stage III colon cancer who...
The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) sends signals that thwart the development of tumor-suppressing microRNAs under conditions of hypoxia, an international team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered. The results were reported in an early online...
Lynn Etheredge’s career in shaping national health-care and social policy spans more than 4 decades and four Presidential administrations. He was the lead analyst in the development of health insurance proposals for Medicare and Medicaid while working in the White House Office of Management and...
A new measure of cell heterogeneity within a tumor may predict treatment outcomes of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. In a recent report,1 investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary reported how the mutant allele tumor...
In order to support high-quality science, the European Hematology Association collaborates with 16 Scientific Working Groups (SWGs) and concentrates on fostering activities directed towards basic and translational research. In simultaneous sessions on Thursday, June 13, during the European...
Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma is feasible for HIV-infected patients, with no differences in post-transplant survival or hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence rates compared with liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma in HIV-uninfected patients. The study, published in ...
Results of the first of three planned annual screening examinations from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) were recently published and physicians may now have more information to share with their patients about the benefits and risks of low-dose computed tomography lung cancer screening.1...
The phase III open-label AXIS trial comparing axitinib (Inlyta) vs sorafenib (Nexavar) as second-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma showed significantly prolonged independent radiology committee–assessed progression-free survival with axitinib treatment (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.665, P ...
Peregrine Pharmaceuticals recently announced that it has reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a phase III registration trial design of the company’s lead clinical immunotherapeutic candidate bavituximab in second-line non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The trial...
The study discussant, Giulia Veronesi, MD, of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy, said that diagnostic algorithms aim to strike a balance between a too-invasive workup that exposes screened persons to useless invasive procedures and overtreatment, and...
The Dutch-Belgian Randomized Lung Cancer Screening Trial (Dutch acronym: NELSON study) was designed to investigate whether screening for lung cancer by low-dose multidetector computed tomography (CT) in high-risk subjects would lead to a decrease in 10-year lung cancer mortality of at least 25%...
The study discussant, Elisabeth Quoix, MD, of the University Hospitals of Strasbourg, France, said that this meta-analysis confirmed that platinum-based doublets remain the standard treatment in this setting. Benefit of platinum-based doublets over non–platinum-based chemotherapy is essentially due ...
Several meta-analyses conducted in the past have suggested that survival of patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is improved if first-line chemotherapy includes platinum derivatives. Results from a new meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials show that platinum-based...
In a molecular profile analysis of 2,271 cases of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), EGFR was mutated in 12% and KRAS in 32% of cases. HER2 gene amplification was confirmed as a rare event in NSCLC (4%). Coexistence of HER2 gene amplification and EGFR mutation was identified in three cases, while...
“I’ve been living with melanoma for 7 years.” That’s a statement that, at the outset of her diagnosis, Joanne Maricle would have found surprising. Yet Joanne, who is featured in a video that is part of a new Patient and Advocate Video Series on ASCO’s CancerProgress.Net website, is able to lay...
ASCO has released its new conflict of interest policy, ASCO Policy for Relationships With Companies, which updates its earlier policy in key ways that are designed to increase transparency in relationships with commercial interests. Comprehensive Framework The new policy establishes a more...
Aiming to facilitate widespread dissemination of practice-changing research, ASCO offers the Best of ASCO® Meetings, which condense the most cutting-edge science and education from the ASCO Annual Meeting into a 2-day program. The smaller size of these meetings, compared to the Annual Meeting,...
When Patricia Hardenbergh, MD, moved from her academic position as a breast radiation oncologist at Duke University to a small, rural practice in Edwards, Colorado, she realized that being a community oncologist was a very different experience. She was an expert in treating breast cancer and also...
The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ECOG-ACRIN) Cancer Research Group recently announced that it has appointed Joseph A. Sparano, MD, as its Vice Chair. In his new role, Dr. Sparano will assist the Group leadership in defining research...
Predicting toxicity in older patients receiving chemotherapy is an important clinical problem. It has been shown that standard oncology measures such as performance status are not adequate to predict outcomes in the elderly. Clinical measures that are important in geriatric oncology are not...
Elderly patients differ with respect to tolerance of therapy for colorectal cancer. In a study reported in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Thomas Aparicio, MD, PhD, of the University of Paris, and colleagues analyzed geriatric factors for potential association with severe toxicity, dose-intensity...
John P. Leonard, MD, a hematology and oncology expert specializing in the treatment of lymphomas at Weill Cornell Medical College, has been named Chair of the Lymphoma Committee for the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored group, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. Dr. Leonard is the ...
Although many major cancer centers have onsite-registered dietitians to provide patients with nutritional guidance while undergoing treatment and during survivorship, an estimated 64% of patients with cancer use the Internet to find nutritional advice.1 These websites can help provide patients with ...
How much does diet and body weight influence the effectiveness of cancer treatment and reduce the risk of cancer recurrence? What is the optimal diet for patients with cancer and survivors to follow? There are currently no hard and fast rules, but some dietary clues are starting to emerge. Search...
An analysis of a large pooled data set from the Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer reported by Seungyoun Jung, ScD, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues in Journal of the National Cancer...
In January, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center opened the Center for Lymphoid Malignancies, a 3,700 square foot outpatient clinic, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. The Center is solely focused on the treatment of all forms of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma,...
Treating pediatric leukemia patients with a liposomal formulation of anthracycline-based chemotherapy at an intensified dose during initial treatment may result in high survival rates without causing any added heart toxicity, according to the results of a study published online in Blood.1 Acute...
Findings from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ALL Consortium Protocol 00-01, recently reported by Lynda M. Vrooman, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and colleagues in Journal of Clinical Oncology, indicate that postinduction dexamethasone and individualized dosing of Escherichia coli–derived...
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) were recognized recently by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, the Association of American Cancer Institutes, and Friends of Cancer Research for their outstanding commitment to cancer...
A retrospective analysis of a large surgical database has documented that bilateral mastectomy is associated with a doubling in complication rates, compared with unilateral mastectomy. Researchers reported the findings at the 14th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons in...
The largest-to-date and only prospective Spanish series of 549 patients who underwent surgical resection of lung metastases from colorectal carcinoma demonstrated a good postoperative recovery from the procedure. A further analysis on morbidity, the correlation between imaging studies and...
The EORTC Infectious Diseases Group Trial XV “is a long-awaited study because it finally is an investigation of outpatient management of low-risk fever and neutropenia in a large number of patients,” Alison Freifeld, MD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, commented in an...
Once-daily oral moxifloxacin works at least as well as twice-daily oral ciprofloxacin plus amoxicillin–clavulanic acid when it comes to treating febrile neutropenia in patients who are at low risk for complications, according to a randomized, double-blind trial reported in the Journal of Clinical...
On May 15, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved radium Ra 223 dichloride (Xofigo) for the treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, symptomatic bone metastases, and no known visceral metastatic disease. Radium-223 dichloride is an alpha-particle–emitting...
The FDA has approved erlotinib (Tarceva) for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutations. This indication for erlotinib was approved...
After passage of the Washington Death with Dignity Act in November 2008, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance—the site of outpatient care for patients with cancer from Fred Hutchinson–University of Washington Cancer Consortium—developed a Death with Dignity program. The program is adapted from existing ...