Christina T. Loguidice

A multi-target kinase inhibitor, known as AP24534, has shown strong clinical evidence of hematologic, cytogenetic, and molecular anti-cancer activity in heavily pretreated patients with resistant and refractory chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), including in those with the T315I mutation of the target protein, BCR-ABL.

A combination of fludarabine and alemtuzumab (FluCam) was shown to improve outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in a single-arm pilot study and in a phase II trial. To validate these observations and assess the efficacy and safety of FluCam versus fludarabine monotherapy as second-line therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory CLL, researchers conducted a phase III, multicenter, open-label, randomized trial, the results of which were released at the 51st ASH Annual Meeting.

Bexxar (tositumomab and iodine I 131) pairs the targeting ability of a monoclonal antibody and the therapeutic potential of radiation to form a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody regimen able to bind to the target antigen 20 found on normal and cancerous B cells. According to a poster presented by Mark S. Kaminski, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, at the 51st ASH Annual Meeting, 83% of patients with treatment-naïve follicular lymphoma who received Bexxar experienced overall survival of 10 years.

There has been a paucity of information on the initial clinical treatment of patients with multiple myeloma and the psychosocial variables that affect their care in community-based practices. To address this issue, Neil Love, MD, Research to Practice, Miami, Florida, and colleagues developed a Web-based tool to rapidly gather reliable, multidimensional information on patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

A phase I/II study presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in New Orleans, Louisiana, found that INCB018424, an experimental JAK2 inhibitor, demonstrated activity in patients with myelofibrosis. INCB018424 shrank enlarged spleens, helped patients gain weight, reduced pain, and increased patients’ capacity to exercise, all of which significantly improved their quality of life.

Moderate deep inspiration breath-hold using an active breathing control device reduces cardiac irradiation during left-sided breast cancer treatment, reported Todd A. Swanson, MD, PhD, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, at the 2009 ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium during a poster discussion.

During the First Annual National Coalition of Oncology Nurse Navigators Conference, Colleen Lemoine, APRN, MN, AOCN, Clinical Nurse Specialist for Oncology, Interim Louisiana State University Public Hospital, New Orleans, led a dynamic session that reviewed the importance of self-care in oncology nursing.

At the First Annual National Coalition of Oncology Nurse Navigators Conference, held in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 10, Harold P. Freeman, MD, President and Founder, Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention, Senior Advisor to the Director, National Cancer Institute, New York City, outlined the crucial role that oncology nurse navigators play in improving outcomes in patients with cancer.

The results of a large, randomized, population-based study presented at the 2009 ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium indicate that the rate of death from breast cancer is 56% for women not participating in mammogram screening programs versus 4.7% for those on the recommended screening schedule.

Developing targeted pharmacotherapies to personalize cancer care has become the mantra in oncology, and now a team of scientists from The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Canada has taken the first step toward targeting radiotherapy dosages to individual patients by assessing the genetic characteristics of individuals with hypersensitivity to radiation therapy.

Sorafenib (Nexavar) significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with breast cancer, according to the results of the SOLTI-0701 study presented at the ECCO 15 – ESMO 34 Joint Congress by José Baselga, MD, ESMO president and a member of the ECCO executive committee, and head of oncology, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.

In a poster presented at the ECCO 15 - ESMO 34 Joint Congress, Arantza Fariña, MD, and colleagues from the PAMM Laboratory for Pathology and Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, the Netherlands, noted that stage III colon carcinoma patients with the BRAF V600E mutation had a significantly worse prognosis.

In a poster presented at the ECCO 15 – ESMO 34 Joint Congress, KM Mallath and colleagues from the Department of Digestive Diseases and Clinical Nutrition, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, India, noted that cancer pain is an important independent risk factor for poor performance status in newly diagnosed patients and significantly associated with malnutrition.

In a poster presented at the ECCO 15 – ESMO 34 Joint Congress, Dr B. Homet and colleagues from the Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital “12 de Octubre,” Madrid, Spain, outlined the results of a study sought to assess patient opinions on both oral and intravenous (IV) cancer treatments.

According to the results of two studies presented at the ECCO 15 – ESMO 34 Joint Congress in Berlin, Germany, two new blood tests may eventually help clinicians screen for and diagnose gastrointestinal and colorectal cancers earlier.

According to research presented at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer, volatile organic compounds found in exhaled breath may be the key to diagnosing lung and other cancers early.

According to data from the Sequential Tarceva in Unresectable NSCLC trial maintenance therapy with erlotinib improved overall survival in patients with advanced NSCLC after initially successful chemotherapy.

During the 5th annual HOPA conference, Christy S. Harris, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, led a breakout workshop that examined outcomes related to inadequate adherence in patients with malignancy.

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals have announced that their first cooperative group-sponsored randomized phase II trial in advanced metastatic breast cancer met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival.

The FDA has approved prescribing information changes to the "indication and usage" section of the labels for Erbitux and Vectibix.

Wellstat Therapeutics has developed vistonuridine, the first viable prodrug of uridine, which is an orally administered agent that delivers approximately 8-fold more uridine as it is converted to uridine in the body than administration of uridine itself.

A new retrospective study shows that use of three widely prescribed selective serotinin reuptake inhibitors—Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft—more than double the risk of breast cancer recurrence in women treated with tamoxifen.

Previous studies have found oral human papillomavirus infection to be a strong risk factor for oropharyngeal cancer.

Approximately 15% of breast cancers are triple negative, with a higher incidence of this cancer subtype found in black and Hispanic women and those younger than 40 years. Triple-negative breast cancers are aggressive and difficult to treat, leading to higher rates of metastases and poorer survival than for other breast cancers.

A national survey found that oncologists do not address fertility issues as adequately as they should with discussions, provision of educational materials, and referrals to reproductive specialists despite 30% to 80% of all patients with cancer being at risk for infertility.

A new study from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center indicates that the majority of patients who present with stage IV colorectal cancer do not require immediate surgery to remove their primary tumor.

Two important prostate cancer studies conducted at Fox Chase Cancer Center were released at ASCO: 1) a long-term study that showed low oxygen levels in prostate tumors can predict recurrence; and 2) the finding of a genetic marker that may predict early onset of prostate cancer.

Besides the emphasis on personalized medicine at this year's ASCO Meeting, there is also a focus on addressing the rising costs of administering cancer care, which are currently increasing at a rate of 15% annually.

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center conducted a phase III trial that assessed the use of a peptide vaccine, known as gp100:209-217 (200M), in combination with Interleukin-2.

The American Cancer Society has just unveiled its Circle of Sharing social Web application, designed to help patients with cancer and their families and friends to better coordinate support and care information as they navigate cancer treatment.