November 2008

Scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, have linked the CDK8 gene to colon cancer, a previously unsuspected association.

University of Pittsburgh scientists ecently discovered a virus that they have determined is the cause of Merkel cell carcinoma.

Stanford University School of Medicine investigators may have discovered a new chemotherapy target for a deadly form of leukemia. A molecular signal, glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3), known to regulate cell growth appears to play a "double agent" role.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, have developed an innovative test to screen for chemical modifications to DNA, which are known as methylation. The test could potentially be used to diagnose cancer early on and to assess patients' response to cancer therapies.

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have announced a pending patent on a new synthetic version of a protein involved in some cancers and immune system diseases.

In what researchers are touting as a first-of-its-kind finding, Houston-based University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center investigators have discovered a potential connection between exposure to the hepatitis B virus and an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

When the market is volatile, people think about their financial future. With current market events as turbulent as they are, you may be concerned about their potential impact on your 401(k) account. During times like this, it is more important than ever to follow certain basic, time-tested principles of investing.

This year, most Americans have seen the value of their home drop faster than a lead weight. If you purchased your home in the last 10 years, during the housing boom, you will likely find that it is worth less today than what you paid for it-and in some cases less than what you still owe.

Bristol-Myers Squibb wrote down $300 million on auction-related securities. Wyeth lost $70 million on the collapses of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual. Genentech took a $67 million hit on its investments in financial institution preferred securities. Bayer reports that 80% of its material science unit customers are having problems accessing credit, leading to destocking. Despite these losses, Moody's assessed the liquidity profile of 9 major pharmaceutical companies in mid-October as relatively safe.

Merck has won FDA approval to market Gardasil,which immunizes patients against cancer-causing strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), as a preventive vaccine for vaginal and vulvar cancers, as well.

Eli Lilly and Company has obtained FDA approval for an expanded indication of its anti-cancer agent Alimta. This new indication allows Alimta to be combined with cisplatin as a first-line treatment in locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for patients with nonsquamous histology.

At the 33rd Annual ESMO Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, investigators presented new data from 3 clinical trials that indicate Zometa reduces the risk of local and distant breast cancer recurrence in pre- and postmenopausal women with early stage disease (stage I or II).

MediGene, based in Germany, has a new product in late-stage development that may offer hope to patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer.

ProStrakan Group plc, announced it had attained FDA approval to market Sancuso in the United States. The company describes Sancuso as the first and only anti-nausea and vomiting agent formulated for delivery via a transdermal patch, designed specifically to prevent these adverse effects in patients with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy.

Despite the rocky global economy-or perhaps because of it-consolidation in the oncology biotechnology industry continues to race forward. Over the past several quarters, we have seen a trend toward increased mergers and acquisitions, and this shows no signs of slowing down.

Several months ago, Physicians' Financial News covered Pfizer Inc's aggressive move into the oncology market and the strategic and tactical refocus that accompanied its paradigm-changing shift in priorities. Since then, Pfizer has continued its profound efforts to reorganize in earnest pursuit of a larger berth in the cancer marketplace.

Many managed care and payer organizations use pay-for-performance programs as incentive to improve healthcare quality. While several studies have examined the effect of these programs on primary care, few studies have evaluated their impact on cancer care.

Based on data from the National Health Interview Surveys of 2000-2005, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted a promising trend: nearly half of elderly individuals were up to date on the recommended number of screenings of colorectal cancer.

Using a database of managed care claims, outcomes researchers at Huffman-La Roche Inc in Nutley, New Jersey, examined the total cost of care for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (N = 1459) who received 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based regimens or capecitabine-based chemotherapy regimens from 2004-2006.

According to the National Cancer Institute, more than half of patients undergoing radiation therapy to manage malignant tumors report experiencing significant pain. Despite this, relatively few use pain relief medication.

Although imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) is the standard of care for patients with metastatic or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), few studies have examined its cost-effectiveness in treating this disorder.

In addition to providing healthcare coverage for elderly individuals, CMS offers coverage for younger patients with chronic disabilities. Like all Medicare enrollees, these patients have the option to subscribe to a Medicare Advantage plan.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute noted that the number of elderly patients with a new cancer diagnosis enrolled in oncology clinical trials has declined, and they think Medicare Advantage may be to blame.

Researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have found that oral fluoropyrimidines can facilitate longer exposure to 5-fluorouracil and reduce inconvenience in treating metastatic colorectal cancer.

Clinicians from various centers across the nation collaborated in conducting a multicenter phase II trial that assessed the feasibility, toxicity,and possible efficacy of a short-term treatment regimen prior to surgery for squamous-cell head and neck carcinoma (SCHNC).

Researchers from the University of Texas, Houston,recently evaluated the use of everolimus (RAD001) combined with octreotide long-acting repeatable (LAR) to treat patients who have advanced low- to intermediate-grade neuroendocrine tumors.

At the 33rd Congress of ESMO in Stockholm, Sweden, findings were presented from a recent study that found administration of intravenous (IV) iron intensified and accelerated cancer patients' response to darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp.

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.