October 2008

A bill sponsored by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), is circulating through the legislature to fund a new center, the Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute. The Institute would perform largely the same function as the former Office of Technology Assessment.

Managed care organizations tend to shy away from rigid management of patients with cancer, owing to the number of acceptable regimens for various tumors, the difficulty in controlling the use of oncologic (particularly biologic) agents, and the fact that prior authorization requests are rarely denied in these patients.

In an oral presentation, Ann-Lii Cheng, MD, PhD, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, highlighted the results of a phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in patients from the Asia-Pacific region with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Although gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is standard in advanced pancreatic cancer, the role of adjuvant chemotherapy is still incompletely defined.

Clinical investigations of tremelimumab in melanoma were the focus of several presentations at ASCO.

In an oral presentation, Jeffrey A. Zonder, MD, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Center, Wayne State University School of Medicine,Detroit, Michigan, reported updated results of SWOG 0232, a study of lenalidomide (Revlimid) plus dexamethasone compared with dexamethasone alone in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM).

For patients undergoing chemotherapy, one of the greatest challenges they face is enduring what can be a grueling treatment regimen. Optimal nutrition can help patients better cope with the rigors of chemotherapy.

A new study shows that less than one half of older patients successfully treated for colorectal cancer receive the recommended screening schedule to detect any recurrence of cancer. The analysis indicates poor compliance with recommended monitoring of colorectal cancer survivors could affect survival.

The 10th Annual Meeting of the World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer was held in Barcelona, Spain, in June. The Congress has grown into a key scientific program that covers malignancies affecting every component of the gastrointestinal tract and all facets of patient care, including screening, diagnosis, and management options for common and uncommon tumors.

This month's issue features highlights from the 10th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer (WCGC), held this past June in Barcelona, Spain. The WCGC is an annual meeting that provides scientific sessions and posters on various malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract.