Latest Conference Articles

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

One of the common assumptions in oncology treatment is that earlier detection and treatment is better and leads to improved survival and outcomes for patients, but does this hold true in reality?

More than 1 million new cases of gastric cancer are diagnosed annually worldwide. The prognosis for patients with this disease is poor, and new treatments with the potential to offer even small improvements in survival can be practice-changing.

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 customized vaccine using a patient’s own tumor cells called BiovaxID, prolonged disease-free survival in patients with follicular lymphoma who maintained complete remission after chemotherapy for one year and were then treated with the vaccine.

Last month the news that Roche�s drug bevacizumab (Avastin) failed to improve disease-free survival in a trial of patients with early stage colon cancer made a big media splash. Norman Wolmark, MD, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, addressed the study�s full results in a press conference the day before a scheduled plenary presentation at ASCO.

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.

A team of investigators from University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center sought to determine whether adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia might have genetic biomarkers that predict treatment response.

Although the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was very contentious in Congress, Richard L. Schilsky, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago in Illinois and president of ASCO; and John Niederhuber, MD, director of the National Cancer Institute, were in complete agreement that it was a boon to cancer research.

In the past several years, enough studies have identified negative consequences associated with hormonal therapy in postmenopausal women that what was once standard therapy is becoming ancient practice.

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.

Although participants in clinical trials are not charged for the chemotherapy drugs to treat their cancers, they pay for the drugs used to counter treatment-related effects, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea, pain, and opioid-induced constipation.

In the largest study to date, ginger in combination with a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist antiemetic was found to significantly reduce CINV in patients with cancer.

In yet another example of the need to personalize cancer care, researchers from the Kinki University School of Medicine in Osaka, Japan, found that endothelial growth factor receptor mutations predicted treatment response in Asian patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Mary Hughes, MS, RN, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, discussed the importance of addressing sexual matters with patients who have cancer.

Patients with cancer who experience moderate to severe pain may be prescribed opioids and could become addicted to them; thus, it is important for oncology nurses to understand addiction and how to assess and manage pain in this patient population.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis is the metastatic spread of cancer within the peritoneal cavity by seeding from a primary malignancy, such as colon, ovarian, gastric, or breast cancer; it may also occur as a primary disease, as in the case of peritoneal mesothelioma.

In 2006, Cure allowed readers the opportunity to honor an oncology nurse who provided them with exemplary care by initiating the Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing.

Marilyn Haas, PhD, RN, Mountain Radiation Oncology, Asheville, North Carolina, and Stephen Hahn, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelpia, introduced the audience to several relatively new types of sophisticated machinery that allow radiation to be distributed more accurately, resulting in less toxicity to surrounding tissue.

Attendees at the ONS Congress are still energized on the start of day three of the conference. Today’s sessions covered a wide range of topics ranging from long-term care of breast cancer survivors to treatment of metastatic disease.

As you can well imagine, a cancer diagnosis can lead to an incredible amount of distress, which may be amplified once a patient starts to undergo treatment and experience its related side effects.

This year, I’m not seeing as many nurses wearing "First Time Attendee" ribbons as I did last year.

Jonathan Kaufman, MD, Emory University School of Medicine, provided an overview of this plasma cell cancer and discussed some of the novel therapeutics that have considerably improved survival.

Geralyn Lucas, a very spunky breast cancer survivor, gave an amazing key note address that kept the audience engaged with her humor.

Attendees at the ONS Congress in San Antonio are talking about two things: the swine flu, which has infected sixteen people here in Texas, and keynote speaker Geralyn Lucas.