Shalmali Pal

The limited evidence on the comparative effectiveness of proton-beam therapy, especially in comparison to other radiation-based treatment modalities, undermines the value of this up-and-coming technology, according to a comparative effectiveness report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Five may be the magic number to determine whether a patient can undergo therapeutic monitoring with a test for circulating tumor cells or must undergo an FDG-PET/CT exam, according to research out of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

SAN FRANCISCO-Chemotherapy before surgery for early-stage, non-small-cell lung cancer led to moderately higher survival rates than surgery alone, but not enough to reach statistical significance, according to follow-up analysis of the European NATCH trial. However, the researchers did note that patients were more likely to finish the prescribed chemotherapy course when treatment was given preoperatively.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of the breast cancer community, October and breast cancer are tightly bound with the ubiquitous pink ribbon. But the awareness campaign places a heavy emphasis on prevention, detection, and early diagnosis. For women with metastatic breast cancer, there is a sense that the “pink parade” has intentionally passed them by even though an estimated 465,000 annual deaths from breast cancer worldwide occur because of metastatic disease.

More than a million additional cases of prostate cancer have been diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer over the last 20 years because of PSA screening, especially in younger men, according to the results of a SEER database analysis. The authors of this latest strike against screening claimed that most of this excess incidence represents overdiagnosis.

ORLANDO-Low-dose CT lung cancer screening carries a high burden of false-positive results after only two rounds of testing, according to research by NIH investigators.

ORLANDO-RIBBON-1 results demonstrate that bevacizumab (Avastin) can be added to nearly any standard chemotherapy regimen for metastatic breast cancer, although the jury is still out on how meaningful the additional treatment is for overall survival.

ORLANDO-For the majority of women who undergo ovarian cancer treatment, disease relapse is a matter of when rather than if. These women could spend the rest of their lives undergoing regular CA125 serum marker testing. A recent study that compares the quality of life in early- and advanced-stage ovarian cancer survivors found that CA125 marker measurements for recurrence were, understandably, a source of anxiety for both groups.

ORLANDO-The therapeutic pathways used for chronic myeloid leukemia patients with suboptimal response to 400 mg/d imatinib (Gleevec) tend to vary, despite the existence of NCCN clinical practice guidelines.

Forget the theory of diminishing returns: If one is good, then two must be better. As a result, cancer researchers are turning their attention to combination therapies, particularly for blocking tumor signaling pathways.

Desert living presents many challenges: extreme weather, lack of water, unfriendly cacti, and lethal creatures. Adaptability plus a strong survival instinct are key. David S. Alberts, MD, has plenty of both. When he relocated to the University of Arizona, he’d just finished up five years at the University of California, San Francisco, pouring his efforts into leukemia and myeloma research.

MR spectroscopy results can help determine if brain tumor patients with nonspecific lesions may bypass invasive biopsy for conservative management. A study by a multidisciplinary group in Ann Arbor, Mich., found that elevated levels of brain metabolites correlated with evidence of tumor recurrence. The researchers then developed a tumor recurrence model based on their data.

DENVER—Designer T cells that attack tumors with a vengeance could be the future of prostate cancer treatment. Although the results are very preliminary, the incorporation of designer T cells into prostate cancer treatment led to a significant reduction in PSA levels, according to researchers from Boston University School of Medicine in Providence, R.I.

DENVER—In 1974, Joseph Fraumeni Jr., MD, MSc, served as a member of the AACR annual meeting program committee. “At the time, epidemiology did not have a prominent place on the program,” Dr. Fraumeni said during the grand opening session of the 2009 AACR meeting. “In fact, only one abstract related to epidemiology was submitted, and it was mine. Since it was assigned to me for review, I promptly accepted my presentation.”

Oncologists who treat non-small-cell lung cancer with bevacizumab (Avastin) should be aware of a phenomenon called “bone flare,” according to researchers from two California-based institutions. 

A proposal to tighten up cervical cancer proficiency testing should lead to a decrease in the number of false-negative cases that cross the desks of gynecologic oncologists.

Oncology NEWS International guest editor Dr. Andrew D. Seidman recommends SABCS 2008 lectures on modern molecular science, molecular profiling, and the American Association of Cancer Research distinguished lectureship in breast cancer research.

CHICAGO-When Roland Talanow, MD, PhD, began his radiology residency, the topic of cancer staging proved to be particularly confounding. In an effort to educate himself and help others, Dr. Talanow has built a free, Web-based database that offers one-stop shopping on cancer staging, including comprehensive information on lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and HIV-related lymphoma. Dr. Talanow showcased his Web site, www.cancerstaging.info, at RSNA 2008 (abstract LLR03001-H).

CHICAGO-Prostate-specific antigen measurements are considered a useful organ-specific marker, but they are not necessarily an adequate tumor marker. PET/CT in combination with PSA levels can play a significant role in detecting and staging prostate cancer, according to two presentations at RSNA 2008 (abstracts SSA18-02 and SSA18-09).

CHICAGO-Oncology patients have a fourfold risk above the general population of developing pulmonary embolism. If the patient is receiving chemotherapy, the risk is even greater.

LAS VEGAS-The increased speed and improved visualization of dual-energy CT helps pinpoint lesions at an earlier, more treatable stage. Faster and better visualization are the main reasons to use dual-energy CT for the assessment of pancreatic masses, according to a radiologist from the University of Munich.

CT screening may reduce lung cancer mortality among smokers, but won’t protect them from the other adverse effects of lighting up, according to a modeling study that looked at the long-term efficacy of screening.

Treatment inside a 2-year window and a PSA doubling time of less than 6 months may be the key factors for optimizing salvage radiotherapy results for recurrent prostate cancer, according to investigators from the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

LAS VEGAS-CT multitasks in the lungs, serving as a tool for cancer screening, disease diagnosis, lesion characterization, and lung cancer treatment response. CT can be used more effectively to assess treatment response in lung cancer patients, but clinicians must look beyond current response parameters, Michael McNitt-Gray, PhD, said at the 2008 Stanford International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT.

High-intensity focused ultrasonic (HIFU) ablation is used to manage localized prostate cancer after external beam radiation therapy. But post-treatment alterations to prostate zonal anatomy hamper the assessment of local tumor progression in order to make decisions about second-line treatment. An interdisciplinary group from South Korea tested two MRI techniques for predicting local tumor progression.

Using intensity-modulated radiation therapy for breast cancer patients after lumpectomy can reduce the incidence of acute dermatitis, compared with traditional whole-breast radiotherapy, reported Jean-Philippe Pignol, MD, of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, and colleagues.

In the fashion world, the word fabulous is tossed around like bolts of fabric at a blowout sale. In the cancer treatment world, fabulous is not a common interjection. And when fashion design student Hattie Saltonstall was confronted with the disease, she felt far from fabulous.

CHICAGO-The first clinical trial targeting stem cells in breast cancer is underway with the potential to revolutionize therapeutic targets, according to one of the pioneers in stem cell research. The stem cell hypothesis suggests that stem cells drive tumor invasion and metastases. “Cytotoxic chemotherapies have not been very effective for patients with advanced cancer,” Max Wicha, MD, told ONI. “I think the stem cell model is a potential explanation for why we haven’t done better in treating cancer.”

Screening ultrasound paired with mammography upped breast cancer detection in high-risk women with dense breasts, but the combination also caused a spike in the number of false positives, according to an update of the ACRIN 6666 trial. These results, along with other barriers, may render ultrasound less attractive than MRI in this patient population, commented a breast imaging expert.

CHICAGO-Zoledronic acid (Zometa) and adjuvant endrocrine therapy lowered the risk of disease recurrence in premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer, according to the results of a major European trial. The bisphosphonate is already used to prevent bone loss in women undergoing adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer.