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Book Review:Nutritional OncologyNutritional Oncology provides acomprehensive review of the current scientific literature on nutritional factors affecting the prevention and treatment of cancer. The book’s primary objective is to detail findings in the new field of nutritional oncology,
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Adjuvant Therapy of MelanomaIn 2001, the American Joint Committee on Cancer Melanoma Staging Committee proposed and created a new staging system for melanoma. This new system will become official in 2002, with the publication of the sixth
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A Comparison of FDA and EMA Drug Approval: Implications for Drug Development and Cost of CareThe development and approval of oncology therapeutics has been facilitated by the cooperation and coordination of regulatory practices between the EMA and the FDA. However, there continue to be important differences between the decisions of the two agencies.
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Clinical Status and Optimal Use of the Cardioprotectant, DexrazoxaneThere are many challenges facing those involved in chemotherapy drug development. In addition to identification of new agents, clinical investigators must address questions regarding the optimal methods of administration of established agents so as to maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity. Treatment toxicity affects not only morbidity and mortality but also issues of dose intensity, quality of life, and health-care costs. Therefore, there is great interest in preventing the side effects associated with chemotherapy.
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Bernard Salick Launches a New Health Care EnterpriseBernard Salick, the man some call a medical visionary, does not brood on his setbacks. A mere 24 hours after Zeneca Group PLC had assumed total control of Salick Health Care, the Southern California nephrologist had launched yet another medical enterprise--Bentley Health Care.
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Update on Adjuvant Interferon Therapy for High-Risk MelanomaTwo of the most important predictors of relapse (and, therefore, survival) in patients with melanoma are the Breslow thickness of the primary melanoma and regional lymph node involvement. Patients with melanomas greater than 4 mm in thickness have approximately a 50% risk of recurrence, and those with lymph node involvement have a 50% to 85% risk of recurrence depending on the number of lymph nodes involved. Thus, a group of patients can be identified who are at high risk of death from melanoma and are, therefore, appropriate candidates for postsurgical adjuvant therapy.
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Evaluation and Definitive Management of Medically Inoperable Early-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Part 2Lung cancer is estimated to be the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women in 2006, and the leading cause of cancer mortality. Non-small-cell lung cancer represents the majority of such cases. Most of these patients have locally advanced disease at presentation and are not eligible for curative resection. For the minority of patients who are technically resectable at presentation, lobectomy or pneumonectomy and pathologic mediastinal nodal staging offer the best overall survival. The high rate of comorbid medical illness and poor baseline pulmonary function in this population, however, make many such early-stage patients medically inoperable. For these patients, conventional single-modality radiotherapy has been the primary definitive treatment option, as discussed in part 1 of this article, which appeared in last month's issue. Numerous retrospective reports demonstrate long-term disease-free and overall survival data that are modestly superior to that expected after observation, but both local and distant failure continue to be significant risks. Investigation of radiotherapy dose escalation is ongoing, in an effort to improve local control while maintaining minimal toxicity. Additionally, emerging evidence suggests that new modalities, such as stereotactic radiosurgery and radiofrequency ablation, may also be potentially curative treatment alternatives. These modalities are addressed in part 2.
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Stress and Burnout in OncologyThis article identifies the professional stressors experienced by nurses, house staff, and medical oncologists and examines the effect of stress and personality attributes on burnout scores. A survey was conducted of 261 house
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Coping With ‘Chemobrain’Cognitive impairment, including memory loss, inability to concentrate, and difficulty multitasking, has become a widely recognized possible late effect of chemotherapy and cancer treatment.
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ASCO: An Epidemic of Contralateral Prophylactic MastectomyWhile overall mastectomy rates have dropped in recent years, more and more women with cancer in one breast are opting to have both breasts removed. The trend has left many researchers questioning whether contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) is getting overused, or if it simply reflects a better recognition by both patients and physicians of who is likely to develop breast cancer.
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Activity of Rituximab in Extranodal Marginal Zone Lymphomas (MALT Type)This phase II study aimed to evaluate the tolerability and activity of the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (Rituxan) in patients with either untreated or relapsed biopsy-proven extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type, with measurable or evaluable disease.
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Docetaxel vs Mitomycin Plus Vinblastine in Anthracycline-Resistant Metastatic Breast CancerThis nonblinded, multicenter, randomized phase III study compares the median time to progression (primary endpoint), response rate, and quality of life, safety, and survival of
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Using Nuclear Medicine Imaging in Clinical Practice: Update on PET to Guide Treatment of Patients With Metastatic Breast CancerWe review how radiolabeled glucose and estrogen analogs can be used in breast cancer patients. We focus this review on the application of positron emission tomography imaging to ER-positive metastatic breast cancer as an example of how imaging can guide breast cancer treatment.
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Efficacy and Safety of Tositumomab/Iodine-131 Tositumomab in the Expanded Access Study: Interim Report From Two InstitutionsRelapsed or refractory low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and transformed low-grade NHL are incurable diseases. Tositumomab/iodine-131 tositumomab (Bexxar) is a novel
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Predicting Prognosis in Patients With Superficial Bladder CancerSuperficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder comprises an extremely heterogeneous group of tumors, both in terms of morphology and, even more importantly, in terms of tumor biology and clinical behavior. Drs. deVere White and Stapp provide a succinct overview of the challenges encountered clinically because of tumor heterogeneity and the availability of different treatment options. The authors also outline the use of traditional prognostic factors (clinicopathologic characteristics) and the current state of development of biological markers that hold promise in providing significant clinically useful prognostic information.
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Radiotherapy Versis Chemotherapy as ConsolidativeTreatment for Stage IIIB-IV Hodgkin’s Disease in First Complete Remission or Good Partial Response: A Study of 559 Patients (H89 Protocol)The role of radiotherapy in combination with chemotherapy in advanced-stage Hodgkin’s disease remains controversial.
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Treating Bladder Cancer: Neoadjuvant vs Adjuvant TherapyOccult distant micrometastasis at the time of radical cystectomy leads predominantly to distant failures in patients with locally advanced muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy enhances survival in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer. Studies evaluating adjuvant chemotherapy have been limited by inadequate statistical power. However, randomized clinical trials have demonstrated a survival benefit for neoadjvuant cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, which should be considered a standard of care. In addition, neoadjuvant therapy may assist in the rapid development of novel systemic therapy regimens, since pathologic complete remission appears to be a powerful prognostic factor for long-term outcomes. Patients who are either unfit for or refuse radical cystectomy may benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiation to enable bladder preservation.
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Encouraging Improvement in Cytopenias of Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes With ThalidomideMyelodysplastic syndrome patients present with variable cytopenias even though their bone marrows are generally hypercellular. Excessive cytokine-induced apoptosis of hematopoietic cells in the marrows has been proposed as a possible
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Encouraging Improvement in Cytopenias of Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes With ThalidomideMyelodysplastic syndrome patients present with variable cytopenias even though their bone marrows are generally hypercellular. Excessive cytokine-induced apoptosis of hematopoietic cells in the marrows has been proposed as a possible
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Combination Intravesical Hyperthermia and Chemotherapy for Bladder CancerThe review by Rampersaud and colleagues provides an excellent summary of the scientific rationale for using hyperthermia to treat cancer and of the current status of combinations of hyperthermia and chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In view of the demonstrated efficacy of the combination of intravescial hyperthermia and mitomycin C (MMC) therapy in preventing the progression and recurrence of non–muscle-invading bladder cancer (NMIBC) in several clinical trials, Rampersaud and colleagues advocate additional studies to further optimize the delivery of hyperthermia and to delineate its clinical utility in this disease.
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Efficiency of In Vivo Purging With Rituximab Followed by High-Dose Therapy With Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation in B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas: A Single-Institution StudyHigh-dose therapy (HDT) with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is a treatment option for patients with advanced follicular, marginal, and mantle cell lymphoma. In this setting, frequent contamination of peripheral blood stem cell harvests by
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Genetic Counseling in Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal CancerRecent identification of gene mutations responsible for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) has made possible the presymptomatic diagnosis of at-risk family members. If DNA testing shows that a family member is a gene carrier, that individual's lifetime cancer risk is approximately 90%. If the test is negative, the family member's cancer risk drops to that of the general population.
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Psychological Outcomes Associated With Anemia-Related Fatigue in Cancer PatientsThis article examines the relationships between chemotherapy-induced anemia, fatigue, and psychological distress among anemic cancer patients with solid tumors.
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Increased Efficacy Through Moderate Dose Escalation of Chemotherapy: Interim Report From the HD9 Randomized Trial for Advanced Hodgkin’s DiseaseThis report aims to assess the effect of increased drug dose on the efficacy and toxicity of the BEACOPP regimen with
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Phase II Study of Rituximab in Combination With Fludarabine in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic LeukemiaThis phase II trial investigated the safety and efficacy of a combined-modality treatment with rituximab (Rituxan) and fludarabine (Fludara) in patients with fludarabine- and anthracycline-naive chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL).
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Phase II Study of Rituximab in Combination With Fludarabine in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic LeukemiaThis phase II trial investigated the safety and efficacy of a combined-modality treatment with rituximab (Rituxan) and fludarabine (Fludara) in patients with fludarabine- and anthracycline-naive chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL).
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Relapsed Follicular Lymphoma: Response to a Fludarabine/Mitoxantrone Regimen and the Monoclonal Anti-CD20 Antibody RituximabOur objective was to determine the efficacy of a fludarabine (Fludara)/mitoxantrone (Novantrone) regimen combined with the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (Rituxan) to induce clinical and molecular remissions in patients with relapsed
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The Continuing Challenge of Metastatic Breast CancerBreast cancer is the most common cancer in women living in the developed world. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. The majority of newly diagnosed patients have early-stage disease.
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Thumbs Down for Smoking in MoviesSAN FRANCISCO--The movie critics Siskel and Ebert rate good movies with a "thumbs up" sign and bad ones with "thumbs down." Now, the Sacramento-Emigrant Trails Affiliate of the American Lung Association (ALA) is using these symbols to rate movies and TV shows in their portrayal of smoking.
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In Vivo Purging With Rituximab Prior to Stem Cell Collection Is Associated With Persistent Molecular Evidence of t(14;18) That Often Disappears Post-Transplant in Patients With Follicular LymphomaWe previously reported that “in vivo purging” with rituximab (Rituxan) during stem-cell collection is safe and does not adversely affect engraftment. We now report on our transplant experience with rituximab. From June 1998 to December
