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SAN DIEGO--Researchers are becoming more optimistic about the possible benefits of recombinant vaccines in fighting carcinomas, Jeffrey Schlom, PhD, said at the American College of Physicians annual session.

Adding low doses of angiostatin--a naturally produced substance that inhibits angiogenesis--to standard radiation therapy dramatically improves the response to cancer treatment in animal models without increasing toxicity, report researchers from

BETHESDA, Md--Compliance problems cost millions of lives each year because patients fail to show up for screening, fail to come in for follow-up visits, don’t stick to their medications, or revert to unhealthy behavior, said Suzanne M. Miller, PhD, director of Psychosocial and Behavior Medicine, and senior member, Division of Population Science, Fox Chase Cancer Center.

WASHINGTON--A complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) accuses five major tobacco companies of violating federal law by indicating they would pay for advertising to support the re-election bids of senators who voted against comprehensive tobacco legislation.

COLUMBUS, Ohio--The evaluation of a cancer patient’s complaint of pain should include an assessment of a variety of characteristics, including psychosocial and emotional factors, said Neil MacDonald, MD, director of the Cancer Ethics Programme, Center for Bioethics, Clinical Research Institute of Montreal.

SAN DIEGO--Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, have been monitoring the institution’s transplant patients for quality of life (QOL) for more than two decades, Keith Sullivan, MD, of the Department of Medical Oncology, said at the Sixth International Symposium on Recent Advances in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, sponsored by the University of California, San Diego.

Mary Horowitz, MD, MS scientific director of the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry and the Autologous Blood and Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR/ABMTR) at the Medical College of Wisconsin, has been awarded a 5-year, $9.5

GENEVA--Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), usually including a protease inhibitor, can suppress human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) so much that the immune system actually begins to heal, according to work presented at the 12th World Conference on AIDS. In patients who respond well to HAART, CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts move toward normal, and the risk of opportunistic infections decreases (see Oncology News International, August, 1998, pp 1 and 20).

COLUMBUS, Ohio--Recent clinical reports of nontraditional analgesics, like calcitonin, gabapentin (Neurontin), and tramadol (Ultram), suggest that these drugs may successfully control cancer pain in some patients, said Mary Beth Shirk, PharmD, clinical assistant professor, College of Pharmacy, Ohio State University. In some patients, the drugs have been shown to be effective against neuropathic pain.

Although almost all pituitary tumors are benign adenomas, a surprisingly large number of these tumors invade tissues outside of the pituitary gland. Such invasion, by itself, is not diagnostic of pituitary carcinomas, which are

Although almost all pituitary tumors are benign adenomas, a surprisingly large number of these tumors invade tissues outside of the pituitary gland. Such invasion, by itself, is not diagnostic of pituitary carcinomas, which are

LA JOLLA, California--Idun Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company founded in 1994, is focusing its resources on the design and development of small molecule drugs targeting the biochemical pathways that control apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

A new survey of more than 11,000 Americans reveals widespread ignorance about lung cancer, the nation’s leading cancer killer.

Investigators at the University of Pittsburgh have received a $7.7 million, 5-year award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study how dendritic cells participate in: (1) generating immunity against cancer cells, (2) inducing transplant tolerance,

Leaders of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) discussed the society’s comprehensive position statement calling for the removal of all barriers to high-quality end-of-life care. ASCO’s recommendations include greatly expanded

BETHESDA, Md--As part of his sweeping reorganization and innovative effort at the National Cancer Institute, director Richard D. Klausner, MD, last November named 15 advocates to the Director’s Consumer Liaison Group (DCLG). Its recommendations will go directly to the NCI director, as it becomes a high-powered chartered advisory committee. Dr. Klausner envisioned a threefold purpose for this group of advocates. First, it will provide a forum for advocates to raise and discuss issues of concern regarding the development of NCI programs and research priorities. Second, it will help NCI develop criteria for selecting consumer advocates to serve on a number of NCI program and policy committees, including peer review panels. Third, it will serve as a strong link between NCI and cancer advocacy groups. Oncology News International’s Washington Bureau Chief Patrick Young discussed the DCLG’s role within NCI with Eleanor Nealon, director of NCI’s Office of Liaison Activities, which coordinates the group.

A new, 1-hour television documentary features conversations with some of the nearly 10 million American cancer survivors. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Anne Bancroft and filmed at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Rochester,

LOS ANGELES--Although a number of new angiogenesis inhibitors are under development, researchers reported at an ASCO poster session that an established anticancer agent may also have antiangiogenesis properties.

TRICARE, the health plan for active duty military personnel (formerly known as CHAMPUS), expanded its cancer clinical trials demonstration so that beneficiaries could enter cancer prevention trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute

WASHINGTON--President Clinton has nominated Jane E. Henney, MD, vice president for health sciences, University of New Mexico, as the new FDA Commissioner. She would replace David M. Kessler, MD, who resigned more than a year ago and is now dean of the Yale University School of Medicine.

ROCKVILLE, Md--The FDA has approved a new computer system, the M1000 ImageChecker, made by R2 Technology, Inc., Los Altos, California, to aid radiologists in reviewing mammograms. Studies show that use of the device improved the radiologists’ detection rate from approximately 80 out of 100 cancers to almost 88 out of 100.

WASHINGTON--Did some US senators pay the piper by helping defeat the McCain comprehensive tobacco control bill? That’s clearly the thesis of an analysis released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. It found that senators who consistently voted against provisions to strengthen the bill, and ultimately to kill it, received far more in campaign contributions from the tobacco industry than those who strongly supported the bill.

GENEVA--Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) and cervical dysplasia are common problems in HIV-infected patients. Research presented at the 12th World AIDS Conference shows that strong suppression of HIV replication with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) also leads to recovery from these two neoplastic conditions.

GENEVA--AIDS looks likely to become the worst pandemic in history before it becomes a manageable chronic disease, but long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can pound the virus down enough to let the immune system heal itself, at least in part.

Individualizing the dosage of cancer chemotherapy can increase survival rates for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) without causing excessive toxicity, according to a study published in the February 18, 1998, issue of The New

WASHINGTON--Concerns that pressure from advocates for specific diseases and congressional mandates have skewed research priorities at NIH led Congress to request a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

WASHINGTON--Two federal agencies and a managed care organization are sponsoring a 3-year effort to determine how particular managed care policies affect the quality of care provided patients with chronic diseases, including protocols governing the referral of patients to medical specialists and arrangements for paying physicians.

WASHINGTON--President Clinton has appointed Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, an epidemiologist, as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, replacing Dr. David Satcher, who left last February to become Surgeon General. Dr. Koplan was with the CDC for most of his career, starting in 1972, until leaving 4 years ago to join Prudential Healthcare as president of its Center for Health Care Research.

TORONTO--Intensive chemotherapy can cure patients with high-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), but many patients fail to enter complete remission or relapse after a complete response.

CHAPEL HILL, NC--Although the health care professional is often to blame when cancer pain management is inadequate, barriers to pain control can also stem from patients’ forgetfulness, stoicism, and fatalism. "A cancer pain management plan cannot be effective if patients fail to report pain and adhere to treatment recommendations," said