Grant Will Improve Veterans Access to Latest Clinical Cancer Trials
August 1st 1998Roger Byhardt, MD, professor of radiation oncology and member of the Cancer Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin, has been named principal investigator of a $355,700 grant to help improve the access of veterans and other military personnel
Researchers Describe How Syphilis Increases Transmission of HIV
August 1st 1998Researchers at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas are offering the first plausible, molecular explanation of the behavior of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in people with syphilis. The virus is transmitted more
Some Cancer Patients Benefit from Prophylactic Erythropoietin
August 1st 1998WASHINGTON--Although the role of erythropoietin, or epoetin (Epogen, Procrit), in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia is generally well known and accepted, its potential for prophylactic use to prevent the development of anemia in cancer patients remains at issue.
Crystal Structure of gp120 Suggests New HIV Treatment Targets
August 1st 1998NEW YORK--Using x-ray crystallography, researchers have managed to catch an HIV surface glycoprotein (gp120) in the act of binding to a CD 4T-cell receptor (Figure 1). The images are a collaborative effort led by researchers from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Oncologists Split on CSF Use in Older AML Patients
August 1st 1998Use of hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) following induction and consolidation chemotherapy for elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a controversial area. Studies have shown that CSFs can decrease the likelihood and/or shorten the duration of therapy-related neutropenic complications when given following induction chemotherapy.[1-7]
Clinical Status and Future Directions of Irinotecan
August 1st 1998Nearly a decade ago, irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) began clinical development in Japan. Early clinical trials in that country recognized its anti-tumor activity in a variety of advanced malignancies, including stomach, colon, cervical, and lung
European Experience With Irinotecan Plus Fluorouracil/Folinic Acid or Mitomycin
Tremendous progress has been made in the medical treatment of advanced colorectal cancer during the past 2 to 3 years, due to the availability of several new drugs. Of these new agents, irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) seems
Rational Design of Irinotecan Administration Based on Preclinical Models
August 1st 1998Most clinical drug regimens for irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) have been empirically based on classic in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations. We propose an alternative approach that attempts to
Alternative Dosing Schedules for Irinotecan
Most of the clinical experience with irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) has been with either a weekly or an every-3-week schedule. Recent phase I trials have explored new routes and schedules of administration. One approach
Irinotecan: Toward Clinical End Points in Drug Development
August 1st 1998The objective response rate is the initial method to assess the activity of a novel anticancer agent. Response rates may not characterize a new agent’s clinical benefit, however, especially if moderate to severe toxicity may be
Camptothecin Radiation Sensitization: Mechanisms, Schedules, and Timing
August 1st 1998Based on high tumoricidal activity of the camptothecin analogs topotecan (Hycamtin), irinotecan (CPT-11[Camptosar]), and 9-aminocamptothecin (9-AC) in preclinical studies, clinical trials began testing these agents
Extending Principles Learned in Model Systems to Clinical Trials Design
Clinical results with irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) and other camptothecin derivatives in various cancers, although encouraging, have fallen short of the expectations predicted by preclinical models. One proposed
SPIKES, a Six-Point Protocol, Helps Physicians ‘Break the Bad News’ to Cancer Patients
August 1st 1998LOS ANGELES--If the basic protocol for imparting bad news to cancer patients could be reduced to a T-shirt slogan, it would be, "Before you tell, ask," Robert Buckman, MD, PhD, said at an educational session on breaking bad news to cancer patients at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting. "Find out the patient’s expectations before you give information," he said.
Calling the National Cancer Institute
July 1st 1998WASHINGTON--Up to one-third of callers to the National Cancer Institute’s hot line for cancer information(1-800-4-CANCER) get a busy signal or hang up because of the long wait for someone to pick up, according to a report by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Virtual Reality Exhibit Simulates Cancer Fatigue
July 1st 1998LOS ANGELES--Visitors to the Exhibitor’s Hall at this year’s ASCO meeting had the opportunity to walk in the shoes of a patient with cancer-related fatigue at Ortho-Biotech’s In My Steps virtual reality experience, developed in cooperation with cancer patients and the Fatigue Coalition.