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Chronic pain occurs in about one-third of all cancer patients and in about three-quarters of those with advanced disease.[1] A major factor in the undertreatment of cancer pain is inadequate pain assessment.[2] Pain assessment provides the basis for inferred pathophysiology that directs diagnostic evaluation and treatment decisions. Pain syndrome identification plays an important role in this process-much of clinical medicine is based on pattern recognition of symptoms and signs, leading to a specific diagnosis and therapeutic strategy.

Older individuals are at risk for adverse events in all settings where cancer is treated. Common geriatric syndromes can complicate cancer therapy, and thus, increase patient morbidity and the costs of care. Furthermore,

The problem of pain among cancer patients is endemic. Appropriate and effective clinical responses to this problem require that the physician appreciate the cause of the pain, its underlying mechanism, its natural history, and its significance.

Older individuals are at risk for adverse events in all settings where cancer is treated. Common geriatric syndromes can complicate cancer therapy, and thus, increase patient morbidity and the costs of care. Furthermore,

In part 2 of this interview, Benjamin Djulbegovic, MD, PhD, discusses the uncertainty principle in clinical trials. Dr. Djulbegovic is associate professor of medicine, Divisions of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

ROCKVILLE, Maryland-Initiation of daily smoking among young people has declined sharply from its peak in 1997, and cigarette use among youths and young adults declined again between 1999 and 2000, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Pressure ulcers are a common problem, with about 1.5 to 3 million individuals in the United Stated affected. Treatment may be costly, requiring lengthy periods of hospitalization. Central to the development of pressure

BETHESDA, Maryland-Two major AIDS studies will increase their enrollments by 60% and the number of minorities participating in them.

SAN DIEGO-The use of electronic chemotherapy documentation templates, developed by the nursing staff of Marshfield Clinic Cancer Care, Marshfield, Wisconsin, has led to improved efficiency and readability, and allows all health care providers immediate access to clinically relevant information.

CHICAGO-Low-grade primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) of the breast may be treated with local surgical excision with or without radiation therapy. Intermediate- or high-grade disease requires chemotherapy, however, said William Wong, MD, radiation oncologist, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

The Ohio Dental Association (ODA) strongly advocates against the use of smokeless tobacco products because of their harmful effects-particularly the strong link to oral cancer. As a result, the ODA discounts the advertising hype that appears

TORONTO, Canada-An initial clinical trial with a new radionuclide has shown extended survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme, the most common primary adult central nervous system tumor, according to data presented to the 48th Annual Meeting of the Society for Nuclear Medicine (abstract 454).

WASHINGTON-Major congressional and White House action is needed to revitalize the National Cancer Plan and enable "our nation to capitalize on unprecedented scientific opportunities and surmount barriers" in the battle against cancer, an independent panel has concluded.

SEATTLE-Ultrasound (US)-guided Mammotome biopsy is both effective and safe for sampling breast lesions, Nathalie Duchesne, MD, a staff radiologist at the Hôpital du Saint-Sacrement, Quebec, said at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society (abstract 19). In fact, for most small lesions, the Mammotome permits complete excision of the lesion.

ROCKVILLE, Maryland-New screening systems expected to further lower the threat of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) contamination in the nation’s blood supply have received FDA approval. The agency has licensed two nucleic acid test (NAT) systems, which can significantly reduce the infection window, ie, the time in which a blood donor can be infected but the infection may not be detected. For HIV, the window with NAT is 12 days, compared with 22 days for antibody tests and 16 days for antigen tests. For HCV, the window is reduced from 82 days to 25 days.

NEW YORK-Members of eight major oncologic organizations are working together to produce a set of uniform guidelines for the prevention and control of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

SAN DIEGO--The Cancer Center at Carle Clinic, Urbana, Illinois, has developed a phone assessment program to reach out to prostate brachytherapy patients before their 1-month follow-up visit, Mary Collins, RN, MSN, OCN, clinical nurse specialist at the Cancer Center, said at the 26th Annual Conference of the Oncology Nursing Society (abstract 73).

SAN DIEGO--A new study may help nursing professionals become more aware of the presence of symptom clusters in cancer patients and their possible synergistic adverse effect on patients’ future morbidity.

HEIDELBERG-A "proof of concept" study from researchers at the German Cancer Research Center shows that tumor-reactive memory T cells already present in the bone marrow of many cancer patients can be mobilized, restimulated, and deployed against the individual’s own breast, ovarian, or cervical tumor.

BETHESDA, Maryland-The first large, multicenter study to compare digital vs standard film mammography has begun enrolling patients. The Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST) will study 49,500 women at 18 centers in the United States and one center in Canada.

A study that evaluated 76 patients, aged 48 to 62 years, who underwent prostate brachytherapy between 1995 and 1999 using either palladium-103 or iodine-125 seed implants, reported that more than 98% achieved 5-year survival.

Interdisciplinary Research to Be Focus of Case Institute

SAN FRANCISCO-While bone mineral density decreases with ovarian ablation via the leutinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analog goserelin (Zoladex), the loss is partly recovered within a year after 2 years of treatment. Also, the loss may be minimized by the addition of tamoxifen (Nolvadex), according to an analysis of ZIPP (Zoladex in Premenopausal Patients) trial data presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 96).

SAN FRANCISCO-Adding vitamin B12 and folic acid to chemotherapy with pemetrexed disodium (Alimta) reduces the incidence of severe life-threatening toxicities, according to research presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 300).

SEATTLE-Radiology practices that are converting to digital systems should be alert to the possibility of overuse syndromes, based on the experience of the radiology department at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu. Lynne Ruess, MD, chief of pediatric radiology at Tripler, reported her department’s experience at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society (abstract 175).

Neuropathic pain may be defined as pain related to abnormal somatosensory processing in either the peripheral or central nervous system. This pathophysiologic label is typically applied when the painful symptom is associated

Clinical trials of agents to prevent cancer in populations at risk are relatively recent. To date, these consist of a few large population-based studies. Trials in this area focus on the prevention of cancer in individuals with specific predetermined risk

Neuropathic pain may be defined as pain related to abnormal somatosensory processing in either the peripheral or central nervous system. This pathophysiologic label is typically applied when the painful symptom is associated

Pressure ulcers are a common problem, with about 1.5 to 3 million individuals in the United Stated affected. Treatment may be costly, requiring lengthy periods of hospitalization. Central to the development of pressure

In this article (the first of a two-part interview), Benjamin Djulbegovic, MD, PhD, discusses the uncertainty principle in clinical trials, a subject he has written about in The Lancet and elsewhere. Dr. Djulbegovic is associate professor of medicine, Divisions of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute at the University of South Florida, Tampa.