All News

ROCHESTER, Minnesota-Ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) significantly improves quality of life for patients with low-grade, follicular, or transformed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients, according to the results of a phase-III study reported by Gregory A. Wiseman, MD. "Low-grade lymphoma is not a curable disease, but patients live for a long time with it," said Dr. Wiseman, lead researcher and assistant professor, Radiology Department, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "We want to know how patients are feeling, especially if they’re going through difficult treatments. What we discovered is that after receiving Zevalin, patients’ quality of life was good."

INDIANAPOLIS-Eli Lilly and Company has launched a new website for community medical oncologists and their staffs. The site, located at www.lillydirect.com, is designed to save oncology health care professionals time by streamlining many of their business-related responsibilities.

During this symposium, faculty participated in a roundtable discussion of the relative merits and weaknesses associated with use of the fluorinated pyrimidines. Dehydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency and the impact of this deficiency on

The fluorinated pyrimidines, in particular 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), are among the oldest cytotoxic agents still in broad use today. To some degree, this continued use of 5-FU is a bit of an embarrassment to those of us who spend considerable amounts of

UFT and leucovorin (Orzel) is a combination of tegafur and uracil in a molar ratio of 1:4. Tegafur, a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), is converted to 5-FU by the hepatic cytochrome P450 pathway, whereas uracil enhances the

Randomized studies have tested a variety of strategies to improve the activity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in colorectal cancer patients. Results from 14 randomized trials comparing 5-FU administered via intravenous ( IV) bolus either

Researchers, primarily in Japan, Europe, and the United States, have evaluated several new fluorinated pyrimidines in recent years. Most of these drugs are orally active prodrugs of fluorouracil (5-FU), and some also

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the initial rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), accounting for catabolism of over 85% of an administered dose of 5-FU. DPD plays an important role in

BETHESDA, Md-The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) has voted 14 to 1 to recommend that the agency grant accelerated approval to Campath (alemtuzumab, Millennium & ILEX Partners) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have been treated with alkylating agents and have failed fludarabine (Fludara) therapy.

The injectable form of arsenic trioxide (Trisenox) was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with a severe form of leukemia-acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)-whose disease has recurred or who have failed to respond to standard therapy.

WASHINGTON-Physicians will receive an average 4.5% increase in Medicare payment rates in 2001, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) announced. Increases will range from nothing to 12%, depending on specialty.

NEW YORK-A program to screen for lung cancer that was remarkably successful in recruiting participants has produced some surprises and taught the investigators some lessons about what to expect from large-scale lung cancer screening.

SAN FRANCISCO-Interim results of a phase III European study show that combining conventional chemotherapy with the monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan) improves survival rates over chemotherapy alone in elderly patients with aggressive lymphoma.

Medicare payment for chemotherapy administration has been a controversial issue beyond accurate practice expense RVUs; a more inflammatory side of the story involves the cuts in payments to oncologists for drugs they purchase and then administer in their office.

SAN FRANCISCO-A regimen combining the monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan) with fludarabine (Fludara) and cyclophosphamide may become the standard treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). That projection is based on preliminary findings from a phase II trial of 56 previously untreated patients with advanced CLL presented at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

NEW YORK-Long banished from the pharmacopoeia because of its teratogenic effects, thalidomide (Thalomid) has recently reemerged as a potentially promising chemotherapeutic agent in a variety of cancers. Four presentations at the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XVIII looked at its use as a single agent and in combination therapy.

BOSTON-A new regimen of adjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy significantly raised 3-year survival rates for locally advanced stomach cancer patients in a randomized phase III intergroup trial reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO).

BETHESDA, Md-The National Cancer Institute has requested $5.03 billion in its "bypass budget" for fiscal year 2002, which begins Oct. 1, 2001. The request represents an increase of $1.525 billion over the $3.5 billion President Clinton asked Congress to provide the Institute for FY 2001, and $1.27 billion above the actual FY 2001 appropriation granted by Congress ($3.76 billion).

BOSTON-A new, intensity modulated radiation therapy delivery system allows patients to lie down rather than stand up for total body irradiation (TBI) and avoid the discomfort of heavy lead shields to block the lungs, John T. Keane, PhD, reported at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting.

BOSTON-Combining standard radiation with a new drug called motexafin gadolinium (Xcytrin) produced substantial benefits for cancer patients with brain metastases in the lead-in phase of an ongoing phase III clinical trial, according to a report presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting.

WASHINGTON-Since its inception 5 years ago, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has become a major force in the policy wars over tobacco. Media savvy and quick to respond to news opportunities, the Campaign has been effective in publicizing the deceptive practices of the tobacco industry, its political contributions at the state and national level, and its changing advertising practices aimed at enticing youngsters into smoking.

BETHESDA, Md-The National Cancer Institute has reported results of a study investigating the possible link between brain cancer and cell phone use weeks ahead of its scheduled publication in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Approaches to cancer treatment have rapidly grown complex and costly, causing heightened awareness among patients, physicians, employers, and insurance providers. Annual costs for cancer are about $107 billion, accounting for 20% of all health care costs.[1]

The optimal management of opioid-related side effects is hampered by a lack of comparative studies of management strategies. The prevalence of such side effects is influenced by the extent of disease, the patient’s

The optimal management of opioid-related side effects is hampered by a lack of comparative studies of management strategies. The prevalence of such side effects is influenced by the extent of disease, the patient’s

The optimal management of opioid-related side effects is hampered by a lack of comparative studies of management strategies. The prevalence of such side effects is influenced by the extent of disease, the patient’s

Docetaxel (Taxotere), gemcitabine (Gemzar), and irinotecan (Camptosar, CPT-11) are active single agents in a variety of solid tumors. In combination, synergism may be schedule dependent. Preclinical studies suggested

Irinotecan (Camptosar) is an active chemotherapeutic agent for lung, gastric, esophageal, and colorectal cancers and a potent radiosensitizer. This phase I study was designed to assess the maximum tolerated dose of weekly

The use of thalidomide (Thalomid) in the treatment of hematologic diseases and in solid tumors as monotherapy or in combination with other agents is an exciting development in cancer therapy. Researchers actively involved in studying the role of thalidomide in cancer treatment were convened at a special investigators’ meeting held this past May in New Orleans. The articles in this supplement are based on the presentations made at this investigators’ meeting.

Recent evidence suggests that angiogenesis is increased in multiple myeloma and has prognostic value in the disease. Based on the increased angiogenesis observed in myeloma, thalidomide (Thalomid) has been studied as