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NEW ORLEANS-Positive/negative purging of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) grafts allows preparation of highly purified CD34+ fractions and up to 6 log of tumor cell depletion in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to a study conducted at the University of Kiel, Germany. Peter Dreger, MD, reported the results at the 41st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

The perception is that it is normally Democrats who support price controls; that is why Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA), who

ASCO-The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has embarked upon “one of the most important and far reaching initiatives ever undertaken by any medical specialty society-the National Initiative on Cancer Care Quality (NICCQ),” Joseph S. Bailes, MD, outgoing ASCO president, said at the Society’s 36th annual meeting held in New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS-A nonmagnetic method of depleting B cells during purging before autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation greatly decreases the nonspecific cell loss that can occur when cells cross a magnet, as in other techniques. The nonmagnetic method is also simple and quick, John Gribben, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said at the 41st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

Accurate imaging of the hepatic and extrahepatic abdomen is an important component of the management of many patients with cancer. Historically, clinicians have relied on computed tomography (CT). The use of intravenous (IV) and oral contrast

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla-Palliative care, broadly defined, can benefit cancer patients who are newly diagnosed and who are in active treatment, as well as those who are near death. In creating guidelines for palliative care, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Palliative Care Panel members found agreement on this point.

WASHINGTON-As part of its move to self-management, the American Society of Hematology (ASH) has moved its offices to a new independent location in Washington, DC. Formerly with an association management firm, the ASH executive committee voted in 1999 for the Society to make the move. Martha Liggett, Esq, will continue to serve as executive director.

SAN DIEGO-AIDS experts have long worried that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection might increase a woman’s risk of cervical cancer, particularly in the presence of concurrent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla-Older cancer patients are at increased risk for complications of chemotherapy, and such risks must be weighed against the potential benefits of treatment. However, chronologic age is an imprecise gauge of physical condition. A geriatric assessment can help the physician determine the best approach to cancer treatment, Lodovico Balducci, MD, said at the fifth annual conference of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).

ROCKVILLE, Md-The FDA has proposed rules that would enable it to authorize states to certify, inspect, and enforce quality standards at mammography facilities within their boarders. The rules would implement a provision of the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992 (MQSA) and significantly increase the role of the states in the process.

Medicare has made some changes in how it will calculate payments to outpatient cancer clinics when the new

SUNNYVALE, California-RadioTherapeutics Corporation has received clearance from the FDA to market its RF System for the ablation of nonresectable liver lesions. The system, consisting of the RF 2000 Radio-frequency Generator and family of LeVeen Needle Electrodes, provides radiofrequency (RF) energy to heat and destroy soft tissue.

WASHINGTON-When the National Coalition of Cancer Research (NCCR) brought its concerns about the impact of proposed patient privacy regulations on medical research to Capitol Hill, it got strong confirmation about its fears from the founder of the House Cancer Awareness Working Group.

ORLANDO-The technology for mammography to go digital is here, but it may take 5 or 10 years for the transition because of the higher costs that the newer method entails, Maria Kallergi, PhD, said at the Joint Cancer Conference of the Florida Universities.

CLEVELAND-Distance education for continuing medical education (CME), often conducted via e-mail and the Inter-net, is designed for independent study at the participant’s convenience. It also eliminates the need for travel, an important consideration in a country like Canada with a large geographic area and a small population.

WASHINGTON-A safer cigarette from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company? Leading antismoking groups don’t buy it, and Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala expressed “significant concerns about the marketing plans” for RJR’s new Eclipse brand.

SAN DIEGO-Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women from the southeastern United States are more likely to have contracted HIV through heterosexual contact, to be black, and to harbor multiple subtypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) than are HIV-positive women from other parts of the country, Ronald D. Alvarez, MD, said at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO).

NEW ORLEANS-A mutant her-pesvirus has been shown, in vitro and in vivo, to be highly oncolytic against colon carcinoma cells in liver metastases. On-colysis induced by the replication of this virus, combined with cyclophosphamide prodrug activation, appears to hold therapeutic promise in this setting, according to research presented at the Society of Surgical Oncology Cancer Symposium.

CHICAGO-While the main objective in caring for cancer patients has been to prolong life and to focus on short-term and long-term survival, more recent efforts include considerations of health-related quality of life (QOL).[1,2] The World Health Organization defines QOL as “not merely the absence of disease but a state of physical, emotional, and social well being.”[3]

In his excellent review, Dr. Mitsuyasu correctly highlights the three most important ingredients that play a role in the pathogenesis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS)-Kaposi’s sarcoma herpesvirus/human herpesvirus type 8 (KSHV/HHV-8); altered expression and response to cytokines; and stimulation of KS growth by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 trans-activating protein, Tat. Recent studies have provided tremendous insight into the process whereby KSHV/HHV-8 creates the inflammatory-angiogenic state that characterizes KS.

Heidelberger and associates[1] synthesized fluorouracil (5-FU) in 1957 after observing that rat hepatomas utilized radiolabeled uracil more avidly than malignant tissues. For the past 40 years, 5-FU has been extensively investigated in various schedules, in combination with biochemical modulators, and for a variety of malignancies.[2]

Dr. Mitsuyasu has been doing clinical research in patients with AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and his review reflects this breadth of experience. It provides a well-rounded and up-to-date assessment of the pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment of AIDS-related KS that should be a useful guide for practicing physicians.

In his article, Dr. Mitsuyasu concisely reviews a large body of data concerning the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, and treatment of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) in the setting of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. As he correctly points out, effective highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), with its consequent improvements in immune function and decrease in production of viral and cytokine cofactors that promote KS growth, has been partly responsible for the decline of KS incidence in areas with ready access to HIV therapy.

Managing the infectious complications associated with pentostatin (Nipent), used alone or in combination with other agents in patients with low-grade lymphomas, poses a significant problem for clinicians. Since there is limited

Both pentostatin (Nipent) and rituximab (Rituxan) have single-agent activity in B-cell malignancies, including indolent and intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Pentostatin is also active in pretreated patients

recent teleconference sponsored by Cancer Care Inc centered on newer treatments for aggressive lymphomas. Michael Grossbard, MD,

The increasing use of systemic and directed liver therapy for patients with hepatic metastases has created a demand for improved accuracy of noninvasive imaging techniques. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic

The management of hepatic tumors presents a challenging problem. The natural history of primary and metastatic liver lesions portends a poor prognosis. However, surgical resection and newer ablative techniques have had a

NEW YORK-Coping with cancer and the side effects of treatment can be difficult and frustrating for caregivers as well as patients. Frances K. Barg, MEd, Coordinator for Cancer Control Education, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and Mary Pat Lynch, CRNP, MSN, AOCN, graduate faculty, Oncology Advanced Practice Nurse Program, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, had some tips for caregivers and answers to their questions at a Cancer Care, Inc. teleconference. They reviewed a number of things caregivers can do to help relieve the most common problems.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the world’s most common cancers. It is closely associated with cirrhosis, especially that due to viral hepatitis. The incidences of viral hepatitis and HCC are rising steadily in the United