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SAN FRANCISCO-Five years of tamoxifen (Nolvadex) is standard treatment for many women with estrogen-receptor (ER)-sensitive breast cancer, but the question of what to do after that is unresolved. Raloxifene (Evista) has been considered by some researchers as a possible next treatment, but preclinical data suggest this will not be a successful strategy. Ruth M. O’Regan, MD, of Northwestern University Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, presented the data at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 95).

WASHINGTON-More than beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. For example, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids offered quite different interpretations of a report released by NCSL at its annual meeting.

BETHESDA, Maryland-A 5-year, $17.5-million program will investigate how HIV infection affects adolescent and adult women. Three research centers will house the Women’s HIV Pathogenesis Program, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Researchers at the centers will collaborate with others in an effort to identify biologic factors unique to women that affect HIV.

MELVILLE, New York-The publishers of ONI are pleased to announce that Sharon K. Krumm, PhD, RN, will serve as Editor of Oncology Nursing. Dr. Krumm earned her bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Missouri School of Nursing, Columbia, and her MS and PhD from the University of Missouri.

SAN DIEGO--A 13-year-old program developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians can make inroads in educating students about myths and misconceptions of tobacco, said Anne Slivjak, RN, MSN, AOCN, a research assistant in the Nursing Research Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Data from the first study to compare ibandronate with pamidronate (Aredia) in the treatment of malignant hypercalcemia were presented at the 37th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The results demonstrated that rates

BOSTON-Targeted anticancer drugs such as trastuzumab (Herceptin) targeting HER-2 and imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) targeting Bcr-Abl represent the potential of genome-based medicine, but the future may not be as close as it seems, according to pharmaceutical executives who spoke at the 2001 Drug Discovery Technology Conference.

SAN FRANCISCO-Israeli investigators have developed a new method for enhancing paclitaxel (Taxol) delivery to recurrent brain tumors and are using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor for response.

Novartis announced recently that it received marketing approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for zoledronic acid (Zometa), a new generation intravenous bisphosphonate for the treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy.

NEW YORK-Keeping fit and eating right is no easy task for the millions of Americans who are overweight and out of shape. For cancer patients, it requires specialized know-how as well as determination, according to experts who gave advice during a Cancer Care, Inc. teleconference on ways to battle fatigue.

SAN FRANCISCO-Use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) significantly increases disease-free survival among patients with HIV-related non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), Michele Spina, MD, of Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano, Italy, said at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 1122).

ROCKVILLE, Maryland-Zometa (zoledronic acid for injection) has received marketing approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy. Zoledronic acid represents a new generation of intravenous bisphosphonates. It is currently approved for treating hypercalcemia of malignancy in more than 30 countries.

SAN FRANCISCO-Preliminary results from the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)-9712 trial indicate that rituximab (Rituxan) given concurrently with fludarabine (Fludara) improves response in previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients, compared with a sequential approach. The results were presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO abstract 1116).

SEATTLE-A fully implemented large-core needle biopsy program can dramatically improve the positive predictive value of surgical biopsy of breast lesions, based on the experience of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. Jessica Leung, MD, instructor in radiology, Harvard Medical School, presented the study at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society.

SEATTLE-A 1-year follow-up with mammography appears to be sufficient to detect any false-negative results of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in patients with nonpalpable breast masses, according to a study from the Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY. Shalom Buchbinder, MD, director of mammography, presented the study at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society.

ROCKVILLE, Maryland-The FDA has approved Amgen’s Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa) for Injection for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic renal failure, including patients on dialysis and patients not on dialysis.

Interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown dramatically over the past several years. Cancer patients are always looking for new hope, and many have turned to nontraditional means. This study was

Records from 653 patients treated between 1991 and 1998 in the Oncology Practice Patterns Study (OPPS) were analyzed to determine contemporary chemotherapy delivery patterns in patients with intermediate-grade non-

Interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown dramatically over the past several years. Cancer patients are always looking for new hope, and many have turned to nontraditional means. This study was

Interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown dramatically over the past several years. Cancer patients are always looking for new hope, and many have turned to nontraditional means. This study was

Effective radiotherapy for patients with cancer should include maximal tumor cell killing with minimal injury to normal tissue. Radiation doses that can be delivered, without causing severe damage to surrounding normal

Interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown dramatically over the past several years. Cancer patients are always looking for new hope, and many have turned to nontraditional means. This study was

Records from 653 patients treated between 1991 and 1998 in the Oncology Practice Patterns Study (OPPS) were analyzed to determine contemporary chemotherapy delivery patterns in patients with intermediate-grade non-

Records from 653 patients treated between 1991 and 1998 in the Oncology Practice Patterns Study (OPPS) were analyzed to determine contemporary chemotherapy delivery patterns in patients with intermediate-grade non-

This endoscopic photograph was obtained during an upper-gastrointestinal endoscopy on a 60-year-old gentleman with epigastric abdominal pain and melena. The photograph was taken in the stomach.

WASHINGTON-Medicare will soon institute a policy to cover all its beneficiaries for treatments to remove actinic keratoses, sun-induced precancerous skin lesions confined to the epidermis. The decision establishes the first national coverage policy for the disorder without restrictions based on lesion or patient characteristics.

WASHINGTON-Stage II and III rectal cancer patients who achieve a complete response (CR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiation do not enjoy any long-term survival advantage over patients who do not, Mark Onaitis, MD, of Duke University Medical Center, said at the 54th Annual Cancer Symposium of the Society of Surgical Oncology.

SAN ANTONIO-Enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (EIAEDs) can significantly alter the metabolism of irinotecan (Camptosar) and should be taken into consideration when treating patients for brain tumors, according to John G. Kuhn, PharmD. Dr. Kuhn is professor of Pharmacology and Medicine at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, Texas. He discussed data on irinotecan pharmacokinetics from an ongoing North American Brain Tumor Consortium (NABTC) phase I study.

SAN DIEGO, California-Patients’ differing goals for pain relief may explain some of the variability in pain outcomes. In an attempt to better understand and document these goals, Marie A. Flannery, RN, MS, a nurse practitioner and senior associate at the University of Rochester Cancer Center, developed a 13-item "goals for pain relief" scale.

WASHINGTON, DC-Irinotecan (Camptosar) and epirubicin (Ellence) both have single-agent activity in a number of cancers, and they have different toxicity profiles. John L. Marshall, MD, and colleagues at the Lombardi Cancer Center in Washington, DC, have been working on a phase I trial of epirubicin in combination with irinotecan in patients with various advanced cancers. Dr. Marshall, associate professor and director of Developmental Therapeutics and GI Oncology at the Lombardi Cancer Center reported that doses had to be lowered after the original protocol produced serious myelosuppression in the first four patients treated, but the study has recently reopened.