By Stanton R. Mehr

Topics covered in this issue include: 1) High Cancer Drug Costs Altering the Research and Treatment Dynamic 2) $128 Million Settlement to Physicians 3) Coinsurance Change for Medicare Beneficiaries for Colon Cancer Screening, and more

Articles in this issue include: 1) Norway: Hopes for Trastuzamab Use in Endometrial Cancer 2) Switzerland: New Guidelines Highlight Use of Bisphosphonates in Elderly Patients With Bone Metastases 3) Italy: Bringing Out All of the Artillery to Fight Mesothelioma, and more

The topics covered in this issue include: 1) Exemestane Is a Cost-Effective Alternative to Tamoxifen in Estrogen Receptor%u2013Positive Breast Cancer 2) A More Accurate Way of Deciding Which Prostate Cancers to Treat? 3) Senate Proposal Would Increase Payments to Oncologists%u2026 and more

Articles in this issue include: 1) England: GAMEC for Untreated or Relapsed Refractory Germ-Cell Tumors Preventing Oxaliplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy 2) Australia: Immunodeficiency May Be Linked to Multiple Cancer Types 3) Sweden: Long-Term Steroid Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis Has One Benefit, at Least 4) Netherlands: Increasing Survival of Infants With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and more

Among the articles provided in this issue are topics presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In this issue we highlight topics presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology: 1) Focus Groups and Advisory Boards: To What Extent Do They Supplement Oncologists' Income? 2) The High Overhead Cost of Complying With National Guidelines, and more

Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Bad News for Health Plans: MRIs Gain in Breast Cancer Detection 2) Do Terminally Ill Patients Have a Right to Receive Unproven Drugs? 3) Benefits of HPV Vaccine Still Unclear, but Time Will Tell 4) Updated Kidney Cancer Guidelines Focus on Medication Revisions and more

The Clinical Trials reported include: PHASE III: 1) Is Combination or Sequential Treatment for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer More Effective? 2) Cervical Cancer Vaccines Do Not Work Like Investigational Cancer Vaccines, Study Confirms 3) Docetaxel to Improve Clinical and Quality of Life Improvement in the Treatment of Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Cancer, and more

Clinical trial abstracts from Italy, Canada, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, and China

News articles featured in this issue include: 1) Off-Label Use of Oncology Medications 2) More Work to Do on Breast Cancer Guideline Adoption 3) Multiple Biopsies Are Needed to Diagnose Prostate Cancer, and more

The Clinical Trials Reported in this issue include: PHASE III: 1) Trastuzumab and Anastrozole Extend Breast Cancer Survival in Patients Who Received Anastrozole Alone Earlier PHASE II: 1) Motexafin for Non%u2013Small Cell Lung Cancer 2) Oral Satraplatin Monotherapy for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer Shows Little Response, and more

Articles in this issue include: 1) Italy: Is the Knee Bone Connected to the Lung? 2) Turkey: Gabapentin Helps Opioid Treatment Alleviate Neuropathic Pain 3) China: Is a Blood Test for Early Diagnosis of Liver Cancer Within Reach?, and more

Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Dosing Patterns and Costs of Erythropoesis-Stimulating Agents in Patients With Cancer 2) New Practice Guideline Updates Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer 3) Large Health Insurer Begins Genetic Risk Counseling for Cancer, and more

The Clinical Trials reported in this issue include: PHASE III: 1) Atamestane Plus Toremifene Compared With Letrozole for Advanced Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Treatment 2) Tamoxifen Superior to Arzoxifene for Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer 3) Head and Neck Cancer Treatment With Cisplatin, Fluorouracil, and Docetaxel, and more

Articles in this issue include: Sweden: What Do Genes Have to Do With Cancer Survival? United Kingdom: 1) New Renal Sarcoma Type Characterized 2) Vinflunine for the Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma, and more

Topics covered in this issue include: 1) A Need to Better Manage Use of CT Scans to Avoid Excess Cancer Risk? 2) Fuller Disclosure in Doctor-Ranking Models Nationwide 3) Which Is More Cost Effective: Rituximab or Stem-Cell Transplant for Follicular Lymphoma? 4) Colorectal Cancer Screening in Medicare Patients Still Largely Ignored 5) Does Quality of Life Vary Among Chemotherapies in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer? 6) Insurer and Oncology Group Begin Pay-for-Performance Arrangement 7) Patients With Health Insurance Have Better Cancer Outcomes

The Clinical Trials reported in this issue include: PHASE III: 1) What Factors Predict Prognosis in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma? 2) Treatment for Patients With High-Risk Postoperative Breast Cancer PHASE II: 1) Epratuzumab Plus Rituximab Equals Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Response 2) Topotecan Added to Twice-Daily Chemoradiation to Treat Limited- Stage, Small-Cell Lung Cancer 3) First-Line Therapy for Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer 4) Radiotherapy for Nasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Therapy PHASE I/II: 1) A New Combination Approach for Advanced-Stage Germ-Cell Tumors

Articles in this issue include: 1) South Korea: Is Intermittent Imatinib Therapy for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia an Option? Genetic Marker Predicts Treatment Resistance and Poor Outcomes in Esophageal Cancer 2) France: Pelvic Radiation in Addition to Prostate Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer 3) Multiple Sites in Europe: European Guidelines for Oral Mucositis Released 4) Japan: The Care of Delirium in Terminal Illness and Bereavement Needs 5) The Netherlands: Cancer Pain and Adherence to Analgesic Treatment 6) Switzerland, Belgium & France: Confirmation of Gene Expression Link to Chemotherapy Response in Breast Cancer

Topics covered in this issue include: 1) National Managed Care Plans Stop Paying for Anesthetic in Colonoscopy 2) Managed Care Organizations Will not Pay for Care Resulting From Preventable Errors 3) Is Progression-Free Survival a Real Clinical Benefit? 4) Do Practice Patterns Reflect National Recommendations in Gallbladder Cancer? 5) National HMO Bases Chemotherapy Coverage on Guideline Compendium 6) Pap Test Screening: Better Testing Versus More Frequent Office Visits 7) CMS Issues Instructions for EPO Claims Reporting

The Clinical Trials reported in this issue include: PHASE III: 1) Central Nervous System Stimulant for Brain Tumors 2) Paclitaxel and Carboplatin Treatment for Patients With Lung Cancer 3) The 100-Month Analysis of the ATAC Trial 4) Radical Nephrectomy not as Beneficial as Partial Nephrectomy for Small Renal Tumors in Younger Populations 5) Combination Therapy Reduces Prostate Cancer Death Rates 6) Bortezomib Produced Significant Complete Remission Rates in Front-Line Multiple Myeloma Trial PHASE II: 1) Subcutaneous Amifostine Treatment for Head and Neck Carcinoma

Articles in this issue include: United Kingdom: The Pill's Anti-Ovarian Cancer Effect Lasts for Decades The Netherlands: Catheter-Related Infection Prevention Improves With Specialized Rinse Italy: Obesity May Help Survival in Women Who Have Endometrial Cancer Germany: One-Two Punch for B-cell Lymphoma in the Elderly South Korea: Predicting Survival by Counting Metastatic Lymph Nodes Poland: Do Chest X-Rays in Young Women Raise the Risk of Breast Cancer? Australia: Concurrent or Sequential Anthracycline and Docetaxel?

Topics covered in this issue include: 1. Cost Effectiveness of Extended Letrozole Treatment After Discontinuation of Tamoxifen 2. The Effect of Consumer Cost Sharing on Mammography Rates 3. National Poll: Government Coverage Decision on Anemia Drugs Hurt Patient Outcomes 4. Updated Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines 5. DNA Testing for Disease: Will Insurance Worries Limit Their Value? 6. Women With Breast Cancer Get Lower Pay 7. Lack of Health Insurance Equals Delayed Cancer Diagnoses

Clinical Trial Reports in this issue include: Phase IV: 1) Long-Term Aspirin Therapy Reduces Colorectal Cancer Risk Phase III: 1) Does Adding Cisplatin to Adjuvant Chemotherapy Improve Outcomes in Advanced Gastric Cancer? 2) FOLFIRI Plus Bevacizumab Provides Better Survival Than Other Irinotecan-Containing Regimen in First-Line Colorectal Cancer Phase II: 1) Single-Agent Activity of Sunitinib in Refractory Non������¢���¯���¿���½���¯���¿���½Small Cell Lung Cancer 2) The Importance of Targeting Androgen Receptor Signaling for Prostate Cancer Response Rate 3) Improving Survival in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor 4) Improving Overall Survival in Patients With Hormone- Resistant Prostate Cancer 5) Breast Cancer Stem Cells Decreased With Neoadjuvant Lapatinib Phase I/II: 1) Patients With Recurrent Glioblastoma May Benefit From Implant Combinations

Articles in this issue include: 1) Germany: Drop the Syringe, Pick up the Tattooing Needle 2) Israel: Putting Women Under the Spotlight: Higher Frequency of Breast Cancer? 3) Japan: Esophagectomy in Patients Older than Age 75 4) Multiple Sites in Asia: Combination Treatment With Cetuximab for Colorectal Cancer Refractory to Irinotecan 5) Italy: Clinical Benefit of Sorafenib in Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatitis C 6) Sweden: Dietary Fiber: Does It Mitigate Breast Cancer Risk? 7) India: Indoor Air Pollution and Cancer Risk in Developing Countries

Phase IV: 1) Cancer Risks and Postmenopausal Hormone Link Confirmed Phase III: 1) Do Vitamins Protect Against Lung Cancer? 2) Longer Life Expectancy in Pancreatic Cancer When Gemcitabine Is Added to Chemotherapy 3) Outcomes Improve With Letrozole Treatment in Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer 4. Pemetrexed vs. Docetaxel for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment Phase II: 1) Talactoferrin-Alfa Treatment for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer 2) Advanced Carcinoid Systemic Therapy

1) Cost Is Creeping Into the Therapy Decision-Making Discussion 2) Rounding Down Chemotherapy Doses: Does It Save Money for the Health System? 3) HER2 Testing and Treatment Patterns in Breast Cancer 4) Cost Effectiveness of a Drug Combination in Malignant Mesothelioma 5) The Effect of Epoetin Alfa on Quality of Life in Patients With Anemia 6) ASCO Seeks to Improve Coordination of Care, Introduces Treatment Template 7) What Factors Increase the Likelihood of Colon Cancer Screening?