December 2010

Medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor that most commonly affects children, is not one disease but several, said researchers with St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

The novel first-in-class agent CPX-351 liposome injection improved response rates and eventfree survival in elderly patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia.

The novel agent elotuzumab, when administered with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone, produced responses in 81% of previously treated myeloma patients.

Intensified immunochemotherapy with R-ACVBP significantly improved event-free survival, progression-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival compared with R-CHOP in younger patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but at the cost of increased hematologic toxicity.

Carfilzomib, described as a next-generation protease inhibitor, produced durable responses in patients with multiple myeloma whose disease relapsed after or proved refractory to all available therapies.

An investigational drug known as brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35) achieved dramatic responses in a pivotal phase II study involving younger patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma.

Bosutinib (SKI-606) seems poised to join the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) imatinib (Gleevec), dasatinib (Sprycel), and nilotinib (Tasigna) as a first-line therapy option for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in the chronic phase.

In patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are candidates for transplant, bortezomib (Velcade) achieved high complete response (CR) rates during induction, delayed disease progression, and improved overall survival (OS).

The FDA has given Merit Medical Systems the green light for a phase III clinical trial investigating QuadraSphere Microspheres in patients with primary liver cancer.

The FDA has requested that the generic drug manufacturer Hospira change the planned label for its generic formulation of docetaxel.

The FDA has notified Spectrum Pharmaceuticals that it will decide whether to approve Fusilev (levoleucovorin) for colorectal cancer within 6 months.

The FDA has released briefing documents noting that the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor increases the risk of high-risk prostate cancer.

An FDA advisory panel voted 10 to 0 in favor of approving Zactima (vandetanib) for patients with medullary thyroid cancer who have symptomatic, progressive disease.

An article in Oncogene further explains how ultraviolet (UV) radiation helps transform skin cells into basal cell carcinoma.

A recent poll conducted by Britain's Royal Society found that what Britons want most is a vaccine that will prevent cancer.

A Web-based CME program gives physicians in rural areas free access to clinical research and expert advice on oncology through an e-newsletter.

A retrospective study conducted at Stanford University found that the risk of cancer due to radiation from CT scans might be lower than previously determined.

Coloring for Chemo/Comfort is a nonprofit organization in Nevada started by Amy Villarele-Hardy and Nina Lawyer in November 2009.

According to the British Journal of Cancer, a new study by London's Institute of Cancer Research finds that finger length might be an indicator of prostate cancer risk.

PFN presents a quick snapshot financial news as it relates to recent drug developments, clinical trials, mergers and acquisitions, etc.

Researchers have ruled out race as a prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) in black patients with a lung cancer diagnosis.

Over the past 40 years, since the declaration of the War on Cancer in 1971, we have seen tremendous advances in our struggle with this deadly disease.

We have dedicated several pages of our final issue of 2010 to exploring the nearly 40 years that have elapsed since the National Cancer Act was signed in 1971.

Much has transpired in the 40 years since President Richard Nixon announced that finding a cure for cancer would be one of his administration's top priorities.