January 2011

As the number of cancer survivors grows, the disease has emerged as a greater concern for companies anxious to meet the needs of employees and their families while still operating their businesses in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Everolimus (Afinitor) added to tamoxifen delayed tumor progression in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative, advanced metastatic breast cancer

Two trials explored the role of lapatinib (Tykerb) as neoadjuvant therapy in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer and concluded that its effectiveness is statistically no better than standard trastuzumab (Herceptin) therapy

Investigators for Study 136 say that an additional 4 months of follow-up data have confirmed earlier findings that denosumab (Xgeva) is superior to zoledronic acid (Zometa) at preventing skeletal-related events

Adjuvant treatment of stage II and III breast cancer with zoledronic acid (Zometa) failed to improve disease-free survival (DFS) in the large

Women with untreated advanced breast cancer had a trend toward greater clinical benefit with fulvestrant (Faslodex) versus anastrozole (Arimidex) as first-line hormonal therapy

Aromatase inhibitor use appears to increase the risk of cardiotoxicity in women with early-stage breast cancer, albeit slightly.

Exemestane (Aromasin) was no better than anastrozole (Arimidex) at reducing cancer recurrence in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive primary breast cancer

Forty-six percent of Americans want marijuana to be legalized. Seventy percent of Americans support the legalization of medical marijuana.

Washington, we have a problem. Patients continue to receive prescription medication information, which they often misunderstand or ignore.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking to find a more effective means of treating people with multiple chronic conditions

Patients with cancer and comorbid type 2 diabetes have 5 times the risk of contracting listeria, a rare bacterial illness caused by eating contaminated food.

Men who undergo lung cancer screening are more likely to stop smoking if the results are inconclusive than if they are negative, according to a team of researchers from Denmark.

Duke researchers have discovered that the Abl and Arg protein kinases contribute to the formation and activity of invadopodia.

Star Scientific, a Virginia-based company, has petitioned the FDA to approve the sale of what it claims is a

University of California researchers reported that prostate cancer cells subjected to pomegranate juice did not metastasize as readily as untreated prostate cancer cells.

Men with prostate cancer reduce the risk of death from all causes by 46% if they do moderate exercise, such as walking, for 90 minutes a week

The US healthcare system has decades of research and anecdotal evidence suggesting the potential transformational power of healthcare information technology (HIT).

The management of risk in medicine is emerging as a priority topic for numerous stakeholders, including patients, providers (physicians, other prescribers, and pharmacists), specialty pharmacies, industry, and government organizations.

When talking about specialty pharmacy, I am reminded of the famous words of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart as he ruled on a 1964 obscenity case.

In 1974 the National Cancer Institute designated Yale Cancer Center as one of the country's inaugural comprehensive cancer centers.