January 2010

The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute opened on July 9, 1990,as the adult patient-care component of The Ohio State University (OSU) Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC).Today, "The James," as it is referred to, is the only dedicated cancer hospital in the Midwest.

The motto for Onyx Pharmaceuticals is "Changing the Way Cancer is Treated." With a successful 2009 behind it and a busy 2010 ahead, Onyx is staying true to its word.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) updated its 2003 recommendations for genetic testing to keep pace with exponential progress in genetic science.

The United States spent $2.3 trillion ($7681 per person) on healthcare in 2008, with costs continuing to outstrip available resources.

The FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute Enterprise Vocabulary Service, launched a Website (http://tinyurl.com/mlptu7) updating its coding system for reporting adverse events related to medical devices.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has issued new practice guidelines for managing certain patients with prostate cancer.

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, for 35 to 40 seconds.The island country's capital of Port-au-Prince was hardest hit, with heavy damage to buildings and infrastructure and major loss of life.

The FDA concludes that the cholesterol-lowering drugs simvastatin (Zocor),ezetimibe (Zetia), and Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin) are not likely to increase cancer risk.

According to data from a French study, patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer who experience a chemotherapy-free interval (CFI) following first-line chemotherapy have shorter durations of disease control(DDC)and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with patients who begin maintenance therapy immediately.

According to a multi-institutional study, terminally ill cancer patients are more likely to seek hospice care and less likely to pursue aggressive end-of-life (EOL) treatment if the medical team supports their spiritual needs.

Jianfeng Xu, MD, professor of epidemiology and cancer biology, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, North Carolina, and colleagues discovered a variant predictive of aggressive prostate cancer.

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma (OU) have been investigating focused microwave thermotherapy (FMT), a microwave treatment capable of destroying large cancer tumors in patients with breast cancer.

In 2009, we covered several long-term studies investigating the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) alone or sequenced with tamoxifen. This includes the Intergroup Exemestane Study (IES), the TEAM trial, and the BIG 1-98 trial, all of which presented new or updated data at the 2009 SABCS in December.

For women with breast cancer, alcohol consumption and obesity herald a poorer prognosis. In one of only a few studies to evaluate the role of alcohol in breast cancer outcomes, researchers found that imbibing just half a drink per day���¢�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½or 2 to 3 per week���¢�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½raised the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 39%. In a second study involving ~19,000 women, body mass index (BMI) ���¢�¯�¿�½���¥25 increased the risk of distant metastasis by approximately 45%, study involving ~19,000 women, body mass index (BMI) ���¢�¯�¿�½���¥25 increased the risk of distant metastasis by approximately 45%.

Bisphosphonates have been a hot topic at the past several SABCS meetings. This year was no exception. In addition to bisphosphonates' protective effects on bone, researchers have been looking at whether they have anticancer effects.

As part of our ongoing coast-to-coast oncology coverage, our writers were live in Texas at the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Our special SABCS wrap-up delivers all the major breast cancer news�including data on MRI screening, bisphosphonates, and aromatase inhibitors�to oncologists unable to attend the event.

When our home state of New Jersey became the 14th state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana, OBTN decided to take a closer look at the herbal remedy. With help from oncologists on our advisory board, we sought to filter through the smoke and examine the ealities of medical marijuana.

In another discovery that may help tailor the treatment of women with breast cancer, researchers from the Dana-Farber Women's Cancers Program determined that overexpression of the LAPTM4B and YWHAZ genes on chromosome 8q22, combined with amplification of other genes, conveys resistance to anthracyclines and increases the likelihood of metastatic recurrence.

Chemotherapy recipients have long complained of decreased mental function during and after treatment, yet the medical community has only recently acknowledged the reality of chemo brain, the term for chemotherapy's degenerative effect on normal cognitive function.

The Third Annual IPCC: "Translating Advances into Clinical Practice," is to be held in New York City on Saturday, March 27, 2010. Recent developments in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer most relevant to community-based physicians will form the core areas of discussion.

Oncology & Biotech News (OBTN) starts its fourth year of publication with a new look and an even stronger focus on bringing you the latest developments in clinical trial research, practice guidelines, and regulatory information.