March 2010

In post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana, people refer to their return home and the revival of the city as �being back.� Today, the human spirit is thriving in the Big Easy�s resurrected communities and New Orleans is growing. The Tulane Cancer Center (TCC) at Tulane University Medical School has been the beneficiary of some of that growth.

In a phase III study of 1052 patients, nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab) paclitaxel (Abraxane)produced significant improvement in the overall response rate compared with standard paclitaxel in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In early February, Clarient Inc announced the commercial launch of its Insight Dx Pulmotype test that helps pathologists classify specific types of lung cancer so physicians can prescribe the most effective therapies.

Research and development in cancer has made a seismic shift toward immunotherapies, like anticancer vaccines, and the resulting tremor can be felt in the hallways and laboratories of drug and biotechnology companies large and small.

To help address delays in nuclear imaging procedures caused by an isotope shortage that resulted when two Canadian reactors went offline in 2009, the Academy of Molecular Imaging and other professional societies urged CMS to grant coverage for the use of NaF-18 PET in diagnosing bone metastases in patients with cancer.

A study presented at the ASCO 2010 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium found that adding urine testing to cystoscopy to monitor patients for bladder cancer recurrence greatly increases costs without a corresponding clinical benefit.

In February 2010, the FDA announced it would be developing and implementing stringent measures to regulate patient exposure to radiation associated with imaging studies, in particular from computed tomography (CT) scanning.

According to a study presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology 41st Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer, held in San Francisco, California, a combination of docetaxel(Taxotere) and carboplatin almost doubled progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.

New evidence presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists suggests that Gardasil, a vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, also reduces the likelihood of recurrence after surgery by 40%.

A novel blood test identifies PAM4 (or clivatuzumab), an antigen that is present in almost 90% of pancreatic cancers and precancers.

Results of a phase III multicenter, open-label study demonstrated that first-line treatment with a combination of cetuximab and a taxane/carboplatin (TC)significantly approved the overall response rate (ORR)and led to slight improvement in overall survival (OS). The study did not meet its primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) as assessed by an independent radiologic review committee (IRCC).

In a new report, published in the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, investigators led by Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, say monotherapy with neratinib, an investigational tyrosine kinase inhibitor, demonstrated substantial clinical activity in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer with manageable toxicity.

Although the latest supply and demand data for oncologists reflect a state of relative equilibrium, analysis of patient-visit data projects a shortage of thousands of oncologists by 2020.

The enactment of federal healthcare reform following a protracted, confrontational debate has left Americans bewildered and wondering, "What happens now?" Since you may soon be inundated with patient's questions, and might have a few of your own, OBTN cuts through the rhetoric, dissects the legislation, and tells you everything you need to know about the historic law and how it may affect your practice.

The January issue of OBTN featured highlights from the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). We wrap up our SABCS coverage this month with interviews on denosumab with Alison Stopeck, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Arizona and director of the Clinical Breast Cancer Program at the Arizona Cancer Center; oral bisphosphonates with Rowan T.Chlebowski, MD, PhD, professor and chief of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center; and adjuvant chemotherapy�induced alopecia with Hugues Bourgeois, MD, Centre Jean Bernard in Lemans, France.

At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) annual meeting, Paul F. Engstrom, MD, Fox Chase Cancer Center, reviewed the recent changes to NCCN guidelines for colon and rectal cancer, released as v.2.2010.

Medical marijuana has been a hot topic in the United States lately. What should oncologists do when they live in states where medical marijuana is not legalized if a patient asks about it or acknowledges using the drug, either recreationally or to manage the side effects of cancer or treatment?