International Oncology Network - Cancer & Hematology News

December 2008 Blog Posts (19)

New Drug for Cancer Treatment Could Bolster Immune System

Arizona based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), a non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking medical research, together with Scottsdale Healthcare, a primary clinical research facility housed in the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center in Scottsdale and Mayo Clinic, one of only 39 U.S. medical centres that have been named as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center, started testing VTX-2334, a novel Toll-Like Receptor 8 (TLR8) agonists… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 29, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Reduction in Breast Density Predicts Potential Benefit of Tamoxifen

Reduction in breast density appears to be a strong indicator of a woman’s response to tamoxifen, an agent used to decrease breast cancer risk. Increased breast density is the leading risk factor for breast cancer, apart from age.

At the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, the British researchers said that if their findings are validated in follow-up studies, women at risk for developing breast cancer should have a…

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Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 11, 2008 at 8:30pm — No Comments

Preliminary Study Results Demonstrate that Zoledronic Acid May Have Anti-Tumor Properties

Early evaluations of zoledronic acid, a bisphosphonate used for the treatment of bone metastases in advanced breast cancer, suggest a possible direct anti-tumor effect when combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer treatment, according to data presented at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Bisphosphonates may therefore offer an (neo)adjuvant therapeutic strategy of potential importance.

“Zoledronic acid is primarily targeted to bone and… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 11, 2008 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Oral Eltrombopag for the Treatment of Chronic Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

A double-blind, multicenter, phase III study of Oral Eltrombopag for the treatment of chronic Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), found that long-term therapy with eltrombopag, a thrombopoietin-receptor agonist, compared with placebo treatment significantly increased platelet counts, decreased bleeding symptoms, allowed for a reduction of baseline ITP therapy, and reduced the use of rescue medications in previously treated patients with chronic ITP. In chronic ITP, low blood… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 8, 2008 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Therapeutic Platelet Transfusion without Prophylactic Transfusion may Significantly Reduces Platelet Transfusion Needs

This study is the first worldwide randomized trial showing that one-quarter to one-third of all platelet transfusions were given unnecessarily in the past and can be reduced in the future without any harm to patients following high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, according to Dr. Wandt. MD, at the Klinikum Nuremberg Nord, Nuremberg, Germany.

In this multicenter, randomized trial, the researchers found that the development of major bleeding… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 8, 2008 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Effects of Prophylactic Platelet Dose on Transfusion Outcomes (PLADO Trial)

Patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia can be safely and effectively transfused with a low dose of platelets, a strategy that can reduce costs and help prevent shortages in the blood supply. This is the conclusion of Sherrill J. Slichter, MD and her team of researchers at Puget Sound Blood Center for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Transfusion Medicine/Hemostasis Clinical Trials Network, Seattle, WA, analyzing the data of the first large-scale clinical trial… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 8, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Rituximab and Dexamethasone vs Dexamethasone Alone in Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Results from a multicenter phase III study conducted by a team of researchers from Clinica Ematologica DIRM AOUD, Udine, Italy, were presented by Francesco Zaja, MD.This study is the first trial to prospectively determine that adding the immunotherapy drug rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, to dexamethasone, a steroid that is a standard therapy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), is safe and effective in adult patients with previously untreated ITP, an autoimmune… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 8, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Patients May Benefit From New Therapeutic Approaches in Several Platelet Disorders

A new combination therapy for previously untreated idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), an investigational oral treatment for chronic ITP, a low-dose platelet transfusion strategy for patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia, and a new therapeutic platelet transfusion approach following high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, may benefit patients with various forms of thrombocytopenia.

Thrombocytopenia is a group of bleeding… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 8, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Combining Targeted Therapy Drugs may Treat Previously Resistant Tumors

Blocking two cell signaling pathways leads to dramatic shrinkage of K-Ras-mutated tumors in animal model. This is the conclusion of a team of cancer researchers from several Boston academic medical centers. The team believes that their findings offer a potential treatment for a group of tumors that have resisted previous approaches of treatment with selected targeted therapies.

In their report published in the december issue of Nature Medicine, investigators from… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 7, 2008 at 5:30pm — No Comments

What is The Practical Impact of Quality Cancer Research?

How does biomedical and clinical research impact daily practice in cancer care? This question has been asked with increasing frequency over the last decade. Results of a study published earlier this year in the British Journal of Cancer, give the answer. The results shows how research in the United Kingdom is helping to deliver significant clinical improvements for cancer patients in the United Kingdom and around the world.

To date, there are 43 oncology guidelines and… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 6, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology Will Feature Breakthrough Research in Blood Diseases

The American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world’s largest professional association of hematologists concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders, expects more than 20,000 attendees at the 50th ASH Annual Meeting from December 6-9, 2008, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. The meeting will showcase the latest research and treatments for blood disorders. In honor of the Society’s golden anniversary,…

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Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 5, 2008 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Cryoablation of Early Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer With MRI Confirmation Shows Promising Clinical Benefits

Early clinical experience using a Visica® Treatment System to ablate malignant tumors and a margin of surrounding tissue, confirm the effectiveness of ultrasound guided cryoablation, a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure that uses extreme cold to destroy tumors, to completely eradicate small, unifocal Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer (IDC).

Initial data from this multi-center study confirming the data was presented today during the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 5, 2008 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Relative Risk Similarly Increased for Low and High Dose of Bevacizumab

Vascular complications, including venous thromboembolism (VTE) are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. A variety of antineoplastic agents with angiogenesis inhibiting activity (thalidomide, lenalidomide, bevacizumab, sunitinib, sorafenib) have received for clinical use while others have entered clinical trials.

Given the well-known interplay between the blood clotting system, angiogenesis, and tumor growth, researchers observed… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 5, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Modifications in Assay Design Increase Detectable Frequency of Tumorigenic Cells

How common is the tumorigenic potential or tumor promoting property in human cancers? For many years, cancer researchers have tried to answer the fundamental question whether all tumor cells are equally likely to cause new cancers.

A generally supported idea is that only a tiny subset of highly prolific cancer cells, dubbed cancer stem cells and…

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Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 5, 2008 at 12:30pm — No Comments

New Mammography Technology Effective in Detecting Breast Cancer

Positron emission mammography or PEM, a new technique for imaging the breast, is not affected by either breast density or a woman’s hormonal status, two factors that limit the effectiveness of standard mammography and MRI at detecting cancer, according to a study presented during the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting (November 30 – December 5, 2008) of the…

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Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 5, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments

New Imaging Technology Targets Hard-to-Detect Breast Cancers

Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) is effective in the detection of cancers generally not found on mammograms or by clinical exam, according to a study presented at the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting (November 30 - December 5, 2008) of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago on… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 4, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells May Offer Novel Therapeutic Option for Skin Disorder

Stem cells derived from bone marrow may serve as a novel therapeutic option to treat a disease called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a disorder characterized by extraordinarily fragile skin, according to a study pre-published online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.

Epidermolysis bullosa is a…

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Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 4, 2008 at 5:00pm — No Comments

CT Colonography Offers One-Stop Screening for Cancer and Osteoporosis

New research reveals that computed tomography (CT) colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, has the potential to screen for two diseases at once—colorectal cancer and osteoporosis, both of which commonly affect adults over age 50. The results of this study were presented on Tuesday at the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting (November 30 – December 5, 2008) of the Radiological Society of North America…

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Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 4, 2008 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Breast Cancer Treatment Offers Better Outcome to Women with Implants

Women with early-stage breast cancer who have undergone breast augmentation may be treated successfully with a partial-breast radiation treatment called brachytherapy, according to a study presented at the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting (November 30 – December 5, 2008) of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) on Monday. Patients treated with brachytherapy have better cosmetic outcomes and avoid the risk of…

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Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on December 4, 2008 at 3:30pm — No Comments