International Oncology Network - Cancer & Hematology News

Peter Hofland, PhD's Blog – September 2010 Archive (23)

Studies Reveal Trends in Survival, Targeted Breast Cancer Care

New studies on breast cancer screening, treatment, genetics and survival were released today in advance of the 2010 Breast Cancer Symposium. The symposium is being held October 1-3, 2010, at the Gaylord National Hotel in Suburban Washington, DC (National Harbor, Md.).

Four major studies were highlighted in today’s include:

- Review of data over six decades shows steady improvement in breast cancer survival: A review of patient records from a large… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 29, 2010 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Why So Shy? How Failure Communicate Could Affect Women’s Health.

Woman Millennials and Gen Xers can be very eloquent and outspoken in 140 characters or less, but in the doctor's office they edit themselves about sexual health information that can guide recommendations for everything from cervical cancer screening to contraception. In a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, less than one in four women between ages 18 and 34 with a regular health care provider has initiated a conversation about her sexual health, and of those who had a… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 29, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

Researchers Find Gene Associated With Aggressive Skin Cancer

The loss of a gene known as INPP5A could predict the onset, and track the progression, of an aggressive type of skin cancer, according to a study published today by the Arizona Cancer Center, one of 40 centers in the nation designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Mayo Clinic and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

Targeting INPP5A could provide physicians with better ways to prevent and treat… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 28, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

Oncologists Will Be More Aggressive In Adopting Biosimilars Compared With Other Specialties

Decision Resources , one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that oncologists will be the most aggressive in adopting biosimilars compared with other specialties because of their lower clinical trial requirements. According to the report Physician Perspectives on Biosimilar G-CSFs and MAbs in Oncology, Decision Resources expects biosimilar versions of… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 28, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

Data From Pivotal Trial In Relapsed And Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma Shows Positive Results With Brentuximab Vedotin (SGN-35)

Results of a pivotal clinical trial with of single-agent brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeted to CD30 shows that the trial drug achieved in positive results in the treatment of relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is distinguished from other types of… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 27, 2010 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Phase III Trial of Sunitinib Malate in Advanced Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Discontinued

Earlier today, Pfizer Inc. announced that it has discontinued the SUN 1120 Phase III trial evaluating sunitinib malate (Sutent®), an oral multi-kinase inhibitor, in combination with prednisone for men with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that had progressed despite treatment with a docetaxel-based chemotherapy regimen.

During a scheduled interim analysis, an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) found that the combination of… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 27, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

New Phase II Trial Evaluates OGX-427, A Potential Treatment For Advanced Prostate Cancer

A controlled, investigator-sponsored Phase II trial of OGX-427 (OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc) in men with metastatic prostate cancer designed to evaluate a new treatment for prostate cancer, is currently recruiting participants.

This trial will enrole up to72 patients who have minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic advanced prostate cancer and who have not yet received… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 27, 2010 at 3:30am — No Comments

Evidence Links Cancer and Diabetes - Experts Join Forces

A growing number of medical studies suggest that diabetes might contribute to the development of certain cancers. The exact mechanism linking the two diseases are yet unknown. During the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Stockholm, Sweden (Seeptember 22 – 24, 2010), Dr Hsin-Chieh Yeh, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, discussed the growing evidence base and called for experts across both specialties to ‘wage war’… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 23, 2010 at 9:30am — No Comments

Diabetes and Cancer: Can Metformin Be Used To Treat Common Cancers?

Diabetes patients treated with metformin—the drug that has been used to treat diabetes for more than six decades—have been reported to have their risk of cancer reduced by around 40% compared with other diabetics. During the Annual meeting of the EASD, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (September 22 - 24, Stockhom, Sweden), Professor Michael Pollak, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, showed that evidence suggesting that the commonly-used antidiabetic drug may be… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 22, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

Patient Advocacy Groups Call for Better Early Detection and Treatment Of Prostate Cancer

In a presentation today at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference Health Braintrust meeting, Faina Shtern, M.D., president and CEO of AdMeTech Foundation, unveiled overwhelming support from Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members and… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 17, 2010 at 11:30am — No Comments

US FDA Reviews Preliminary Safety Information On Pioglitazone, Evaluating Risk Of Bladder Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it has begun a safety review [1] of the diabetes drug pioglitazone (Actos), after receiving preliminary results from a long-term observational study designed to evaluate the risk of bladder cancer associated with use of this drug.

Bladder cancer is estimated to occur in 20 per 100,000 persons per year in the United States and… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 17, 2010 at 11:30am — No Comments

First Pivotal Phase III Trial Of Afatinib (BIBW 2992; Tomtovok™), In Metastatic HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Beyond Lung Cancer

Boehringer Ingelheim initiated a new phase III clinical trial to investigate one of its most advanced oncology pipeline compounds, afatinib (BIBW 2992, planned brand name Tomtovok™), for the treatment of patients with advanced (metastatic) breast cancer.

Afatinib is a next generation, orally administered oral compound (taken as a tablet), targeted therapy, that irreversibly inhibits both, the… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 17, 2010 at 9:30am — No Comments

Pediatric Cancer Expert Shares Vision For Improved Treatment Options

Dr Peter Adamson, M.D., director of Clinical and Translational Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, shares his expertise about developing better treatments for children with cancer during the Childhood Cancer Summit earlier today.

Following the Summit on Capitol Hill, Dr. Adamson will meet with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). He will be accompanied by the family of a now-healthy child who was successfully treated with an experimental cancer drug… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 16, 2010 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Childhood Cancer Panel Discussion Brings Together Top Minds In Pediatric Oncology

Susan Blaney, M.D., deputy director of Texas Children's Cancer Center and Hematology Service, participated today in the Childhood Cancer Panel Discussion held on behalf of the Congressional Pediatric Cancer Caucus. The discussion was held at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C. The event brought together the top minds in the field of pediatric oncology and was hosted by Congressman Joe Sestak and… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 16, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Next-Generation von Willebrand Factor/FVIII Concentrate Helps Patients To Have Normal Physiological Condition

At the recent World Federation of Haemophilia's (WFH's) world congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Octapharma AG sponsored a symposium entitled “Modern Treatment Options for von Willebrand Disease (VWD) and Haemophilia B – What are the Benefits for the Patients?”, which took place on July 12, 2010.… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 16, 2010 at 2:00am — No Comments

Bereaved Caregivers Are At Increased Risk For Developing A Psychiatric Illness And Reduction In Quality of Life, Study Shows

A study of patients dying of cancer and their caregivers has found that individuals who die in the hospital or intensive care unit (ICU) had a worse quality of life at the end of their lives compared to those cancer patients who died at home with hospice services. In addition, their caregivers were more likely to develop psychiatric problems while grieving.

“Where cancer patients die really does matter, not only for them, but for their family caregivers as… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 13, 2010 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Cancer Deaths Fall, But Prevention Still Lags Behind In EU

Although overall mortality from cancer is decreasing in the European Union, its incidence increased by almost 20%, from 2.1 million new cases in 2002 to 2.5 million in 2008, says a special issue [1] of the European Journal of Cancer, the official journal of ECCO – the European CanCer Organisation, on cancer prevention, published earlier this week.

The current economic crisis threatens to affect cancer incidence in a number of areas, says a paper by Dr. José M.… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 13, 2010 at 1:00pm — No Comments

New Dosing Approved For Fulvestrant Injection In Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer in HR+ Postmenopausal Women

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the 500mg dose of fulvestrant (Faslodex®, Astra Zeneca) injection, replacing the previously approved monthly dose of 250mg, for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression following antiestrogen therapy.[1]

Fulvestrant… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 10, 2010 at 11:30am — No Comments

Investigational Agent Abiraterone Acetate for Metastatic Advanced Prostate Cancer Meets Pre-Determined Criteria; Data Unblinded.

Ortho Biotech Oncology Research & Development, a unit of Cougar Biotechnology, Inc., today announced that it has unblinded the Phase 3 study of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone for the treatment of patients with metastatic advanced prostate cancer (also referred to as castration-resistant prostate cancer) whose disease has progressed following treatment with one or two chemotherapy regimens at least one of which contained docetaxel.

Study COU-AA-301… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 9, 2010 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Enhanced Risk Model Helps With The Prediction of Blood Clots in Cancer Patients

For cancer patients, who have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) due to a hyperactive blood coagulation system, there is now an enhanced risk model to predict their chance of developing blood clots, according to a recent study published today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology.

VTE, the formation of blood clots in the veins, develops in up to 20% of cancer patients and is one of the leading causes of death… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on September 9, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments