TEXT/SOFT Trials: Analysis of Ovarian Suppression in Breast Cancer
June 26th 2014Dr. Pagani, who presented data on the joint analysis of the IBCSG TEXT and SOFT trials at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting, discusses how breast cancer patients in these trials responded to different methods of ovarian suppression.
Chemo Combo Increases Survival, Toxicity in Sensitive Relapsed SCLC
June 23rd 2014Cisplatin, etoposide, and irinotecan outperformed topotecan as second-line chemotherapy in patients with sensitive relapsed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in a Japanese trial, though there was substantially increased toxicity with the regimen.
Using Pharmacokinetics to Optimize Older Chemotherapeutic Agents
June 20th 2014The landscape of cancer therapy is shifting from traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy towards targeted therapy with agents like tyrosine kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. However, these newer agents remain costly, and traditional chemotherapy remains the backbone for treating most malignancies.
The Growing Need for Specific Care of Geriatric Cancer Patients
June 20th 2014Throughout the geriatric sessions we were continually reminded of our aging population, the fact that cancer is a disease of the aging, and of the mismatch in this increasing number of patients and the number of geriatric providers entering the workforce. General oncologists will need to understand the nuances of caring for older patients with cancer.
Lenalidomide Confers Greater QoL vs Thalidomide in Multiple Myeloma
June 16th 2014A comparison of melphalan, prednisone plus either thalidomide or lenalidomide found that patients assigned to lenalidomide had fewer grade 3 or higher toxicities and a better quality of life at the end of induction therapy.
Panobinostat Improves PFS in Relapsed, Refractory Multiple Myeloma
June 13th 2014Treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma with the three-drug combination of panobinostat/bortezomib/dexamethasone resulted in a nearly 4-month improvement in progression-free survival compared to treatment with bortezomib/dexamethasone alone.
Considering the Cost of Cancer Care in Treatment Decisions
June 11th 2014Words like value, quality, and even cost flowed freely at the ASCO Annual Meeting this year. Along with great excitement about the latest and greatest ways to understand tumor biology and treat cancer patients, there is an increasing recognition that we need to consider whether the things we do are worth it.
High-Dose Chemo Before RT Results in High Survival in Pediatric Brain Tumors
June 10th 2014High-dose chemotherapy plus conventional radiotherapy resulted in a high 3-year overall survival in children and adolescents with newly diagnosed medulloblastoma and supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor.
The Oncologist’s Duty to Individual Patients vs Duty to Society
June 9th 2014The issue of value in cancer care was a prominent theme at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting. A question that inevitably arises in any discussion of value is what the professional and ethical obligations of practicing oncologists are in the current climate of escalating healthcare costs.
ASCO 2014 Plenary Session: Results From the CHAARTED Trial
June 9th 2014The results of the CHAARTED trial, which looked at whether the addition of upfront chemotherapy to hormonal therapy improved overall survival in patients with hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer, were presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting.
Combining Immune & Targeted Therapies in Melanoma: A Paradigm for Other Tumor Types?
June 6th 2014The story of how the targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and combinations of these therapies have been developed for use in patients with advanced melanoma holds a number of important lessons for the development of agents for use in other tumor types.