February 2008 Briefing - Oncology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Oncology for February 2008. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

Gene Therapy Effective for Brain Tumor in Rats

FRIDAY, Feb. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Gene therapy with two genes plus ganciclovir treatment is effective in resolving behavioral deficits and restoring normal brain architecture in rats with glioblastoma multiforme, according to the results of a study published online Feb. 19 in Molecular Therapy.

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Vitamins Likely Don't Protect Against Lung Cancer

FRIDAY, Feb. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The use of multivitamins or supplemental vitamin C or folate wasn't associated with a lower risk of lung cancer, and supplemental vitamin E was linked to a small increased risk, according to research published in the Mar. 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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Expressive Writing Exercise Benefits Cancer Patients

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- A writing exercise encouraging cancer patients to reflect on their illness and its effect on their lives has beneficial effects on patients, and can be performed during appointment wait times, according to an article published in the February issue of The Oncologist.

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High Carb Consumption Linked to Esophageal Cancer

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Rising carbohydrate consumption and increasing obesity prevalence may at least partly explain the substantial rise in esophageal adenocarcinoma rates during recent decades, according to research released online in November in advance of publication in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

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Interleukin-8 Linked to Poor Ovarian Cancer Outcomes

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Patients whose ovarian tumors have high interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression have poor clinical outcomes, and IL-8 gene silencing reduces ovarian tumor growth in mice, according to research published online Feb. 26 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Hormone Therapy May Undermine Breast Cancer Detection

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Women who are prescribed combined hormone-replacement therapy are more likely to undergo otherwise avoidable mammograms and breast biopsies, according to a report published in the Feb. 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Interventions Have No Effect on Mammography Screening

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Neither tailored nor targeted interventions have any significant effect on mammography screening rates, according to two studies published in the Mar. 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Abstract - Vernon
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Abstract - del Junco
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Age-Based Screening Cost-Effective for Cervical Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Regardless of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination status, the most cost-effective strategy for cervical cancer screening is for younger women to receive HPV DNA testing only for equivocal cytology results, while HPV DNA testing should be used as the primary test in older women, researchers report in the Mar. 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Delivered Dose Varies for Radiation Treatment

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Substantial variation exists between the prescribed and delivered radiation dose during intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for several cancer types, according to a report in the Mar. 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents Raise Safety Concerns

TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with non-myeloid malignancies, treatment with the erythropoiesis-stimulating agents erythropoietin and darbepoetin to reduce chemotherapy-associated anemia may increase the risk of venous thromboembolism and death, according to a report published in the Feb. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Prostate Cells Express Functional Androgen Receptor

TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Human prostate cells express androgen receptor that functions as a transcription factor and mediates cell proliferation, according to study results published online Feb. 21 in Endocrinology.

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Method Reduces Radiation Dermatitis in Breast Cancer

TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- A method that delivers radiation more homogeneously to the breast reduces the occurrence of acute radiation dermatitis in women with breast cancer, according to a report published online Feb. 19 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Cyclophosphamide Use in RA Linked to Hematologic Cancers

MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- The use of cyclophosphamide to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an approximately twofold higher risk of developing hematologic malignancies, according to a report in the Feb. 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Prostate Cancer Invasion Dependent on Androgens

MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Invasiveness is dependent on androgen receptors in both androgen-dependent and androgen-refractory prostate cancer cells, according to research published in the Feb. 15 issue of Cancer Research.

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High Risk of Leukemia in Rare Immune Disorder Elucidated

MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly half of patients with severe congenital neutropenia, a rare genetic disorder, possess mutations in the gene encoding granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) receptor, and new research elucidates how stem cells bearing this mutation gain clonal advantage over other bone marrow cells, leading to leukemia, according to an article published online Feb. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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Receptor Status Linked to Survival in Breast Cancer

MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Hormonal receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) expression are associated with survival and recurrence in high-risk women with breast cancer treated with postmastectomy radiotherapy, according to research published online Feb. 19 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Studies Aim for Greater Understanding of Cancer Trials

MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- In two articles published online Feb. 19 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers examined the design, end points and other factors in phase II studies of targeted agents for cancer, and how these characteristics relate to outcomes such as successful phase III trials or regulatory approval.

Abstract - Chan
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Abstract - El-Maraghi
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Glioma-Targeted Virus Kills Brain Tumors

MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- A virus targeting gliomas can kill tumors both in the brain and the periphery while sparing normal cells, according to research published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

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Good, Bad Sides of Stem Cells Seen in Studies

THURSDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Two potential abilities of stem cells -- one helpful, one harmful -- are illustrated in studies published online Feb. 20 in PLoS One. In one study, a population of human neural stem cells was derived from embryonic stem cells, which differentiated into different types of cells and proved useful when implanted in a brain-damaged rat. In the other study, precancerous stem cells were shown to be progenitors for tumor vasculogenesis.

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U.S. Cancer Deaths on the Decline Since Early 1990s

THURSDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Although cancer incidence rates have stabilized and death rates are declining, about 1.5 million Americans will develop cancer and about a half-million will die from the disease in 2008, according to a report published online Feb. 20 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

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CTLA-4 Blockade After Cancer Vaccination Shows Promise

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 20 (HealthDay News) -- The use of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) blockade after cancer vaccination can create meaningful antitumor effects without severe toxicity in patients with metastatic melanoma, according to research published online Feb. 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Genetic Marker Linked to Drug Response in Brain Disorder

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with gliomatosis cerebri who had a 1p/19q codeletion showed a greater response rate to temozolomide, as well as better survival, than patients without the codeletion, researchers report in the Feb. 19 issue of Neurology.

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Levothyroxine Restores T3 Levels Post-Thyroidectomy

TUESDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Patients treated for thyroid disease with thyroidectomy followed by levothyroxine therapy achieve normal levels of triiodothyronine (T3) and do not need combination therapy, according to research published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Clue to Cancer Prevention Benefits of Caloric Restriction

TUESDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Caloric restriction has long been associated with protection from susceptibility to tumors in animal models, but a new study, published online Feb. 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, identifies the specific molecular pathway to the anticarcinogenic effects of restricting caloric intake.

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Family Doctors Can Follow Childhood Cancer Survivors

MONDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- In adult survivors of childhood cancers, a shared-care program involving pediatric oncologists and family doctors may be appropriate for long-term follow-up, according to the results of a pilot study published online Feb. 18 in The Lancet Oncology.

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Gene Signatures Predict Lung Cancer Survival

MONDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Two gene expression signatures have prognostic value in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) regardless of histologic cell type, according to a report published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Insurance Status Affects Cancer Stage at Diagnosis

MONDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who lack insurance or who are covered only by Medicaid are significantly more likely to present with advanced-stage cancers compared to those with adequate insurance, as are those from ethnic minorities, according to study findings published online Feb. 18 in The Lancet Oncology.

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Stress May Affect Progression of Cervical Dysplasia

MONDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Stress may play a role in the development of cervical cancer by impairing the body's cell-mediated immune response to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, facilitating progression of cervical disease, according to an article published in the February issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

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Pluripotent Stem Cells Generated from Human Skin

FRIDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists at UCLA have successfully created induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from human skin cells, confirming the work of two laboratories in Japan and Wisconsin who first reported generation of iPS cells in November 2007, according to an article published online Feb. 15 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Severe Oral Mucositis Common After Chemotherapy

FRIDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) --Severe oral mucositis occurs in close to half of European patients with multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with high-dose chemotherapy before stem cell transplantation, according to a study published online Feb. 11 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Body Mass Index Associated With Cancer Risk

FRIDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- A 5 kg/m2 increase in body mass index is associated with increased risk for a range of common and rare cancers, according to a study published in the Feb. 16 issue of The Lancet.

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Prostate Cancer Incidence Higher for Men With Desk Jobs

FRIDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) --Men whose jobs require little physical activity have a higher incidence of prostate cancer than men whose jobs require high physical activity, according to a study in the February issue of Cancer Causes and Control.

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Stem Cells Generated from Mice Epithelial Cells

THURSDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Japanese researchers have successfully generated induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from adult mouse liver and stomach cells, and gene lineage experiments show that these cells likely result from the direct reprogramming of differentiated somatic cells, according to a report published online Feb. 14 in Science Express.

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Smoking May Double Risk of Colorectal Adenomas

THURSDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Current smokers may have more than double the risk of developing adenomatous polyps of the colon, the precursor lesion to colorectal cancer, than non-smokers, according to the results of a meta-analysis published in Gastroenterology in February.

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Cancer Risk Low in Asymptomatic Hematuria

THURSDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- After patients with asymptomatic dipstick hematuria have undergone thorough initial negative investigations, they can be safely discharged from tertiary urologic care services because the risk of urologic malignancies is very low, according to a report published in the January issue of Urology.

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Online Breast Cancer Info Fairly Accurate

THURSDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Consumers who look online for information about breast cancer are likely to find accurate materials, but the commonly recommended quality criteria aren't helpful for pointing out inaccurate information, according to research published online Feb. 11 in the journal Cancer.

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Talk with Doctor Improves Colorectal Screening Chance

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Though screening rates for colorectal cancer rose between 2000 and 2003 within a large managed care health plan, screenings were still underutilized, indicating a need for interventions that also encourage providers to discuss colorectal screening with patients, according to research published online Feb. 11 in the journal Cancer.

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HPV Status of Head/Neck Tumors May Affect Treatment Success

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma respond better to treatment and have a better prognosis than those with HPV-negative tumors, according to study findings published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Muir-Torre Found in Many Lynch Syndrome Families

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Research to examine the frequency of skin tumors related to Muir-Torre syndrome among families with Lynch syndrome suggests that Muir-Torre syndrome is a variant of Lynch syndrome, according to a report published in the Feb. 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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Statins May Protect Against Kidney Cancer

TUESDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Statins appear to be protective against the development of renal cell carcinoma, adding to the growing body of literature of statins' anti-tumor effects in a variety of cancers, according to an article published in Urology in January.

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Ovary-Fallopian Surgery Linked to Lower Cancer Risk

TUESDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- In a study separately evaluating the effect of risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) on breast and gynecological cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, the procedure was associated with lower BRCA1-associated gynecologic cancer risk and BRCA2-associated breast cancer risk, according to research published online Feb. 11 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Healthy Lifestyle Extends Life Span in Older Men

MONDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Older men who practice healthy lifestyle behaviors have a significantly greater chance of reaching an advanced age in which they enjoy good health and physical function, according to a report published in the Feb. 11 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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Polyp Size Estimates Differ Based on Method Used

MONDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Polyp measurements based on computed tomography (CT) colonography can differ greatly from measurements taken by colonoscopy and measurement prefixation, researchers report in the February issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

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Gene Variants Linked to Prostate Cancer Identified

MONDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have confirmed previously identified genetic variants and found new variants associated with prostate cancer, according to three studies published online Feb. 10 in Nature Genetics.

Abstract - Thomas
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Abstract - Gudmundsson
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Lung Cancer Biomarkers Decrease After Treatment

THURSDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A number of markers of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and tumor invasion decrease after treating non-small cell lung cancer patients with celecoxib and erlotinib, researchers report in the February issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

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Cancer Patients Likely to Use Dietary Supplements

THURSDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Dietary supplement usage is widespread among cancer patients and survivors, yet most physicians are unaware of its extent among their patients, according to a review article published in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Antibody Treatment Associated with Melanoma

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with antibodies against alpha-4 (α4) integrins, such as natalizumab (Tysabri), may lead to melanoma in some patients, according to a case study in the Feb. 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Gene Expression Tests Promising in Breast Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Preliminary research suggests that three commercial gene expression profiling assays -- Oncotype DX (Genomic Health, Redwood City, Calif.), MammaPrint (Agendia BV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), and H/I (AvariaDX, Carlsbad, Calif.) -- may benefit women with early-stage breast cancer. But more research is needed to clarify their potential for improving prognostic and therapeutic prediction, according to a report released online Feb. 5 in advance of publication in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Evidence Lacking to Compare Prostate Cancer Treatments

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- In men who are diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, there isn't enough evidence to establish the relative benefits and harms of any available treatment option, including watchful waiting, prostatectomy, radiotherapy and androgen deprivation, according to a systematic review published online Feb. 5 in advance of publication in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Cytomegalovirus Gene Role May Differ in Brain Tumors

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A gene that's highly expressed after human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, which has been found in over 90 percent of malignant gliomas, can differentially affect tumor cell growth, leading to proliferation or inhibition of glioblastoma cells, according to research published in the Feb. 1 issue of Cancer Research.

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Less-Invasive Lung Cancer Staging Methods Analyzed

TUESDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers compared three minimally invasive methods, separately and combined, for biopsying suspected metastatic lymph nodes within the mediastinum in patients undergoing a work-up for lung cancer diagnosis and staging, and found a combination of methods more reliable than any one method. The study results are published in the Feb. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Epoetin Beta Has Little Effect in Metastatic Breast Cancer

MONDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with metastatic breast cancer who receive anthracycline- and/or taxane-based chemotherapy and develop anemia, epoetin beta increases hemoglobin levels but does not improve overall survival, researchers report in the Feb. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Prostate Cancer Markers in Urine Test Outperforms PSA Test

MONDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A panel of prostate cancer biomarkers found in urine samples more effectively detected prostate cancer than serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), according to research published in the Feb. 1 issue of Cancer Research.

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