Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Oncology for July 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.
Two Different Breast Cancer Screening Programs Compared
THURSDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- Although the organized, population-based screening program in Norway has a longer screening interval, opportunistic mammography screening in Vermont achieves similar outcomes, according to a report published online July 29 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
PAND Doesn't Add to Survival With Gastric Cancer
WEDNESDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- In patients undergoing gastrectomy for curable gastric cancer, the addition of para-aortic nodal dissection (PAND) to D2 lymphadenectomy isn't advisable, according to research in the July 31 New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Increased Hip Bone Density Linked to Breast Cancer
WEDNESDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- In postmenopausal women, hip bone mineral density predicts breast cancer risk independently of the Gail score, suggesting that the two measurements could be used together to better quantify the risk, according to a study published online July 29 in Cancer.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Childhood Cancer Survivors Less Likely to Smoke
WEDNESDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- English childhood cancer survivors are significantly less likely to smoke than the general British population, according to an article published online July 29 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Salmonella Slows Tumor Growth in Some Cancers
WEDNESDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Salmonella typhimurium inhibits the growth of breast and colon tumors and decreases pulmonary metastasis in breast cancer models without inducing severe toxicity, according to a study published online July 29 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Androgen-Deprivation Therapy May Harm Cognition
WEDNESDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- In men with prostate cancer, androgen-deprivation therapy may be associated with subtle but significant cognitive declines, according to a study published online July 29 in Cancer.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Kids' Cancer Survival Low in Many Countries
TUESDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Annual per-capita government health expenditures are associated with survival of children with cancer in 10 low- and middle-income countries, and half of these countries offer very poor chances of survival for these children, according to research published in the August issue of The Lancet Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Blood-Based Biomarkers of Prostate Cancer Identified
TUESDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Blood levels of small RNAs known as microRNAs (miRNAs) can distinguish men with prostate cancer from healthy men, according to a study in the July 29 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Infections Rare After Mohs Micrographic Surgery
MONDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Surgical site infections are extremely uncommon in patients undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery for non-melanoma skin cancer or modified Mohs micrographic surgery for lentigo maligna melanoma in situ, suggesting that the routine administration of antibiotics may be unnecessary, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Fecal Occult Blood Tests Offer Different Results
MONDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- The use of an immunochemical fecal occult blood test (I-FOBT) resulted in higher participation and detection rates for advanced adenomas and cancer than use of a guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (G-FOBT), according to research published in the July Gastroenterology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Teledermatology Improves Skin Cancer Outcomes
FRIDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- In the management of skin cancer, teledermatology referral leads to clinical outcomes that equal or even surpass those of conventional referral, according to a report published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Receptor Activation Inhibits Prostate Cancer Growth
THURSDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- The liver X receptor (LXR), which had previously been shown to sense cholesterol metabolites, can also reduce androgen production and inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells, according to research published in the August issue of Endocrinology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Timing of Lymph Node Dissection Studied in Breast Cancer
THURSDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- The timing of axillary lymph node dissection does not affect the number of lymph nodes recovered or long-term complications in patients with breast cancer that has metastasized to the sentinel lymph nodes, according to a report in the July 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
'Tier 4' Drugs Raise Questions About Affordability
WEDNESDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- The emergence of a fourth tier of copayment for expensive drugs calls into question how Americans are going to handle the rising costs of health care, according to a perspective article in the July 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Sorafenib Beneficial in Advanced Liver Cancer
WEDNESDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with sorafenib -- an oral multikinase inhibitor -- may benefit patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, according to research published in the July 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Consequences of Genetic Non-Discrimination Act Examined
WEDNESDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- The Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act (GINA), recently signed into U.S. law, creates a troublesome distinction between those at genetic risk for a disease and those with other characteristics that predispose them to a condition, according to a perspective article published in the July 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text
Adjuvant Treatment Improves Pancreatic Cancer Survival
WEDNESDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Four new studies show that the addition of chemotherapy and radiation before or after surgery for pancreatic cancer can improve survival, according to an editorial in the July 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Editorial
Abstract - Corsini
Abstract - Herman
Abstract - Evans
Abstract - Varadhachary
New Standard of Care Proposed for Metastatic Kidney Cancer
WEDNESDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Everolimus improves progression-free survival compared to placebo in patients with progressive, metastatic renal cell carcinoma that failed other targeted therapies, according to research published online July 23 in The Lancet.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Physicians to Get Bonus for Electronic Prescribing
WEDNESDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors using an electronic prescriptions system will be eligible for a bonus from Medicare from 2009 onwards for four years, according to U.S. health officials.
More Information
Drugs Can Reduce Discomfort During Mammography
TUESDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Premedication with lidocaine can help reduce discomfort in women who expect pain during mammography screening and make it more likely they will continue to undergo regular screening, according to a report released online July 22 in advance of publication in the September issue of Radiology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Gene Expression May Help Predict Lung Cancer Outcomes
TUESDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of tumor gene expression and clinical covariates may help predict survival in patients with lung adenocarcinoma, according to an article published online July 20 in Nature Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Lymph Node Evaluation Varies by Hospital Type and Volume
MONDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with gastric or pancreatic cancer, lymph node evaluation is significantly more comprehensive at National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated institutions and at high-volume hospitals, according to a report published in the July issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Abstract
Full Text
Protein Linked to Poorer Ovarian Cancer Outcomes
MONDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Overexpression of tissue type transglutaminase (TG2) in ovarian carcinoma is associated with poorer patient survival; TG2 also spurs cancer cell attachment, invasion, and resistance to chemotherapy, according to research published in the July 15 issue of Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Immunosuppressive Agent May Promote Tumor Growth
MONDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- While calcineurin inhibitors are effective immunosuppressive agents that inhibit allograft rejection, they may actually promote tumor growth, according to an article published in the July 15 issue of Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Robotic Prostatectomy Review Points to Positive Outcomes
MONDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- A review of articles comparing robotically assisted prostatectomies with open and laparoscopic procedures offers data on outcomes to help guide surgical choice. The review was published in the July issue of Urology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Retinoic Acid May Spur Tumor Vessel Growth
MONDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Treating SKBR-3 breast cancer cells with retinoic acid can encourage the growth of extensive network structures and induces endothelial genes, suggesting a method of creating blood supply to tumors, according to research published online July 16 in PLoS ONE.
Abstract
Full Text
PET Scans Offer Information on Breast Cancer Survival
THURSDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Positron emission tomography (PET) provides predictive information regarding survival in women with locally advanced breast carcinoma, according to research published online July 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Project Compares Cancer Survival Around Globe
THURSDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- A novel comparison of cancer survival around the globe finds a wide variation in survival from breast, colorectal and prostate cancer, according to research published online July 17 in The Lancet Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Exception Reporting Improves Pay-for-Performance Benefits
THURSDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Pay-for-performance programs benefit from use of exclusion reporting, whereby certain patients are excluded from quality calculations, and the practice of excluding patients to disguise missed targets, known as gaming, is rare, according to study findings published in the July 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Medical Education Must Adapt to Changing Times
THURSDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Medical schools must adapt their admission requirements and curricula to changes in scientific theory, and are also facing a challenge to the traditional definition of who is suited to the study of medicine, according to two articles published in the July 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract - Dienstag
Full Text
Abstract - Jauhar
Full Text
Therapy-Suspected Link Reported in Lung Cancer Patient
WEDNESDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- A case of lung cancer in an individual using anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapies -- which regressed upon withdrawal of the drugs -- raises concerns about the use of anti-TNF therapy in older patients with a history of smoking, according to correspondence in the July 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
AMA Actions Fostered U.S. Medical Racial Divide
TUESDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- From the post-Civil War years to the civil rights era a century later, the American Medical Association (AMA) made decisions that helped support a division between white and black Americans in the field of medicine in the United States, according to an article in the July 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text
Editorial
Prostate Cancer Vaccine Increases Survival
TUESDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- Men with non-metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer have better survival when receiving a vaccine followed by hormone therapy, according to the results of a study published in the July 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Iron Reduction Linked to Lower Risk of Cancer
MONDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- Reducing iron through regular phlebotomies is associated with a lower incidence of cancer, according to research published in the July 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Breast Cancer Onset in Susceptible Groups Differs
MONDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- The onset of breast cancer in the unaffected twin of a sister with breast cancer and the onset of bilateral breast cancer based on family history differs from that normally seen in unilateral disease and is largely unaffected by age and time since diagnosis, according to a report released online June 30 in advance of publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Melanoma Incidence Up Among Younger Whites
MONDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of invasive cutaneous melanoma among white men and women aged 15 to 39 has significantly increased since 1973, and has more than doubled among younger women, according to a letter published online July 10 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Full Text
Higher Education Tied to Lower Cancer Death Rates
MONDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- Reductions in death rates from four major cancers in the United States in recent years were generally confined to better-educated individuals, and epidemiological studies on cancer and other diseases are vulnerable to false-positive findings, according to two papers published online July 8 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Abstract - Kinsey
Full Text
Abstract - Boffetta
Full Text
Younger Breast Cancer Patients Have Worse Prognosis
FRIDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer patients aged 45 and younger have a worse prognosis than their older counterparts, and their disease represents a subset of breast cancers that share gene expression patterns, according to a study published in the July 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Pegylated Interferon Boosts Melanoma Survival Rates
FRIDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Survival rates for melanoma patients improve if they are treated with a pegylated form of interferon alfa-2 versus observation alone, according to a report published in the July 12 issue of The Lancet.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Endometrial Cancer Prevention Strategies Needed for Obese
FRIDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- In most obese women, neither oral contraceptives nor current screening methods are cost-effective endometrial cancer prevention strategies. But oral contraceptives may be a cost-effective strategy for subgroups of women who are morbidly obese or have longstanding anovulation, researchers report in the July issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Breast-Conserving Surgery Outcomes Affect Quality of Life
FRIDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Women with pronounced breast asymmetry after breast-conserving surgery may be at high risk of poor psychosocial functioning, according to study findings published in the July 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Study Probes Resveratrol's Anti-Cancer Activities
THURSDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grapes and other plant foods, may inhibit breast cancer initiation through its actions in the estrogen genotoxicity pathway, according to research published in the July issue of Cancer Prevention Research.
Abstract
Full Text
Mantle Cell Lymphoma Rate on Rise in Recent Years
THURSDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- In a sample of patients diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma between 1992 and 2004, mantle cell lymphoma accounted for 2.8 percent of the cases, according to research published in the August 15 issue of Cancer.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Nanoparticles Send Doxorubicin to Cancer Target
THURSDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Using nanoparticles to deliver targeted doxorubicin to tumor vasculature in mice resulted in greatly improved drug efficacy with minimal side effects, according to research published online July 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Program Improves Insomnia After Cancer Treatment
THURSDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- A cognitive behavior therapy program consisting of small group sessions teaching stimulus control, sleep restriction and cognitive therapy strategies can improve sleep in cancer patients dealing with insomnia post-treatment, according to the results of a study published online June 30 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Thickness Predicts Squamous-Cell Carcinoma Spread
THURSDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Factors predicting metastasis of cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma include tumor thickness, horizontal size and location at the ear, according to research published online July 9 in The Lancet Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Cancers Increasing in HIV-Infected Patients
THURSDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Although treatment advances have reduced HIV-related deaths in HIV-infected patients, they are at increasing risk of dying from cancer, and little is known about optimal treatments or the effects of combining antiretroviral and anticancer drugs, according to a review published online June 30 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Multiple Myeloma Family Merits Long-Term Follow-Up
WEDNESDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- Five cases of multiple myeloma, three of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and five cases of prostate cancer across two generations of one family points to a pattern consistent with autosomal dominant transmission and warrants on-going study of the family, according to an article published in the July 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Health Cash Incentives for Poor People Debated
WEDNESDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- Should disadvantaged people be paid to take care of their health? That's the question of a "Head to Head" debate published online July 8 in BMJ.
Abstract - Cookson
Full Text
Abstract - Popay
Full Text
Editorial
FDA: Novel Genetic Test Approved for Breast Cancer
WEDNESDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- The SPOT-Light HER2 CISH kit -- a genetic test that measures the number of copies of the HER2 gene in breast tumor tissue -- received approval this week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the identification of patients who might benefit from treatment with the drug Herceptin (trastuzumab).
More Information
Little Effect of Medicare Changes on Chemotherapy
TUESDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- For elderly patients receiving chemotherapy, the enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) has not greatly affected patient wait times and travel distances for treatment, researchers report in the July 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Androgen Deprivation Not Helpful for Most Prostate Cancers
TUESDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- Androgen deprivation therapy for localized prostate cancer does not improve survival except in the case of poorly differentiated cancers, according to a report in the July 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text
Cancer Surgery Costs Lower for High-Volume Surgeons
TUESDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- High-volume surgeons are associated with lower inpatient costs for cancer surgery than low-volume surgeons, while hospital volume has little effect, according to study findings published in the July issue of Medical Care.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Liver Cancer Less Common with More Coffee Drinking
FRIDAY, July 4 (HealthDay News) -- High levels of coffee consumption demonstrated an inverse association with primary liver cancer, while elevated levels of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) increased risk in a large prospective population-based study, according to an article published in the July issue of Hepatology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Intervention Benefits Depressed Cancer Patients
FRIDAY, July 4 (HealthDay News) -- A nurse-delivered intervention -- Depression Care for People with Cancer -- may be a beneficial and cost-effective strategy for managing major depressive disorder in patients with cancer and other medical disorders, according to an article published in the July 5 issue of The Lancet.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Conventional Secondhand Smoke Assessment Faulted
FRIDAY, July 4 (HealthDay News) -- In the assessment of patients exposed to secondhand smoke, measurements of biological markers may be better indicators of exposure and lung cancer risk than conventional assessment methods, researchers report in the July issue of The Lancet Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Smokeless Tobacco May Be Safer Than Cigarettes
THURSDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- Smokeless tobacco users probably have a lower risk of several common cancers than smokers, but a higher risk than people who use no tobacco products, according to the results of a study published in the July issue of The Lancet Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
MYC Threshold Found for Tumor Maintenance
THURSDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- In a mouse model of lymphoma, a certain level of MYC expression is necessary to maintain tumorigenesis, and this critical threshold is marked by a shift from cellular proliferation to proliferative arrest and apoptosis, according to research published in the July 1 issue of Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Multiple Methods Improve Use of Skin Cancer Self-Exam
THURSDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- Several components of the Check-It-Out trial, which entailed a multi-pronged approach to promoting thorough skin self-examination to check for melanoma, were effective, according to study findings published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Novel Drug Effective in Some Advanced Thyroid Cancers
WEDNESDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- Use of motesanib diphosphate -- a novel oral inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors -- may be an effective treatment for some patients with advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer, according to research published in the July 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Molecular Analysis Monitors Changes in Lung Cancer
WEDNESDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, molecular analysis of circulating tumor cells isolated from blood may be a non-invasive procedure that helps physicians monitor changes in epithelial tumor genotypes during treatment, according to the results of a study published online July 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text
Editorial
Smoke-Free Policies Linked to Many Health Benefits
WEDNESDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- Smoke-free policies -- such as legislation to protect individuals from secondhand smoke -- can lead to health improvements including reduction of respiratory symptoms, and may help reduce adult and youth tobacco use, according to a report published in the July issue of The Lancet Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Co-Pays for Cancer Drugs Illogical and Unworkable
TUESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- The concept of user charges for cancer drugs, cited as a potential solution to fiscal pressures on the United Kingdom's health care system, is an "intellectually dead" idea that is both unworkable and illogical, according to a Views & Reviews article published online June 30 in BMJ.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Breast Cancer in Pregnancy May Have Worse Prognosis
TUESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to non-pregnancy-associated breast cancers, pregnancy-associated breast cancers present as larger tumors, at a more advanced stage, and are less likely to be hormone receptor-positive, according to an article published in the July issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
