Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Hematology & Oncology for September 2012. 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.
SNPs Linked to Erectile Dysfunction After Radiotherapy
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with development of erectile dysfunction (ED) following radiotherapy for prostate cancer, according to a study published online Sept. 28 in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Young BRCA Carriers Face Complex Life-Altering Decisions
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- For young women, carrying a BRCA mutation impacts actions and decisions related to getting married, having children, and receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing.
Full Text
Denosumab Studied As Therapy for Giant-Cell Tumor of Bone
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with giant-cell tumor of bone (GCTB), denosumab treatment causes a significant reduction in tumor giant cells and increased growth of new bone, according to a study published in the Aug. 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Stivarga Approved for Advanced Colorectal Cancer
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Stivarga (regorafenib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat colorectal cancer that has spread despite prior treatment.
colon and rectal cancer
New Transplant Platform Successful in Sickle Cell
THURSDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Non-myeloablative conditioning with post-transplantation high-dose cyclophosphamide expands the donor pool for bone marrow transplantation for patients with sickle cell disease, according to a preliminary study published online Sept. 6 in Blood.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Short-, Long-Course Therapy Comparable in T3 Rectal Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- There are no statistically significant differences in the rates of local recurrence (LR), distant recurrence, relapse-free survival, overall survival, or late toxicity in patients treated with short-course (SC) radiotherapy or long-course (LC) chemoradiation, according to research published online Sept. 24 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Conditional Reprogramming Can Help ID Pathogenic Viruses
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Conditional reprogramming can be successfully used to generate cell cultures from normal and tumor tissue of a patient with papillomatosis, facilitating identification of a mutant human papillomavirus (HPV) and allowing appropriate treatment, according to a study published in the Sept. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
When Clinically Indicated, Chemo Use High for Breast Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Fewer than half of women with localized breast cancer for whom adjuvant chemotherapy is discretionary, either due to clinical factors or age, tend to utilize adjuvant chemotherapy; however, when clinically indicated, women initiate chemotherapy at a high rate, according to research published online Sept. 24 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Watch & Wait OK in Low-Tumor Burden Follicular Lymphoma
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- An initial watch-and-wait strategy does not have a detrimental effect on the freedom from treatment failure (FFTF) or overall survival rate in selected patients with low-tumor burden follicular lymphoma compared with patients initially treated with rituximab-containing regimens, according to research published online Sept. 24 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Best Mouse Model of Tumor Drug Exposure Identified
TUESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Compared with mouse or human melanomas transplanted into mice, a genetically-engineered mouse melanoma model best approximates the tumor pharmacokinetics of a melanoma drug observed in patients, according to a study published online Sept. 19 in The Oncologist.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Surveillance for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer Examined
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- For men with low-risk prostate cancer, projections show that active surveillance may result in a modest decline in prostate cancer-specific survival, but allows men to remain treatment-free for several more years compared with immediate radical prostatectomy, according to a study published online Sept. 24 in Clinical Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Genetic Variants Identified for Risk of Male Breast Cancer
MONDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with an increased risk of male breast cancer have been identified, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in Nature Genetics.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Skin Cancer Incidence Up After Pancreas Transplantation
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) commonly occur after pancreas transplantation (PT), particularly in those who have a history of skin cancer, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Patient Preference Doesn't Affect Chemo in Advanced CRC
FRIDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), most patients are treated with chemotherapy, even if they express negative or marginal preferences, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in Cancer.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Bladder Cancer Survival Similar for Partial, Radical Cystectomy
THURSDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- For select patients with bladder cancer, there is no difference in metastasis-free or cancer-specific survival with partial cystectomy (PC) or radical cystectomy (RC), but there is an increased risk for intravesical recurrence for those treated with PC, according to research published in the October issue of The Journal of Urology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Alcohol-Related Esophageal Cancer Risk Is Reversible
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The alcohol-related effects on esophageal cancer risk are reversible with cessation of alcohol consumption, according to research published in the July issue of Addiction.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Drug Class Unexpectedly Effective on Breast Cancers
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Drugs that normally target cancer cells defective in DNA homologous recombination repair, poly(ADP-Ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, are also effective on breast cancer cells positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), even in the absence of the repair defect, according to a study published in the Sept. 15 issue of Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Nearly Half of European Mortality Due to Cancer, Chronic Disease
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Deaths from cancer and chronic diseases accounted for approximately 42 percent of deaths in 2007 across the European Union (EU), according to a study published online Aug. 28 in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Breast Tumor's Molecular Subtype Key in Treatment Choice
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Molecular subtypes are predictors of breast cancer mortality and can play a role in determining the best course of treatment to follow, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
New Guidelines Issued for Pediatric Fever and Neutropenia
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- New evidence-based guidelines have been compiled on the management of fever and and neutropenia (FN) in children with cancer and/or who are undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation; the guidelines were published online Sept. 17 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Biomarkers Identified in Head and Neck Cancers
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with head and neck cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection predicts survival when determined by viral load and viral gene expression rather than the presence of viral DNA or expression of the p16 tumor suppressor gene, according to two studies published online Sept. 18 in Cancer Research.
Abstract - Holzinger
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Abstract - Liang
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Abiraterone Prolongs Survival in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Abiraterone acetate significantly improves overall survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer that has progressed after docetaxel treatment, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in The Lancet Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
L-Carnitine Does Not Reduce Cancer-Related Fatigue
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with invasive malignancies who take L-carnitine supplements do not experience a reduction in fatigue, pain, or depression, according to research published online Sept. 17 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Melanoma Transection Doesn't Affect Overall Survival
TUESDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Melanoma transection does not affect disease-free survival or mortality, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
No Increased Cancer Risk With Herpes Zoster Infection
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- There is no increased risk of cancer among patients with newly diagnosed herpes zoster infection, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text
Cancer Incidence and Mortality Declining for Hispanics
MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer incidence and death rates seem to be declining for Hispanics, but screening use is lower than for non-Hispanic whites, according to two studies published online Sept. 17 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Abstract - Siegel
Full Text
Abstract - Cokkinides
Full Text
Long-Term Finasteride Doesn't Impair Quality of Life
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Taking finasteride to prevent prostate cancer does not negatively affect the physical function, mental health, or vitality domains of health-related quality of life, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
European Review: Benefits of Mammograms Outweigh Harms
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- For women in Europe, mammographic screening is associated with a reduction in breast cancer mortality that is greater than the potential harms of over-diagnosis and false-positive screening results (FPRs), according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Medical Screening.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Thermal Sensation Spared in Nerve-Sparing Prostatectomy
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Penile thermal sensory thresholds increase after non-nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (RP) but not after the nerve-sparing procedure, according to a study published in the September issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Preparation Process Eases MRI for Children With Sickle Cell
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- For young children with sickle cell disease (SCD), preparation and support procedures (PSP) can help reduce the need for sedation during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, according to a study published online June 19 in Pediatric Radiology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Review: Inflammation's Role in Obesity-Colorectal Cancer Link
THURSDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- A new review summarizes the ways in which inflammation and altered metabolism are associated with colorectal cancer in obese individuals; the review was published online Sept. 3 in Obesity Reviews.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Study Supports IL16 Role in Prostate CA in African-Americans
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- In African-Americans, IL16 polymorphisms appear to play a role in prostate cancer susceptibility, according to research published online Aug. 24 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Rare Cancer Syndrome Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- People with Cowden syndrome, with tumor-suppressor phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) mutations that increase their risk of cancer, have enhanced sensitivity to insulin even though they are more likely to be obese, according to a study published in the Sept. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Pregnancy-Associated Cancers on the Rise in Australia
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of pregnancy-associated cancers is increasing in Australia, with the increase only partially explained by increasing maternal age, according to a study published online Sept. 5 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Persistence of Statin Use Linked to Decreased Cancer Risk
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- There is an inverse association between statin persistence and cancer risk, particularly for hematopoietic malignancies, according to a study published in the September issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
Full Text
Flow Cytometry Indicates Treatment Response in AML
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- For children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), minimal residual disease (MRD) activity, as measured using flow cytometry, is a good indicator of treatment response, with morphologic analysis providing limited additional information, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Genomic Alterations ID'd in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Genomic characterization of lung squamous cell carcinomas has identified several statistically recurrent mutations, according to a study published online Sept. 9 in Nature.
Full Text
SPECT/CT Associated With Improved Survival in Melanoma
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with clinically lymph node-negative melanoma, the use of single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) to aid sentinel lymph node excision (SLNE) is associated with increased detection of metastatic involvement and improved disease-free survival, compared with standard SLNE, according to a study published in the Sept. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
PTSD Seen in Nearly 20 Percent of Young Children With Cancer
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 20 percent of infants and preschoolers with cancer suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a study published online Aug. 22 in Psycho-Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Adding Ketamine to Opioids Doesn't Reduce Cancer Pain
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Using subcutaneously administered ketamine in a dose-escalating regimen as an adjunct to opioids and standard co-analgesics does not have any clinical benefit in relieving cancer pain, but it is associated with increased toxicity, according to research published online Sept. 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Molecular Differences ID'd for Small/Non-Small Cell Lung CA
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Molecular differences have been identified in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, which may represent potential therapeutic targets, according to a study published online Sept. 6 in Cancer Discovery.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Cancer Survivors Uneasy With Primary Care Doctor Follow-Up
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Early-stage cancer survivors have concerns about receiving cancer-related follow-up care from primary care physicians, according to a study published in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text
Marijuana Use Linked to Higher Risk of Testicular Cancer
MONDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Marijuana use is associated with an approximately two-fold higher risk of testicular cancer, particularly nonseminoma and mixed histology tumors, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in Cancer.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Cognitive Deficits for Chemo-Treated Breast Cancer Patients
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer survivors who were previously treated with chemotherapy experience small cognitive deficits in the domains of verbal ability and visuospatial ability, according to a study published online Aug. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial
Diagnostic Radiation Ups Breast Cancer Risk in BRCA Carriers
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- For BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, exposure to diagnostic radiation before age 30 correlates with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer, with a dose-response pattern, according to a study published online Sept. 6 in BMJ.
Full Text
Not All Docs/Nurses Want to Be Asked About Hand Hygiene
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Although most health care workers (HCWs) appreciate the role of patients in preventing health care-associated infection, a considerable proportion are uncomfortable with patients asking about their hand hygiene, according to a letter published online Sept. 3 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Neurocognitive Deficits Seen in Survivors of Pediatric Hodgkin's
FRIDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Adult long-term survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma are at risk for neurocognitive impairment, according to research published online Sept. 4 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Characteristics of Long-Term Gastric Cancer Survivors ID'd
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer who survive for longer than three years after diagnosis seem to have distinct demographic and pathologic characteristics, compared with those who do not survive, according to research published online Sept. 4 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Prone-Position Breast Radiation Avoids Heart, Lung Exposure
THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- For most women with breast cancer, prone positioning during computed tomography (CT) simulation scans correlates with a reduction in the amount of heart and lung irradiation, according to a research letter published in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Bosulif Approved for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Bosulif (bosutinib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), the agency said in a news release.
FDA
Intermittent ADT Noninferior to Continuous ADT for Prostate CA
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- In men with prostate cancer who have rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after radiotherapy, overall survival is similar if they receive intermittent or continuous androgen-deprivation therapy, according to a study published in the Sept. 6 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Reciprocal Increased Risk of Parkinson's, Prostate Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer and melanoma, which extends to their third-degree relatives, and there is evidence of a reciprocal risk, according to a study published online Sept. 3 in the Archives of Neurology.
Abstract
Full Text
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Anthracycline, Trastuzumab for Breast CA Up Heart Failure Risk
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- For women with incident, invasive breast cancer, treatment with anthracycline and trastuzumab is associated with an increased risk of heart failure and/or cardiomyopathy, compared to having no chemotherapy, according to a study published in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Abstract
Full Text
Editorial
No Increased Risk of Cancer With Biologics in Rheumatoid Arthritis
TUESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the use of biologic response modifiers (BRMs) for at least six months is not associated with an increased risk of malignancy compared with placebo or other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), according to a study published in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
