Articles

Although the prevalence of high-grade, aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma increases with age, survival outcomes for older patients are disproportionately inferior to those for younger patients.

Pharmacy-led oral chemotherapy programs lead to improved patient adherence and satisfaction, according to Benyam Muluneh, PharmD, BCOP, CPP, Oncology Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner, University of North Carolina (UNC) Medical Center, Malignant Hematology Clinic, Chapel Hill.

Anticancer drugs should be priced based on the value they deliver to patients, according to Peter B. Bach, MD, Physician, Epidemiologist, Researcher, and Director, Center for Health Policy and Outcomes, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.

Duloxetine relieved musculoskeletal symptoms in a significant proportion of postmenopausal patients with breast cancer receiving treatment with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) in a randomized trial (SWOG S1202).

Patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HSCT) have high rates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) upon admission for transplantation.

Most oncologists’ knowledge about toxicities associated with newer therapies comes mainly from clinical trials, but publications of clinical trial safety results may be misleading, according to a study presented by Paolo Bossi, MD, at the recent European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

The relative lack of progress in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma is in marked contrast to developments in the treat­ment of lung cancer overall, but several ongoing studies using different immune-based therapies have shown promise in the treatment of this type of cancer.

A persistent medi­­cation safety issue is getting the attention it has long deserved. In an effort to save lives related to the accidental intrathecal dosing of vincristine, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has launched a program called “Just Bag It: The NCCN Campaign for Safe Handling of Vincristine."