Articles
Neuroendocrine tumors are highly vascular, expressing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and demonstrating angiogenesis. Since the mTOR inhibitor everolimus has antiangiogenic activity, RADIANT-3 investigators evaluated several VEGF pathway tumor markers for their prognostic and predictive potential. The results were presented by James C. Yao, MD, in an abstract presentation at ESMO.1
Interest in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) has grown since the recent approval of targeted agents for advanced disease, as was evident by the attendance at several sessions during the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2012 Congress in Vienna, Austria.1
Doxepin, a tricyclic antidepressant approved for the treatment of depression and anxiety, as well as moderate pruritus, significantly improved oral mucositis pain in patients treated with radiation therapy for head and neck cancer in a phase 3 trial.1 In the study, doxepin was combined with water and used as an oral rinse.
Sildenafil is often used by men treated with radiation or radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer to achieve an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, and it is effective to varying degrees when used on an as-needed basis. A randomized controlled trial has found that prophylactic daily use of sildenafil improved overall sexual function, as well as domains of sexual function, in prostate cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.1 This is the first time a phase 3 study has demonstrated the effectiveness of prophylactic sildenafil in the setting of radiation.
If the abstracts presented at ESMO were any indication, the US Food and Drug Administration approval of crizotinib only opened the door to a virtual roomful of next-generation ALK inhibitors. While crizotinib targets only the 5% of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with the ALK genetic translocation, it makes a huge impact on this subset, doubling the time that patients with advanced disease spend in remission.
Onco360 is an oncology pharmaceutical services company dedicated to advancing the continuum of pharmaceutical cancer care for patients. To that end, the company has developed specialized clinical and supportive care oncology pharmacy care programs and services that are managed by board-certified oncology pharmacists (BCOPs) with the goal of providing quality services and improving outcomes for patients.
By Phoebe Starr
The use of proton beam radiation therapy (PBRT) for the treatment of prostate cancer is increasing across the United States, but there is no evidence from randomized controlled trials to suggest that PBRT is more effective than intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which is the current standard of care.
The FDA expanded the labeling of pemetrexed (Alimta, Eli Lilly and Company) to include the results of an additional trial evaluating its safety and efficacy for the initial treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic, nonsquamous, non‒small cell lung cancer followed by pemetrexed maintenance in patients with disease that has not progressed after 4 cycles of platinum and pemetrexed as first-line chemotherapy. The approval for expanded labeling was granted on October 17, 2012.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved omacetaxine mepesuccinate subcutaneous injection (Synribo, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries) for the treatment of adult patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with resistance and/or intolerance to 2 or more tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Approval for omacetaxine mepesuccinate was granted on October 26, 2012.
In this month’s issue of The Oncology Pharmacist (TOP), we wrap up the year with highlights of the news from the 2012 American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting and the European Society for Medical Oncology 2012 Congress.