Articles
A study by the National Cancer Institute reports that approximately 1 in 5 patients with lung cancer continue to smoke after diagnosis.
Novartis has discontinued a phase 3 trial assessing whether its TKI nilotinib (Tasigna) might be a more effective first-line therapy than imatinib (Gleevec) in patients with unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).
Isoflavones from soy foods do not increase breast cancer recurrence risks said researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting. Isoflavones have estrogen-like properties, prompting some survivors to avoid soy foods.
On July 20, 2012, the FDA granted accelerated approval to carfilzomib injection (Kyprolis; Onyx Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least 2 prior therapies, including bortezomib and an immunomodulatory agent, and who have demonstrated disease progression on or within 60 days of the completion of their last therapy.
Two studies presented at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting suggested that abiraterone acetate (AA; Zytiga), an androgen biosynthesis inhibitor,1 has the potential to be used earlier in the course of prostate cancer than its current US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indication (ie, after failure of chemotherapy in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer [CRPC]). A second interim analysis of a phase 3 trial had positive outcomes with AA in men with metastatic CRPC who had not yet received chemotherapy,1 and a preliminary phase 2 study suggested AA may have a role in the neoadjuvant setting before radical prostatectomy is performed in men with early-stage localized high-risk prostate cancer.2 In addition, secondary results from the AFFIRM trial confirmed the superiority of enzalutamide to placebo in men with CRPC following treatment with docetaxel.3
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by low platelet counts due to both increased platelet destruction and suboptimal platelet production.1 Many therapies are aimed at reducing platelet destruction.2 Treatments aimed at increasing platelet production, alone or in combination with existing therapies, provide an opportunity to improve outcomes in patients with ITP.2 The thrombopoietin mimetic Nplate® (romiplostim) is an Fc-peptide fusion protein that stimulates platelet production by binding the thrombopoietin receptor, thereby increasing the body’s natural production of platelets.3 Nplate® is a thrombopoietin receptor agonist indicated for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic ITP who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins, or splenectomy. Nplate® is not indicated for the treatment of thrombocytopenia due to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or any cause of thrombocytopenia other than chronic ITP. Nplate® should be used only in patients with ITP whose degree of thrombocytopenia and clinical condition increase their risk for bleeding. Nplate® should not be used in an attempt to normalize platelet counts.
Although the 10-year survival rate for prostate cancer is 98%, the disease is still the second leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States. With each new treatment developed, vaccine examined, and screening test created, scientists draw closer to the day when the survival rate for all patients with prostate cancer will be 100%. The following numbers reflect today’s prostate cancer statistics.
SG is a 29-year-old female, recently married, who was referred to the hematology clinic due to a platelet count of 11 × 109/L. Additionally, she recently had 3 nosebleeds and heavy menstrual bleeding. She had dismissed them as another sign of stress from her hectic schedule, including her recent wedding, teaching full-time, and evening graduate school. A detailed and extensive review of her history and physical, serum chemistries, CBC, and peripheral smear does not reveal any potential underlying causes for her thrombocytopenia. She is negative for HCV and HIV, and her blood type is AB negative. Because her platelet count is <100 × 109/L without an identifiable cause, she is diagnosed with primary immune thrombocytopenia. What are considerations for appropriate first-line therapy?
Motor toxicities of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) are likely to lead to falls, deficits in physical performance (PP), and functional losses, according to a substudy of a phase 3 clinical trial in patients with CIPN reported at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.1
Men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer are more likely to choose active surveillance as their primary treatment if their care is managed by a multidisciplinary team, according to a recent study (Aizer AA, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30:3071-3076).