Articles

It is estimated that this year alone, approximately 21,000 individuals in the United States will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM), and more than 10,000 deaths will be attributed to the disease.¹ Response rates and survival have improved considerably over the past several decades, due in large part to the use of high-dose chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, and the development and approval of the targeted agents thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib.² Although these advances have resulted in prolonged remissions and better quality of life, virtually all Read More ›

Introduction

Details of a novel protein purifier that could help pharmaceutical companies save time and money appear in a recent issue of the journal Langmuir. The high-performance membranes, developed by Michigan State University chemists Merlin Bruening and Greg Baker, are appropriate for protein purification, a central step in the development of various new drugs.

Last week, Votrient (pazopanib), a drug used to treat patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma who have previously received chemotherapy, was approved by the FDA. Pazopanib is a pill that works by interfering with angiogenesis.

Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare cancer with many subtypes; it occurs in about 10,000 cases annually in the United States. More than 20 subtypes of sarcoma were included in the clinical trial leading to approval of pazopanib, however, the drug is not approved for patients with adipocytic soft tissue sarcoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

The American Cancer Society recently reported that maintaining a healthy weight, getting adequate physical activity, and eating a healthy diet can decrease the chance of recurrence and increase the chance of disease-free survival after a cancer diagnosis. The new recommendations are published early online in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Increasing evidence shows that for many cancers, excess weight, lack of exercise, and poor nutrition increase the risk of cancer recurrence and reduce the likelihood of disease-free and overall survival for cancer patients.