Articles
Researchers from USC recently examined how much cancer patients value hope, particularly with regard to end-of-life treatments.
The study, led by Darius Lakdawalla, director of research at the Schaeffer Center at USC and associate professor in the USC Price School of Public Policy, is published in a unique issue on cancer spending from the journal Health Affairs.
At least 1 treatment-related complication is reported by more than 60% of breast cancer survivors as late as 6 years after their diagnosis, according to a new study published in a special issue of Cancer. Devoted to exploring, preventing, and monitoring the physical late effects of breast cancer treatment, the special issue focuses on the nation’s 2.6 million survivors of the disease.
A treatment approach approved by the FDA in 2006 which involves adding the drug bevacizumab (Avastin) to the standard chemotherapy regimen for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) did not significantly increase survival rates for patients over the age of 65 enrolled in Medicare, according to a new study being published in the April 18 issue of JAMA.
Recent use of an injectable form of progestin-only birth control for a year or more doubles the risk of breast cancer in young women, according to a large-scale US-based study.
“The combination of carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel demonstrates promising efficacy with tolerable toxicity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ineligible for therapy with bevacizumab,” said Gregory A. Otterson, MD, professor of internal medicine, co-director of the thoracic oncology program and associate director of the hematology and medical oncology fellowship program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio.
How do healthcare providers react to medication alerts generated by electronic medical record systems?
To learn about the strengths and weaknesses of electronic medication alerts, a study by Regenstrief Institute and US Department of Veterans Affairs investigators involved observing providers as they treated patients. The study appears in the April 2012 issue of the International Journal of Medical Informatics.
Men experience a marked drop in their testosterone levels when taking crizotinib for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the April issue of Cancer.
Researchers studied the hormone levels in men with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC taking crizotinib after a 35-year-old man taking the drug reported fatigue and sexual disinterest, symptoms that are often related to low testosterone levels.
The FDA is alerting US medical practices of another counterfeit cancer drug originating from a foreign source.
According to FDA lab tests, an imitation version of Roche’s Altuzan 400 mg/16 mL (bevacizumab), a drug not approved by the FDA for use in the US, is actually in the country and contains no active ingredient.
The counterfeit Altuzan and other unapproved products were obtained through foreign sources, in particular from Richards Pharma, also known as Richards Services, Warwick Healthcare Solutions, or Ban Dune Marketing Inc (BDMI).
Patients find cancer drug trial leaflets too long, incomprehensible, and even intimidating, according to research published in the international journal Sociology of Health and Illness.
Outcomes from the BOLERO-2 clinical trial show that combining 2 cancer drugs, everolimus and exemestane, significantly improve bone strength and reduce the chances of cancer metastasizing in the bone.
According to Professor Michael Gnant, these latest results from the phase 3 trial will change clinical practice. “These results indicate a new standard of care for women with advanced estrogen receptor positive breast cancer that is resistant to hormonal therapy,” he said.