Articles
ORLANDO—Low doses of alemtuzumab were effective in preventing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in leukemia patients receiving sibling and matched unrelated hematopoietic cell transplants.
A small, prospective study from Greece found alemtuzumab 10 mg effective in reducing GVHD among patients receiving stem cell transplants to treat acute leukemias. Alexandros Spyridonidis, MD, PhD, presented the results at the 52nd American Society of Hematology annual meeting and exposition.
Read More ›Rituximab maintenance in patients with high tumor burden follicular lymphoma (FL) who have responded to rituximab plus chemotherapy induction improves progression-free survival (PFS), according to recently released results of the PRIMA study (Lancet. Dec 21, 2010. Epub ahead of print).
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning against using the injectable form of dolasetron mesylate to prevent nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy. New data shows that dolasetron can increase the risk for developing abnormal heart rhythms. The oral tablets of dolasetron may be still be used for this indication; however, a strong warning is being added to the drug’s label.
Patients with congenital QT syndrome or other underlying heart rate or rhythm problems should not receive either form of the drug.
Read More ›Oncology pharmacists, like other healthcare professionals and organizations, have had a mixed response to the US Food and Drug Administration decision to withdraw the breast cancer indication for bevacizumab (Avastin), which was announced last week. Based on our initial report (http://www.theoncologypharmacist.com/article/fda-starts-withdrawal-process-avastins-breast-cancer-indication), readers have commented on the FDA’s decision.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun its process to remove the breast cancer indication from bevacizumab’s (Avastin, Genentech) label. Its decision to move forward is based on a recommendation by it advisory committee composed mainly of oncology.
The risk for developing listerosis is five time higher in patients receiving cancer treatment than in other high-risk groups, and they should be offered advice on how to avoid food-borne infections, according to a study by British researchers.
Listerosis, caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is rare, but can be serious in patients with cancer or others with suppressed T-cell–mediated immunity due to the disease or its treatment.
Regular use of SPF 15+ sunscreen may prevent the development of melanoma in adults, results of a community-based study indicate. The study is the first prospective, randomized study of the relationship between sunscreen use and melanoma.
Adèle Green and her colleagues of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia, randomized 1621 white adults (25 to 75 years of age) living in a township in Queensland to daily or discretionary sunscreen application to head and arms; the broad-spectrum sunscreen used had a SPF of 16.
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