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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.

Results of EMILIA, the first randomized, open-label, phase 3 study comparing trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) alone with lapatinib in combination with capecitabine, showed that patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (mBC) who received trastuzumab emtansine lived significantly longer with progression-free survival. The study involved 991 patients with HER2+ mBC whose disease had progressed after initial treatment with Herceptin and a taxane-based chemotherapy.

The HER2-based peptide vaccine AE37 administered to patients with breast cancer produced immunologic responses compared with a control group, according to 24-month results.

According to data presented at this year’s AACR Annual Meeting, vitamin D impacts prostate cancer growth rates and may also decelerate the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Results from a phase 3 study of women with HER2-positive early breast cancer showed that administering Herceptin (trastuzumab) by subcutaneous (SC) injection leads to efficacy comparable to the current intravenous (IV) Herceptin treatment. Due to its less invasive administration and quicker administration time (5 minutes vs 30-90 minutes), Herceptin SC may allow greater convenience for patients versus the traditional IV method. This is important in the early breast cancer setting, as Herceptin is usually prescribed for 1 year.

Postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer treated with aromatase inhibitors prior to surgery may be able to have breast-conserving surgery rather than a mastectomy, according to the results of a national clinical trial.