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Prostate cancer developed more often in men who took 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E daily compared to men who took a placebo, according to an updated review of data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). Updated results appeared October 12, 2011, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A combination of chemotherapy and Herceptin significantly increases survival in women with early-stage aggressive breast cancer, according to a study by UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center published in the October 6, 2011, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Also, anthracyclines aren’t required to treat early-stage breast cancer successfully, and the associated toxicities can and should be avoided, said study lead author Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, whose basic laboratory and clinical research led to the development of Herceptin.

According to new research, advanced imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) scans demonstrates great potential to determine which patients with inoperable lung cancer possess more aggressive tumors and require additional treatment beyond standard chemotherapy/radiation therapy.

“We can expect a dramatic increase in the number of older adults who are diagnosed with or carry a history of cancer,” said Julia Rowland, PhD, director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). “Cancer is largely a disease of aging, so we’re seeing yet another effect of the baby boom generation and we need to prepare for this increase.”

For non–small cell lung cancer that has metastasized to the lymph nodes, a higher dose of radiation (74 Gy) does not increase overall survival compared to the standard radiation dose (60 Gy), according to an interim analysis of a randomized study presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

Recent study findings defy the perception that older cancer patients do not have access to or are not comfortable using Web-based technology. When given the choice, cancer patients are significantly more likely to use Web-based technology, compared to a paper survey, when answering questions about their quality of life 6 months after treatment, according to a study presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

It may become easier for cancer patients to understand and feel comfortable enrolling in cancer clinical trials thanks to a newly created Internet-based multimedia informed consent tool, according to a recent study. The resource has the potential to increase the low percentage of adult cancer patients who participate in clinical trials (2%-4% nationwide), says the research group from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania who conducted the survey.

Inadequate levels of vitamin D (25-hydroxy-vitamin D) are found in more than three-quarters of cancer patients, and the lowest levels are linked to advanced cancers, according to a study presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

A new Web site promises to assist patients with cancer when searching for the peers, resources, and information they need.

WhatNext uses unique technology to match individuals with similar diagnosis, treatment, and other factors. The site provides an online location where users can share details of their cancer experience, and it allows them to ask and answer questions. WhatNext also points users not only to American Cancer Society cancer information but also to local resources evaluated by the Society.

A platinum-based anticancer drug, oxaliplatin, has made great strides in recent years against colorectal cancer. Yet, it now appears that the drug causes possible permanent nerve damage that has the potential to worsen even months after treatment ends. The chemotherapy side effect was discovered by Johns Hopkins researchers in what may be the first attempt to trace oxaliplatin-based nerve damage through relatively inexpensive and simple punch skin biopsies, according to an article published in the September issue of Neurology.