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Monroe Township, NJ. September 15, 2011—Green Hill Healthcare Communications, LLC, a privately held medical communications firm, announced today the launch of a ground-breaking first-of-its-kind journal, Personalized Medicine in Oncology (PMO),the official publication of the Global Biomarkers Consortium (GBC) in Oncology (www.globalbiomarkersconsortium.com).

Patients diagnosed with cancer are living longer than ever before as a result of greater awareness, earlier detection, and improvement in therapies. However, living longer also means facing the symptoms of cancer survivorship, which may have a considerable impact on quality of life for many patients. One such symptom is chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, a neurotoxic effect of some chemotherapeutic agents. Unfortunately, currently approved pain medications can have unbearable side effects that preclude the use of effective doses.

On September 15, 2011, GE and several financial partners announced a healthymagination open innovation challenge to discover ideas and create products that will assist in the fight against cancer, beginning specifically with breast cancer.

The World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) has produced an easy-to-use, practical guide to assist individuals and their health professionals diminish the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which presently account for 60% of global deaths.¹ The WHPA Health Improvement Card consists of a health scorecard and includes “how to” guides for both individuals and health professionals.

Conventional lung cancer treatment protocols often call for radiation therapy to be administered after chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, a new treatment standard may be on the horizon.

The largest population of cancer survivors in the United States are those who have defeated breast cancer. Often times survivors attempt to return to the workplace after treatment, but symptoms and long-term side effects can influence their ability to work. However, a recent development can help address these issues.

Organizational changes have taken place within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration office responsible for reviewing all drug and biologic applications for cancer therapies. The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s (CDER) Office of Oncology Drug Products has been reorganized and renamed the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products (OHOP).

Simulation-based training is an effective technique for teaching physicians, nurses, dentists, emergency medical technicians, and other health professionals, according to a research review led by Mayo Clinic researchers. More than 600 studies assessing the use of virtual reality computers, mannequins, and training models used for teaching skills related to surgery, trauma management, obstetrics, and team communication were analyzed. Conclusions from the review were published September 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dual backup circuits in cancer cells that allow the cells to evade the effects of a common cancer drug have been discovered by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and colleagues in Japan. Using targeted therapies to disconnect those circuits may improve or re-establish the cancer drug’s effectiveness, according to a study published in the September 7 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

High doses of chemotherapy may cause expressive speech difficulties in cancer patients, according to new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.