By Christin Melton

Articles

Home Sales: It%u2019s A Buyer%u2019s Market

May 24th 2010

This year, most Americans have seen the value of their home drop faster than a lead weight. If you purchased your home in the last 10 years, during the housing boom, you will likely find that it is worth less today than what you paid for it%u2014and in some cases less than what you still owe.

How Have Pharmaceutical Giants Fared as the Stock Market Roils?

May 24th 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb wrote down $300 million on auction-related securities. Wyeth lost $70 million on the collapses of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual. Genentech took a $67 million hit on its investments in financial institution preferred securities, and more updates.

Molecular and Pharmacologic Monitoring in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

May 21st 2010

Blood testing plays a critical role in diagnosis and treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Onyx Pharmaceuticals Steps Up Its Game

May 20th 2010

The motto for Onyx Pharmaceuticals is "Changing the Way Cancer is Treated." With a successful 2009 behind it and a busy 2010 ahead, Onyx is staying true to its word.

NCCN Issues New Practice Guidelines for Prostate Cancer

May 20th 2010

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has issued new practice guidelines for managing certain patients with prostate cancer.

Genetic Link to Aggressive Prostate Cancer Identified

May 20th 2010

Jianfeng Xu, MD, professor of epidemiology and cancer biology, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, North Carolina, and colleagues discovered a variant predictive of aggressive prostate cancer.

Aromatase Inhibitors: Updates from Major Trials

May 20th 2010

In 2009, we covered several long-term studies investigating the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) alone or sequenced with tamoxifen. This includes the Intergroup Exemestane Study (IES), the TEAM trial, and the BIG 1-98 trial, all of which presented new or updated data at the 2009 SABCS in December.

Some Lifestyle Choices Raise Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence

May 20th 2010

For women with breast cancer, alcohol consumption and obesity herald a poorer prognosis. In one of only a few studies to evaluate the role of alcohol in breast cancer outcomes, researchers found that imbibing just half a drink per day���¢�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½or 2 to 3 per week���¢�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½raised the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 39%. In a second study involving ~19,000 women, body mass index (BMI) ���¢�¯�¿�½���¥25 increased the risk of distant metastasis by approximately 45%, study involving ~19,000 women, body mass index (BMI) ���¢�¯�¿�½���¥25 increased the risk of distant metastasis by approximately 45%.

Bisphosphonates Effects on Bone Health & Cancer

May 20th 2010

Bisphosphonates have been a hot topic at the past several SABCS meetings. This year was no exception. In addition to bisphosphonates' protective effects on bone, researchers have been looking at whether they have anticancer effects.

Screening High-Risk Women with MRI

May 20th 2010

As part of our ongoing coast-to-coast oncology coverage, our writers were live in Texas at the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Our special SABCS wrap-up delivers all the major breast cancer news�including data on MRI screening, bisphosphonates, and aromatase inhibitors�to oncologists unable to attend the event.

New Gene Signature in Breast Tumors Predicts Resistance to Anthracyclines

May 20th 2010

In another discovery that may help tailor the treatment of women with breast cancer, researchers from the Dana-Farber Women's Cancers Program determined that overexpression of the LAPTM4B and YWHAZ genes on chromosome 8q22, combined with amplification of other genes, conveys resistance to anthracyclines and increases the likelihood of metastatic recurrence.

Update on the Third Annual Interdisciplinary Prostate Cancer Congress

May 19th 2010

The Third Annual IPCC: "Translating Advances into Clinical Practice," is to be held in New York City on Saturday, March 27, 2010. Recent developments in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer most relevant to community-based physicians will form the core areas of discussion.

Oncotype DX Independent Predictor of Stage II Colon Cancer

May 19th 2010

At the 2010 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, researchers from two studies reported that the Oncotype DX colon cancer test, combined with extended lymph node assessment,helped identify patients at high risk of recurrence for stage II colorectal cancer after surgery.

Palonosetron Prevents Delayed CINV in Patients with AML

May 19th 2010

A study presented at the 51st American Society of Hematology Meeting and Expedition reported that 5 days of palonosetron (Aloxi) was significantly more effective than ondansetron at preventing delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

Sunitinib Likely New Option for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

May 19th 2010

Sunitinib malate (Sutent)doubled progression-free survival (PFS) in a phase III trial involving patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Data were presented at the 2010 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in January.

Updated CRYSTAL Data Support Effectiveness of Cetuximab (Erbitux) in Wild-Type KRAS Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

May 19th 2010

At the 2010 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, new data from the CRYSTAL trial identified BRAF gene mutations as a poor prognostic indicator in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) but not predictive of response to therapy.

Medicaid Directors Say Program Teetering on a "Fiscal Cliff

May 19th 2010

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 designated $87 billion for state Medicaid programs, enacting major increases in federal matching rates. Despite the boost from ARRA, state budgets have been groaning under the weight of the economic downturn, with 29 of them planning to make Medicaid cuts in 2010.

Giving Patients Better Access to Oral Anticancer Drugs

May 19th 2010

The use of oral oncolytics is increasing, with 14 approved already and nearly one-quarter of the oncology pipeline consisting of oral therapies. Despite this, the Community Oncology Alliance (COA), a nonprofit organization that advocates for patients and providers in the community oncology setting, said many patients still have difficulty getting access`to targeted oral oncolytics.

IPPC: Why You Should Be There

May 18th 2010

The Third Annual Interdisciplinary Prostate Cancer Congress (IPCC) will take place on Saturday March 27, 2010, in New York City.

California Researchers Say Medicinal Marijuana Relieves Pain

May 18th 2010

A persistent concern about using marijuana for medical purposes has been the lack of clinical trials demonstrating marijuana's effectiveness in any of the conditions for which it is legally prescribed in many states. Now, a team of researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) has presented a summary of studies to the California legislature that claims smoking marijuana relieves pain in several chronic illnesses.

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