Articles

In 2011, the American Cancer Society projected there would be 20,520 cases of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) and 10,610 deaths from the disease that year.¹ MM is an incurable hematologic cancer marked by great heterogeneity, in terms of its biology and clinical course. Morbidity and survival rates vary widely, even in the age of novel, molecularly based targeted therapies. Many factors account for differences in prognoses among patients with MM, including genomic aberrations in the plasma cells of the myeloma neoplasm. Read More ›

Recent economic challenges resulted in cutbacks in personal healthcare spending among continuously insured Americans, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. These insured patients underwent fewer screening colonoscopies, a cost-effective, recommended preventive service, during the recession.

The study appears in the March issue of the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Researchers have found that a new drug for metastatic melanoma nearly doubles the median survival time for patients with a common genetic mutation.

The data come from an international phase 2 study of the drug Zelboraf (vemurafenib). More than half of the 132 patients who were treated with the novel agent responded to treatment and experienced a median overall survival of almost 16 months. Patients with this advanced form of melanoma, in which the cancer has spread to other organs, typically survive about 9 months.

The new healthcare law’s Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) program is providing insurance to thousands of people with high-risk preexisting conditions. The US Department of Health and Human Services recently reported how PCIP is helping to fill a void in the insurance market.

A recent study shows that women who received a combination breast cancer chemotherapy regimen referred to as CMF between 1976 and 1995 performed worse on cognitive tests compared with women who never had cancer. The subtle differences in performance were statistically significant and occurred primarily in word learning and memory and information processing speed.

The findings, published February 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, indicate that cognitive problems may be observed 20 years following chemotherapy treatment.

New research recommends nurses play a key role in alleviating the concerns of newly diagnosed cancer patients. This interaction will lead to a better quality of life for anxious patients, according to a paper published in the current edition of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.

Recent findings show that female cancer survivors receiving screening mammography display “worse health behaviors” than women receiving mammography screening who have never had cancer.

The study, conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, was published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The first molecular test to help determine the need for repeat prostate biopsies in men who have had a previous negative biopsy has been approved by the FDA.

Anticipating future events may contribute to stress-related increased risk for the diseases of aging, including cancer, according to a study to be published in the May issue of the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.