Articles

CHICAGO—Flaxseed failed to have a significant effect on reducing hot flashes in women compared with placebo, according to results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial supported by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group. The study included breast cancer survivors as well as women who had never had breast cancer who experienced frequent hot flashes throughout the day and night.

CHICAGO—Both patients and practitioners realize the importance of psychosocial issues, but today’s cancer care often fails to address them. Steps to resolve this problem are under way, according to experts at an education session.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vemurafenib (Zelboraf, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group) for metastatic or unresectable melanoma. Vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, is able to block the function of the V600E-mutated BRAF protein.

It is not “just hair.” Often referred to as a woman’s “crowning glory,” much of a woman’s female identity is defined by her hair—from her femininity, to age, to confidence, to style, women communicate a great deal about themselves by how they wear and style their hair. Without hair, women feel stripped of their identity, and in the context of cancer, women often feel as if they are systematically being stripped of themselves.

Patient navigation decreased treatment interruptions among Am - erican Indian patients receiving radiation treatment (RT) with curative intent in a recent study conducted at the Rapid City Regional Hospital Cancer Care Institute in South Dakota. The study also found a high rate of clinical trial participation among its patients. Similar patients who underwent treatment between 1991 and 2004 and did not receive navigation services acted as controls.

Each year, adult cancer survivors spend, on average, $4000 to $5000 more on total medical expenditures than people who have never had cancer, according to a study of survivors younger than 65 years. “These ongoing expenditures signal what oncology nurses already know…when people finish their treatment for cancer, that is not necessarily the end of it. They require ongoing support. There’s a need for heightened surveillance that extends for the rest of their lives. Read More ›

CHICAGO—Decitabine extends overall survival and improves response rates compared with standard therapies in the treatment of older patients with newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), said Xavier G. Thomas, MD, PhD.

The treatment options for older patients with AML are limited. Intensive chemotherapy is generally poorly tolerated in this group, the initial mortality rate is high (exceeding 30% at 8 weeks), the response rate to chemotherapy is poor, and relapse rates are high.