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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved sunitinib malate (Sutent, Pfizer) as the first anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy to treat progressive, well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) in patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic disease.
WASHINGTON, DC—New biomarkers for urologic cancers should help clinicians not only diagnose prostate and bladder cancers but also help them distinguish between indolent and aggressive disease. Urologists and oncologists learned about 3 new biomarkers for prostate cancer at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Urological Association, held this week in Washington, DC.
By replacing CA 125 with a multivariate index assay (OVA1 blood test, Vermillion Inc), researchers showed the potential of a modified version of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines to identify more ovarian malignancies before surgery. The modified guidelines detected almost 80% of all missed malignancies and more than 90% of missed epithelial ovarian cancers. The new guidelines, however, decreased specificity and positive predictive value.
BOSTON—Nurses have been involved in radiation oncology since the early 1940s, but as nursing roles in general have evolved over time, so has the role of these nurses. A group of advanced practice nurses (APNs) shared how they came to be part of their facility’s radiation oncology department and how the increased strain on healthcare is opening opportunities in this field for APNs.
BOSTON—As more targeted therapies for non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) become available, experts are assessing which patients’ tumors should be genotyped and when. Although genotyping—not to be confused with genetic testing—is becoming increasingly important in developing a treatment plan, professional guidelines do not yet recommend incorporating it as a routine part of care for patients with NSCLC.
BOSTON—Recognizing steroid-induced hyperglycemia early and addressing it promptly can prevent significant adverse effects associated with this complication. Educating patients on the importance of and methods for maintaining good blood glucose control helps mitigate damage to the vascular system and kidneys from hyperglycemia. It also lessens susceptibility to infection, a complication of hyperglycemia that is of serious concern in immunocompromised patients.
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