Conference Correspondent

I arrived in Chicago the day before the start of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Associa­tion for Cancer Research (AACR), filled with anticipation. I was feeling very lucky to be selected again to participate in AACR’s Scientist - Survivor Program, whose goal is to build bridges and unity among the leaders of the scientific and cancer survivor and patient advocacy communities worldwide.

Use of neoadjuvant sipuleucel-T (Provenge) engendered an immune response in men with early-stage prostate cancer slated for radical prostatectomy (RP), according to a study presented at a poster session at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium held in San Francisco, California. The vaccine is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in the setting of rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and this study suggests that it may be beneficial when used up front. Read More ›

Ginseng has significant activity against fatigue in adults with cancer, according to a randomized trial.¹ Eight weeks of treatment with ginseng significantly improved fatigue scores by 20% versus 10% for patients treated with placebo (P = .003). Moreover, ginseng was as safe as placebo in this preliminary trial.

ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI), an oncology-led, quality assessment and improvement program, measured family history taking and genetic counseling/testing practices among 750 community oncology practices. Results of this study revealed gaps that need to be addressed in making sure the taking of family history is accurate and patients whose cancers may have a heritable component get referred for genetic counseling and testing. Read More ›

Many primary care physicians (PCPs) are unaware of the long-term side effects of 4 commonly used chemotherapy drugs for breast and colorectal cancer, according to results of the large Survey of Physician Attitudes Regarding the Care of Cancer Survivors (SPARCCS). Oncologists were much more likely to be aware of the late effects of all 4 drugs, but the survey suggested that there is still room for improvement in educating oncologists about late effects of cyclophosphamide, 1 of the 4 drugs included in the study.

Patients with breakthrough chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) can gain superior relief from olanzapine (Zyprexa), a drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as an antipsychotic, compared with standard antiemetic therapy with metoclopramide. The results from this phase 3 study address an important unmet need for patients who experience these side effects despite being given standard antiemetic therapy.

The antidepressant duloxetine (Cymbalta) appears to reduce painful peripheral neuropathy associated with taxane-or platinumbased chemotherapy in some, but not all, patients, according to a randomized phase 3 study presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). About one-third of patients treated with duloxetine reported at least a 30% or greater reduction in pain scores versus 17% of placebo patients.

An online chemotherapy therapy education program based on Emmi Solutions is an effective way to educate patients and is a time-saver for oncology nurses, according to nurses from the Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh. They described their program at the 37th Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society held in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Their healthcare system was already using Emmi Solutions in other departments, and based on the success of those programs, the program was introduced into oncology, said Lynda Tunon, RN, MSN, OCN.

Antipsychotic Controls Breakthrough Nausea and Vomiting

For patients with hematologic cancers, an educational DVD about the bone marrow transplant process can explain complex concepts and facilitate discussions with nurses, according to representatives of Be The Match (www.BeTheMatch.org/patients), a program of the National Marrow Donor Program, which is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

At the 37th Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Elizabeth A. Murphy, RN, EdD, and Ellen M. Denzen, MS, shared their experience with this teaching approach.