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Oncology/Hematology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in oncology/hematology.

ASCO: Ipilimumab Cuts Relapse but Safety Issues Remain

CHICAGO -- High-risk melanoma patients have a reduced level of relapse if they are taking the monoclonal antibody ipilimumab (Yervoy) when compared with placebo, researchers said here.

Medtronic's Infuse Moves From Operating Room to Courtroom

An investigative series by 番茄社区/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been tracking the spinal fusion device called Infuse in a 4-year-long series and now reports how a flawed FDA system for device approval may have led to a long string of adverse events culminating in thousands of liability suits.

FDA Warns of Cancer Risk With Laparoscopic Device

WASHINGTON -- Hysterectomy and procedures to remove uterine fibroids should avoid use of laparoscopic power morcellation, according to a safety advisory from the Food and Drug Administration.

Cologuard Cancer Test Aces FDA Panel Review

WASHINGTON -- An FDA advisory committee unanimously affirmed the safety and efficacy of a DNA stool test for colorectal cancer screening.

Anti-PARP Tx Works in Advanced Ovarian Cancer

TAMPA, Fla. -- Advanced ovarian cancer treated with PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy had significant improvement in progression-free survival, extending beyond first progression, investigators reported.

Cancer Ascites Responds to Outpatient Tx

TAMPA, Fla. -- Outpatient treatment of malignant ascites with a monoclonal antibody proved safe and feasible and led to a survival benefit in gynecologic cancer patients who could receive chemotherapy, a small clinical study showed.

OncoBriefs: Myeloma Tx, In Situ Melanoma

Superficial melanoma conferred a risk of recurrent invasive melanoma similar to that of primary invasive melanoma, Australian investigators reported. The study is one of several oncology-related news items summarized in OncoBriefs.

Tamoxifen Found in Bodybuilding Supplement

British researchers have found tamoxifen in supplements used by bodybuilders -- an active ingredient that isn't clearly labeled on the bottle.

Is There a Flaw in This Large Vitamin D Trial?

A co-principal investigator of the VITAL trial addresses the possibility that out-of-study testing of vitamin D levels and initiation of high-dose supplementation could be a limitation, but not a serious one.

Bodybuilders Bulk Up Using ... Cancer Drugs?

While steroids are all-stars among performance-enhancing drugs, breast cancer drugs are a lesser-known staple of doping regimens, as are some investigational agents that aren't available on any regulated market.

Combo Active in Neuroendocrine Cancers

SAN FRANCISCO -- More than 90% of patients with neuroendocrine tumors had objective responses or stable disease when treated with an off-the-shelf chemotherapy doublet, results of a small study showed.

Colonoscopies: The Longer the Better

Polyp and adenoma detection rates were highest when the colonoscopy withdrawal time was 9 minutes long, near the upper limit of the recommended 6 to 10 minutes withdrawal time, researchers found.

Jakafi Requires Careful Dosing Early: Experts

NEW YORK -- The JAK inhibitor can make a big difference for myelofibrosis patients, but must be monitored.

OncoBlog: Driving the CAR to a Cancer Cure?

Is immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-directed T cells the "next big thing" in oncology? Presentations and discussion at a recent conference suggest the technology has considerable promise -- but will it qualify as a breakthrough? OncoBlog is a blog by the 番茄社区 Medical Today staff for readers with an interest in oncology. This post comes from Charles Bankhead.

Arimidex: Top Drug for Breast Ca Prevention?

SAN ANTONIO -- Should anastrozole (Arimidex) be the first choice in pharmacologic primary prevention of breast cancer, based on IBIS-II trial results presented here? No, said most experts.

FDA: Nipple Test No Substitute for Mammogram

A nipple aspirate test shouldn't take the place of mammography or otherwise be used on its own to screen for breast disease, the FDA warned.

Gene Therapy Works in SCID With No Risk of Leukemia

NEW ORLEANS -- Genetic therapy appeared to restore the immune system of patients with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), but without leading to leukemia as a side effect, researchers reported here.

Radiation Safe in Unbiopsied Lung Cancer

CHICAGO -- Treating people with stereotactic body radiation for suspected -- but unbiopsied -- lung cancers appears to allow for acceptable local control of the disease with low toxicity, researchers reported here.

High IgG Signals Autoimmunity in Kids

High levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in children -- and particularly girls -- were associated with the development of autoimmune disease, researchers found.

ACA: When Is a Screening Not a Screening?

A provision in the Affordable Care Act that waives patients' payments for colonoscopies is an example of how good intentions in the law can lead to a tangle of unforeseen consequences.

Prime Time: Skin Docs Name 5 Unnecessary Procedures

The American Academy of Dermatology joined more than 80 other medical societies in the Choosing Wisely campaign, naming five treatments or procedures that may not be necessary. Prime Time is a blog by Chris Kaiser for those interested in primary care.

Stem Cells Help ALD Kids Live Longer

AUSTIN, Texas -- Survival in children with cerebral adrenocerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) appeared to be improved with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants compared with untreated patients, a researcher said here.

Few Lupus, IBD Patients Getting HPV Vaccine

SAN DIEGO -- Despite being at greater risk of infection, few children and young adults with autoimmune diseases are being vaccinated against human papillomavirus, according to a study.

TSH Suppression: More Harm Than Good After Cancer Surgery?

SAN JUAN -- Suppressing thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) after thyroidectomy for low-risk cancer increases the risk of osteoporosis in women without cutting back on cancer recurrence, researchers reported here.

Morning Break: Addictive Oreos and Sperm-Slaying Bacon

Health news and commentary from around the Web, gathered by the 番茄社区 staff.

'Nose Knows' Devices Not Ready for Clinic

BARCELONA -- Within a decade, doctors may be able to diagnose cancer, asthma, and tuberculosis simply by having an electronic nose analyze a person's breath, researchers reported here.

Lab Notes: Meth May Worsen Fungal Infection

Mice injected with methamphetamine and exposed to Cryptococcus fungi showed more extensive and hard-to-eradicate infections. Also this week: an organic pesticide fights parasitic worms.

Losing a Tattoo, Gaining a Tumor

An unintended consequence of laser tattoo removal in a 29-year-old man was a diagnosis of malignant melanoma, according to a German case report.

Oncology Clinics Caught in Financial Vise

Community oncology clinics continue to feel the squeeze of a changing reimbursement structure that has forced 288 clinics to close in the past 6 years.

Medicare to Pay for More FDG-PET Scans

WASHINGTON -- Up to three scans using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-enhanced positron emission tomography technology can be covered by Medicare for oncology treatment planning, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said.

ASCO: Vinegar Test May Reduce Cervical Ca Deaths

CHICAGO -- Vinegar has been used for everything from cleaning refrigerators to taming foot odors, and now this common kitchen staple may reduce cervical cancer deaths as well, researchers reported here.

ASCO: Two Taxol Regimens Similar in Breast Cancer

CHICAGO -- Breast cancer patients obtained the same disease control with less toxicity when they received weekly low-dose chemotherapy instead of a higher dose given every 2 weeks, results of a randomized trial showed.

ASCO: Targeted Agent Has Slim NSCLC Benefit

CHICAGO -- The novel kinase inhibitor nintedanib may slightly delay relapse of non-small cell lung cancer when added to chemotherapy, with perhaps greater benefit in adenocarcinomas, the LUME-Lung 1 trial showed.

ASCO: Herpes-Derived Tx for Melanoma?

CHICAGO -- Intralesional injection of an oncolytic therapy significantly increased the durable response rate in advanced melanoma compared with a control therapy, according to results of a randomized trial.

ASCO: Immune Therapy Durable in Melanoma

CHICAGO -- A therapy aimed at reviving the immune response to advanced melanoma generated durable responses in long-term follow-up of an early clinical trial, a researcher said here.

ASCO: Targeted Rx Slows Ovarian Ca Progression

CHICAGO -- Adding the oral anti-angiogenesis drug pazopanib (Votrient) to chemotherapy extended disease-free survival by an average of 5.6 months, a phase III study showed.

Sjogren's Carries Heavy Disease Burden

BIRMINGHAM, England -- Patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome are prone to develop serious complications over the long term, despite the presumption that this is a relatively benign autoimmune disease, a 25-year review found.

Fatal Reactions Prompt Omontys Recall

All lots of the new anemia drug peginesatide (Omontys) have been recalled because of severe hypersensitivity reactions -- some fatal -- observed after the drug was approved last March.

Zytiga Prolongs Prostate Cancer Survival

ORLANDO -- Survival improved and disease progression slowed in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treated in first line with abiraterone acetate (Zytiga).

Steroids Reduce Benefits of Prostate Ca Tx

ORLANDO -- Men with castration-resistant prostate cancer had worse survival when treated with corticosteroids, regardless of their primary treatment, a post-hoc analysis of a randomized trial showed.

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