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Oncology/Hematology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in oncology/hematology.

Fish, Shellfish Associated with Advanced Prostate Protection

SAN FRANCISCO -- Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly those found in dark fish and shellfish, are associated with protection against aggressive prostate cancer, a case-control study showed.

Men Encouraged to Consider Medication to Prevent Prostate Cancer

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Millions of healthy men ages 55 and older should talk to their physicians about taking a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor such as finasteride (Proscar) or dutasteride (Avodart) to prevent prostate cancer, according to a guideline issued by two medical groups.

No Need for PSA Testing After Age 75

BALTIMORE -- PSA testing for prostate cancer can be safely discontinued at age 75 in men who have PSA values less than 3 ng/mL, data from a large cohort study suggest.

ASH: Drugs Effective in Chronic ITP Not Appropriate as First-Line Treatment

SAN FRANCISCO -- Rituximab (Rituxan) and eltrombopag (Promacta) are "too aggressive and too expensive" for use as first-line therapies against chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, agreed participants in an exclusive 番茄社区 roundtable discussion.

With Boxed Warning, Oral Eltrombopag Okayed by FDA for Chronic ITP

PHILADELPHIA -- The FDA has approved oral eltrombopag (Promacta) for refractory chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), the drug's maker announced.

Data Misreported in Studies of CT Lung Cancer Screening

NEW YORK -- Key data were incorrectly reported in two recent publications by the International Early Lung Cancer Action Project (I-ELCAP), according to the investigators, possibly undermining their positive conclusions.

ASCO: Platinum-Taxane Regimen No Benefit for Thymoma or Thymic Carcinoma

CHICAGO -- For treatment-naive advanced thymoma or thymic carcinoma, carboplatin (Paraplatin) and paclitaxel (Taxol) failed to achieve response rates approaching those reported in published trials of athracycline-based regimens.

ASCO: Bevacizumab (Avastin) May Reduce Progression in Advanced Breast Cancer

CHICAGO -- In recurrent or metastatic breast cancer, bevacizumab (Avastin) significantly improved progression-free survival when added to docetaxel (Taxotere), a multicenter European study showed.

Radiologists Take FDA Warning on Lung Ablation in Stride

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA's recent warning about deaths caused by radiofrequency ablation of lung tumors was more a note of caution than a mortal blow to the procedure, said interventional radiologists experienced with the technique.

Lung Cancer Risk of One Marijuana Joint a Day Equals Daily Pack of Cigarettes

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Smoking a single marijuana joint may be as carcinogenic to the lung as 20 tobacco cigarettes, researchers here calculated.

'Ugly Duckling' Moles May Be Melanomas

NEW YORK -- An irregularly pigmented mole that looks different from other irregularly pigmented moles in the same person -- an "ugly duckling" -- is likely to be a malignant melanoma, according to a preliminary study.

SABCS: Testosterone Relieves Atrophic Vaginitis in Breast Cancer Patients

SAN ANTONIO -- Intravaginal testosterone may offer relief from atrophic vaginitis without the risks of estrogen to breast cancer patients taking aromatase inhibitors, according to a pilot study.

High-Grade Tertiary in Prostate Cancer Biopsy Signals Trouble

BOSTON -- The Gleason score of 7 for localized prostate cancer may be a moving prognostic target, according to investigators here.

ASCO: High Dose Pemetrexed (Alimta) Fails to Increase Survival in NSCLC

CHICAGO -- Increasing the dose of pemetrexed (Alimta) to 900 mg/m2 did not improve outcome for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but did slightly increase toxicity, researchers found.

ASCO: Imatinib (Gleevec) After GIST Surgery Achieves Big Survival Advantage

CHICAGO -- Imatinib (Gleevec) after curative surgery for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) achieved a 90% two-year recurrence-free survival, investigators reported here.

ASCO: Vitamin B₁₂ Supplementation Can Be Given Closer to Pemetrexed for NSCLC

CHICAGO -- A shorter lead-in time between recommended vitamin B12 supplementation and pemetrexed (Alimta) therapy may reduce treatment delays without impairing its efficacy.

ASCO GI: Avastin Gives No Survival Advantage in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

ORLANDO -- The addition of Avastin (bevacizumab) to Gemzar (gemcitabine) did not improve survival of advanced pancreatic cancer in a randomized trial, researchers here reported.

Fast-Growing Melanomas Give Clues to Severity

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Rapidly growing primary cutaneous melanomas have characteristic features that signal the need for immediate and aggressive medical intervention, said researchers here.

CBS Newsman Ed Bradley Dies of CLL Complications

NEW YORK -- Veteran television journalist Ed Bradley has died of complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) at the age of 65.

ASPS: Obese Women Have More Breast Reconstruction Complications

SAN FRANCISCO -- Breast reconstruction surgery in extremely obese women is associated with a high rate of complications, reported researchers here.

Red Sox Rookie Pitcher to Get Chemo for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

BOSTON -- The anaplastic large cell lymphoma diagnosed in Boston Red Sox rookie pitcher Jon Lester, detected by his uncle, is a childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a high-grade malignancy with a favorable clinical course.

Chemical Peel Wins by Nose for Facial Skin Lesions

STANFORD, Calif. -- For patients with too many facial actinic keratoses to freeze them all off with liquid nitrogen, a face-to-face comparison of three alternative approaches gave the edge to a chemical peel by a nose.

ASCO: Five Years of Arimidex Causes Bone Loss

ATLANTA 芒鈧€� Five years of breast cancer adjuvant therapy with an aromatase inhibitor, can lead to a 6% to 7% loss of bone mineral density, a trigger for osteoporosis for women who are borderline osteopenic when they begin treatment, investigators reported here.

Estrogen Alone Does Not Increase Risk of Breast Cancer

STANFORD, Calif. - Post-menopausal women who took estrogen alone for more than seven years did not have an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study of more than 10,000 women ages 50 to 79. The data were dramatically different from a sister study stopped in 2002 of estrogen plus progestin.

Dana Reeve, a Nonsmoker, Dies of Lung Cancer at 44

NEW YORK - Dana Reeve, 44, the widow of actor Christopher Reeve, died here Monday night, seven months after she announced that she had developed lung cancer. A nonsmoker, she had been treated at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

FDA Approves Erbitux for Squamous Cell Head-and-Neck Cancer

ROCKVILLE, Md. - The FDA has approved Erbitux (cetuximab) for treatment of squamous cell head-and-neck cancer, making the monoclonal antibody the first new agent for this indication in a half-century.

Cleansing the Bowel for Colonoscopy May Harm the Kidneys

NEW YORK - Oral sodium phosphate solutions are great at cleaning out the bowel prior to colonoscopy, but in some patients these powerful purgatives can also do a serious number on the kidneys, caution Columbia researchers.

Dana Reeve, Widow of Christopher Reeve, Has Lung Cancer

NEW YORK-Dana Reeve, 44, the widow of actor Christopher Reeve, announced today that she has lung cancer and is undergoing treatment. Reeve, a singer, said her doctors are optimistic about her prognosis.

Peter Jennings of ABC News Dies of Lung Cancer

NEW YORK-ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings, 67, died Sunday, just four months after he announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Jennings, a former smoker, had been treated with radiation therapy at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center here.

Colonoscopy Patients Put at Infection Risk

MONROEVILLE, Pa.-About 200 patients who underwent colonoscopy at a Pittsburgh-area hospital were urged to undergo hepatitis and HIV testing because the colonoscopes were improperly disinfected.