Thursday, September 29, 2011
ASCO Updates Guidelines on Antiemetics in Oncology - OncologySTAT
ASCO Updates Guidelines on Antiemetics in Oncology - OncologySTAT
"A common chemotherapy regimen gets reclassified as high risk for emesis; a new approach is recommended to tackle treatments with high emetic potential; and a particular antiemetic drug is now preferred for patients at moderate risk - these are among the changes to clinical practice guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.The guidelines also include new recommendations for preventing nausea and vomiting associated with radiation treatment."
Monday, September 26, 2011
ECCO-ESMO: Synchronous Chemoradiation Cuts Breast Cancer Relapse - in Meeting Coverage, ECCO-ESMO from MedPage Today
Medical News: ECCO-ESMO: Synchronous Chemoradiation Cuts Breast Cancer Relapse - in Meeting Coverage, ECCO-ESMO from MedPage Today: "STOCKHOLM -- Local recurrence in early breast cancer occurred 35% less often in women who received synchronous chemoradiation rather than sequential therapy, long-term follow-up data from a large clinical trial showed.
The five-year incidence of local recurrence was 2.8% with synchronous therapy, with radiation during or between cycles of chemotherapy, and 5.1% among women who received adjuvant chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. Synchronous therapy also shortened the overall duration of treatment.
The findings were reported here at the European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress, formerly known as the joint Congress of the European Cancer Organization and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ECCO-ESMO)."
'via Blog this'
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Medical News: Brain Steroids Found Lacking in MS - in Clinical Context, Multiple Sclerosis from MedPage Today
Excerpt:
"Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) may have impaired production of important neurosteroid molecules in their brains, so replacement therapy could be helpful, researchers said.
Autopsy findings from 16 MS patients showed high expression of micro-RNA molecules in white matter that suppress enzymes responsible for neurosteroid synthesis, particularly allopregnanolone, according to Christopher Power, MD, of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and colleagues.
The researchers also confirmed that levels of allopregnanolone and other steroids were depressed in the MS patients' white matter, they reported online inBrain.
Similar findings emerged from analyses of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), a standard model of MS.
Most strikingly, treating the animals with allopregnanolone partly normalized their behavioral deficits and reduced levels of neuroinflammation and injury to nerve fibers, Power and colleagues indicated.
"These studies are the first report of perturbed neurosteroidogenesis in multiple sclerosis and the related model, EAE, which also showed improved outcomes in terms of neurobehavioural deficits, neuropathology and neuromolecular changes with neurosteroid (allopregnanolone) replacement," they wrote.
"The neurosteroid allopregnanolone, or perhaps closely related compounds, might represent unique therapeutic options for people with multiple sclerosis."
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Monday, September 12, 2011
Switching from oxycodone to methadone in advanced cancer patients
Pain Management - Oncology Article Methadone
Switching from oxycodone to methadone in advanced cancer patients Supportive Care in Cancer, 09/12/2011 Clinical Article
Mercadante S et al.
– Switching from oxycodone to methadone is a reliable method to improve the opioid response in advanced cancer patients. A ratio of 3.3 appears to be reliable, even at high doses.
Results
- 19 out of 542 patients admitted to the unit in 1 year underwent a switching from oxycodone to methadone. Almost all substitutions were successful
- Prevalent indication for opioid switching uncontrolled pain and adverse effects (12 patients)
- No significant changes between the initial conversion ratio and final conversion ratio between the 2 opioids were found
The cancer that plagues Steve Jobs | Health & Fitness | Life | Toronto Sun
The cancer that plagues Steve Jobs | Health & Fitness | Life | Toronto Sun:
"...estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Canadians who are affected by carcinoid neuroendocrine tumours (CNETs), or alternatively called neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) - the same cancer that has struck Jobs. But because the condition is underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed 90% of the time, there may be other Canadians who also have it.
Indeed, stories that circulated just after Jobs' resignation claimed that Jobs had pancreatic cancer, which he does not. The fact that CNETs are lumped in with other cancers is one reason why there needs to be more awareness of the condition, says Dr. Walter Kocha, a medical oncologist at the London Health Science Centre, in London, Ontario.
"This is a malignancy of a unique system of the body in that it doesn't comprise one of the major organ systems," Dr. Kocha explains. "It is comprised of single or groups of cells that have the unique ability to be used as a signalling system for the body for all sorts of functions such as the secretion of stomach acids, the movement of the bowels, and a whole number of other functions."
'via Blog this'
Read more...
Indeed, stories that circulated just after Jobs' resignation claimed that Jobs had pancreatic cancer, which he does not. The fact that CNETs are lumped in with other cancers is one reason why there needs to be more awareness of the condition, says Dr. Walter Kocha, a medical oncologist at the London Health Science Centre, in London, Ontario.
"This is a malignancy of a unique system of the body in that it doesn't comprise one of the major organ systems," Dr. Kocha explains. "It is comprised of single or groups of cells that have the unique ability to be used as a signalling system for the body for all sorts of functions such as the secretion of stomach acids, the movement of the bowels, and a whole number of other functions."
'via Blog this'
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Projects In Knowledge: Practice-Based Strategies: Triple Negative Breast Cancer Case
Link: Projects In Knowledge
Practice-Based Strategies: Triple Negative Breast Cancer Case (Tues., Sept. 13 - 8:00pm ET)
Join us for a mentor workshop by phone on strategies to manage metastaticRead more...
breast cancer in your patients with HER2-positive or triple-negative disease.
These case-based audio presentations, led by expert faculty, will be followed by
live Q & A. From the comfort of your home or office, you will have the
opportunity to interact with the faculty presenter and to learn from questions
posed by your colleagues nationwide. These 30-minute phone workshops are a
sequel to the data-driven webcast, "Targeting
the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer."
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