"Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies" Preview at AACR Annual Meeting 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Video: Healthcare Professionals on Twitter: Worldwide Growth Mapped 2006-2014
"Video maps growth in doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals using Twitter since its launch in 2006 to 2014. Data sourced using Creation Pinpoint, the world's largest research tool for learning from healthcare professionals in public social media."
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Valproic Acid Linked with Reduced Risk of Developing Head and Neck Cancer
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| Sodium valproate is a common mood stabilizer (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
I was surprised to read this press release this morning concerning valproic acid, an antiepileptic, mood stabilizing medication that has also been used traditionally in the management of neuropathic pain.
I am interesting in seeing the doses most commonly encountered and the relevant toxicities. As PCF-4 (PalliativeDrugs.org) notes, no single mode of action accounts for its anti-seizure activity. It is a:
- sodium and T-type calcium channel blocker
- an NMDA receptor-channel blocker (?helpful in hyperalgesia)
- alters GABA (distinctively selective for midbrain), dopamine and serotonin transmission
T-type calcium channels have been implicated in thalamic burst firing (absence seizures), neuropathic pain and possibly in regulating pain excitation thresholds in a 'T-rich' subset of peripheral nociceptors.
Beneficial effects have been reports in cancer-related neuropathic pain in Europe and Australia, but mixed results in other pain scenarios. Onset of action can often be within 24 hours for neuropathic pain.
But I digress - on to the news of the day:
Excerpt of Press Release via Wiley:
"A new study indicates that a commonly used mood stabilizing drug may help prevent head and neck cancer. The study is published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
Valproic acid (VPA) is currently prescribed as an anti-seizure medication and mood stabilizer, but it is also being studied as an anticancer agent because it inhibits histone acetyl transferases, which help control gene expression by changing DNA structure.
Johann Christoph Brandes MD, PhD, of the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Emory University in Atlanta, led a team that assessed the anticancer effects of VPA in a study of 439,628 veterans, of whom 26,911 were taking the medication for bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, migraines, and seizures.
Veterans who took VPA for at least one year had a 34 percent lower risk of developing head and neck cancer compared with those who did not take the medication. Higher doses and longer duration of VPA use seemed to provide additional benefits. No significant differences were observed for lung, bladder, colon, and prostate cancer incidences.
“A 34 percent risk reduction for the development of head and neck cancer with VPA use could result in the prevention of up to approximately 16,000 new cases and 3,000 to 4,000 annual deaths in the US alone,” said Dr. Brandes. “Head and neck cancer is an important global health crisis, and low cost and low toxicity prevention strategies like VPA use have a high potential impact on pain, suffering, costs, and mortality associated with this disease.”
Article: “Long-term use of valproic acid in United States Veterans associates with reduced risk of smoking related head-and neck cancer.” Hyunseok Kang, Theresa Gillespie, Michael Goodman, Seth Brodie, Mina Brandes, Maria Ribeiro, Suresh Ramalingam, Dong Shin, Fadlo Khuri, and Johann Christoph Brandes. CANCER; Published Online: March 24, 2014 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.28479).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Treating ‘phantom limb pain’ with mirror therapy - Mirror Box Therapy
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| A mirror box used for treating phantom limbs, developed by V.S. Ramachandran. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
"Whether the phantom is in the hand or the foot the principle of mirror box therapy is still the same. In this video soldier Bryan Wagner talk us through his phantom and how mirror box therapy help him cope with the pain."
Link to full article and video
Monday, March 3, 2014
The WPCA - Global Atlas of Palliative Care
The WPCA - Global Atlas of Palliative Care:
"Published jointly by the World Health Organization and the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance, the Atlas is the first document to map the need for and availability of palliative care globally.
Using maps, graphs and case studies, and drawing on a wealth of resources, the Atlas addresses the following questions:
- What is palliative care?
- Why is palliative care a human rights issue?
- What are the main diseases requiring palliative care?
- What is the need for palliative care?
- What are the barriers to palliative care?
- Where is palliative care currently available?
- What are the models of palliative care worldwide?
- What resources are devoted to palliative care?
- What is the way forward"
Read the full article here
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
VTE Treatment and Secondary Prevention in Cancer Patients
CancerThrombosis.org :: Treatment and Secondary Prevention:
"The American Society of Clinical Oncology guideline: Recommendations for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and treatment in patients with cancer
Key recommendations for secondary prevention of recurrent VTE19"
- LMWH is the preferred approach for the initial 5 to 10 days of anticoagulant treatment of the cancer patient with established VTE
- LMWH given for 6 months is also the preferred approach for long-term anticoagulant therapy. Vitamin K antagonists with a targeted INR of 2 to 3 are acceptable for long-term therapy when LMWH is not available
- After 6 months, indefinite anticoagulant therapy should be considered for selected patients with active cancer, such as those with metastatic disease and those receiving chemotherapy
- The insertion of a vena cava filter is only indicated for patients with contraindications to anticoagulant therapy and in those with recurrent VTE despite adequate long-term therapy with LMWH
- For patients with CNS malignancies, anticoagulation is recommended for established VTE as described for other patients with cancer. Careful monitoring is necessary to limit the risk of hemorrhagic complications. Anticoagulation should be avoided in the presence of active intracranial bleeding, recent surgery, preexisting bleeding diathesis such as thrombocytopenia (platelet count <50 coagulopathy="" font="" l="" or="">
- For elderly patients, anticoagulation is recommended for established VTE as described for other patients with cancer. Careful monitoring and dose adjustment is necessary to avoid excessive anticoagulation and further increase in the risk of bleeding
For full article including great summary charts and diagrams as well as other key player guidelines, click here.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Personalized Cancer Treament, From Just a Blood Sample
Personalized Cancer Treament, From Just a Blood Sample - The Crux | DiscoverMagazine.com:
"A technique being developed by San Diego–based Epic Sciences can determine whether a cancer patient is an appropriate candidate for a drug, and even whether the drug is losing its efficacy.
In research presented last month at the Personalized Medicine World Conference in Palo Alto, CA, Epic described how their technology can be used to reliably pick out rare cells from a blood sample. In the case of cancer, these rare, circulating tumor cells could one day tell an oncologist not only whether a patient’s cancer has returned, but also whether it’s growing resistant to the current treatment regimen—something only expensive scans and invasive biopsies can do with any accuracy today."
Read the full article here
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