TON - August 2010, Vol 3, No 5

 CHICAGO—A risk stratification schema can be used to identify older patients who are at risk of grade 3 to 5 toxicity from chemotherapy. The schema includes risk factors based on cancer type, patient age, upfront dose of chemotherapy, the chemotherapeutic regimen used, and history of falling, among others, said Arti Hurria, MD.

“We wanted to develop a predictive model for tolerance to therapy in older adults with cancer,” she said.

CHICAGO—Cabazitaxel is the first treatment to show a survival benefit in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), according to data from a phase 3 trial.

On June 17, cabazitaxel became the first drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Results from the phase 3 trial delivered at ASCO were included in the FDA review.

CHICAGO—Among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials-Newly Diagnosed Patients (ENESTnd) study, major molecular response (MMR) rates with nilotinib remain superior to those with imatinib after follow-up extended to a median of 18.5 months. Read More ›

CHICAGO—A human monoclonal antibody that blocks a receptor that down regulates T-cell responses improves long-term survival in patients with previously treated advanced melanoma, according to the results of a phase 3 trial.

SAN DIEGO—A program that calls for direct communication between interdisciplinary caregivers may help decrease falls in a hematology/oncology inpatient unit, according to data reported by Boston researchers.

Deborah O’Connor, RN, MS, CNML, at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and her colleagues presented the results of a falls prevention program that was “piloted” in a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) unit at a tertiary academic teaching hospital.

This past April, Albert Einstein Cancer Center was selected to join the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP), which, in the words of William J. Tester, MD, FACP, medical director of Einstein’s Cancer Center, offers “an opportunity to bring more resources to our patients.”