Motor toxicities of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) are likely to lead to falls, deficits in physical performance (PP), and functional losses, according to a substudy of a phase 3 clinical trial in patients with CIPN reported at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.1
Two studies presented at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting suggested that abiraterone acetate (AA; Zytiga), an androgen biosynthesis inhibitor,1 has the potential to be used earlier in the course of prostate cancer than its current US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indication (ie, after failure of chemotherapy in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer [CRPC]).
For men with localized prostate cancer detected by prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, treatment with radical prostatectomy did not significantly reduce mortality compared with observation, according to overall results of the large, randomized, controlled PIVOT trial (Wilt TJ, et al. N Engl J Med. 2012; 367:203-213). All-cause mortality and prostate-specific mortality were similar for the surgery and observation groups over a 12-year follow-up. Results suggest that surgery may be a better option than observation for men with intermediate- and high-risk localized prostate cancer, but low-risk localized prostate cancer can be safely managed with observation.
The novel agent MDV3100 prolonged survival in men with castration- resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who progressed on treatment with docetaxel, according to results of the large phase 3 AFFIRM trial reported at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium held in San Francisco, California.
Patients with gastric or gastroesophageal cancer commonly experience long-term complications from treatment that compromise their quality of life (QOL), according to self-reported answers to an Internet-based survey questionnaire. Difficulty swallowing appears to be universal, and other problems range from dry mouth and taste changes to cardiovascular disease, according to a study presented at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium held in San Francisco, California.
The antidepressant duloxetine (Cymbalta) appears to reduce painful peripheral neuropathy associated with taxane-or platinumbased chemotherapy in some, but not all, patients, according to a randomized phase 3 study presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). About one-third of patients treated with duloxetine reported at least a 30% or greater reduction in pain scores versus 17% of placebo patients.
Exercise has been shown to reduce recurrence in men with prostate cancer, according to several studies. A new study shows that vigorous exercise for 1 hour 3 times per week upregulates the expression of genes that are unfavorable to cancer, providing a potential explanation for the mechanism by which exercise has anticancer effects.
Brachytherapy after lumpectomy is associated with greater morbidity and need for mastectomy compared with whole-breast radiation, according to a large retrospective study of Medicare claims for older women with early invasive breast cancer (JAMA. 2012;307:1827-1837). Five years after treatment, the rate of mastectomy was twice as high in women treated with brachytherapy versus whole-breast radiation. Both short- and long-term complications were significantly greater in women treated with brachytherapy in this review. Read More ›
Researchers have documented diverse genetic changes in different parts of the same primary tumor, suggesting that individual tumors harbor a complexity of genetic changes that has not been well appreciated (Gerlinger M, et al. N Engl J Med. 2012;366:883-892). This discovery has implications for personalized medicine directed at genetic changes identified in 1 biopsy of a primary tumor.
At 5 years of follow-up of the VISTA trial, the combination of bortezomib plus melphalan and prednisone (VMP) demonstrated a survival advantage over MP alone as up-front treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who were not transplant candidates. At a median followup of 60.1 months, the absolute difference in overall survival (OS) between the treatment arms was 13 months, according to final results presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Read More ›
Pazopanib, an angiogenesis inhibitor, achieved meaningful responses in about three-quarters of patients with refractory urothelial cancer in preliminary clinical trial results presented at a press briefing during the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Chicago, Illinois.
According to 2 large breast cancer trials, CYP2D6 genotyping was not predictive of the effectiveness of tamoxifen in postmenopausal women. Thus, the results of these studies are not generalizable to premenopausal women.
A new quantitative imaging bone biomarker has been identified that can assess response and is prognostic for survival in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
Oophorectomy in younger women leads to decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and a higher prevalence of arthritis, according to a study reported at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Updated results of the phase 3 BOLERO-2 trial demonstrated that adding everolimus to hormonal therapy extends progression-free survival (PFS) in hormone receptor–positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer that progressed on hormonal therapy with anastrozole or letrozole. The positive outcomes observed in this study suggest that everolimus plus exemestane will be a new option for postmenopausal metastatic HR+ breast cancer.
With the growing number of cancer survivors, survivorship planning is getting a lot of attention. An important aspect of cancer survivorship is the effects on nurses, who become “secondary survivors,” of the toll cancer takes on patients and families. As such, nurses need to be aware of the possibility of “compassion fatigue.” Read More ›
The Oncotype DX breast cancer assay for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a strong and significant predictor of 10-year risk of recurrence in women with DCIS, according to a study presented at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) held in December 2011. It is the first clinically validated genomic assay to predict risk of local recurrence for women with DCIS, and it is now available from Genomic Health.
BRCA mutation carriers who have had breast cancer are at increased risk of developing contralateral breast cancer, according to a study presented at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. In fact, women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation had a greater than 10% risk of developing contralateral breast cancer, and the risk was strongly associated with younger age at diagnosis and a diagnosis of triple-negative (estrogen receptor–negative, progesterone receptor–negative, and HER2-negative) breast cancer.
Administering gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) on a new schedule achieved impressive progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with standard chemotherapy in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with favorable cytogenetics, according to a phase 3 study presented at the Plenary Session of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). GO was taken off the market in 2010 due to toxicity concerns and is no longer available in the US.
An outreach effort aimed at Latina women was unveiled at a poster session during the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). The innovation was a novela called “Se Valiente … Son Tus Senos” (Be Brave … They’re Your Breasts) that conveys accessible and personal information for Latina women in an effort to overcome barriers in this community to accessing healthcare. The novela was developed by SHARE (Self-help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer), a peer-group organization for survivors of breast and ovarian cancer. Read More ›
Cancer and its treatments can cause sexual side effects, and oncology nurses are often in the best position to bring up the topic and provide useful information as well as emotional support. The most important thing a nurse can do to help patients is to initiate the discussion.
Although cancer patients who undergo radiation therapy frequently have acute and chronic skin reactions, there are no hard and fast guidelines on management of radiation-induced skin reactions or the best products to use. Each center or practice should develop its own clinical guide about how patients should manage skin reactions and which products are recommended for patient use, said Maureen McQuestion, RN, Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Read More ›
Interim results of a randomized, controlled, phase 3 trial showed that abiraterone acetate significantly prolonged overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who progressed after docetaxel-based chemotherapy. The survival benefit was consistent across all prespecified subgroups. Lead author Howard Scher, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, said abiraterone is poised to become a new standard of care.
To sign up for our newsletter or print publications, please enter your contact information below.