TON - September 2012 VOL 5, NO 8

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

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Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by low platelet counts due to both increased platelet destruction and suboptimal platelet production.1 Many therapies are aimed at reducing platelet destruction.2 Treatments aimed at increasing platelet production, alone or in combination with existing therapies, provide an opportunity to improve outcomes in patients with ITP.2 The thrombopoietin mimetic Nplate® (romiplostim) is an Fc-peptide fusion protein that stimulates platelet production by binding the thrombopoietin receptor, thereby increasing the body’s natural production of platelets.3 Nplate® is a thrombopoietin receptor agonist indicated for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic ITP who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins, or splenectomy. Nplate® is not indicated for the treatment of thrombocytopenia due to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or any cause of thrombocytopenia other than chronic ITP. Nplate® should be used only in patients with ITP whose degree of thrombocytopenia and clinical condition increase their risk for bleeding. Nplate® should not be used in an attempt to normalize platelet counts.

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I must admit that I am not a fan of medications. I had 4 beautiful children medication-free with midwives. I drink green tea to get rid of a cold. I eat chocolate to calm a headache. I microwave rice in a sock and place it on sore muscles. Perhaps that is why I resent (yes, I said it, “resent!”) that I have been sent home with 2 medications I must inject into myself twice a day for a total of 4 daily injections.

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Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), now more commonly referred to as immune thrombocytopenia, is defined as a hemorrhagic disorder in which there is a pronounced reduction in circulating blood platelets due to the presence in blood plasma of a substance that agglutinates platelets.1 Despite this definition, the risk of bleeding in patients with ITP seems dis proportionately low, compared with the circulating platelet counts.

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Although the 10-year survival rate for prostate cancer is 98%, the disease is still the second leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States. With each new treatment developed, vaccine examined, and screening test created, scientists draw closer to the day when the survival rate for all patients with prostate cancer will be 100%. The following numbers reflect today’s prostate cancer statistics.

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Linette Atwood was honored as the recipient of the Richard A. Bloch Cancer Foundation’s 2012 Cancer Survivorship Award. Atwood is the founder and publisher of Patient Resource LLC.

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bosutinib tablets (Bosulif; Pfizer) for the treatment of adults with chronic, accelerated, or blast phase Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) who did not respond or were resistant to prior therapy.

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The FDA granted expedited approval for enzalutamide (Xtandi; Medivation and Astellas Pharma US) on August 31, 2012. Enzalutamide was approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who have previously received docetaxel.

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On July 20, 2012, the FDA granted accelerated approval to carfilzomib injection (Kyprolis; Onyx Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least 2 prior therapies, including bortez­omib and an immunomodulatory agent, and who have demonstrated disease progression on or within 60 days of the completion of their last therapy.

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Regardless of the stage of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), previously referred to as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, treatment decisions must take into account an individual’s preferences as well as comorbidities, bleeding, the urgency to increase the platelet count, and potential advantages and adverse effects of each treatment.

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