TON - November 2012, Vol 5, No 10

The addition of an investigational hypoxia-targeted agent, TH-302, to gemcitabine improved overall survival (OS) versus gemcitabine alone in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer in an open-label phase 2b trial (Abstract 6660). Read More ›

The major barriers to implementing adequate pain control for cancer patients on a global scale are restrictive government regulations and lack of access to supplies of morphine. Individual countries may lack morphine suppliers, and regulations in countries where morphine is available may prevent doctors from prescribing doses strong enough to alleviate pain and suffering. Read More ›

Identifying agents that can prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a work in progress. Studies of some interventions suggest modestly encouraging findings, but research on prevention has been hampered by a poor understanding of the different mechanisms of this toxic­ity with the various chemotherapy agents that induce CIPN. Read More ›

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are often asked to provide some form of documentation to help certify their patients’ medical conditions. To protect patient privacy, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) significantly restricts both the type of information that can be disclosed and the categories of recipients that can receive it. Read More ›

Three commonly used radiological tests rarely detect metastases in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and should not be routinely performed, according to a comprehensive literature review presented at the American Society of Clinical On­cology (ASCO) 2012 Breast Cancer Symposium, held in San Francisco, California. Read More ›

Expanded utility of the 21-gene recurrence score (RS) (Onco­type DX) was shown in a retrospective analysis reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2012 Breast Cancer Symposium by investigators from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP). Read More ›