Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Hematology & Oncology for July 2011. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Youth Exposure to Farms Tied to Adult Hematological Cancer
FRIDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Growing up on a livestock farm, particularly a poultry farm, but not a crop farm, is associated with an increased risk of hematological cancer in adulthood, according to a study published online July 27 in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.
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Adjuvant Chemo Provides No Benefit in Stage II Colon Cancer
FRIDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with stage II colon cancer with or without poor prognostic features, adjuvant chemotherapy does not improve overall survival, according to a study published online July 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Five Years of Tamoxifen Lowers 15-Year Mortality, Recurrence
FRIDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Five years of tamoxifen is associated with 15 years of reduced breast cancer recurrence and mortality in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive disease, but it has no effect on ER-negative disease, according to a meta-analysis published online July 29 in The Lancet.
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Metabolic Syndrome Increases Primary Liver Cancer Risk
FRIDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Metabolic syndrome is a significant risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), regardless of other major risk factors for HCC and ICC, according to a study published in the August issue of Hepatology.
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Mammography Screening Has Low Impact on Mortality
FRIDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Despite a 10 to 15 year difference in the implementation of mammography screening, paired European countries with similar socioeconomic status and access to treatment had comparable breast cancer mortality after 1989, according to a study published online July 28 in BMJ.
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Chemo and Trastuzumab Combo Ups Survival in Breast Cancer
THURSDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-overexpressing primary breast cancer, combining trastuzumab with neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with an increased pathologic complete response (pCR) and favorable survival, according to a study published online July 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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EGFR Mutation Abundance Affects Therapy in NSCLC
THURSDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- The abundance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with a response to treatment with the EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), gefitinib, according to a study published online July 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Lower Mammography Specificity With Computer-Aided Detection
THURSDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Computer-aided detection (CAD) use during screening mammography is correlated with lower specificity and positive predictive value in invasive breast cancer, according to a study published online July 27 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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GNAS, KRAS Mutations Seen in Precancerous Pancreatic Cysts
WEDNESDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- Mutations in GNAS are present in 66 percent of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), while 96 percent of IPMNs have a mutation in GNAS and/or KRAS, according to a study published online July 20 in Science Translational Medicine.
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Kidney Transplantation After Desensitization Ups Survival
WEDNESDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) sensitivity, performing live-donor kidney transplants after HLA desensitization gives a significant survival benefit over waiting for an HLA-compatible kidney, according to a study published in the July 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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PTEN Downregulation Impairs UVB-Induced DNA Damage Repair
WEDNESDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- Downregulation of the tumor suppressor PTEN suppresses xeroderma pigmentosum C (XPC)-dependent genomic nucleotide excision repair (GG-NER), according to an experimental study published online July 19 in Cancer Research.
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Germline Mutations Tied to Barrett Esophagus
WEDNESDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- Three gene mutations, MSR1, ASCC1, and CTHRC1, are significantly associated with Barrett esophagus (BE) and/or esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), of which the MSR1 mutation is the most frequent but is only present in a small percentage of cases, according to a study published in the July 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Evidence of Occult Metastases Not Tied to Overall Survival
TUESDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- Immunohistochemical evidence of sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases is not associated with overall survival for women with early-stage breast cancer, and in adjusted analysis, evidence of bone marrow metastases is also not associated with survival, according to a study published in the July 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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HES1 Expression Uncoupled From Notch in Ewing's Sarcoma
TUESDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- HES1 expression is not always associated with Notch activity in Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT), according to a study published online July 15 in The Journal of Pathology.
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Too Few Docs Refer High-Risk Women for Genetic Testing
MONDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- Most U.S. physicians adhere to recommendations against genetic counseling and testing for women at average risk of ovarian cancer, but less than half adhere to guidelines for referral for high-risk women, according to a study published online July 25 in Cancer.
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Azacitidine Treatment Effective in Previously Untreated AML
MONDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- Azacitidine may be an effective treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly patients, especially those who have not undergone any previous treatments and those with a white blood cell (WBC) count of <10 × 109/L, according to a study published online July 14 in Cancer.
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Hemolysis Products Impair Nitric Oxide Function on Infusion
MONDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- The products of hemolysis, which accumulate in blood stored under standard conditions, interact with nitric oxide (NO) on infusion and impair its vascular function, according to an experimental study published online July 11 in Circulation.
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Pediatric High-Risk Leukemia Survival Has Improved Over Time
FRIDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Pediatric patients with high-risk leukemia, either acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), who are treated with contemporary protocols have improved survival compared to earlier cohorts and have a favorable outcome after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), regardless of donor type, according to a study published in the July 14 issue of Blood.
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Venous, Lymphatic Invasion Prognostic for CRC Outcomes
FRIDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Venous and lymphatic invasion are significant predictors for disease outcome in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), and detection of vascular invasion is correlated with the number of tissue blocks examined, according to a study published online July 12 in Cancer.
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FDA: Possible Bisphosphonate-Esophageal CA Link Reviewed
FRIDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notified health care professionals and patients that the use of oral bisphosphonates does not appear to increase the risk of esophageal cancer, with the agency currently not recommending endoscopic screening of asymptomatic patients.
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Longer NSCLC Progression-Free Survival With Erlotinib
FRIDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with erlotinib is associated with longer progression-free survival than standard chemotherapy for patients with advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study published online July 22 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Increased Height Tied to Higher Cancer Risk
THURSDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Increasing height in women is associated with an increased risk of total cancer and cancer in most sites, according to a study published online July 21 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Annual Mammography Screening Should Begin at 40
THURSDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Annual mammography screening for breast cancer in women should begin at age 40 years, and not at age 50 as previously recommended, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG's) Practice Bulletin on Breast Cancer Screening, published in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Medical Students Support Right to Conscientious Objection
THURSDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly half of medical students in the United Kingdom, especially Muslims, believe in the right of doctors to conscientiously object to or refuse any procedure, according to a study published online July 18 in the Journal of Medical Ethics.
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BEACOPP Regimen Effective for Initial Hodgkin's Treatment
WEDNESDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPP) results in better initial tumor control in Hodgkin's lymphoma than treatment with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD), but there is no difference in long-term outcome, according to a study published in the July 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Triptorelin Tied to Reduced Chemo-Induced Menopause
TUESDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- The use of triptorelin to temporarily suppress ovarian function in patients with early stage breast cancer is associated with reduced occurrence of chemotherapy-induced early menopause, according to a study published in the July 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Screening for Lynch Syndrome Beneficial at Acceptable Cost
TUESDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- Identifying families with the Lynch syndrome could yield considerable benefits at acceptable costs, particularly for women, according to a study published online July 18 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Statin Therapy Does Not Up Cancer Risk in Older Adults
MONDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- Statin therapy is not associated with a significant increase in cancer risk in older U.S. adults, according to a study published in the July 26 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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A-Fib Ups Risk of Upper-Limb Thromboembolectomy
MONDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of upper-limb thromboembolectomy, according to a study published online July 7 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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Factor VIII Dose Should Consider Both Body Weight and Fat Mass
MONDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with hemophilia A, an infusion dose of factor VIII (FVIII) should be modified according to the patient's body weight (BW) and fat mass index (FMI), and should be adapted for over or underweight patients, according to a study published online July 5 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
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Chemo, Trastuzumab, Surgery Up Survival in HER2-Positive MBC
MONDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and central nervous system (CNS) metastases have improved survival with trastuzumab, chemotherapy, and surgical treatment, according to a study published in the July 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
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BetaPV Infection Tied to SCC in Transplant Recipients
MONDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- There is a significant association between betapapillomavirus (betaPV) infection and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in patients who receive organ transplants, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Regimen Beneficial for Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia
FRIDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR), in patients with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), shows high complete remissions (CRs) and very good partial remission (VGPR) rates, according to a study published online July 5 in Cancer.
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Improved Prostate Cancer Survival With Combo Therapy
WEDNESDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- Short-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) combined with radiotherapy improves survival in patients with early, localized prostate cancer compared to radiotherapy alone, according to a study published in the July 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Associations Found Between Contact Allergy and Cancer
WEDNESDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- An inverse association has been found between contact allergy and non-melanoma skin and breast cancer, and a positive association between contact allergy and bladder cancer, according to a study published online July 11 in BMJ Open.
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Histopathologic Complications Seen Post-Intra-Arterial Chemo
WEDNESDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- Though retinoblastoma can be controlled by intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC), histopathology demonstrates that ocular complications, including thromboembolic events, can occur, according to a study published online July 11 in the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Gender Discrepancy in Cancer Mortality Rates Considerable
TUESDAY, July 12 (HealthDay News) -- Males have higher mortality rates for cancer than females, but cancer survival disparities are much less pronounced between males and females, according to a study published online July 12 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Changes in Family Cancer History Impact Screening Needs
TUESDAY, July 12 (HealthDay News) -- Clinically relevant family history changes over time, specifically between the ages of 30 and 50 years, impact screening recommendations for colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer, according to a study published in the July 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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SEER Data Under-Ascertaining Cancer Radiotherapy Rates
MONDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry show disparities in documenting rates of radiotherapy receipt by breast cancer patients or for investigation of geographic variation in the radiation treatment, according to a study published online June 29 in Cancer.
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Clinical Practice Guidelines Underused in Bladder Cancer
MONDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Clinical practice guidelines for management of patients with bladder cancer are not being followed, with provider-level factors contributing to this underuse, according to a study published online July 11 in Cancer.
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Cardiac Transplants Tied to Increased Risk of Skin Cancer
MONDAY, July 11 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who have undergone cardiac transplants have an increased risk of developing skin cancer, in particular cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), compared to the general population, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.
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CT Tumor Measure Changes Not Indicative of Progression
FRIDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- There is a clinically important magnitude of tumor measurement variability inherent in repeat computed tomography (CT) imaging, especially for small tumors, which may not be indicative of tumor progression, according to a study published online July 5 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Physical Therapy Doesn't Affect Male Urinary Incontinence
FRIDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- One-to-one conservative physical therapy does not improve urinary incontinence in men compared to standard care after prostate surgery, according to a study published online July 8 in The Lancet.
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Possible Chemopreventive Role for Celecoxib in Lung Cancer
FRIDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- Celecoxib significantly reduces bronchial Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67 LI), and may be a potential chemopreventive agent for lung cancer in former smokers, according to a study published in the July issue of Cancer Prevention Research.
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Multiple Drug Use Common in Geriatric Cancer Patients
THURSDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Polypharmacy is a worldwide problem in elderly cancer patients, and health care providers need to take measures to avoid it, according to a review published online July 7 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Dignity Therapy Benefits Terminally Ill Patients
THURSDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Terminally ill patients find dignity therapy helpful in alleviating secondary outcomes of distress, according to a study published online July 7 in The Lancet Oncology.
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Obesity Tied to Higher Risk of Breast Surgery Complications
THURSDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is associated with a significantly higher risk of complications following breast surgery, according to a study published online June 9 in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
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CRC Mortality Rates Vary Significantly Between States
THURSDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- There has been a significant decrease in colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality rates across all states in the United States, except Mississippi, between 1990 and 2007, with northeastern states showing the maximum decreases and the southern states showing the least, according to a study published in the July issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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CDC: Colorectal Cancer Screening Increasing
TUESDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates have increased in the United States in recent years and CRC incidence and mortality have fallen, though many people are still not receiving the recommended screening, according to a report published in the July 5 early-release issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Personalizing Frequency of Mammography Is Cost-Effective
TUESDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- Personalizing the frequency of mammography on the basis of the woman's age, breast density, history of breast biopsy, and family history of breast cancer is cost-effective, according to research published in the July 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Priority Score Predicts Post-Op Survival and Dropout Risk
TUESDAY, July 5 (HealthDay News) -- A continuous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) priority score incorporating a model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), alpha-fetoprotein and tumor size can be used to predict dropout, post-transplantation survival, and recurrence rates after liver transplantation, according to a study published online June 10 in the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Lazanda Approved for Cancer Pain
FRIDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Lazanda (fentanyl) nasal spray has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat breakthrough pain in adults with cancer who are already receiving opioid therapy, drug maker Archimedes Pharma said.
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Older Breast Cancer Patients Likely to Die of Heart Disease
FRIDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Older women diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to die from comorbid conditions, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD), rather than from breast cancer, according to a study published online June 20 in Breast Cancer Research.
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Comorbidities Negatively Affect Breast Cancer Survival
FRIDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- The presence of comorbidities among older patients with early breast cancer is associated with either similar or worse overall survival than that of patients at a later stage of cancer with no comorbidities, according to a study published online June 30 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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