Rituximab Maintenance after Chemotherapy Gives Better Outcomes in Advanced Follicular Lymphoma

Sandra Horning

Abstract 349
Sandra Horning, Stanford University Medical Center
It is not necessary to use rituximab along with standard CVP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, predinsone) induction therapy in patients with advanced follicular lymphoma. However, the use of rituximab maintenance, after induction therapy, brought clear benefits among patients in the study.




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Targeted Therapies in Multiple Myeloma Treatment Decisions

Vincent Rajkumar

Vincent Rajkumar, Divison of Hematology, Mayo Clinic
At a section of the hematology meeting talking about newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and the evolving treatments, Vincent Rajkumar discussed new agents such as lenolidamide and thalidomide. Audio Medica asked him how he makes decisions about how to treat multiple myeloma.

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Pro-Apoptosis, mTOR Pathways: New Targets for Lymphoma

Owen O’Connor

Owen O’Connor, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Owen O’Connor also gave data from early, two studies: one looking at treating lymphoma with the drug SAHA which targets BCL-6 in the tumor preventing it’s anti-apoptotic influence; the other targeting the mTOR signaling pathway with a drug called temsirolimus.

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Non-Anthracyline Regimen May Be O.K. for Patients with Early Breast Cancer taking Trastuzumab (Herceptin)

Dennis Slamon, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles
It may be reasonable to replace the anthracycline component of adjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin in HER-2 positive patients with early breast cancer - provided agents such as docetaxel and trastuzumab are also included, according to the findings of the BCIRG 006 trial reported at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
COMMENT: Norman Wolmark, NSABP foundation, Pittsburg

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Audio Journal of Oncology - Prostate Cancer Special Edition 2005

Reporting from:
- 2005 Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Symposium, February 17-19, Hyatt Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida

In this edition:

Will they or won’t they relapse? For patients with prostate cancer, their PSA velocity before radical prostatectomy best pinpoints the risk of relapse, according to Deep Patel.

Brachytherapy, rather than external beam radiation, may be the best option for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer, according to Vinai Gondi.

David Dearnaley has been using the latest precision radiotherapy tool, Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy - IMRT, successfully to treat affected nodes in locally advanced prostate cancer.

A new study reveals the possibility of extending life among patients with androgen independent prostate cancer. Eric Small discusses the final survival data from a phase-three trial of the vaccine APC 8015.
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Audio Journal of Hematologic Malignancy Special Edition 2005

Reporting from:
- Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, December 4-7, 2004, San Diego
- Lymphoma: The Next Questions, April 8-9, 2005, Fort Lauderdale
- Journal of Clinical Oncology

In this edition:

The newer the better, so they say. But not this time, as we hear from Tony Green. He was looking into the treatment of essential thrombocythemia with the new agent, anagrelide. His group has discovered that superiority lies with the old treatment hydroxyurea.

Where can we go when imatinib stops working? Charles Sawyers is lighting the way for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia with the targeted therapy BMS 354 825.

Another reason has emerged why imatinib may not be the end of the road for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia who have become resistant. Francis Giles discusses the option of using the new agent AMN 107, which targets the BCR-ABL molecule in a new way.

Current proven treatment for multiple myeloma is still single agent dexamethozone, but is there scope for other therapies to be used up-front? S. Vincent Rajkumar has been working on two trials: one with thalidomide, and the other using a new drug lenalidomide.
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Audio Journal of Oncology 13.8, December 2005

Reporting from:
ECCO-13 The European Cancer Conference, Paris, October 30–November 3, 2005

In this edition:

Martine Piccart gave the Paris ECCO conference her group’s latest data from the HERA study of breast cancer, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. They confirmed that trastuzumab after standard adjuvant therapy extends life for patients with HER2-positive disease.

Edward Romond gave the conference more findings about breast cancer treatment from a combined analysis of two large, parallel trials: NSABP B-31 and NCCTG N9831. Both looked at adding trastuzumab to doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel, and the results confirm te benefit of this targeted agent.

Celestia Higano, presented results from a new study of immunotherapy in hormone refractory prostate cancer. As with earlier trials of chemotherapy, this has now achieved significant improvements in survival.

In cervical cancer, early trial results in over 20,000 women of a vaccine for human papiloma virus suggest that it could go some way toward preventing cervical cancer, according to Jorma Paavonen. In Paris he talked about his group’s work on a vaccine that prioritizes oncogenic subtypes of the virus. Gordon McVie commented on the potential this has worldwide for cervical cancer prevention.
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