Monthly Archives: April 2009

Colorectal Cancer: KRAS-Driven Selection Of Molecular Therapy Could Save Millions: Bevacizumab, Cetuximab, Panitumomab, or Combinations?

john macdonald Colorectal Cancer: KRAS Driven Selection Of Molecular Therapy Could Save Millions: Bevacizumab, Cetuximab, Panitumomab, or Combinations?

John S. Macdonald MD FACP

11th Annual Palm Beach Cancer Symposium (April 3-4, 2009 Hollywood, Florida)—Peter Goodwin interviews John Macdonald, Chief Medical Officer of Aptium Oncology in Los Angeles about his data on the relevance of KRAS tumor status to the choice of molecular therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Whether the gene is wild-type or mutant determines sensitivity of the tumor to anti-epidermal growth factor or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor therapy. Dr Macdonald also discusses the disappointing finding that blocking both of these proliferation pathways does not lead to improved efficacy when two targeted drugs are used in combination.

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Chronic Myeloid Leukemia ‘To Become A Very Indolent Disease’: Pregnancy Possible, Transplants Avoided—Mission Accomplished?

hagop kantarjian 120x158 Chronic Myeloid Leukemia To Become A Very Indolent Disease: Pregnancy Possible, Transplants Avoided—Mission Accomplished?

Hagop Kantarjian MD

11th Annual Palm Beach Cancer Symposium (April 3-4, 2009 Hollywood, Florida)—Peter Goodwin interviews Hagop Kantarjian MD from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston about his latest findings on treating CML in patients who have the T315I mutation. He also discusses the feasibility of patients becoming pregnant while having tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment (among those who have achieved stability for at least two years); and talks about the decreased need for allogeneic transplant.

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The Smartest Oncologist In The World?

stan winokur The Smartest Oncologist In The World?

Stanley H Winokur MD

11th Annual Palm Beach Cancer Symposium (April 3-4, 2009 Hollywood, Florida)—Peter Goodwin interviews Stanley H Winokur MD from Palm Beach, Florida, about his daily internet quiz that gives oncologists the chance to test their knowledge of cancer management by completing an on-line questionnaire taking only a minute. Dr Winokur discusses the role of the test—called ‘The Smartest Oncologist In America’—in helping doctors check up on how much they have learned from any source of new knowledge.

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Multi-Gene Assays Now Recommended To Refine Chemotherapy Decisions in Breast Cancer

kathy albain Multi Gene Assays Now Recommended To Refine Chemotherapy Decisions in Breast Cancer

Kathy S Albain MD

11th Annual Palm Beach Cancer Symposium (April 3-4, 2009 Hollywood, Florida)—Peter Goodwin interviews Kathy Albain, Professor of Medicine at Loyola University, Chicago, on her return from the 2009 St Gallen consensus meeting which formulated updated recommendations about adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. The 21 gene recurrence score and the 70-gene profiling assay have now been endorsed by this Swiss meeting as significant contributors to the decision making process on cytotoxic chemotherapy for patients with estrogen receptor positive disease, including both node negative and node positive early breast cancer.

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Oropharyngeal Carcinoma: Better Outlook From Human Papilloma Virus-Directed Therapies— Different Patient Characteristics, New Therapeutic Opportunities

marshall posner Oropharyngeal Carcinoma: Better Outlook From Human Papilloma Virus Directed Therapies— Different Patient Characteristics, New Therapeutic Opportunities

Marshall Posner MD

11th Annual Palm Beach Cancer Symposium (April 3-4, 2009 Hollywood, Florida)—Peter Goodwin interviews Marshall Posner MD from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston about the increased prevalence of oropharygeal cancers which are related to HPV infection. These tumors may be less aggressive than cancers testing negative for HPV, and have proved more responsive to the most effective modern therapies which use docetaxel along with cisplatin and fluorouracil for induction prior to standard chemo-radiotherapy. He discusses the need for biological agents and drugs directed against the human papilloma virus which is essential for maintaining malignant phenotype and the urgency of vaccinating 12 to 24 year olds to reduce the pool of infection.

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Oncology Times Broadcast News with the Audio Journal of Oncology – Insulin-Like Growth Factor Inhibition In Lung Cancer

silvia novello Oncology Times Broadcast News with the Audio Journal of Oncology   Insulin Like Growth Factor Inhibition In Lung Cancer
Silvia Novello

giorgio scagliotti Oncology Times Broadcast News with the Audio Journal of Oncology   Insulin Like Growth Factor Inhibition In Lung Cancer
Giorgio Scagliotti

Peter Goodwin interviews Silvia Novello, and Giorgio Scagliotti from the University of Turin about harnessing insulin-like growth factor receptor inhibition in a phase II study which has shown clinical activity of figitumumab at least as significant as inhibitors of other growth factors already being used in cancer.

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Oncology Times Broadcast News with the Audio Journal of Oncology – Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy For DCIS

todd tuttle Oncology Times Broadcast News with the Audio Journal of Oncology   Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy For DCIS
Todd Tuttle

abe recht Oncology Times Broadcast News with the Audio Journal of Oncology   Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy For DCIS
Abram Recht

Peter Goodwin interviews Todd Tuttle from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and Abram Recht from Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston about the increasing use of prophylactic bilateral mastectomy, already reported in breast cancer and now revealed from the SEER database in ductal carcinoma in situ.

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Oncology Times Broadcast News with the Audio Journal of Oncology – Cancer Related Fatigue Questionnaires Assessed

paddy stone Oncology Times Broadcast News with the Audio Journal of Oncology   Cancer Related Fatigue Questionnaires Assessed
Paddy Stone

david cella Oncology Times Broadcast News with the Audio Journal of Oncology   Cancer Related Fatigue Questionnaires Assessed
David Cella

Peter Goodwin interviews Paddy Stone of St George’s Hospital, University of London and David Cella from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Evanston Ilinois about the efficacy of questionnaires for assessing, screening and perhaps diagnosing cancer-related fatigue syndrome.

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Drug-Free Blood Pressure Reduction By Catheter Nerve Ablation

henry krum Drug Free Blood Pressure Reduction By Catheter Nerve Ablation
Henry Krum

Henry Krum, Monash University, Melbourne
ACC 58th Annual Scientific Session, 28-31 March, 2009, Orlando—Peter Goodwin interviews Henry Krum, Director of the Monash Centre of Cardiovascular Research & Education in Therapeutics at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia about a catheter-delivered nerve ablation technique—just published in The Lancet—which has made it possible to control renal sympathetic hyperactivity as a means of reducing blood pressure. The hope is that it can cut the intensity of medication needed by patients with severe hypertension and remove the need for drugs altogether for patients with mildly raised blood pressure.

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Atorvastatin Reloading Before PCI Cuts Mortality After Myocardial Infarction Even In Patients Already On Statins

germano disciascio Atorvastatin Reloading Before PCI Cuts Mortality After Myocardial Infarction Even In Patients Already On Statins
Germano Di Sciascio

Germano Di Sciascio, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome
ACC 58th Annual Scientific Session, 28-31 March, 2009, Orlando—Peter Goodwin hears from Germano Di Sciascio of the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome latest data on mortality from the Atorvastatin for Reduction of Myocardial Infarction during Angioplasty—ARMYDA—study—which looked at preloading patients with Atorvastatin before PCI.

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Surgical Ventricular Reconstruction—No Benefit On Top Of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting In Patients With Severe Heart Failure

daniel mark Surgical Ventricular Reconstruction—No Benefit On Top Of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting In Patients With Severe Heart Failure
Daniel Mark

Peter Goodwin interviews Daniel Mark and Robert Jones from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina about the international STICH Trial with 1 000 patients which randomised patients with severe heart failure to receive coronary artery by-pass grafting alone or with the addition of surgical ventricular reconstruction.
New ACC President, Alfred Bove from Temple University, Philadelphia, comments on this unusual surgical study.

robert jones Surgical Ventricular Reconstruction—No Benefit On Top Of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting In Patients With Severe Heart Failure
Robert Jones

alfred bove Surgical Ventricular Reconstruction—No Benefit On Top Of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting In Patients With Severe Heart Failure
Alfred Bove

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