Oncology News and Research

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Oncology, meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix ''-logy'', meaning "study of") is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''.

Smaller and faster clinical drug trials could improve gains in cancer survival

With the advent of personalised medicine, gains in cancer survival over the long term could be improved by running smaller, faster trials with less stringent evidence criteria, a researcher told the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress.

26 Sep 2011

Radical change needed to deliver affordable cancer care in developed countries

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity worldwide, and its economic burden grows year by year. In 2008, the worldwide cost of cancer due to premature death and disability, excluding direct medical costs, was estimated to be US$895 billion.

26 Sep 2011

Zoledronic acid may benefit post-menopausal women with breast cancer

A trial investigating the use of zoledronic acid to aid chemotherapy for breast cancer has found a significant benefit for post-menopausal women, according to results presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress.

26 Sep 2011

Long-term results from ARIAD's ponatinib Phase 1 study on CML and Ph+ ALL

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced long-term results of the Phase 1 study of its investigational pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor, ponatinib, in heavily pretreated patients with resistant and refractory chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

26 Sep 2011

Positive interim data from Aeterna Zentaris' AEZS-108 Phase 1/2 study on prostate cancer

Aeterna Zentaris Inc., today announced positive interim data for the Phase 1 portion of its ongoing Phase 1/2 study in castration and taxane-resistant prostate cancer with its targeted cytotoxic luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analog, AEZS-108.

26 Sep 2011

Enrollment complete in Spectrum Pharmaceuticals' belinostat pivotal trial for PTCL

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in hematology and oncology, today announced that it has achieved the target enrollment of the minimum of 100 evaluable relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) patients in the BELIEF registration trial.

26 Sep 2011

Ibandronate controls pain in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases

Many prostate cancer patients develop bone metastases, and controlling the pain these cause can be difficult. Now the first large randomised Phase III trial of a bisphosphonate drug in these patients has shown that a single dose of the drug is as good for pain relief as single dose radiotherapy, the standard treatment for bone metastases. Results of the trial were presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress.

26 Sep 2011

Study shows substantial differences in use of rectal cancer therapies across Europe

First results from an international comparison of the care of patients with rectal cancer have shown there are substantial differences in the use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy between European countries.

26 Sep 2011

Percutaneous hepatic perfusion extends survival time for melanoma patients

Melanoma of the eye frequently spreads to the liver and, once this has happened, there is no effective treatment and patients die within an average of two to four months. Only about one in ten patients live for a year. Now, final results from a phase III study have demonstrated that a new treatment significantly extends the time patients can live without the disease progressing.

26 Sep 2011

Study identifies areas for cancer care cost and quality improvements

With cancer care costs rising at an unprecedented rate, The US Oncology Network, one of the nation's largest networks of community-based oncologists dedicated to advancing cancer care in America, reported a study that identified areas where both the cost and quality of care could be improved.

26 Sep 2011

Afinitor Phase III study on angiomyolipomas associated with TSC meets primary endpoint

A Phase III study of Afinitor (everolimus) tablets in patients with non-cancerous kidney tumors, or angiomyolipomas, associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) met its primary endpoint of best overall angiomyolipoma response rate, which includes reduction in kidney tumor size and absence of new tumors.

26 Sep 2011

Researchers devise protein 'switch' that instructs cancer cells to produce their own medication

Johns Hopkins researchers have devised a protein "switch" that instructs cancer cells to produce their own anti-cancer medication.

26 Sep 2011

Combination of Afinitor, exemestane reduces risk of breast cancer progression in women

A pivotal Phase III study shows Afinitor (everolimus) tablets plus exemestane, a hormonal therapy, more than doubled the time women lived without tumor growth (progression-free survival; PFS) and significantly reduced the risk of cancer progression by 57% versus exemestane alone in patients with advanced breast cancer.

26 Sep 2011

Patrys announced PAT-SM6 has efficacy against multiple myeloma in preclinical trials

Patrys Limited has announced that its lead anti-cancer antibody PAT-SM6 has shown significant activity in preclinical studies of multiple myeloma.

26 Sep 2011

Komen Foundation grant enables TGen scientists to study triple-negative breast cancer

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is part of a team of medical investigators receiving a $3.5 million grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure to study triple-negative breast cancer, a highly aggressive form of this cancer that disproportionately affects African-Americans.

26 Sep 2011

Combination of abiraterone acetate, prednisone reduces fatigue in men with prostate cancer

Men with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and that is resistant to hormone therapy suffer less from fatigue if they are treated with a combination of abiraterone acetate and prednisone, according to results from a phase III clinical trial presented today.

26 Sep 2011

Breast cancer drug combination could stop cancer “in its tracks”

The results of a new study revealed that treatment for women with HER2-positive breast cancer – an aggressive form of the disease which is diagnosed in 10,000 British women each year – slowed the progression of tumors by 40 per cent compared with conventional drugs. Tests on 137 women showed that the new therapy – called T-DM1 – which combines the drug Herceptin with an antibody drug, instead of with standard chemotherapy, appeared to stop the cancer “in its tracks”.

26 Sep 2011

Not enough doctors in Australia to follow up on breast cancer cases

Australian women who have undergone surgery for early-stage breast cancer could be monitored afterwards by their GP instead of a hospital clinic, under a federal government project that acknowledges there will not be enough specialist doctors for the coming wave of cancer cases among ageing baby boomers.

26 Sep 2011

Genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer

Experts from Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) provide some clues as to who should be using these tests. They explain that women who have been diagnosed with cancer and/or people who have a strong family history of cancer can consider genetic testing. Red flags to consider are anyone in the family who developed cancer at a young age, multiple family members who developed cancer, if a person experienced bilateral cancer (cancer in both breasts), breast and ovarian cancer in the same woman, or cancer appeared where it wasn’t expected (like breast cancer in men)

26 Sep 2011

ECDA welcomes UN High Level Meeting on Non Communicable Diseases

The European Chronic Disease Alliance (ECDA) welcomes the UN High Level Meeting on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to address the world biggest killers. "It is a memorable day in the history of public health. Discussing non communicable diseases at the UN table gives a strong sense of the burden it represents to human kind and the recognition that NCDs is a challenge for all nations in the world", declared Professor Michel Komajda, President of the European Society of Cardiology, an active member of the ECDA.

26 Sep 2011

Oncology News and Research

Further Reading

Smaller and faster clinical drug trials could improve gains in cancer survival

Radical change needed to deliver affordable cancer care in developed countries

Zoledronic acid may benefit post-menopausal women with breast cancer

Long-term results from ARIAD's ponatinib Phase 1 study on CML and Ph+ ALL

Positive interim data from Aeterna Zentaris' AEZS-108 Phase 1/2 study on prostate cancer

Enrollment complete in Spectrum Pharmaceuticals' belinostat pivotal trial for PTCL

Ibandronate controls pain in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases

Study shows substantial differences in use of rectal cancer therapies across Europe

Percutaneous hepatic perfusion extends survival time for melanoma patients

Study identifies areas for cancer care cost and quality improvements

Afinitor Phase III study on angiomyolipomas associated with TSC meets primary endpoint

Researchers devise protein 'switch' that instructs cancer cells to produce their own medication

Combination of Afinitor, exemestane reduces risk of breast cancer progression in women

Patrys announced PAT-SM6 has efficacy against multiple myeloma in preclinical trials

Komen Foundation grant enables TGen scientists to study triple-negative breast cancer

Combination of abiraterone acetate, prednisone reduces fatigue in men with prostate cancer

Breast cancer drug combination could stop cancer “in its tracks”

Not enough doctors in Australia to follow up on breast cancer cases

Genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer

ECDA welcomes UN High Level Meeting on Non Communicable Diseases

A best-practice guide for laboratory services in oncology trials eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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