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''.

Pfizer to present study findings from its expanded breast cancer portfolio

Pfizer Oncology announced today that it will be presenting study findings evaluating several compounds including those from its newly expanded breast cancer portfolio following the recent acquisition of Wyeth, focusing on the needs of multiple breast cancer patient populations at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) being held December 9 – 13.

4 Dec 2009

FDA approves once-daily SEROQUEL XR Extended Release Tablets

AstraZeneca today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved once-daily SEROQUEL XR® (quetiapine fumarate) Extended Release Tablets as adjunctive (add-on) treatment to antidepressants in adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

4 Dec 2009

New discoveries to treat life-threatening blood disorder presented at ASH annual meeting

A genetic variation that may indicate a patient's risk of developing a potentially life-threatening blood disorder if exposed to certain pharmaceutical therapies or chemicals is one of several medical discoveries scientists at cancer diagnostics leader Quest Diagnostics will present during the 51st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, December 5-8, 2009, in New Orleans, LA.

4 Dec 2009

Oncologists optimistic about the potential of clinical trials for personalized medicine

According to a national poll of oncologists and clinical research professionals, there is a high level of optimism about the potential of clinical trials for personalized medicine. While oncologists view cost as a barrier to treatment and research, they think policy initiatives are opportunities to effectively promote personalized medicine.

4 Dec 2009

CCI patients discharged from hospitals on ventilator support fare poorly four months later, says study

Patients, discharged from hospitals on ventilator support and with cognitive impairments, fare poorly four months later. Researchers from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University report these findings in American Journal of Critical Care.

4 Dec 2009

Pfizer announces a $9M cancer research collaboration in British Columbia

Pfizer is entering into a three-year, $9-million research collaboration with the BC Cancer Agency and the Vancouver Prostate Centre, a University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) Centre of Excellence, to tackle new treatment avenues for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. This is the single-largest investment by Pfizer into British Columbia's public research sector, and it recognizes the strength and world-class cancer expertise that resides in this province.

4 Dec 2009

Protein plays a key role in cancer and DNA repair

A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks in it, UC Davis scientists have found. The work is helping researchers understand how cancer cells can resist radiation and chemotherapy, as well as how cells become cancerous in the first place.

4 Dec 2009

The Cancer Center at Harrington receives approval to treat its first patients

The Cancer Center at Harrington has received approval to treat its first patients, Harrington Hospital announced today.

4 Dec 2009

ISIS-FXIRx and ISIS-SMNRx included in Isis Pharmaceuticals' development pipeline

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has added two new drugs to its development pipeline, ISIS-FXIRx and ISIS-SMNRx.

4 Dec 2009

Two antimicrobial drug developing companies evaluate new approach for treating bacterial infections

Chaperone Technologies, Inc. and MerLion Pharmaceuticals Pte Ltd., both privately-held companies developing new antimicrobial drugs, announced today that they are together evaluating a unique approach for the treatment of resistant and life-threatening bacterial infections.

4 Dec 2009

ISTODAX included in the updated NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology

Gloucester Pharmaceuticals announced today that ISTODAX® (romidepsin) has been included in the updated National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ as a suggested systemic treatment option for patients with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome—two of the most common types of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).

4 Dec 2009

ZIOPHARM Oncology begins public offering of common stock

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. announced today that it intends to offer shares of its common stock and warrants to purchase shares of its common stock in a public offering. JMP Securities LLC and Rodman & Renshaw, LLC are acting as co-lead managers for the offering.

4 Dec 2009

iCo Therapeutics to present an overview of its iCo-007 VEGF "+" agent at the ISOPT conference

iCo Therapeutics Inc. is pleased to announce that an overview of iCo-007, entitled "iCo-007 a VEGF "+" Agent for the Potential Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema and Diabetic Retinopathy" will be presented at the 8th International Symposium on Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics ("ISOPT"), a major international ocular conference.

3 Dec 2009

Endo Pharmaceuticals receives FDA complete response letter for AVEED NDA

Endo Pharmaceuticals today announced that it received a complete response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for its extended-duration testosterone undecanoate injection, AVEED(TM), for men diagnosed with low testosterone.

3 Dec 2009

IsoRay to distribute Oncura's I-125 brachytherapy seed

IsoRay, Inc. announced today that it has signed a distribution agreement with Oncura to distribute the I-125 brachytherapy seed, OncoSeed™.

3 Dec 2009

Allos Therapeutics to launch the COMPLETE registry for patients with PTCL

Allos Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the launch of an international registry designed to address the urgent need to better understand treatment patterns and outcomes for patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). The registry, known as COMPLETE (Comprehensive Oncology Measures for Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma Treatment), is a global observational study that will enroll patients with newly-diagnosed PTCL and obtain data regarding longitudinal treatment patterns and outcomes.

3 Dec 2009

Update on Celsion's ThermoDox Phase III “HEAT” trial for HCC

Celsion Corporation, a leading oncology drug development company, today provided an update on the progress of its pivotal ThermoDox® Phase III “HEAT” trial for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of primary liver cancer. Following recent regulatory approvals in China, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, the study is now enrolling patients in eleven countries, with the majority of clinical sites located in the Asia Pacific region where HCC is most prevalent.

3 Dec 2009

Continued rise of PSA value in prostate cancer patients can indicate relapsing disease

Prostate cancer patients who have a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value of less than or equal to 1.5 at two years after external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) are less likely to have a cancer recurrence and cancer-related death, according to a study in the December 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

3 Dec 2009

Financial aspects of cancer treatment reduces compliance

New data being released today by the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) demonstrate the extraordinary financial hardships that often complicate or compromise a patient’s battle against cancer. Sixty-three percent of oncology social workers surveyed said that financial issues reduce patients’ compliance with their cancer treatment – even though that treatment is key to their recovery. Forty percent of patients reported depleting their savings, while almost 30% reported dealing with bill collectors.

3 Dec 2009

TGen scientists win $1,000 prize for best scientific paper presented at BIBM09

A team of scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) won a $1,000 prize for best scientific paper presented at BIBM09, a premier bioinformatics and biomedicine conference.

3 Dec 2009