Obesity Linked with Worse Colon Cancer Outcomes (03-10-2010)

Compared with healthy-weight patients, obese colon cancer patients have a higher risk of cancer recurrence and death. These results were published in Clinical Cancer Research. Obesity is increasingly being recognized as a risk factor not only for cancer... Continue Reading

Oncotype DX® Predicts Recurrence Risk in Node-negative and Node-positive Breast Cancer Treated with Tamoxifen or Arimidex (03-9-2010)

Among postmenopausal women with early, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer treated with either tamoxifen (Nolvadex®) or Arimidex® (anastrozole), the Oncotype DX test predicts the risk of distant cancer recurrence in both node-negative and node-positive... Continue Reading

Addition of Hormone Therapy to Radiation Improves Survival in Intermediate-risk, Early-stage Prostate Cancer (03-9-2010)

Short-term hormone therapy delivered before and during moderate-dose radiation therapy improves survival and reduces risk of recurrence compared with radiation alone in men with intermediate-risk, early-stage prostate cancer. The results of this Phase... Continue Reading

Cystoscopy Alone Is the Most Cost-effective Way to Monitor for Recurrence of Bladder Cancer (03-9-2010)

The addition of a urine test to standard cystoscopy screening in order to monitor for bladder cancer recurrence unnecessarily increases the cost of monitoring as well as the risk for a false-positive result and does not improve tumor detection, according... Continue Reading

PCA3 Test May Help Guide Prostate Biopsy Decisions (03-8-2010)

The PCA3 urine test may help guide decisions about the need for repeat prostate biopsy in men with a negative initial biopsy but elevated PSA. These results were presented at the 2010 ASCO Genitourinary Cancer Symposium. Since the late 1980s, the primary... Continue Reading

Bisphosphonates May Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer (03-8-2010)

Use of bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis may reduce the risk of breast cancer. The results of this study were published in the British Journal of Cancer. Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs used to prevent and treat osteoporosis and to reduce... Continue Reading

Cabazitaxel Shows Promise in Advanced Prostate Cancer (03-5-2010)

Among men with metastatic, hormone refractory prostate cancer that has progressed after Taxotere® (docetaxel)-based chemotherapy, the investigational chemotherapy drug cabazitaxel may improve survival. The results of this Phase III clinical trial... Continue Reading

Benefit of Velcade on Myeloma Survival Added to Prescribing Information (03-5-2010)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved expanded prescribing information for Velcade® (bortezomib). Velcade’s label now includes results from the VISTA study, which show that Velcade improves long-term overall survival among patients... Continue Reading

Cervical Vaccine Provides Little Benefit for Older Women (03-4-2010)

Women over the age of 40 are not likely to benefit from a vaccine designed to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.1 HPV has been shown to cause cervical cancer. Human... Continue Reading

Cryoablation Effective for Renal Cancer (03-4-2010)

Stereotactic percutaneous cryoablation and laparoscopic renal cryoablation are effective treatments for selected patients with kidney cancer, according to the results of two studies published in the Journal of Urology.1,2 The kidneys are each filled... Continue Reading

Laparoscopic Surgery and Open Surgery Produce Similar Complication Rates in Prostate Cancer (03-3-2010)

Laparoscopic prostatectomy and open radical prostatectomy produce similar outcomes and carry similar rates of postoperative complications, according to the results of a study published in an early online version of the Journal of Urology.1 Radical... Continue Reading

Tykerb plus Herceptin More Effective Than Tykerb Alone for Metastatic Breast Cancer That Has Progressed on Herceptin (03-3-2010)

Among women with HER2-positive, metastatic breast cancer that has progressed during treatment with Herceptin® (trastuzumab), the combination of Tykerb® (lapatinib) and Herceptin appears to be more effective than Tykerb alone. These results were published... Continue Reading