News

In a new study published in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Science, scientists have shown that a hormonal pathway different from what was previously thought is driving late-stage prostate cancer tumors.

A survey-based study from Duke University and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute reveals that insured patients with cancer often face high out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses for their very expensive treatments and prescription drugs. As patients are working less and insurers are shifting more costs to patients, the overall ranks of the underinsured have grown—to 20% in 2007 and likely much more in 2011.

Results from the recent National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST) show that screening with low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) can significantly reduce mortality in persons at risk for lung cancer, such as smokers (N Engl J Med. Online, June 29, 2011). Earlier studies have shown that low-dose CT scanning has been able to detect lung cancer earlier than was possible with chest radiography.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common form of leukemia, are receiving unnecessarily high doses of chemotherapy, which is above the level needed to generate a dose-response reaction, according to new results reported in June at the 16th Congress of the European Hematology Association.

The US FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) has issued its recommendations to the FDA to withdraw the current indication of bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with paclitaxel chemotherapy as first-line therapy for previously untreated patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. Although this is only a recommendation, the agency is known to follow the recommendations by ODAC in most cases. The FDA has not announced when the FDA Commissioner will make the final decision.

On April 28, 2011, the US FDA approved abiraterone acetate (Zytiga; Centocor Ortho Biotech) in combination with prednisone for the treatment of patients with late-stage (metastatic) castration-resistant prostate cancer who have already received docetaxel therapy.

The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted 8 to 2 in support of the claim that sunitinib malate (Sutent; Pfizer) provides a favorable benefit-risk profile for the treatment of unresectable pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NET).

A new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that the addition of simvastatin (Zocor; Merck) to cetuximab (Erbitux; ImClone) enhances antitumor activity in KRAS-mutant colorectal (CRC) cancer cells.