Articles

The FDA expedited the approval of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris, Seattle Genetics) for the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as for systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL), a rare non-Hodgkin lymphoma that may manifest in several parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, skin, bones, soft tissue, lungs, and liver.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the targeted therapy vemurafenib tablets (Zelboraf, Hoffmann-La Roche) for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic mela noma with the BRAF V600E gene mutation.

On September 26, 2011, the FDA issued an approvable letter to Mela Sciences, the manufacturer of MelaFind, an investigational diagnostic device for early melanoma.

In a new study funded by the National Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan Clinical Research Center, inexpensive ginger supplements reduced markers of colon inflammation, indicating that ginger root may be beneficial in preventing colon cancer (Zick SM, et al. Cancer Prev Res [Phila]. 2011 Oct 11. Epub ahead of print).

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a promising approach for differentiating which patients with inoperable lung cancer will and will not benefit from additional treatment after standard chemotherapy/radiation therapy.

Another report in the same issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine focuses on the relevance of 3 concepts that can help in understanding the value of clinical interventions for those involved in clinical decisions (Owens DK, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2011;154:174-180).

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued a report (Wonderling D, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2011;154:758-765) explaining the process and value of cost-effectiveness assessments and how these inform recommendations and decisions regarding clinical questions made by the UK National Clinical Guidelines Centre.

Thalidomide (Thalomid), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and bortezomib (Velcade) have all shown benefit in the maintenance setting, said Steven Devine, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, during the recent National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 6th Congress on Hematologic Malignancies.