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Many Primary Care Docs Don't Know Long-Term Effects of Chemo: Survey

Posted 11 days ago by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, May 16 – Many primary care doctors don't know the long-term side effects of the chemotherapy treatments that cancer survivors under their care may have been given, a new survey found. On the other hand, most oncologists – though not all – are familiar with the side effects of four common treatments used to treat breast and colon cancer, according to the results of the survey being presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago. "While oncologists commonly identify the main late effects of four common cancer drugs, primary care providers did not," study author Dr. Larissa Nekhlyudov said during a Wednesday news conference. "This is not surprising in that primary care providers have different training and exposure to chemotherapy drugs," she noted. "However, these findings emphasize that in the transition of patients ... Read more

More Aggressive Chemo May Help Younger Lymphoma Patients: Study

Posted 27 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Nov. 24 – Higher doses of chemotherapy with less time between treatments may benefit younger people suffering from aggressive lymphomas, such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (one of the most common and aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), according to new research. A study published online Nov. 24 in The Lancet found this intensive form of chemotherapy, when combined with the monoclonal antibody drug rituximab, may reduce recurrence of the disease and increase survival rates among patients under 60 years of age. The researchers said these younger patients are about twice as likely to remain in remission after three years versus those given rituximab plus the standard chemotherapy treatment known as CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone). In conducting the study, researchers led by Dr. Herve Tilly of the University of Rouen in France gave ... Read more

Drug Combo Might Fight Aggressive Breast Cancer More Safely

Posted 5 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 5 – Treating women with an aggressive form of early stage breast cancer using Herceptin and chemotherapy, while not turning to a third type of drug known as an anthracycline, improves survival while posing less danger to the heart, researchers report. They tested three different regimens, one of which did not include any anthracyclines. When Herceptin is given with doxorubicin (Adriamycin), an anthracycline, toxic cardiac effects have been seen. "What the study shows is you have comparable effectiveness in a Herceptin-based regimen when you don't use the anthracyclines," said Dr. Dennis Slamon, director of clinical and translational research at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. Earlier research of his led to the development of Herceptin (trastuzumab). He contends that the new regimen should be the new standard of care, ... Read more

Cancer Patients Should Ask Doctors to Use Simple Terms

Posted 28 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28 – Cancer patients are often faced with many difficult-to-understand treatment choices that can have serious side effects and even mean the difference between life and death. That's why it's crucial that patients insist doctors use plain language in explaining the options, advised Angela Fagerlin, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a researcher at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. "People are making life and death decisions that may affect their survival and they need to know what they're getting themselves into. Cancer treatments and tests can be serious. Patients need to know what kind of side effects they might experience as a result of the treatment they undergo," Fagerlin said in a university news release. She and her colleagues outlined a number of tips to help patients get the information they need ... Read more

Breast Cancer Treatment May Lead to Hip Fracture

Posted 7 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Feb. 4 – Middle-aged breast cancer survivors face an increased risk for hip fractures, a condition normally uncommon in women younger than 70, a new study has found. Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago say that this may be because early menopause caused by breast cancer treatment and the effects of breast cancer drugs could weaken the bones by the time women reach middle age. The finding came from a study of six women who had survived breast cancer and, in their early 50s, were being treated for hip fractures. Most of the women did not have osteoporosis, but they did have lower-than-normal bone mineral density (osteopenia). This suggests that rapid changes in bone architecture caused by chemotherapy, early menopause and adjuvant breast cancer therapy may not be detected on a bone mineral density test, said Dr. Beatrice Edwards, an associate professor of medicine ... Read more

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