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New Strategy Helps Young Lymphoma Patients Avoid Radiation Treatment
Posted 10 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 10 – A new treatment approach may mean that young people with a form of lymphoma can go without radiation therapy, sparing them side effects or raised cancer risks down the road. In a trial conducted by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, nearly all patients with a form of cancer known as primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma who received chemotherapy, but did not undergo chest radiation, achieved a full remission. Standard treatment for this cancer typically includes radiation to the chest, the study authors pointed out, but this has been linked to significant harmful effects in the future, particularly for women. "These results are exciting and demonstrate that, using this approach, almost all patients appear to be cured and very few patients require radiation," study co-author Dr. Kieron Dunleavy, of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, said in an agency news release. ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Blood Cancer Patients May Benefit From New Transplant Technique
Posted 12 Dec 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12 – Researchers who have multiplied umbilical cord-blood cells in the laboratory say their technique might improve recovery for patients needing blood stem cell transplants to treat a blood cancer. Their approach, still in the experimental stage, involves expanding normal blood cells from donated cord blood in conditions similar to those in bone marrow. This greatly enlarges the supply needed for transplant. And because umbilical cord blood is more easily matched in patients than donor bone marrow, the recovery period is safer and shorter, the researchers said. "Since our very first patients, we had a very strong signal [of success]," said Dr. Marcos de Lima, who led the study while at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "Recipients of cord-blood transplants are less likely to have some of the complications with the same degree of matching ... Read more
Related support groups: Leukemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma
Melanoma Odds Doubled for Transplant, Lymphoma Patients: Study
Posted 10 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 10 – Transplant recipients and patients with lymphoma have a significantly increased risk of developing and dying from melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, a new study indicates. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota found that melanoma is 2.5 times more likely to strike these patients than people in the general population. Melanoma is also more likely to be fatal in these patients, according to the study, published in the October issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Patients with a form of lymphoma called chronic lymphocytic leukemia who develop melanoma are 2.8 times more likely to die from metastatic melanoma, in which the cancer spreads from the skin to other parts of the body. Transplant recipients and lymphoma patients have weakened immune systems, which makes early detection of melanoma especially important, the researchers said. Early detection ... Read more
'Uncertainty' Remains Over Supply of Key Cancer Drugs
Posted 4 Jun 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, June 4 – John Mahan, a 58-year-old Nashville firefighter battling a gastrointestinal cancer, couldn't believe what he was hearing last July. His doctor had just told him that his clinic had run out of injectable fluorouracil (5-FU), the generic chemotherapy Mahan needed to keep his tumor at bay. "My initial reaction was, 'you've got to be kidding, right?'" he said. Unfortunately, the news was all too real. Mahan was switched to another drug, capecitabine. Taken in pill form, it had the same anti-cancer effectiveness as 5-FU but with more onerous side effects. "It made me feel bad, weak," Mahan said, "just run down, feeling tired all of the time, loss of appetite." At a Monday news briefing at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, Mahan spoke on behalf of the thousands of cancer patients who have been hit hard by the recent nationwide ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Methotrexate, Fluorouracil, Lymphoma, Colorectal Cancer, Xeloda, Taxol, Head and Neck Cancer, Capecitabine, Paclitaxel, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Methotrexate LPF Sodium, Rheumatrex Dose Pack, Trexall, Folex PFS
Experimental Drug Helps Fight Some Childhood Cancers, Study Finds
Posted 16 May 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 16 – A new targeted drug therapy may help treat certain advanced cancers in children, a new preliminary study indicates. In some cases, the oral medication even made tumors disappear after regular cancer treatments had failed, the researchers reported. "This is an exciting first step, and it looks very promising for kids who have had very few options," said study author Dr. Yael Mosse, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of oncology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Mosse is scheduled to present the findings on June 2 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago. However, ASCO released the results during a news conference Wednesday. Funding for the study was provided by the drug's manufacturer, Pfizer Inc. The new drug is called crizotinib (Xalkori), and it targets abnormalities in a gene called ALK that's present in ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma, Xalkori, Crizotinib
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
Related support groups: Prednisone, Rituxan, Lymphoma, Rituximab, Cytoxan, Cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin, Vincristine, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Deltasone, Sterapred, Bleomycin, Doxorubicin, Oncovin, Liquid Pred
'Mini' Stem Cell Transplant May Help Seniors With Blood Cancer
Posted 1 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 – Age in itself should not be a factor in deciding whether blood cancer patients are candidates for stem cell transplantation, according to a new study. Blood cancers include leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. For the study, researchers analyzed long-term outcomes among 372 blood cancer patients aged 60 to 75 who underwent a "mini-transplant," which is a "kinder, gentler" form of allogeneic (cells from another person) stem cell transplantation developed at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The five-year rates of overall survival and disease progression-free survival among the patients were 35 percent and 32 percent, respectively. Comparable survival rates were seen when the patients were divided into three age groups – 60 to 64, 65 to 69, and 70 to 75 – suggesting that age plays a limited role in the success of the mini-transplant. While a survival ... Read more
Related support groups: Leukemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma
As One Life Starts, Another May Be Saved
Posted 7 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Oct. 7 – A mother cuddling her newborn baby may not know it, but the process that created a new life also has given her the chance to save another. Blood contained in the umbilical cord and placenta is a rich source of stem cells that can be used to treat leukemia, lymphoma and many other life-threatening diseases, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. However, many expectant mothers don't know that they can donate cord blood after childbirth. Others don't donate because they are concerned the process might be expensive or risk the health of their newborn. "Less than 5 percent of parents are storing their children's cord blood," said Frances Verter, founder and director of the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. "That's just a tragedy because it's medically important and there is no danger to mother or child from donation." Cord blood is considered valuable ... Read more
FDA Approves Adcetris to Treat Two Types of Lymphoma
Posted 19 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
August 19, 2011 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) to treat Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and a rare lymphoma known as systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Lymphomas are cancers of the lymphatic system. Adcetris is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines an antibody and drug, allowing the antibody to direct the drug to a target on lymphoma cells known as CD30. Adcetris is to be used in patients with HL whose disease has progressed after autologous stem cell transplant or after two prior chemotherapy treatments for those who cannot receive a transplant. Autologous stem cell transplant is a procedure using a patient’s own bone marrow that is designed to repair damaged bone marrow after the use of high chemotherapy doses. Adcetris may also be used in patients with ALCL whose disease has progressed after one prior chemotherapy t ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma, Lymphoma, Hodgkin's
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval of Istodax As Treatment for Patients with Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma Who Have Received at Least One Prior Therapy
Posted 20 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
SUMMIT, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 17, 2011 - Celgene Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval for its Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for an additional indication for Istodax (romidepsin) for injection for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) in patients who have received at least one prior therapy. Istodax is also approved for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in patients who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. These indications are based on response rate. Clinical benefit such as improvement in overall survival has not been demonstrated. The PTCL approval was based on a priority (6 month) review by the FDA. Priority reviews are reserved for serious and life-threatening conditions that have an unmet medical need. The Istodax sNDA approval is based upon results ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma, Romidepsin, Istodax
Most Leukemia Patients Recover From 'Chemo Brain' After Transplant: Study
Posted 6 May 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, May 6 – A decline in memory and fine-motor skills is common among patients who undergo a bone marrow or stem cell transplant to treat leukemia or lymphoma, but most patients return to normal within five years, according to a new study. Previous research has shown that the chemotherapy drugs these patients take before transplantation and medicines they take to prevent rejection of the transplanted cells can affect memory and motor skills. This study looked at how long it takes them to recover from those problems, often referred to as "chemo brain." The study included 92 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, acute leukemia, lymphoma or myelodysplastic syndrome, in which the bone marrow does not function normally. The patients had received an allogeneic (cells donated by another person) bone marrow or stem cell transplant. After treatment, the patients' memory and motor skills ... Read more
Breast Implants, Lymphoma Link Seen
Posted 19 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 19 – New research suggests a link between breast implants and a rare form of lymphoma, but it's not known if the implants actually cause the cancer or how the disease might develop. The researchers, from the nonprofit RAND Corporation, also found that this type of lymphoma (a type of immune system cancer) progresses slowly and can be treated by surgical removal of the breast implant and surrounding capsule. The findings are published in the April 15 online edition of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Concerns about a possible link between breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) were first raised in 1996 with the publication of a report by doctors who described the case of a woman with implants who developed ALCL in tissue next to one of her implants. Since then, similar published reports have estimated that between one case and three cases ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma
Gene Mutation Suggests New Treatment Target for Specific Lymphoma
Posted 22 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 22 – Researchers have identified a gene mutation that may offer a target for new treatments for a type of lymphoma. The team found that a mutation of the MYD88 gene is one of the most frequent genetic abnormalities in patients with this cancer, known as large B cell lymphoma. The MYD88 gene encodes a protein that is crucial for normal immune response to invading microorganisms. The mutation identified in this study can cause uncontrolled cellular signaling, resulting in the survival of malignant cells. A subgroup of the large B cell lymphoma that has a dismally low cure rate – known as the activated B cell-like (ABC) subtype – appears particularly susceptible to the gene. Lymphoma is a cancer of the blood that starts in white blood cells. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma, in turn, is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in which white blood cells known as lymphocytes multiply ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma
Study Adds to Evidence That Rituximab Slows Lymphoma Symptoms
Posted 21 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Dec. 21 – New research provides more evidence that treating certain lymphoma patients with an expensive drug over the long term helps them go longer without symptoms. But the drug, called rituximab (Rituxan), does not seem to significantly increase life span, raising questions about whether it's worth taking. People with lymphoma who are considering maintenance treatment "really need a discussion with [their] oncologist," said Dr. Steven T. Rosen, director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University in Chicago. The study involved people with follicular lymphoma, one of the milder forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a term that refers to cancers of the immune system. Though it can be fatal, most people live for at least 10 years after diagnosis. There has been debate over whether people with the disease should take Rituxan as maintenance therapy ... Read more
Study Finds Big Strides Made in Treating Leukemia, Lymphoma in Past Decade
Posted 24 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 24 – Clinicians have made remarkable advances in treating blood cancers with bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants in recent years, significantly reducing the risk of treatment-related complications and death, a new study shows. Between the early 1990s and 2007, there was a 41 percent drop in the overall risk of death in an analysis of more than 2,500 patients treated at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, a leader in the field of blood cancers and other malignancies. Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, who conducted the study, also noted dramatic decreases in treatment complications such as infection and organ damage. The study was published in the Nov. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine "We have made enormous strides in understanding this very complex procedure and have yielded quite spectacular results," said study senior ... Read more
Related support groups: Hairy Cell Leukemia, Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Lymphoma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma, Follicular Lymphoma, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Acute Nonlymphocytic Leukemia, Infection Prophylaxis, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
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Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Conjunctival Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma, Blood Disorders
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