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Short Walks May Ease Fatigue in Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Posted 10 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, April 10 – Regular walking can help reduce fatigue in some pancreatic cancer patients, a new study suggests. The study included 102 white men and women aged 66 or 67 who underwent pancreatic cancer surgery and were divided into two groups just before they were discharged from the hospital. One group was sent home with normal instructions that did not include a walking or exercise routine. The other group was told to walk for increasingly long intervals each week for three months. The goal was to walk 90 to 150 minutes per week by the end of the program. At the start of the study, 85 percent of all patients reported moderate to severe fatigue. By the end of the study, improvements in fatigue levels were reported by 27 percent of those in the walking group and 19 percent of those in the control group. The patients in the walking group also reported less pain than those in the ... Read more

Related support groups: Pancreatic Cancer

Immune-Based Drug Combo Might Extend Cancer Survival

Posted 2 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, April 2 – Cancer patients who receive a combination of low-dose interleukin-2 and retinoic acid after conventional therapy seem to live longer than those who don't get the combination. These new study findings, slated for presentation this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Chicago, were seen across individuals with many different forms of advanced malignancies, including breast, lung and colon cancers. Retinoic acid is derived from vitamin A. Interleukin-2, a compound that fortifies the immune system, is approved at high doses to treat "metastatic" melanoma and kidney cancer. Metastatic means that a cancer has spread. The study showed that "these biological compounds may work at low doses. Bigger doses are not always better," said lead author Dr. Francesco Recchia, director of the oncology department at Civilian Hospital in Avezzano, ... Read more

Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, Pancreatic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Melanoma, Small Cell Lung Cancer, Melanoma - Metastatic, Gastric Cancer

U.S. Cancer Death Rates Continue to Fall: Report

Posted 28 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, March 28 – Deaths from cancer in the United States continue to decline, health officials report. However, deaths from some types of cancers are on the increase and racial disparities remain in cancer deaths and diagnosis, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This annual report shows that a lot of the positive momentum we have seen in cancer control has continued," said report co-author Dr. Marcus Plescia, director of CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. "We are still seeing decreases in the incidence in death rates for many cancers and particularly for many of the most common cancers." The focus of this report was obesity's impact on cancer. "That's important, because we don't think the public is aware of that," Plescia said. For six cancers, there is good evidence of a relationship between obesity and cancer: ... Read more

Related support groups: Obesity, Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Smoking Cessation, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Skin Cancer, Melanoma

Popular Diabetes Drug Might Cut Pancreatic Cancer Risk: Study

Posted 31 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Jan. 31 – A new Swiss-American study indicates that long-term use of the popular diabetes medication metformin may lower the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, at least among women. The researchers also found that the long-term use of another class of diabetes medications known as sulfonylureas was associated with a "substantial" bump in pancreatic risk and long-term insulin use was linked to a bump in pancreatic cancer risk in men. "This result is somewhat unexpected," the team wrote in its paper, which is published in the Jan. 31 online issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most deadly cancer in the United States, with an overall survival rate of less than 5 percent, even though it is fairly rare, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The researchers noted that previous research has suggested that metformin may ... Read more

Related support groups: Metformin, Glucophage, Pancreatic Cancer, Glucophage XR, Glumetza, Fortamet, Riomet

Blood Test Shows Promise in Spotting Pancreatic Cancers Early

Posted 17 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Jan. 17 – A new blood test may hold promise as a means of early detection and diagnosis for often deadly pancreatic cancers. Reporting Tuesday at the annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, researchers said the test, which measures levels of a protein known as PAM4, was able to identify two-thirds of patients who had pancreatic cancer at an early stage of their disease. Early pancreatic tumors typically fly under the radar, causing no symptoms and going undetected until they have spread. This partially accounts for the dismal prognosis faced by most people diagnosed with the illness. That's why any means of spotting these cancers early would be critical. According to the researchers, PAM4 is a protein that is present in normal cells but is greatly elevated in cancerous ones. "When a person gets cancer, this protein spills into the bloodstream," explained ... Read more

Related support groups: Pancreatic Cancer

Gene Mutation May Be Key to Familial Pancreatic Cancer

Posted 29 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 – Individuals may face a higher hereditary risk for developing pancreatic cancer if they carry abnormalities in the so-called "ATM" gene, new research reveals. The finding, reported in an upcoming issue of Cancer Discovery, stems from genetic-sequencing work conducted among 166 pancreatic cancer patients. For comparative purposes, 190 other individuals who did not have pancreatic cancer also underwent sequencing. The study was led by Alison Klein, an associate professor of oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and director of the National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry. Noting that 10 percent of pancreatic cancer patients are from families in which more than one member has battled the disease, Klein pointed out in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research that "there was significant reason to believe this ... Read more

Related support groups: Pancreatic Cancer

Oral Bacteria Might Signal Early Pancreatic Cancer

Posted 13 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 12 – Changes in the bacteria in a person's mouth might signal the onset of pancreatic cancer, preliminary research reveals. The small study suggests that it eventually might be possible to screen for the deadly disease simply by analyzing a patient's saliva, as the presence or absence of certain oral bacteria seems to indicate a higher risk. The observation, however, raises the question: Does pancreatic cancer prompt changes in an individual's oral bacterial landscape, or are such shifts actually driving the onset of disease? "We don't yet know," cautioned study author Dr. James J. Farrell, an associate professor with the UCLA Center for Pancreatic Diseases at the University of California, Los Angeles. "This is a small study, and just the first step. But certainly this is the first indication of its kind that an analysis of oral flora can find differences that could ... Read more

Related support groups: Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer: A Stubborn Foe

Posted 6 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Oct. 6 – The death of Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs has once again focused attention on cancers of the pancreas, which have claimed the lives of several high-profile celebrities. Jobs' tumor was actually one with a better prognosis than the pancreatic cancer that quickly killed actors Michael Landon and Patrick Swayze. In fact, the type of cancer that Jobs had – called neuroendocrine pancreas tumor – afflicts only some 1,000 people a year in the United States, compared to the 40,000 cases of the far more lethal "traditional" pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer death of Americans. Some 50 percent to 60 percent of people with neuroendocrine tumors will be alive five years after their diagnosis, vs. only 5 percent to 10 percent of patients with traditional pancreatic cancer, said Dr. Daniel Labow, chief of surgical oncology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New ... Read more

Related support groups: Pancreatic Cancer, Sutent, Sunitinib, Afinitor, Everolimus, Zortress

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

Related support groups: Cancer, Methotrexate, Provera, Breast Cancer, Lupron, Accutane, Depo-Provera, Prostate Cancer, Tamoxifen, Femara, Arimidex, Lupron Depot, Medroxyprogesterone, Claravis, Gleevec

Popular Diabetes Drugs May Raise Pancreatic Cancer Risk, Study Suggests

Posted 22 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 22 – People with type 2 diabetes taking the drugs Januvia or Byetta might have an increased risk of developing pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, a preliminary study suggests. The study also found that Byetta (exenatide) may raise the risk of thyroid cancer. Although the links aren't conclusive, they merit further investigation, the researchers noted. "We have raised concern that there may be a link, but we haven't confirmed it," said lead researcher Dr. Peter Butler, director of the Larry L. Hillblom Islet Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. "We need to do more work to figure out whether this is real or not." Both drugs help control blood sugar levels by encouraging production of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Januvia (sitagliptin) and Byetta, an injectable drug, are a new way of treating type 2 diabetes, and they ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Januvia, Byetta, Pancreatitis, Pancreatic Cancer

The War on Cancer Continues

Posted 20 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 20 – Forty years after President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act into law and pledged to put the country's resources to work to find better treatments for cancer, substantial victories have been scored against some, but not all, cancers. That's the core finding of a new report, the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011, released Tuesday by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The National Cancer Act promised more funding for cancer research and prevention. Since then, death rates for many cancers have dropped significantly. From 1990 to 2007, death rates for all cancers combined dropped 22 percent for men and 14 percent for women, resulting in nearly 900,000 fewer deaths during that time, according to the report. Today, more than 68 percent of adults live five years or more after being diagnosed, up from 50 percent in 1975. The five-year survival rate for ... Read more

Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Pancreatic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Melanoma, Cervical Cancer, Zelboraf, Ipilimumab, Yervoy, Vemurafenib

Sutent Approved for Rare Pancreatic Cancer

Posted 23 May 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, May 23 – U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Sutent (sunitinib) has been expanded to include people with neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer that is inoperable or has metastasized to other parts of the body. Neuroendocrine tumors are slow-growing and affect fewer than 1,000 people each year in the United States, the FDA said in a news release. Pfizer's Sutent was previously FDA approved to treat late-stage kidney cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), a rare cancer of the stomach, bowel or esophagus. Among people with neuroendocine pancreatic cancer, Sutent in clinical trials extended average lifespan to 10.2 months, compared to 5.4 months among people who took a placebo. The most common side effects included diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, anorexia, high blood pressure and stomach pain. Pfizer is based in New York City. More information The Dana-Farber ... Read more

Related support groups: Pancreatic Cancer, Sutent

FDA Approves Sutent for Rare Type of Pancreatic Cancer

Posted 21 May 2011 by Drugs.com

SILVER SPRING, Md., May 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Sutent (sunitinib) to treat patients with progressive neuroendocrine cancerous tumors located in the pancreas that cannot be removed by surgery or that have spread to other parts of the body (metastatic). Neuroendocrine tumors found in the pancreas are slow-growing and rare. It is estimated that there are fewer than 1,000 new cases in the United States each year. This is the second new approval by the FDA to treat patients with this disease; on May 5, the agency approved Afinitor (everolimus). "FDA believes it is important to provide cancer patients with as many treatment options as possible," said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "The agency is committed to working with companies to ... Read more

Related support groups: Pancreatic Cancer, Sutent, Sunitinib

Chemo Combo May Help Stave Off Pancreatic Cancer Death

Posted 11 May 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, May 11 – A four-drug chemotherapy regimen for deadly pancreatic cancer nearly doubled patients' survival time compared to standard chemotherapy, a new study suggests. In late-stage trials, French researchers split a group of 342 patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the most common form of the disease, into two groups. Half received gemcitabine, the standard treatment, while the rest received FOLFIRINOX, a four-drug combination of oxaliplatin, irinotecan, leucovorin and fluorouracil. The median survival time improved from 6.8 months for those in the gemcitabine group to 11.1 months in the FOLFIRINOX group, according to the study, which is published in the May 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Those in the combination group did suffer greater side effects from treatment, however. "We explain to the patients the advantages and toxicities of both ... Read more

Related support groups: Fluorouracil, Pancreatic Cancer, Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin, Eloxatin, Irinotecan, Camptosar, Adrucil, Wellcovorin

Novartis Gains FDA Approval for Afinitor As First New Treatment in Nearly Three Decades for Patients With Advanced Pancreatic NET

Posted 7 May 2011 by Drugs.com

Basel, May 5, 2011 - Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Afinitor (everolimus) tablets for the treatment of progressive neuroendocrine tumors of pancreatic origin (PNET) in patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic disease[4]. This marks the first approval of a treatment for this patient population in the US in nearly 30 years[5]. The approval was based on Phase III data from the RADIANT-3 (RAD001 In Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumors) trial showing treatment with Afinitor more than doubled the time without tumor growth (median 4.6 to 11.0 months) and reduced the risk of cancer progression by 65% when compared with placebo in patients with advanced pancreatic NET (hazard ratio=0.35 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27 to 0.45]; p=15%) are mouth ulcers, rash, diarrhea, fatigue, acneiform dermatitis, infections, weakness, nausea, ... Read more

Related support groups: Pancreatic Cancer, Afinitor, Everolimus

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