ACOG Updates Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines
(11/20/2009)
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has revised its cervical cancer screening recommendations: the organization now recommends that women begin screening at the age of 21 and receive screening at less frequent intervals. These recommendations will be published in the December 2009 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Making Sense of New Mammography Recommendations
(11/17/2009)
The U.S. Preventive Services Tasks Force (USPSTF) has reversed its position on screening mammography for women in their 40s: the group no longer recommends routine screening mammography for average-risk women in this age group. The American Cancer Society, however, has stated that it will continue to recommend annual mammograms starting at the age of 40.
Persistent Pain Common After Breast Cancer Surgery
(11/16/2009)
Two to three years after breast cancer surgery, persistent pain continues to affect close to half of all women. The results of this study, which was conducted in Denmark, were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Early Morning Colonoscopies Detect More Polyps
(11/11/2009)
Among patients undergoing colonoscopy at a Veteran’s Administration (VA) medical center, a greater number of polyps was detected among patients seen early in the morning than among patients seen later in the day. The reasons for this are uncertain, but it’s possible that the lower rate of polyp detection later in the day is the result of provider fatigue or less complete bowel preparation. These results were published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Excess Body Weight Linked with More Than 100,000 New Cancer Diagnoses Each Year in U.S.
(11/09/2009)
According to estimates from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), excess body weight may be responsible for more than 100,000 new cancer diagnoses each year in the United States.
Israeli Jewish Holocaust Survivors May Have Increased Risk of Cancer
(11/09/2009)
The incidence of all cancers, and especially breast and colorectal cancers, are higher among Israeli Jews who were potentially exposed to the Holocaust compared with those who were not, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Even Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence
(11/05/2009)
Among women with small, node-negative breast cancers, those with tumors that are HER2-positive have a higher risk of cancer recurrence. This suggests that consideration of HER2-targeted therapy such as Herceptin® (trastuzumab) may be important, even for women with small tumors. These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
November Is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
(11/05/2009)
As the month of November brings pancreatic cancer into focus, it’s a great time to increase public understanding of the disease, including its prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated pancreatic cancer information throughout the year.
Oncophage® Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise Against Glioblastoma
(11/04/2009)
Among patients with recurrent or progressive, high-grade glioblastoma, treatment with the investigational Oncophage® (vitespen) cancer vaccine may improve survival. Preliminary results from a Phase II clinical trial were presented at the 2009 Joint Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/CNS section on tumors.
November Is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month
(11/04/2009)
As the month of November brings lung cancer into focus, it’s time to increase public understanding of the disease, including its prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated lung cancer information throughout the year.
Addition of Low-dose Interferon Alfa to Nexavar® Does Not Improve Kidney Cancer Outcomes
(11/03/2009)
In a Phase II clinical trial, the combination of low-dose interferon alfa and Nexavar® (sorafenib) did not appear to be any more effective than Nexavar alone for the treatment of metastatic renal cell (kidney) cancer. These results were published in Cancer.
Smoking Cessation Reduces Risk of Head and Neck Cancer
(11/03/2009)
Compared with people who continue to smoke, people who stop smoking have a 30% lower risk of head and neck cancer within one to four years of quitting, and a 77% lower risk after 20 years. Quitting alcohol also reduces the risk of head and neck cancer, but the benefit takes longer to become apparent. These results were published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Childhood Cancer Survivors at Risk for Thyroid Cancer
(11/02/2009)
Survivors of childhood cancer are 18 times more likely to develop thyroid cancer than the general population, according to the results of a study published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Lynch Syndrome Increases Risk of Pancreatic Cancer
(11/02/2009)
Lynch Syndrome, an inherited cause of colorectal cancer that also increases the risk of several other types of cancer, results in a risk of pancreatic cancer that is several times higher than the risk in the general population. These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Arzerra™ Approved for Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
(10/28/2009)
The targeted therapy Arzerra™ (ofatumumab) has received accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) that is refractory to Fludara® (fludarabine) and Campath® (alemtuzumab).
Hormone Replacement Therapy in Postmenopausal Women May Increase the Risk of Dying from Lung Cancer
(10/23/2009)
Postmenopausal women who received combined hormone replacement therapy with estrogen and progesterone were at an increased risk of dying from non–small cell lung cancer, according to the results of a study published in The Lancet.
Adjuvant Radiation Therapy May Improve Survival in Stage III Uterine Cancer
(10/22/2009)
Among women with node-positive Stage III uterine cancer, use of adjuvant (post-surgery) radiation therapy appears to improve survival. These results were published in Gynecologic Oncology.
Exercise Reduces Chemotherapy-related Fatigue
(10/21/2009)
Exercise reduces fatigue and improves strength, physical functioning, and emotional well-being in men and women undergoing chemotherapy, according to the results of a study published in the British Medical Journal.
Coffee Consumption May Reduce Risk of Uterine Cancer
(10/20/2009)
Coffee consumption may reduce the incidence of uterine cancer, especially among overweight and obese women, according to the results of a study published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Breast Tenderness During Hormone Replacement Linked with Increased Breast Cancer Risk
(10/19/2009)
Women who experience new-onset breast tenderness after starting postmenopausal hormone therapy with combined estrogen plus progestin may have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who do not experience breast tenderness. These results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.