Saturday, February 28, 2009
Health Canada: Cancer
related Globe and Mail article with reader commentaries:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090226.wcancer26/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Current role and future aspects of Topotecan in relapsed ovarian cancer
"A number of alternative dosing regimens and formulations have been investigated in an attempt to improve the toxicity profile of topotecan without compromising anti-tumour activity. A novel oral formulation of topotecan has shown clinical promise in patients with advanced and relapsed disease. Administration of i.v. topotecan on a weekly basis produced encouraging results in several phase II trials, with less haematological toxicity and similar response rates to the day 1-5 regimen."
Old Bones, New Data: Emmett Hall, Private Insurance and the Defeat of Pharmacare :: Vol. 4 No. 3 2009 :: Healthcare Policy / Politiques de Santé :: Longwoods Publishing
"The class war? We lost. Catastrophically."
pharma press release: Phenoxodiol/OVATURE
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid={40DC8D57-A36F-4DA7-A132-83469C5C89F8}&siteid=nbkh
Phase III Phenoxodiol Clinical Trial for Ovarian Cancer Continues
"The OVArian TUmor REsponse (OVATURE) trial is a major multi-center multinational Phase III clinical trial of orally administered phenoxodiol in combination with carboplatin in women with advanced ovarian cancer resistant or refractory to platinum-based drugs, to determine its safety and effectiveness when used in combination with carboplatin. More information on the trial can be found at http://www.OVATUREtrial.com.
The OVATURE trial is recruiting ovarian cancer patients whose cancer initially responded to chemotherapy, but has since become resistant or refractory to traditional platinum treatments. The trial consists of two double blind treatment arms. Patients in one trial arm are receiving weekly carboplatin and phenoxodiol. Patients in the other trial arm are also receiving weekly carboplatin, but a placebo (an inactive control pill) is substituted for phenoxodiol. Neither patients nor their doctors know to which trial arm the patients are randomly assigned.
A change from receiving platinum in the traditional dose pattern (every two to three weeks) to a weekly dosing regimen has been reported to provide a tumor response in some patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.(2-4) Thus, in addition to learning more about the safety and efficacy of phenoxodiol, researchers will learn more about the efficacy and safety of weekly carboplatin.
The primary outcome of the trial is the assessment of the relative time it takes for the ovarian cancer to progress. An analysis of interim results will be possible after patient recruitment to this study is completed and 95 patients have disease progression.
Patients are being recruited at hospital sites across the USA, UK, Europe and Australia. The trial design has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) program, and provides for an interim analysis of the data, which, if statistically significant, can be used to support a request for accelerated marketing approval."
U.S. Patient Safety community - Tell It Like It Is!
Note: While this article is specific to the U.S., the basis/assumptions would be of significance to the many.
e-ESO Online educational resource - online - Advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: Are there improvements in first and second line treatment?
e-Grandrounds CME:
GR36 - 19 February 2009
Expert: Jan B. Vermorken, University Hospital of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
Discussant: Sergio Pecorelli, University of Brescia, Ospedali Civili, Brescia, Italy"
Monday, February 23, 2009
Surgery for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: Role of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis: exploratory analysis DESKTOP 1 trial about risk factors, surgical .....
Surgery for Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: Role of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis: Exploratory Analysis of the DESKTOP I Trial About Risk Factors, Surgical Implications, and Prognostic Value of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis
ecancer.tv: Ovary and Gynaecology (5 video presentations)
Ovary and Gynaecology:
1) prophylactic surgery for BRCA Dr Wood U.S.;
2) executive summary (discussion of future ECCO congress) video;
3) Prof Douglas Easton 10 new genes increase risk of breast cancer UK; 4) Dr Monk (sea squirt also known as Trabectedin/Ecteinascidin/ET-743/Yondelis ) U.S.;
5) Prof Michael Friedlander (can't quite understand the therapy he speaks of) Australia (oral inhibitor antiogenesis).
For other videos select main page of website.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Health Consumer Council
Health Consumer Council
"International Health Rights Consumers International
The Rights of Patients
Prescription for healthy consumers
All patients have the right to:
1. appropriate and accessible health care
2. freedom from discrimination
3. information and education
4. choose a doctor or other health worker
5. choose a health care establishment
6. informed consent about treatment
7. participate in their own health care
8. respect, privacy, confidentiality and dignity
9. complain
10. redress in the event of injury."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Cancer Patients Versus Cancer Survivors: Social and Emotional Consequences of Word Choice -- abstract
Cancer Patients Versus Cancer Survivors: Social and Emotional Consequences of Word Choice -- Mosher and Danoff-Burg 28 (1): 72 -- Journal of Language and Social Psychology
Cancer Patients Versus Cancer Survivors
Social and Emotional Consequences of Word Choice
State University of New York, Albany, mosherc@mskcc.org
State University of New York, Albany
Two studies examined the social and emotional implications of different linguistic classifications of individuals with cancer. Undergraduates were randomly assigned to rate their reactions to either cancer patients or cancer survivors. Across studies, participants held more favorable perceptions of the character of cancer survivors relative to cancer patients and displayed more positive attitudes toward the former group. In addition, participants in Study 1 reported greater willingness to interact with cancer survivors compared with cancer patients. Positive perceptions of prognosis did not appear to account for favorable attitudes toward cancer survivors; most participants in Study 2 did not assume that cancer survivors were beyond the treatment phase of their illness or cured of their disease. Findings point to a potentially powerful effect of word choice on reactions to individuals with cancer.
Key Words: cancer • perceptions • attitudes
Monday, February 09, 2009
UK - Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder study
http://tinyurl.com/cglvlf
02.02.09
Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study Advisory Panel announced Women with ovarian cancer and senior healthcare professionals and researchers are joining together to shape this important study.
Target Ovarian Cancer today announced the members of the independent advisory panel who are overseeing the groundbreaking Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study. They include patient and relative representation in addition to a wide range of senior healthcare professionals and researchers involved in diagnosing, treating and caring for women with ovarian cancer......cont'd
............................................................................................
Media resources (click on link to Media): Note the last sentence for the call for ovarian cancer participants:
Welcome to the Target Ovarian Cancer media hub. You'll find a host of media friendly materials here such as the stories of women living with ovarian cancer plus our latest news releases.
In the coming months we will be adding more and more unique data to this section making it a genuine 'hub' of ovarian cancer news and real life stories.
Right now, we are asking media to assist in our search for women with ovarian cancer, specialist gynae cancer nurses, clinicians and researchers to take part in the Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study. It is the first national study of its kind devoted to mapping the gaps in current patient care, clinical research, funding and identifying the routes forward for ovarian cancer management. All working towards our aim of a long and good life for every woman with ovarian cancer.
Nationally, March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, so if you are planning a feature, please do include a 'call to action' for people to enroll in the Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study via www.targetovarian.org.uk . Our recruitment will continue on an ongoing basis.
Progestins in HRT: Sufferance or desire?
ScienceDirect - Maturitas : Progestins in HRT: Sufferance or desire?
".... recent epidemiological data may have been not only wrongly translated in relation to the clinical settings, but also to the whole class of therapies. The various progestins available for hormonal therapy exert different partial effects at cellular level according to the biochemical composition."
Markman: Intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the management of ovarian cancer: focus on carboplatin
article: http://www.dovepress.com/intraperitoneal-chemotherapy-in-the-management-of-ovarian-cancer-focus-peer-reviewed-article
open text pdf file: http://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=4267
Worth noting:
Finally, as it is known that patients with “high risk”
early stage ovarian cancer have a 30% to 50% chance of
experiencing recurrence of the disease process, and those
recurrences are largely within the peritoneal cavity, it is
perhaps reasonable to consider delivering some, or perhaps
all, of a planned adjuvant chemotherapy approach via the
intraperitoneal route.
"N.E.D." :: UNC doctor-rockers score record deal
WRAL.com :: UNC doctor-rockers score record deal
N.E.D's music is rock, but with a niche all its own: It's Gynecologic Oncology rock – with a mission.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Role of surgical outcome as prognostic factor in AEOC: a combined exploratory analysis of 3 prospectively randomized ph 3 trials
Wiley InterScience :: JOURNALS :: Cancer
CONCLUSIONS:The goal of primary surgery should be complete resection. The prognostic impact of tumor biology seemed to be partially overruled by residual tumor and further evaluation of biologic factors should stratify for residual tumor.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
globeandmail.com: Breast cancer risk, HRT link confirmed - Comments
globeandmail.com: Breast cancer risk, HRT link confirmed - Comments
(S Pniauskas, from Canada) wrote: Most of these unresolved issues stem from the well know publication of the WHI study (Women's Health Initiative). It is important to view this related research as it applies to oneself and in conjunction with a knowledgeable health care provider. The WHI publication authors acknowledged the media events were damaging and did not adequately relay pertinent or clear information to neither the consumer/public nor health care providers - so a lesson not well learned.
Further, there is a significant population of women for whom the WHI did not address which includes pre-menopausal women and those surgically and/or treatment-related induced menopause. For these women, and in particular, for those with surgically induced menopause, a one-size fits all - does not. There are significant differences between natural menopause and surgically/treatment-related menopause.
This Future Medicine editorial may be of interest:
http://tinyurl.com/cmgxek
HRT/ERT/MRT is an area of concern not only to breast cancer women (those at risk of whom there are many) but also those genetically predisposed to breast, ovarian, uterine (endometrial) and colo-rectal women.
A blanket statement on definitve implications is impossible at the moment. While some criticize the many post analyses in sub-groups of the WHI, it is necessary due to the often critical and criticized absences of important information that was not included in the WHI.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Commentary: The National Pharmaceuticals Strategy: Rest in peace, revive or renew?
cmaj.082087v1.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Table 1: International comparisons of prescription drug access, affordability, quality and safety
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
PLoS Medicine - Ovarian Carcinoma Subtypes Are Different Diseases: Implications for Biomarker Studies
PLoS Medicine - Ovarian Carcinoma Subtypes Are Different Diseases: Implications for Biomarker Studies
Note: (funding) Cheryl Brown was an ovarian cancer survivour and was one of the original founders of Ovarian Cancer Canada.
"Cheryl Brown Ovarian Cancer Outcomes Unit, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada"
Why Was This Study Done?
Although it is usually regarded as a single disease, there are actually several distinct subtypes of ovarian carcinoma. These are classified according to their microscopic appearance as high-grade serous, low-grade serous, clear cell, endometrioid, and mucinous ovarian carcinomas. These subtypes develop differently and respond differently to chemotherapy. Yet scientists studying ovarian carcinoma usually regard this cancer as a single entity, and current treatment protocols for the disease are not subtype specific. Might better progress be made toward understanding ovarian carcinoma and toward improving its treatment if each subtype were treated as a separate disease? Why are some tumors confined to the ovary, whereas the majority spread beyond the ovary at time of diagnosis? In this study, the researchers address these questions by asking whether correlations between the expression of “biomarkers” (molecules made by cancer cells that can be used to detect tumors and to monitor treatment effectiveness) and the stage at diagnosis or length of survival can be explained by differential biomarker expression between different subtypes of ovarian carcinoma. They also address the question of whether early stage and late stage ovarian carcinomas are fundamentally different.
PLoS Medicine - Ovarian Cancer: A Clinical Challenge That Needs Some Basic Answers
PLoS Medicine - Ovarian Cancer: A Clinical Challenge That Needs Some Basic Answers
From a clinical perspective, epithelial ovarian cancer is something of an enigma. Despite improvements in aggressive debulking surgery and the initial good response of patients to platinum-based chemotherapies, there has been little improvement in the survival rates for over three decades..... About 65% of women with epithelial ovarian cancer will die within five years of their diagnosis [1].
Unfortunately, there are no effective biomarkers that can identify early-stage disease and no reliable prognostic markers for predicting clinical response and guiding treatment regimes. Furthermore, there remains intense debate about the cellular origins, precursor lesions, and histological classification of the disease. With so many unknowns, it is perhaps not surprising that progress in reducing mortality in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer has been so limited.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Anlaysis of hMLH1 and hMSH2 expression Cisplating-treated ovarian cancer patients
HighWire Press -- Medline Abstract
"CONCLUSION: The immunohistochemical expression of hMLH1 and hMSH2 proteins in ovarian cancer has no predictive value in resistance to cisplatin."
Dietary patterns and ovarian cancer risk
Dietary patterns and ovarian cancer risk -- Kolahdooz et al. 89 (1): 297 -- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
"Conclusions: A diet characterized by high meat and fat intake may increase the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer. A diet high in fruit and vegetables was not associated with reduced risk."
The Surprisingly Complex World of e-Communities -
The Surprisingly Complex World of e-Communities -
CHAPTER FOUR (See Summary)
Contents
[hide]- 1 The Surprisingly Complex World of e-Communities
- 1.1 Online Support Communities
- 1.2 This is Crazy! This Information Needs to be Saved!
- 1.3 Braintalk: An e-Patient-driven Online Educational and Support Community
- 1.4 Building from the Bottom Up
- 1.5 Online Groups Supplement, but Don't Replace, Doctors
- 1.6 Forgotten Heroes
- 1.7 Evidence of the Effectiveness of Online Groups
- 1.8 Putting a Human Face on Medical Information
- 1.9 Practical Day-to-Day Illness Management Advice
- 1.10 e-Groups Are Always There
- 1.11 Providing Continuing Support for the Incurable
- 1.12 Special Benefits for Those with Rare Conditions
- 1.13 A Godsend for Those with Limited Access to Professional Care
- 1.14 Keeping Up on the State of the Art for Your Condition
- 1.15 References
REPOST: e-Patients: How they can help us heal healthcare
Main Page -
Table of Content
- Editors' Note and Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword by Lee Rainie and Susannah Fox
- Preface
- Introduction
- Hunters and Gatherers of Medical Information
- Content, Connectivity, and Communityware
- Patient-Centered Networks: Connected Communities of Care
- The Surprisingly Complex World of e-Communities
- e-Patients as Medical Researchers
- Learning from e-Patients
- The Autonomous Patient and the Reconfiguration of Medical Knowledge
Abstract | Large family with both parents affected by distinct BRCA1 mutations: implications for genetic testing
Abstract | Large family with both parents affected by distinct BRCA1 mutations: implications for genetic testing
Ideally, all family members affected by breast or ovarian tumor disease have to be subjected to the DNA testing, and failure to detect the mutation in any of them calls for the search of the second cancer-associated allele."
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