Friday, March 05, 2010
Taxotere: Women who took chemo drug say they weren't warned of permanent hair loss
"The side effect of persistent alopecia is suffered by about 3 per cent of patients who take Taxotere with other chemotherapy drugs, according to the manufacturer's own studies. It has been clearly listed on the product monograph since December, 2006, says Laurent-Didier Jacobs, vice-president of medical affairs for Sanofi-aventis Canada. (A different study suggests the incidence of persistent alopecia could be as high as 6 per cent.)"
Radiation recall dermatitis triggered by multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors: sunitinib and sorafenib
Note: other treatments such as Gemzar/Gemcitabine have been noted in radiation recall
Accurate accumulation of dose for improved understanding of radiation effects in normal tissue
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2010 Mar
Jaffray DA, Lindsay PE, Brock KK, Deasy JO, Tomé WA.
Princess Margaret Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. david.jaffray@rmp.uhn.on.ca
Abstract:
The actual distribution of radiation dose accumulated in normal tissues over the complete course of radiation therapy is, in general, poorly quantified.
Differences in the patient anatomy between planning and treatment can occur gradually (e.g., tumor regression, resolution of edema) or relatively rapidly (e.g., bladder filling, breathing motion) and these undermine the accuracy of the planned dose distribution. Current efforts to maximize the therapeutic ratio require models that relate the true accumulated dose to clinical outcome. The needed accuracy can only be achieved through the development of robust methods that track the accumulation of dose within the various tissues in the body. Specific needs include the development of segmentation methods, tissue-mapping algorithms, uncertainty estimation, optimal schedules for image-based monitoring, and the development of informatics tools to support subsequent analysis. These developments will not only improve radiation outcomes modeling but will address the technical demands of the adaptive radiotherapy paradigm.
The next 5 years need to see academia and industry bring these tools into the hands of the clinician and the clinical scientist.
Molecular Profiling Uncovers a p53-Associated Role for MicroRNA-31 in Inhibiting the Proliferation of Serous Ovarian Carcinomas and Other Cancers
Note: miR-31 (rna/genome/gene)
"Our findings reveal that loss of miR-31 is associated with defects in the p53 pathway and functions in serous ovarian cancer and other cancers, suggesting that patients with cancers deficient in p53 activity might benefit from therapeutic delivery of miR-31."
p53 Autoantibodies as Potential Detection and Prognostic Biomarkers in Serous Ovarian Cancer
CONCLUSIONS: Antibodies to p53 are detected in the sera of 42% of patients with advanced serous ovarian cancer.
Impact: Although their utility as a preoperative diagnostic biomarker, beyond CA 125 and HE4, is limited, p53-AAb are prognostic for improved overall survival.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
Renal outcomes with different fixed-dose combination therapies in patients with hypertension at high risk for cardiovascular events (ACCOMPLISH)
Renal outcomes with different fixed-dose combination therapies in patients with hypertension at high risk for cardiovascular events (ACCOMPLISH): a prespecified secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.
INTERPRETATION: Initial antihypertensive treatment with benazepril plus amlodipine should be considered in preference to benazepril plus hydrochlorothiazide since it slows progression of nephropathy to a greater extent.
FUNDING: Novartis
Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study to Refine Management Recommendations for Women at Elevated Familial Risk of Breast Cancer: The EVA Trial.
CONCLUSION: In women at elevated familial risk, quality-assured MRI screening shifts the distribution of screen-detected breast cancers toward the preinvasive stage. In women undergoing quality-assured MRI annually, neither mammography, nor annual or half-yearly ultrasound or CBE will add to the cancer yield achieved by MRI alone.
Lasofoxifene in postmenopausal women with osteoporsis
CONCLUSIONS: In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, lasofoxifene at a dose of 0.5 mg per day was associated with reduced risks of nonvertebral and vertebral fractures, ER-positive breast cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke but an increased risk of venous thromboembolic events. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00141323.) 2010 Massachusetts Medical Society"
The clinicopathological characteristics of ‘triple-negative’ epithelial ovarian cancer -- JCO (China)
Note: other cell types of ovarian cancer were also compared in this study
"Conclusions: A novel (new) subtype of ovarian carcinoma, which is negative for ER, PR and HER2 expression, has been identified; this specific ovarian subtype tends to have aggressive characteristics and a poor prognosis, which is similar to triple-negative breast cancer in most respects. TNEOC should be considered in future investigations of informative classification of ovarian cancer."
U.S. FDA Recalls Flavor Enhancer Because of Salmonella Risk - in Public Health & Policy, Public Health from MedPage Today
Products on the recall list -- which can be found at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/HVPCP/ -- include Earth Island's Sweet and Sour Tofu, T. Marzetti's Southwest Ranch Veggie Dip, Trader Joe's Creamy Ranch Dressing and Dip, and Hawaiian brand potato chips.
full access: Challenges with engaging participants in behavioral intervention research
Summary and conclusions The challenges and recommendations outlined in this paper are informed by clinical trials of behavioral interventions in the context of HIV-infected populations. Although the specific nature of this trial may restrict the generalizability of the recommendations to other populations, illnesses, trial designs and intervention modalities, the general concepts are likely applicable across settings and are consistent with the limited literature on this topic.8,13 For example, there is a documented need to address expectations, motivations, and barriers to clinical trial participation across gender, race and ethnicity.12,13,16,17 The few sources that address these issues often do so in the context of engagement in treatment rather than clinical trials,18,19 and while there may be some attention to the needs of special populations such as homeless persons,20 this literature typically fails to consider issues unique to a research setting such as altruism and desire for financial incentives.17 Without effective techniques to maximize adherence to innovative health promotion interventions, investigators will struggle to compile empirical evidence of the intervention’s efficacy and eventual effectiveness.
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