Thursday, March 17, 2011
full free access: PLoS ONE: Comparison of Expression Profiles in Ovarian Epithelium In Vivo and Ovarian Cancer Identifies Novel Candidate Genes Involved in Disease Pathogenesis (Mar 15/2011)
Note: research/technical/primary focus on serous cell type
abstract: Low-grade serous primary peritoneal carcinoma
Objective
10% of women with serous ovarian cancer have low-grade carcinomas. These patients are diagnosed at a younger age, have a longer overall survival and a lower response rate to platinum-based chemotherapy compared to women with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. It remains unclear if these features are similar in women with low-grade primary peritoneal cancer (PPC). To further explore this issue, a retrospective analysis of the clinical and pathologic characteristics of women with low-grade serous PPC was performed.Conclusion
To our knowledge, this is the first report of women with low-grade serous PPC. Similar to low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, patients with low-grade serous PPC have high rates of persistent disease at the completion of primary treatment yet a long overall survival. Further study focusing specifically on low-grade serous ovarian and primary peritoneal carcinomas is needed to determine the optimal treatment of these diseases.Research Highlights
► This study is the first reported series of women with low-grade serous primary peritoneal cancer.► The pathogenesis and clinical behavior of low-grade serous ovarian and primary peritoneal are distinct from high-grade serous tumors.
► Women with low-grade primary peritoneal cancer have high rates of persistent disease at the completion of primary treatment, yet have a prolonged survival.
Does intraperitoneal chemotherapy benefit optimally debulked epithelial ovarian cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy?
Abstract
Objective
To compare survival of ovarian cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by intraperitoneal (IP) versus intravenous (IV) chemotherapy after optimal interval debulking.Conclusions
Survival benefit associated with IP chemotherapy after optimal upfront surgery may not translate to the neoadjuvant setting.Radical fimbriectomy: A reasonable temporary risk-reducing surgery for selected women with a germ line mutation of 1 or 2 genes? Rationale and preliminary development
index: Gynecologic Oncology V121 Issue1 April 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Alberta health board CEO lobbies doctors for patients' help
"....But more doctors are coming forward to discuss how the system hasn't let them speak freely because they face intimidation and punishment, says Independent legislative member Raj Sherman......."cont'd
Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Alberta+health+board+lobbies+doctors+patients+help/4452643/story.html#ixzz1GoiC9B2m
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Doctors 2.0 conference Paris 2011 - Speakers (includes Gilles Frydman/ACOR)
Speakers include:
Gilles Frydman is the head of ACOR, the Association of Cancer Online Resources, founded in 1995 in New York, and the largest online cancer patient community with 65 000 patients and caregivers. ACOR’s 159 electronic lists deliver approximately 1.5 million email messages weekly. The ACOR community has demonstrated its ability to accelerate the distribution of quality information regarding trials, treatments, pharmacovigilance.
Acta Oncologica - summary - Standardized FDG uptake as a prognostic variable and as a predictor of incomplete cytoreduction in primary advanced ovaria
Discussion. FDG uptake (SUVmax) in the primary tumor of patients with advanced ovarian cancer was not a prognostic variable and the FDG uptake did not predict complete cytoreduction after primary surgery. Future prospective clinical trials will need to clarify if other PET tracers can serve as prognostic variables in ovarian cancer.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Health Advocacy Organizations and the Pharmaceutical Industry: An Analysis of Disclosure Practices -- American Journal of Public Health selected articles
Note: this journal is by subscription ($$$)
AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Jan 13, 2011
© 2011 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2010.300027
GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, AND LAW |
Sheila M. Rothman is with the Division of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, and the Center for the Study of Society and Medicine,
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University. Victoria H. Raveis is with the Psychosocial Unit on Health, Ageing, and Community, New York University College of Dentistry, New
York. At the time of the study Anne Friedman was with the Center on Medicine as a Profession, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University. David J. Rothman is with the College
of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University.
Correspondence: Correspondence should be sent to Sheila M. Rothman, Center for the Study of Society and Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University,
630 West 168th St, PH 15-25, New York, NY 10032 (e-mail: smr4@columbia.edu). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the "Reprints/Eprints" button.
Health advocacy organizations (HAOs) are influential stakeholders in health policy. Although their advocacy tends to closely correspond with the pharmaceutical industry's
marketing aims, the financial relationships between HAOs and the pharmaceutical industry have rarely been analyzed.
We used Eli Lilly and Company's grant registry to examine its grant-giving policies. We also examined HAO Web sites to determine their grant-disclosure patterns.
Only 25% of HAOs that received Lilly grants acknowledged Lilly's contributions on their Web sites, and only 10% acknowledged Lilly as a grant event sponsor.
No HAO disclosed the exact amount of a Lilly grant.
As highly trusted organizations, HAOs should disclose all corporate grants, including the purpose and the amount. Absent this disclosure, legislators, regulators,
and the public cannot evaluate possible conflicts of interest or biases in HAO advocacy.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 | |  | |   M. Weinberg Patient Advocacy Organizations and Corporate Relationships Am J Public Health, April 1, 2011; 101(4): 582 - 583. [Full Text] [PDF] | |
eLetters:
Read all eLetters- Health Advocacy Organizations: Transparency is important and so is evidence
- Frances M Visco
- AJPH Online, 17 Jan 2011 [Full text]
- Patient Advocacy Organizations are Committed to Transparency
- Myrl Weinberg
- AJPH Online, 20 Jan 2011 [Full text]
- Re: Health Advocacy Organizations and the Pharmaceutical Industry: An Analysis
- Jack Harris, et al.
- AJPH Online, 24 Jan 2011 [Full text]
abstract: Patient Advocacy Organizations and Corporate Relationships -- Weinberg 101 (4): 582 -- American Journal of Public Health
April 2011, Vol 101, No. 4 | American Journal of Public Health 582-583
© 2011 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300087
LETTERS |
Myrl Weinberg is president of the National Health Council, Washington, DC.
Correspondence: Correspondence should be sent to Myrl Weinberg, National Health Council, 1730 M Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036-4561 (e-mail: mweinberg@nhcouncil.org). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the "Reprints/Eprints" link.
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The NHC agrees with Rothman et al. about the need for transparency.1 For this reason, any patient advocacy organization that wishes to join or retain its membership in the NHC must disclose funding received from corporations and present the information in an easily accessible manner within 6 months of the close
(NCCN) Updated Ovarian Cancer Guidelines Offer a New Treatment Choice
Note: this refers to the Japanese study published 2010 of weekly Taxol - search blog for the original study and additional commentaries
March 14, 2011 — The updated 2011 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Ovarian Cancer Guidelines have added a new treatment option — dose-dense paclitaxel — for the first-line treatment of stage II, III, or IV epithelial ovarian cancer.
The category 1 recommendation comes from data from the Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group, said panel chair Robert J. Morgan, MD, professor of medicine at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California, here at the NCCN 16th Annual Conference.
In a phase 3 open-label randomized controlled trial published in the Lancet (2009; 374:1331-1338), Noriyuki Katsumata and colleagues reported that dose-dense paclitaxel once a week in combination with carboplatin every 3 weeks for advanced ovarian cancer resulted in a significant survival advantage. The study concluded that paclitaxel and carboplatin given every 3 weeks is standard treatment for advanced ovarian carcinoma.
"This was an important addition," Dr. Morgan told Medscape Medical News........"
PharmaLive: Topotarget Announces Updates on Belinostat in Two Clinical Trials - NSCLC and Ovarian Cancer (negative study ovarian/Belinostat/Carboplatin)
Ovarian cancer – GOG 0126-T (NCI-driven study)
Preliminary analysis of GOG 0126-T trial has not shown enough activity to enter into second stage. Consequently the study will be ended.
The study
The study is an open-label single-arm phase II trial with belinostat in combination with carboplatin given to patients with ovarian cancer who progress during or shortly after first-line treatment with platinum containing chemotherapy. The trial is sponsored by the GOG with support from the NCI. Belinostat is administered as a 30-minute daily IV infusion on day one through five with carboplatin being administered on day three. Treatment is given every third week and is repeated until disease progression......
Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News - Gastros Outperform Oncologists in Recognition of Inherited CRC (Lynch Syndrome/PJS/FAP....extracolonic tumors)
Note: access is free/requires registration
"......Overall, physicians benefited from the educational intervention, scoring significantly higher on exams about genetic testing for Lynch syndrome, FAP and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome post-test than at baseline. The education session also significantly improved physicians’ recognition of Lynch syndrome family pedigrees and surveillance of the disease, but did not effectively enhance awareness of extra-colonic manifestations.
Although the educational intervention improved the ability of physicians to identify families with multiple members affected by CRC, it did not help them spot extra-colonic cancers in families with Lynch syndrome. Identifying extra-colonic cancers is important because Lynch syndrome increases a person’s risk for endometrial cancer and is associated with cancers of the stomach (6%-9%); ovaries (6%-12%); and ureter and renal pelvis (3%-8%) (and others), according to the Colon Cancer Alliance for Research and Education for Lynch Syndrome...........cont'd
"Ms. (Kate) Murphy has survived ovarian and breast cancer as well as three episodes of colon cancer."
abstract: Revised Bethesda Guidelines: compliance in identifying HNPCC affected families (Lynch Syndrome)
Conclusion
Based on these results, there is a marked incompliance with revised Bethesda guidelines when assessing patients with colorectal cancer. This has a significant impact on clinical pathways for the management of HNPCC (Lynch Syndrome) families.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
ABC News - Japan Earthquake: before and after photos (google earth)
Sun Mar 13, 2011 3:00pm AEDT
Aerial photos taken over Japan have revealed the scale of devastation across dozens of suburbs and tens of thousands of homes and businesses.Hover over each satellite photo to view the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami.
abstract: Pregnancy after adolescent and adult cancer: A population-based matched cohort study
"In summary, fertility-preserving attempts have succeeded in patients with ovarian or testicular cancer and in males with Hodgkin lymphoma."
abstract: Ovarian cancer linked to lynch syndrome typically presents as early-onset, non-serous epithelial tumors (endometrioid/clear cell cell types) MSH2 MSH6 MLH1
Ovarian cancer linked to lynch syndrome typically presents as early-onset, non-serous epithelial tumors.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Heredity is a major cause of ovarian cancer and during recent years the contribution from germline mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutations linked to Lynch syndrome has gradually been recognized.METHODS: We characterized clinical features, tumor morphology and mismatch repair defects in all ovarian cancers identified in Swedish and Danish Lynch syndrome families.
RESULTS: In total, 63 epithelial ovarian cancers developed at mean 48 (range 30-79) years of age with 47% being early stage (FIGO stage I). Histologically, endometrioid (35%) and clear cell (17%) tumors were overrepresented. The underlying MMR gene mutations in these families affected MSH2 in 49%, MSH6 in 33% and MLH1 in 17%. Immunohistochemical loss of the corresponding MMR protein was demonstrated in 33/36 (92%) tumors analyzed.
CONCLUSION: The combined data from our cohorts demonstrate that ovarian cancer associated with Lynch syndrome typically presents at young age as early-stage, non-serous tumors, which implicates that a family history of colorectal and endometrial cancer should be specifically considered in such cases.
abstract: Development and Validation of 11 Symptom Indexes to Evaluate Response to Chemotherapy for Advanced Cancer
Abstract
Recent guidance from the FDA discusses patient-reported outcomes as end points in clinical trials. Using methods consistent with this guidance, the authors developed symptom indexes for patients with advanced cancer. Input on the most important symptoms was obtained from 533 patients recruited from NCCN Member Institutions and 4 nonprofit social service organizations. Diagnoses included bladder, brain, breast, colorectal, head and neck, hepatobiliary/pancreatic, kidney, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancers and lymphoma. Physician experts in each of these diseases were also surveyed to differentiate symptoms that were predominantly disease-based from those that were predominantly treatment-induced. Results are evaluated alongside previously published indexes for 9 of these 11 advanced cancers that were created based on expert provider surveys, also implemented at NCCN Member Institutions. Final results are 11 symptom indexes that reflect the highest priorities of people affected by these 11 advanced cancers and the experienced perspective of the people who provide their medical treatment. Beyond the clinical value of such indexes, they may also contribute significantly to satisfying regulatory requirements for a standardized tool to evaluate drug efficacy with respect to symptomatology.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Penetrance (mutations) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Associated terminology
- complete penetrance. The allele is said to have complete penetrance if all individuals who have the disease-causing mutation have clinical symptoms of the disease.
- highly penetrant. If an allele is highly penetrant, then the trait it produces will almost always be apparent in an individual carrying the allele.
- incomplete penetrance or reduced penetrance. Penetrance is said to be reduced or incomplete when some individuals fail to express the trait, even though they carry the allele.
- low penetrance. An allele with low penetrance will only sometimes produce the symptom or trait with which it has been associated at a detectable level. In cases of low penetrance, it is difficult to distinguish environmental from genetic factors.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
News - Penn State Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Colorectal Cancer month/Lynch Syndrome excerpt
"Lynch syndrome, previously referred to as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer or HNPCC, represents the most common hereditary cause of colorectal cancer.
Approximately 1 in 400 to 1 in 500 individuals in the general population are estimated to have Lynch syndrome.
Knowledge, as they say, in this condition, is power. Not only should individuals with Lynch syndrome start their colonoscopies earlier (at 20-25 years of age) and have them more frequently (every 1-2 years), they should also be screened for stomach and small intestine cancer, urinary tract cancers involving the kidneys and ureters, and the hepatobiliary tract, including the gallbladder, bile duct, pancreas and liver.
Further, women with Lynch syndrome should be aware of the increased risk for both endometrial and ovarian cancer and offered the option of prophylactic surgery following childbearing."
March 2011: Hereditary Cancer in Clinical Practice | Full text | Lynch Syndrome - is breast cancer a feature?
Background
The debate on whether or not breast cancer is in the tumor spectrum for Lynch syndrome produces a conundrum for healthcare providers.
The classic tumor spectrum for Lynch Syndrome (LS) includes colon, endometrial, ovarian, stomach, small intestine, hepatobiliary, urinary tract and brain/central nervous system cancers. Muir-Torre Syndrome (MTS) is a variant of LS that is associated with additional skin lesions including sebaceous gland tumors and keratoacanthomas. MTS was observed in 28% of LS families when assessing for MTS skin lesions [1]. It has also been reported that 10-14% of individuals with MTS present initially with breast cancer [2,3]. An extensive study published in 2002 excluded breast cancer as part of the tumor spectrum associated with LS [4].
However, more recently it was reported that DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene deficiencies were identified in 51% of breast cancers arising in MMR mutation carriers [5]. Another study reported a male with an MLH1 mutation who had both colon and breast cancer. The breast cancer exhibited somatic reduction to homozygosity for the MLH1 mutation [6].
Here we report two unrelated families in which the proband has a germline MMR gene mutation and bilateral breast cancer, and one family in which the proband had ovarian and renal cancer and her daughter, maternal aunt and cousin had breast cancer at age 47, 59, and 48 respectively.
This raises the question are these breast cancers associated with the MMR mutations or a breast cancer susceptibility gene and what testing should be offered?
Conclusion
Our findings indicate that breast cancer is part of the spectrum of tumors in LS families in which the breast cancer segregates with the other LS associated tumors.Additional hereditary breast cancer gene testing may not be warranted in these circumstances. A future research goal is to perform IHC on the breast tumors from these families to determine if they show loss of expression of the MMR gene that is known to be altered.
....cont'd (full free access)
Doctor and Patient - When Doctors Make Mistakes - NYTimes.com
Note: forwarded from patient safety community, sad situation/s really
Number of U.S. Cancer Survivors Grows to Nearly 12 Million
Number of U.S. Cancer Survivors Grows to Nearly 12 Million
The number of cancer survivors in the United States increased from 3 million in 1971 to 11.7 million in 2007, according to a new study by CDC and the National Cancer Institute.
A cancer survivor is defined as anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through the balance of his or her life. Cancer survivors largely consist of people who are 65 years of age or older and women. Many people with cancer live a long time after diagnosis; more than a million people were alive in 2007 after being diagnosed with cancer 25 years or more earlier.
Of the 11.7 million people living with cancer in 2007—
- 7 million were 65 years of age or older.
- 6.3 million were women.
- 4.7 million were diagnosed 10 years earlier or more.
- Breast cancer survivors (22%).
- Prostate cancer survivors (19%).
- Colorectal cancer survivors (10%).
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6009a1.htm
TABLE. Estimated number of living persons ever diagnosed with cancer, by age group and cancer type --- United States, January 1, 2007 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cancer type | Age group (yrs) | Overall | |||||
0--19 | 20--39 | 40--64 | 65--84 | ≥85 | No. | (%) | |
Ovary | 1,033 | 10,357 | 79,225 | 73,230 | 13,315 | 177,162 | (1.5) |
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University (research institute vitamins/micronutriends/phytochemicals)
Researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute investigate the role that vitamins and essential minerals (micronutrients) and chemicals from plants (phytochemicals) play in human aging, immune function, and chronic diseases, especially heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. A major emphasis is to understand the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in disease etiology, and the preventive effects of dietary constituents with antioxidant or anti-inflammatory properties.
The goal of these studies is to understand the mechanisms by which diet, micronutrients, and dietary supplements affect disease initiation and progression and can be used in the prevention or treatment of human diseases, thereby enhancing lifespan and healthspan......cont'd
NIH/NCCAM
Center of Excellence
The Linus Pauling Institute is one of the nation's first two Centers of Excellence for Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine designated by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
ELC : Imedex e-learning center March 8th, 2011 video (30 min) interviews from SGO
Note: requires password/registration to view videos (free), risk factors, hereditary, KRAS mutation/variant (in many other cancers as well), MiRnA, ICON7 (Avastin).....
Featured Activity:
Best of the Day: 2011 Society of Gynecologic Oncologists Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer
Dr Bradley Monk interviews 6 nationally recognized experts in GYN oncology about their interpretations of clinically relevant data presented at the annual meeting. Drs Deborah Armstrong, Barbara Goff, Tom Herzog, Warner Huh, Robert Coleman, and Robert Burger comprise the esteemed faculty.
update on ovariancancerandus blog stats - just for fun
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2011 journal issues - current content listings Jan/March 2011 including supplement (SGO meeting)
Articles in Press | Volume 120 (2011) | |
| Volume 120, Issue 3 - selected pp. 317-492 (March 2011) Technologic Innovations and Novel Surgical Approaches for Patients with Gynecologic Malignancies | |
| Volume 120, Issue 2 pp. 165-316 (February 2011) | |
 | Volume 120, Issue 1 pp. 1-164 (January 2011) | |
| Volume 120, Supplement 1 pp. S1-S150 (March 2011) ABSTRACTS PRESENTED FOR THE 42ND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGISTS, ABSTRACTS PRESENTED FOR THE 42ND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGISTS | |
Journal Gynecologic Oncology, Volume 120, Supplement 1, Pages S1-S150 (March 2011) abstracts to be presented at 2011 annual SGO meeting
Note: this journal is by subscription ($$$) for full access, the actual abstracts via this indexed list are not available - titles of presentations only - abstracts either have been previously published or to come
Volume 120, Supplement 1, Pages S1-S150 (March 2011)
ABSTRACTS PRESENTED FOR THE 42ND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGISTS
Orlando, FL USA
March 2011
financial news: Healthcare Stock on Watch; Vermillion (OVA1) climbs on Poster Presentation | Beacon Equity: Penny Stocks, Stock Alerts
Healthcare Stock on Watch; Vermillion climbs on Poster Presentation
Vermillion Inc. (NASDAQ: VRML) shares are up nearly 2.5% to $4.99 mid-day on word of the company’s poster presentation of its preliminary results from its collaboration with John Hopkins University School of Medicine to identify biomarkers that improve the identification of malignant ovarian tumors.
The poster evaluated more than 20 candidate biomarkers for their ability to complement the company’s CA125 in distinguishing benign ovarian tumors from malignant ones.
The poster evaluated more than 20 candidate biomarkers for their ability to complement the company’s CA125 in distinguishing benign ovarian tumors from malignant ones.
Medical News: Bevacizumab Value in Ovarian Cancer Questioned - in Clinical Context, Ovarian Cancer from MedPage Today
Note: the actual study including those related to Avastin/breast cancer were previously posted (on this blog) but this particular Medscape article may be easier to read.
Search blog (top left hand column or sidebar) via key word Avastin.
NCI Cancer Bulletin Mar 2011: Ovarian Cancer Study Raises Questions about Developing Markers for Early Detection
IMPORTANT/Blogger's Note: longterm ovarian cancer survivours and caregivers will recall the historical 'hype' on new early detection tests - caution advised and confirming this as per the NCI Bulletin below (LPA would be one example only)
"A long-awaited assessment of potential biomarkers for detecting early ovarian cancer shows that blood levels of the CA-125 protein remain the best predictor of the disease. But if there is to be any hope that screening will reduce deaths from this disease, then more accurate markers would have to be developed, researchers concluded in the March Cancer Prevention Research. (note: also see blog postings for related abstracts)
None of the 28 potential serum markers tested in the study outperformed CA-125. But for screening, the researchers noted, doctors would need a test that could detect a signal from tumors more than 6 months before diagnosis; CA-125 had its strongest signal within 6 months of diagnosis.
Although the results may seem disappointing, the findings can inform future efforts to detect the disease early, the study authors wrote. This idea was echoed by several biomarker experts who were not involved in the work but who stressed the importance of the findings......."cont'd
2011 March Cancer Prevention Research articles/references: Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Performance in Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial Specimens — Cancer Prev Res
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