Treatment

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Trial Shows Adding Pixantrone to Rituxan Helps Fight Relapsed Indolent NHLs

At a recent conference, CTI presented results from a study of Rituxan versus Rituxan plus pixantrone in 38 relapsed or refractory patients who had previously failed up to five prior treatments for indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Patients receiving the combination of Rituxan and pixantrone had an 87 percent overall improvement in Time to Progression compared to Rituxan alone (13.2 months vs. 8.1 months). The one- and two-year progression-free survival estimates were 66 percent and 44 percent for the pixantrone/Rituxan recipients compared to zero percent for the Rituxan patients.

Follow-up Needed for Cancer Survivors

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) responded today to the latest Institute of Medicine (IOM) report addressing adult cancer survivorship with a plea to cancer survivors to take action in their own post-treatment health care. The IOM report, From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition, confirms that there is no system of post-treatment care for cancer survivors in the United States and that people are suffering as a result.

Risk of Second Cancers Unaffected by Transplant

The Journal of Clinical Oncology reports this month that compared to treatment with conventional therapy alone, treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma with conventional therapy followed by high-dose therapy + autologous stem-cell transplantation does not further increase the risk of second cancers.

Flu Shot Season Opens

Flu shots are now available from most medical establishments in the US. Unlike last year, it is estimated that there will be sufficient vaccine for all people who want one to get it. Private doctors, some pharmacies, and some employers give shots.

If you are sick, undergoing chemo, have medical issues, or just have concerns you should talk to your doctors before getting the shot. In my case, my doctor says I should get one, yours might say differently.

GlaxoSmithKline Announces Approval of ARRANON(R) (nelarabine)

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ARRANON(R) (nelarabine), a chemotherapy agent, treating patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) whose disease has not responded to or has relapsed following treatment with at least two chemotherapy regimens. This use is based on the induction of complete responses.

FDA gives Rituxan priority review

Genentech Inc. and Biogen Idec Inc. said on Tuesday their cancer drug Rituxan will get a speedy review from U.S. regulators for the treatment of aggressive, but previously untreated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Genentech and Biogen Idec already sell Rituxan as a treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The companies are seeking approval for the drug as a first-line therapy for patients with intermediate grade or aggressive, CD20-positive, B-cell, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), in combination with chemotherapy.

CD19-Targeted Monoclonal Antibody May Be The Next Good Thing

A new monoclonal antibody that targets B cells could prove to be as effective as rituximab (Rituxan) for treating non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), as well as other lymphomas and leukemias, Duke University researchers are reporting. Many lymphomas are of B cell origin.

New Treatments for Follicular Lymphoma Dramatically Increase Survival

New treatment advances for patients with follicular lymphoma, previously considered a near incurable cancer, have reduced deaths in the first four years by 70 percent. A newly published study recommends that doctors carefully choose their patients' initial therapies because there are significant differences in overall survival rates, according to researchers at the Univ. of Rochester Medical Center's Wilmot Cancer Center.

ABVD Remains Best Treatment for Advanced Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

According to the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the chemotherapy regimen ABVD appears to remain the best treatment option for advancedHodgkin’s lymphoma.

Doctors Can Halve Radiation Dose for Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Halving the usual dose of radiation and combining it with chemotherapy can produce high survival rates in people with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma.

That finding was presented Monday by German researchers at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in Denver, Colorado.

The researchers noted that, if caught early, Hodgkin's lymphoma can be cured and most patients live for many years after their diagnosis. However, they often have to cope with side effects of radiation treatment.