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Today is Wednesday, August 20, 2008 |
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When this edition of Words To Live By was originally published, the links below opened active web pages. |
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News Headlines
Oral Minocycline
Reduces Cetuximab-Associated Papular Rash Top Advances Against Cancer in 2007 The American Society of Clinical Oncology has just
released its review of the top advances in cancer treatments, screening,
and prevention in 2007. A total of 24 advances are reported in the latest
report including the first systemic treatment for liver cancer, better
treatments for kidney cancer, the appropriate use of MRI in breast cancer
screening, the drop in HRT use tied to reduced incidence of breast cancers, the
human papilloma virus (HPV) connection to head and neck cancer, the use of
radiotherapy to control the spread of some lung cancers, and advances in the
development and use of targeted therapies. You can read the whole report
online
here. You can download a 5-minute podcast about the report
here.
Government
Moves Against Compounding Pharmacies The Food and Drug Administration sent
warning
letters to 7 pharmacies (located in California, Pennsylvania,
Texas and Arizona) that offer compounded medications. The warnings were issued
for ingredients used in and claims made for "bio-identical" Hormone Replacement
Therapy (BHRT) that these pharmacies make on site. The FDA said by calling these
products bio-identical, consumers might think that they are natural and superior
to prescription HRT. In particular, several of the pharmacies were cited for
claims made on their web sites that their BHRT would protect against heart
disease and breast cancer. In response, the
International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists issued a blistering
response, accusing the FDA of siding with big pharma and against
women. "Millions of Americans have unique health needs that
off-the-shelf prescription medicines cannot meet," the IACP said in the news
release.
Doctors and
Patients Cautioned Bisphsphonates are sometimes prescribed to cancer
patients to slow bone loss due to cancer or cancer treatments. These drugs are
sold under the brand names Actonel, Actonel+Ca, Aredia, Boniva, Didronel,
Fosamax, Fosamax+D, Reclast, Skelid, and Zometa.
Long-term use can lead to sometimes incapacitating pain in the bones, joints or
muscles. The side effect, while mentioned in the drugs' indications, is often
overlooked leading the FDA to issue an alert to doctors and consumers. "Healthcare
professionals should consider whether bisphosphonate use might be responsible
for severe musculoskeletal pain in patients who present with these symptoms and
consider temporary or permanent discontinuation of the drug,"
the agency advises. You can read more about the
use of bisphosphonates in cancer by typing bisphosphonate in the search
field here on cancerpage.
The FDA also warned doctors and patients about the growing clinical evidence
that the incorrect use of some anti-anemia drugs in cancer can increase
mortality and might even fuel cancer's growth. Read more
here on cancerpage,
and
here on the FDA site.
Top Science
Stories One of the most read science stories last year focused on the
increased risk of developing advanced prostate cancer in men who take too many
multivitamins. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported on
NCI research that showed that while multivitamin use has no impact on the risk
of developing localized prostate cancer, taking too many raises the risk of
advanced and fatal prostate cancer. You can re-read the story
here. In the Lab Constipation is a big problem for many cancer
patients. Almost 90% of cancer patients taking opioid pain killers will develop
"opioid-induced bowel dysfunction." Doctors often urge patients to take
steps like adjusting their diet and drinking more fluids to avoid what can
develop into a life threatening condition. Patients may even stop taking their
pain killers in an effort to get relief. Now researchers are focusing on
how to reduce the opioid's effect on the gastrointestinal tract without cutting
pain relief. Two drugs, alvimopan and methylnaltrexone,
are currently in clinical trials and show promise.
Read more about controlling constipation during cancer treatment
here on
cancerpage. |
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The weekly cancerpage.com newsletter,
Words To Live By, is intended for educational purposes only.
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