November 2007

The Academy delivers the latest news on biotech and oncology research, providing a link between the clinical world of cancer care and the university researchers who are pushing the envelope of knowledge and discovery. In this issue: 1) Paterson Institute at the University of Manchester, UK: New Drug Shows Promise for Childhood Cancers 2) University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center: African-American Women Suffer Worse From Breast Cancer 3) University of Montreal: Nomogram Predicts Prostate Cancer Life Expectancy 4) Johns Hopkins Medicine: Research Shows How Vitamin C Fights Cancer 5) University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: Virus Designed to Kill Brain Tumor Stem Cells Genomic Tests for Breast Cancer Decisions

New data recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology has provided a degree of hopeful news to oncologists and their patients, suggesting that progress is being made in the fight against cancer and that a number of trends are pointing toward continued gains.

News articles featured in this issue include: 1) Off-Label Use of Oncology Medications 2) More Work to Do on Breast Cancer Guideline Adoption 3) Multiple Biopsies Are Needed to Diagnose Prostate Cancer 4) Which Model Best Predicts Which Women Will Test Positive for BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 Mutations? 5) More Evidence in Favor of Virtual Colonoscopy 6) National Provider Identifier 7) Pharmacogenomic Field Advances in Lung Cancer

Physicians' Financial News focuses on newsmaking and/or notable companies in the oncology/biotech sector. In this issue: 1) Pharmion: Oncology-Centered Focus Fuels Continued Pharmion Growth 2) Bristol-Myers Squibb: Treatment-Resistant Breast Cancer Targeted 3) Merger-Mania Poised to Envelop Biotech Sector? 4) GlaxoSmithKline: Oral Therapy Option Offered for Small-Cell Lung Cancer Relapse 5) Immunomedics,Inc.: Immunomedics Wins Pancreatic Cancer Patent 6) ZymoGenetics: Promising Kidney Cancer Therapy Moves Toward Phase II

The European Commission has granted marketing authorization to sorafenib (Nexavar) for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. Nexavar, an oral anticancer drug, is the first approved systemic therapy for HCC and the only one shown to significantly improve overall survival in patients with the disease.

Blood clots and their complications are a major cause of death in cancer patients, and affect up to 20% of persons with cancer at some point in their treatment.

The Clinical Trials Reported in this issue include: PHASE III: 1) Trastuzumab and Anastrozole Extend Breast Cancer Survival in Patients Who Received Anastrozole Alone Earlier PHASE II: 1) Motexafin for Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer 2) Oral Satraplatin Monotherapy for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer Shows Little Response 3) First-Line Treatment for Metastatic Breast Cancer 4) Breast Cancer Treatment With Sorafenib 5) Colorectal Cancer Treatment With Cetuximab plus FOLFOX-4 6) Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Improves the Treatment of Advanced Gastric Cancer

Articles in this issue include: 1) Italy: Is the Knee Bone Connected to the Lung? 2) Turkey: Gabapentin Helps Opioid Treatment Alleviate Neuropathic Pain 3) China: Is a Blood Test for Early Diagnosis of Liver Cancer Within Reach? 4) Israel: Evidence Supports Finasteride's Utility, not Associated With Advanced Prostate Cancer 5) Spain: Prolonging Survival in Pediatric Patients With High-Grade Brainstem Gliomas 6) Netherlands: Long-Term Study Better Delineates Risks in Testicular Cancer Treatment 7) Sweden: Acupuncture Ineffective for Radiotherapy-Induced Nausea

The 14th annual European Cancer Conference, sponsored by the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO), was held September 23-27 in Barcelona, Spain. The results of numerous major clinical trials were presented, along with an increasing wealth of new preclinical and translational data. This exciting new information offers opportunities to consider new treatment approaches both in the research and practice settings.

In this issue, we present updates from the 14th European Cancer Conference (ECCO), which took place September 23-27 in Barcelona, Spain. This year's meeting provided one of the largest multidisciplinary forums for discussing the entire spectrum of cancer research and management. It included Europe�s latest research, with the focus on translating science into better clinical practice.