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Featured Oncology News
Novartis Drug Afinitor Significantly Extended Time Without Disease Progression in Women with HER2 Positive Advanced Breast Cancer
(Novartis) May 17, 2013 - Results of a pivotal Phase III trial in women with HER2 positive (HER2+) advanced breast cancer showed that Afinitor (everolimus) tablets in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and vinorelbine significantly extended progression-free survival (PFS) after prior therapy when compared to treatment with placebo plus trastuzumab and vinorelbine, meeting the study's primary endpoint.
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U.K. to Pilot Illumina Genetic Test for Breast, Ovarian Cancer
(Bloomberg) May 20, 2013 - The U.K. is piloting a new genetic test developed by Illumina Inc. to help cancer patients and their doctors better identify appropriate treatments and help determine if relatives have cancer risk.
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MGH, AstraZeneca Partner to Create New Drug Combos
(Boston Globe) May 20, 2013 - Advances in genetic profiling have allowed doctors to match more of their cancer patients with treatments that will target their particular illnesses. But for some about one-third of cancer patients, there are no good matches, leaving them with only conventional chemotherapies and radiation.
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Oncology Clinical News
New Colonscope Provides Ground-Breaking View of Colon
(DDW 2013) May 18, 2013 - A ground-breaking advance in colonoscopy technology signals the future of colorectal care, according to research presented today at Digestive Disease Week (DDW). Additional research focuses on optimizing the minimal withdrawal time for colonoscopies and exploring safer methods for removing polyps.
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New Smartphone Application Improves Colonoscopy Preparation
(DDW 2013) May 18, 2013 - The use of a smartphone application significantly improves patients' preparation for a colonoscopy, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week (DDW).
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Mayo Clinic: Molecular Marker From Pancreatic 'Juices' Helps Identify Pancreatic Cancer
(Mayo Clinic) May 19, 2013 - Researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed a promising method to distinguish between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis - two disorders that are difficult to tell apart. A molecular marker obtained from pancreatic "juices" can identify almost all cases of pancreatic cancer, their study shows.
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Mayo Clinic: Inflammatory Bowel Disease Raises Risk of Melanoma
(Mayo Clinic) May 20, 2013 - Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at higher risk of melanoma, a form of skin cancer, report researchers at Mayo Clinic. Researchers found that IBD is associated with a 37 percent greater risk for the disease.
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Gastroenterologists Use New Technology to Detect Precancerous Cells
(URMC) May 20, 2013 - Esophageal adenocarcinoma is now the fastest growing form of cancer in the United States, but gastroenterologists at The Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have been using an innovative technology to detect precancerous cells in time to prevent disease progression.
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More Than One Third of Texas Women Still Receive Unnecessary Breast Biopsy Surgery
(University of Texas Medical Branch) May 16, 2013 - Research from the University of Texas Medical Branch published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that expensive, invasive surgical breast biopsies remained the first diagnostic step for 35 percent of women diagnosed with a breast mass between 2000 and 2008 in Texas.
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Commonly Used Catheters Double Risk of Blood Clots in ICU and Cancer Patients
(University of Michigan Health System) May 19, 2013 - U-M study finds peripherally inserted central catheters -- an often preferred route for delivery of IV medications -- increase risk of blood clots in sickest patients.
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Oncology Business and Policy News
Peregrine Pharma Agrees with FDA on Lung Cancer Trial Design
(Reuters) May 20, 2013 - Peregrine Pharmaceuticals said it reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the design of a late-stage trial for its experimental lung cancer drug.
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Puma Biotech Gains After Rival Drug Data Show No Threat
(Bloomberg) May 17, 2013 - Puma Biotechnology Inc., the maker of an experimental cancer drug, had its biggest two-day gain in seven months after data on a competitor medicine did nothing to diminish analysts' expectations.
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Effector Therapeutics Raises $45 Million
(San Diego Union-Tribune) May 20, 2013 - Effector Therapeutics, a San Diego-based startup, said today it has raised $45 million from a team of venture capital investors.
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Community Oncology Organizations, Clinics and Patients Support the Bipartisan "Preserve Community Cancer Care Act"
(Yahoo! Finance) May 20, 2013 - Bill would help seniors and community cancer clinics by offsetting some of the impact of the devastating sequestration cuts.
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Apply Now for the New ASCO Quality Training Program
(ASCO in Action) May 20, 2013 - ASCO is establishing the Quality Training Program to teach oncology providers to lead successful quality improvement activities in their practice settings. This six-month program begins in the fall and will offer comprehensive education and training for 15 interdisciplinary oncology teams.
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Joseph A. Sparano, MD, Named Vice Chair of ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
(ECOG-ACRIN) May 17, 2013 - The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group announced today that it has appointed Joseph A. Sparano, MD, as its Vice Chair.
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Consumer Watchdog: Most Sunscreens Meet FDA Standards, but Questionable SPF Ratings Persist
(Washington Post/Associated Press) May 19, 2013 - Despite long-awaited changes, many sunscreens continue to carry SPF ratings that some experts consider misleading and potentially dangerous, according to a consumer watchdog group.
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14-Year Term for Calif. Doc Promising Cancer Cure
(San Francisco Chronicle/Associated Press) May 17, 2013 - A Los Angeles doctor was sentenced Friday to 14 years in federal prison for bilking patients out of more than $1 million by promising them that an herbal supplement she hawked could cure late-stage cancer and other diseases.
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Broader Healthcare and Pharma News
Actavis to Buy Warner Chilcott in All-Stock Deal
(New York Times) May 20, 2013 - The generic drug maker Actavis agreed on Monday to buy Warner Chilcott, a smaller rival, for about $5 billion in stock, in the latest flurry of deal-making in the specialty drug industry.
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US FDA Issues Draft Guideline on Expanded Access to IND for Treatment; Expects Industry Views Before July 1
(PharmaBiz.com [India]) May 20, 2013 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now issued a draft guideline on expanded access to investigational new drugs (IND) for treatment use in a 21 questions and answers format.
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FDA Staff Says Merck's Sleep Drug Effective, Questions Dosage
(Reuters) May 20, 2013 - Merck & Co's experimental insomnia drug suvorexant appears generally effective, according to reviewers at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but they questioned the company's proposed dosing levels.
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Lundbeck-Takeda Drug Fights Depression Better at Higher Dose
(Bloomberg) May 18, 2013 - H. Lundbeck A/S, Denmark's second-largest drugmaker, said its experimental antidepressant Brintellix improved symptoms better in a higher dose in a late-stage U.S. study, as the medicine awaits regulatory approval.
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Correction to Thursday's Johnson & Johnson-Metal-on-Metal Hip-Products Story
(Morningstar/Dow Jones Newswires) May 17, 2013 - ("Johnson & Johnson to Discontinue Metal-on-Metal Hip Products," at 6:33 p.m. EDT on May 16, incorrectly implied that Johnson & Johnson had cited safety concerns as a reason for the market-share decline of metal-on-metal replacement hips, in the third paragraph.
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