Among postmenopausal women with early, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer treated with either tamoxifen (Nolvadex®) or Arimidex® (anastrozole), the Oncotype DX test predicts the risk of distant cancer recurrence in both node-negative and node-positive patients. These results were published... Continue Reading

The addition of a urine test to standard cystoscopy screening in order to monitor for bladder cancer recurrence unnecessarily increases the cost of monitoring as well as the risk for a false-positive result and does not improve tumor detection, according to the results of a study presented at the... Continue Reading

The PCA3 urine test may help guide decisions about the need for repeat prostate biopsy in men with a negative initial biopsy but elevated PSA. These results were presented at the 2010 ASCO Genitourinary Cancer Symposium. Since the late 1980s, the primary screening tool for early detection of prostate... Continue Reading

Use of bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis may reduce the risk of breast cancer. The results of this study were published in the British Journal of Cancer. Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs used to prevent and treat osteoporosis and to reduce the risk of bone complications from bone metastases... Continue Reading

Among men with metastatic, hormone refractory prostate cancer that has progressed after Taxotere® (docetaxel)-based chemotherapy, the investigational chemotherapy drug cabazitaxel may improve survival. The results of this Phase III clinical trial will be presented at the ASCO 2010 Genitourinary... Continue Reading

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved expanded prescribing information for Velcade® (bortezomib). Velcade’s label now includes results from the VISTA study, which show that Velcade improves long-term overall survival among patients with previously untreated multiple myeloma. Multiple... Continue Reading

Women over the age of 40 are not likely to benefit from a vaccine designed to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.1 HPV has been shown to cause cervical cancer. Human papillomaviruses consist of more than... Continue Reading

Among women with HER2-positive, metastatic breast cancer that has progressed during treatment with Herceptin® (trastuzumab), the combination of Tykerb® (lapatinib) and Herceptin appears to be more effective than Tykerb alone. These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and... Continue Reading

According to the results of Phase II clinical trials, the investigational drug abiraterone appears to be active in men with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). These results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Current treatment options for prostate cancer include watchful waiting,... Continue Reading

Among women with advanced ovarian cancer, treatment with a combination of Avastin® (bevacizumab) and chemotherapy, followed by maintenance treatment with Avastin, may result in better progression-free survival than chemotherapy alone. Initial results of this Phase III clinical trial were made available... Continue Reading

Avastin® (bevacizumab) in combination with chemotherapy does not extend overall survival in patients with inoperable, advanced or metastatic stomach cancer, according to the results of a phase III trial released by Roche.[i] Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, has limited treatment options.... Continue Reading

The combination of Afinitor® (everolimus) and Temodar® (temozolomide) appears to be active against advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The details of this Phase I/II study were presented at the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.[1] Neuroendocrine... Continue Reading