All News

ATLANTA ? Adding Avastin (bevacizumab) to either standard chemotherapy or Tarceva (erlotinib) may improve progression-free survival in advanced non-small-cell-lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a phase II study reported here today.

PHILADELPHIA ? As anticipated, young children were better protected from death in car crashes by child safety seats than by seat belts, according to researchers here.

AARHUS, Denmark ? Children born prematurely and those born at term but with low birth weights have an increased risk of developing so-called hyperkinetic disorder, according to researchers here.

BOSTON - A cascade of untoward events can ensue from a false-positive result on newborn screening for genetic disorders, particularly if the parents are not properly briefed by a clinician.

STOCKHOLM – A protein produced by urinary tract epithelial cells, which appears within minutes of the onset of a urinary tract infection, seems to have potent antimicrobial effects.

ATLANTA ? Switching to Aromasin (exemestane), an aromatase inhibitor, as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer after two to three years of tamoxifen may increase disease-free survival, according to mature results of a trial of postmenopausal women.

ATLANTA ? Sutent (sunitinib), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and refractory gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), has also hinted at efficacy for recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

ATLANTA ? With a new class of drugs, researchers are on the trail of killer receptors on the surface of cancer cells.

ATLANTA ? Five years of breast cancer adjuvant therapy with an aromatase inhibitor, can lead to a 6% to 7% loss of bone mineral density, a trigger for osteoporosis for women who are borderline osteopenic when they begin treatment, investigators reported here.

ATLANTA ? The FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) unanimously recommended approval of Sprycel (dasatinib) for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients who are refractory or intolerant to Gleevec (imatinib mesylate).

ATLANTA ? Older age is no barrier to platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), researchers reported here.

ATLANTA ? For women with HER2-positive breast cancer who develop Herceptin (trastuzumab) resistance, the investigational drug Tykerb (lapatinib) in combination with Xeloda (capecitabine) essentially doubles time to progression compared with Xeloda monotherapy, investigators reported here.

LOS ANGELES ? Although there is little argument about the sun's powerful role in basal-cell and squamous-cell carcinoma, the influence of solar radiation in malignant melanoma etiology is less clear cut.

ZURICH, Switzerland ? The Swiss drug-treatment policy of offering heroin addicts substitution treatment with methadone or buprenorphine led to a decline in the number of new heroin users, according to a study.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Despite a widely believed old wives' tale, having sex near the end of pregnancy won't speed up the start of labor. In fact, a new study shows, it might even delay the birth by a few days.

Plumbing analogies can help asymptomaticpatients comprehend the seriousnessof elevated lipid and bloodpressure levels.

I have read that the concurrent use of an NSAID and an angiotensin-convertingenzyme (ACE) inhibitor may impair the antihypertensive effect of the ACEinhibitor. What is the mechanism of this interaction?

In his Photo Essay, “Hazards of Immobilizing Musculoskeletal Injuries” (CONSULTANT,January 2002, page 72), Dr John Connolly points out problems causedwhen ankle injuries are splinted incorrectly in equinus, resulting in excessiveswelling.