Archived Oncology News Headlines
We have been archiving all OBR daily news stories since March 2008. Use the box below to search our archives for specific articles and content.
Please note: we do not "host" news articles on our website. When a media source removes an article from their website the link becomes inactive, and you will only be able to see the date, title, first sentence and media source that published the article.
FDA Approves Drug for Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer
(FDA) Dec 29, 2008 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the injectable drug degarelix, the first new drug in several years for prostate cancer.
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Merck Serono: Study Published in JCO Shows Erbitux Enhances Efficacy in mCRC Patients with KRAS Wild-Type Tumors in 1st-Line Setting
(MedicalNewsToday.com) Jan 5, 2009 - A study published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology demonstrates that the addition of Erbitux® (cetuximab) to standard oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (FOLFOX-4) in previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with KRAS wild-type tumors results in significantly higher efficacy than chemotherapy alone.
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Patient’s DNA May Be Signal to Tailor Medication
(New York Times) Dec 29, 2008 - Genetic tests can show which patients are suited to which drugs, but obstacles remain for personalized medicine.
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Who Pays for a Cancer Drug?
(Forbes Magazine) Jan 12, 2009 - President-elect Obama will have to choose: more diversity on the pharmacy's shelves or less at the cash register. He says he wants both, but he's going to get only one or the other--more drugs to fit more biochemical profiles, or lower, more uniform drug prices negotiated by the federal government.
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Cancer Medication Errors Common in Outpatient Treatment, Study Says
(Boston Globe) Jan 5, 2009 - Mistakes in medications given to cancer patients in clinics or at home are more common than previously thought, according to a study led by University of Massachusetts Medical School researchers.
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Report Links Osteoporosis Drug to Esophagus Cancer
(ABCNews.com) Dec 31, 2008 - There could be some worrying news for the tens of millions of Americans currently taking Fosamax. A brief report published today in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests a possible link between the osteoporosis drug and the development of esophageal cancer.
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Genmab Announces Interim Results in Pivotal Study of Zalutumumab in Head and Neck Cancer
(Yahoo! Finance) Jan 5, 2009 - Genmab A/S announced today that the interim survival analysis of the Phase III pivotal study investigating zalutumumab (HuMax-EGFr(R)) in refractory head and neck cancer patients did not fulfill a criterion for early stopping after half the trial has been completed.
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DOR BioPharma Receives SPA Clearance From the FDA to Begin Confirmatory Phase 3 Clinical Trial of orBec(R) in GI GVHD
(SmartBrief.com) Jan 5, 2009 - DOR BioPharma, Inc. announced today that it has reached agreement with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the design of a confirmatory, pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating its lead product orBec(R) for the treatment of acute gastrointestinal Graft-versus-Host Disease (GI GVHD).
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Genta Summarizes Phase 2 Activity and Receives Orphan Drug Designation in Gastric Cancer for Tesetaxel, a Leading Oral Taxane in Clinical Development
(MSN Money) Jan 5, 2009 - Genta Incorporated announced today that the Company has received notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that tesetaxel, the latest addition to Genta’s oncology product portfolio, has been granted designation as an “Orphan Drug” for treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer.
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CureVac Receives IND Approval From the FDA to Start Its Phase I/IIa mRNA Vaccine Clinical Trial in Prostate Cancer
(CureVac) Jan 5, 2009 - CureVac GmbH today announced that it has received approval for its Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a Phase I/IIa clinical study with CV9103, a RNActive® - derived mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine. This mRNA vaccine will be tested in patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer.
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GTx Submits New Drug Application for Toremifene 80 mg for the Prevention of Bone Fractures in Men with Prostate Cancer on Androgen Deprivation Therapy
(CentreDaily.com) Dec 30, 2008 - GTx, Inc. today announced the submission of a New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for toremifene 80 mg, an oral selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), for the prevention of bone fractures in men with prostate cancer on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
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Pro-Pharmaceuticals Anticipates Listing on Bulletin Board; Releases President and Chief Scientist
(StreetInsider.com) Dec 31, 2008 - Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announces updates regarding the company's proposed rights offering, pre-New Drug Application (NDA) filing and related meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the company's lead product candidate DAVANAT(R), NYSE Alternext US stock listing, and cash saving initiatives.
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Findings May Help Stop Lung Cancer Spread
(MSNBC.com) Dec 31, 2008 - Lung cancer cells produce a compound that helps the tumor spread to other parts of the body, a finding that could lead to a new way to prevent this dangerous development, researchers reported on Wednesday.
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Genes Predict Chances of Breast Cancer's Spread
(U.S. News & World Report) Jan 1, 2009 - In a finding that could help doctors fine-tune breast cancer treatments even further, a new study confirms that there are genes that increase the likelihood that the disease will spread throughout a woman's body.
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Breast Cancer Survivors Try New Methods to Fight Arm Swelling
(USA Today) Dec 29, 2008 - Hospitals in about a dozen states are testing whether some simple steps, such as arm-strengthening exercises, could reduce the risk of one of breast cancer's troubling legacies — the painful and sometimes severe arm swelling called lymphedema.
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'I . . . Feel Like a Man Again'
(Boston Globe) Jan 5, 2009 - Testosterone was once off limits for men with prostate cancer. Things are changing.
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Dormant Cancer Cells Rely on Cellular Self-Cannibalization to Survive
(M. D. Anderson Cancer Center) Dec 31, 2008 - A single tumor-suppressing gene is a key to understanding, and perhaps killing, dormant ovarian cancer cells that hide out after initial treatment only to reawaken years later, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the December Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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The Chaos Inside a Cancer Cell
(New York Times) Dec 25, 2008 - A striking feature of many cancer cells is that the DNA in their chromosomes is all jumbled up. Chunks of DNA containing one or more genes have been ripped out of their chromosome and reinserted in a different place. Other lengths of DNA have been transferred to a different chromosome altogether.
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No Cancer Risk Reductions Seen with Antioxidants
(Reuters) Dec 31, 2008 - In the large Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study, participants who took beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, or a combination of supplements had no significant reductions in their risk of cancer.
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New Tool Developed to Predict Colorectal Cancer Risk
(NCI) Dec 29, 2008 - A new online tool for calculating colorectal cancer risk in men and women age 50 or older was launched today, based on a new risk-assessment model developed by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
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Cancer Expert Leaving UPMC
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Dec 24, 2008 - The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is losing a renowned breast-cancer specialist. Dr. Victor G. Vogel has been named the American Cancer Society's national vice president of research.
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A Commitment to Fighting Childhood Cancer
(New York Times) Dec 25, 2008 - Jeffrey C. Allen, 65, is a professor of pediatrics and neurology and the director of the division of neuro-oncology at the New York University Cancer Institute. He has helped train many specialists in his relatively new and small field.
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2009 PQRI Program Updates Released by CMS
(COA) Dec 24, 2008 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the detailed specifications for the 2009 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) measures and the 2009 PQRI measures groups. The following resources have been posted to the PQRI webpage on the CMS website:
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Celgene Gets European Approval for Blood-cancer Drug Vidaza
(The Star-Ledger) Dec 23, 2008 - Biotechnology company Celgene today said that European regulators approved its drug Vidaza for use by patients with high-risk forms of bone marrow and blood cell cancers.
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Canadian Cancer Patient Dies After Treatment Delay, Globe Says
(Bloomberg) Jan 2, 2009 - A Canadian cancer patient died on Dec. 22 before she could get the U.S. stem-cell-based treatment she had won after an 11-month battle for funding with the Ontario government, the Globe and Mail reported today.
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