TARGETING TUMORS

Cryoablation a Strategy for Cancer Bone Pain

TargetingTumors.com — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:50:13 +0000

Cancer pain is one of the main focus in managing quality of life in cancer. Cancer bone pain is particularly problematic and debilitating, because narcotics and radiation have little effect. Reuters has reported on a study that suggests a “freezing approach” to alleviate cancer bone pain called cryoablation, with response rates in 80% of patients in a small study and with a lasting effect up to 6 months. Matthew Callstrom, M.D., Ph.D., the study author and radiologist at the Mayo Clinic will present the results at the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting this week (Nov 27, 2007). This approach was first reported by the Mayo Clinic in 2005 and continues today. A medical device technology is used for the procedure and the study was funded by a medical device company. Source: Reuters.

Age is Risk Factor in Poly to Colon Cancer Transition

TargetingTumors.com — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 18:13:10 +0000

According to a recently published study in the medical journal Gut, age is a risk factor for progression of colon polyps to colorectal cancer (CRC) in both men and women, based on analysis of German cancer registries of 840,149 screening colonoscopies. This suggests that clinicians should consider age and colon screening, such that higher age should require more frequent endoscopies, in addition to other risk factors including family history of the cancer. Also reported by Reuters.

Published Online First: 25 June 2007. doi:10.1136/gut.2007.122739
Gut 2007;56:1585-1589
Copyright © 2007 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Society of Gastroenterology
Risk of progression of advanced adenomas to colorectal cancer by age and sex: estimates based on 840 149 screening colonoscopies
Hermann Brenner1, Michael Hoffmeister1, Christa Stegmaier2, Gerhard Brenner3, Lutz Altenhofen3, Ulrike Haug1

1 Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
2 Saarland Cancer Registry, Saarbrücken, Germany
3 Zentralinstitut für die kassenärztliche Versorgung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Berlin, Germany

Correspondence to: Hermann Brenner, Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center, Bergheimer Str. 20, D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany; h.brenner@dkfz-heidelberg.de

Objectives: To derive age and sex specific estimates of transition rates from advanced adenomas to colorectal cancer by combining data of a nationwide screening colonoscopy registry and national data on colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence.

Design: Registry based study.

Setting: National screening colonoscopy programme in Germany.

Patients: Participants of screening colonoscopy in 2003 and 2004 (n = 840 149).

Main outcome measures: Advanced adenoma prevalence, colorectal cancer incidence, annual and 10 year cumulative risk of developing CRC among carriers of advanced adenomas according to sex and age (range 55–80+ years)

Results: The age gradient is much stronger for CRC incidence than for advanced adenoma prevalence. As a result, projected annual transition rates from advanced adenomas to CRC strongly increase with age (from 2.6% in age group 55–59 years to 5.6% in age group >=80 years among women, and from 2.6% in age group 55–59 years to 5.1% in age group >=80 years among men). Projections of 10 year cumulative risk increase from 25.4% at age 55 years to 42.9% at age 80 years in women, and from 25.2% at age 55 years to 39.7% at age 80 years in men.

Conclusions: Advanced adenoma transition rates are similar in both sexes, but there is a strong age gradient for both sexes. Our estimates of transition rates in older age groups are in line with previous estimates derived from small case series in the pre-colonoscopy era independent of age. However, our projections for younger age groups are considerably lower. These findings may have important implications for the design of CRC screening programmes.

Nexavar Approved for Inoperable Liver Cancer

TargetingTumors.com — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:23:52 +0000

Nexavar (sorafenib, manufactured by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Onyx Pharmaceuticals) has been approved by the US FDA to treat patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma. Nexavar is currently already approved for treating advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a kidney cancer. Approval was based on results from an international clinical trial containing 600 patients where patients received either Nexavar or placebo. Nexavar treatment prolonged patient survival to 10.7 months versus placebo of 7.9 months and also delayed tumor progression. Nexavar is a small molecule kinase inhibitor drug. Common side effects included fatigue, weight loss, rash or superficial skin shedding, hand or foot skin reaction, hair loss, diarrhea, anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, elevated serum lipase, and hypophosphatemia. Rare side effects included inadequate blood supply to the heart or heart attack, and incidence of new high blood pressure. Source: US FDA.