Researchers from the United Kingdom have reported that the use of the aromatase inhibitor Arimidex® (anastrozole) does not appear to be associated with cognitive impairment among postmenopausal women at a high risk of developing breast cancer. These results were recently published in the October, 2008 issue of Lancet Oncology.

Researchers from Georgetown University have reported that the addition of Nexavar® (sorafenib) to Arimidex® (anastrozole) helps restore sensitivity to Arimidex among women with breast cancer. These results were recently presented at the 2008 annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) breast cancer symposium.

Researchers from several medical centers have reported that genetic changes in the surrounding region of the ADIPQ gene are associated with a decrease in the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Results such as these may aid in the understanding of genetic risk of various cancers, ultimately changing the way in which cancer is managed. These results were recently published in the October 1, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers affiliated with the Cooperative German Transplant Group have reported that unrelated donor stem cell transplants result in similar outcomes to related donor transplants in patients over the age of 50 years with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on September 2, 2008.

Researchers affiliated with the European LeukemiaNet have published guidelines for the management of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). These guidelines were published in an early online manuscript in Blood on September 23, 2008.

Researchers from the United Kingdom have reported, “Single reading with computer-aided detection could be an alternative to double reading and could also improve the rate of detection of cancer from screening mammograms read by a single reader.” The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the New England Journal of Medicine on October 1, 2008.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have reported that early treatment of asymptomatic patients with high-risk features of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with Campath® (alemtuzumab) and Rituxan® (rituximab) appears promising. The details of this study appeared in the October 15, 2008 issue of Cancer.

Researchers from Singapore have reported that long-term incense use increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the respiratory tract. The details of this study appeared in the October 1, 2008 issue of Cancer.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although surgery is not generally used to treat peritoneal surface disease from colorectal cancer, the results of a new study suggest that at least in some cases, maybe it should be.

Researchers affiliated with the Children’s Oncology Group have reported that children with cancer who survive five years still remain at risk and need continued observation. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on September 23, 2008.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elevated plasma C-peptide levels, an indicator of hyperinsulinemia, and excess body weight are associated with higher mortality rates in men with prostate cancer, according to an article published online Sunday by The Lancet Oncology.

Researchers from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas have reported that exposure to the hepatitis B virus may be associated with the development of pancreatic cancer. The study was recently published in the October 1, 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles have reported that proteins detected from saliva may be effective in identifying the presence of oral cancer. These results were recently published in Clinical Cancer Research.

Researchers affiliated with the Hereditary Breast Cancer Clinical Study Group have reported that hormone therapy for postmenopausal women with a BRCA1 mutation does not appear to increase the risk of breast cancer. The details of this study appeared in the October 1, 2008 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Racial disparities for recurrence-free and overall survival are observed in women with early-stage endometrial cancer, according to the results of a study published in the September 15th issue of the journal Cancer.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Diabetes, rather than weight, increases the risk of all-cause mortality in men being treated for locally advanced prostate cancer. Conversely, obesity, not prevalent diabetes, increases the risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality, researchers report in the September 10th issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a well-recognized sequela of heart disease that can occur one or more years after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). New research identifies pre-HCT anthracycline exposure and comorbidities as primary risk factors.

Researchers from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have reported that hyper-CVAD (hypofractionated Cytoxan® [cyclophosphamide], Oncovin® [vincristine], Adrimycin® [doxorubicin], and dexamethasone) alternated with high doses of methotrexate and Cytosar® (cytarabine) improves the complete remission rate and survival in elderly patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The details of this study appeared in an early online publication of Cancer on August 20, 2008.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have reported that laparoscopic robotic prostatectomy (LRP) had similar outcomes to open retropubic prostatectomy. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the British Journal of Urology International on September 5, 2008.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a well-recognized sequela of heart disease that can occur one or more years after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). New research identifies pre-HCT anthracycline exposure and comorbidities as primary risk factors.

Researchers from Denmark have reported that the addition of stereotactic radiation therapy in early-stage inoperable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) improves local disease control but does not improve overall survival. These results were recently presented at the 2008 annual American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO).

Researchers from Cornell University and Germany have reported that five- and 10-year survival rates in childhood hematalogic cancers have significantly improved in the United States since 1990. The details of this study were published in the September 17, 2008 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

An Italian multicenter randomized trial has determined that elderly patients with multiple myeloma treated with Thalomid® (thalidomide) in addition to melphalan and prednisone (MP) have an improved response rate and delayed time to relapse but not an improved survival compared with patients receiving MP alone. The details of this study were originally published in the March 11, 2006, issue of The Lancet and updated in an early online publication in Blood on April 1, 2008.

Researchers from Canada have reported that the use of low-dose Taxotere® (docetaxel) on a weekly basis plus Xeloda® (capecitabine) on a daily basis provided benefit for a significant portion of patients with anthracycline-refratory metastatic breast cancer. These results were recently presented at the 2008 annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) breast cancer symposium.

Researchers from Italy have reported that most early-stage penile cancers can be treated successfully with CO2 laser excision. The details of this study appeared in the October 2008 issue of European Urology.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients aged 75 years and older with brain metastases respond about as well as younger patients to stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), according to a report in the August 15th issue of Cancer.

Researchers from Italy have reported that the Mediterranean diet may protect persons from cutaneous melanoma. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the International Journal of Epidemiology on June 11, 2008.

Researchers from Finland, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Norway have reported that long-term data do not indicate an association between the use of cell phones and an increased risk of meningioma. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the International Journal of Epidemiology on August 2, 2008.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of a new study indicate that 80% of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy do not use medications to combat pain.

Researchers from the Schiffler Cancer Center in West Virginia have reported that prostate brachytherapy is effective in elderly cancer patients with prostate cancer. The details of this study appeared in the October 1, 2008 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Wisconsin have reported that epratuzumab, Rituxan® (rituximab), CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) produces a high response rate as initial therapy for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL). These findings were presented at the 2008 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers from Italy have reported that the administration of Zometa® (zoledronic acid) decreases skeletal-related events in patients with untreated asymptomatic multiple myeloma but does not improve time to progression. The details of this study appeared in the October 1, 2008 issue of Cancer.

Researchers from Oregon Health and Science University have reported that African-American men and women have a higher risk of larger polyps than White persons. The details of this study appeared in the September 24, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While raloxifene and tamoxifen are broadly similar in reducing breast cancer risk, raloxifene also appears to lower the odds of developing endometrial cancer, researchers report in the September 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers from Canada have reported that a shorter course and lower doses of radiation therapy to the breast result in equivalent outcomes among patients with early breast cancer who have undergone surgery compared to the standard longer course and higher doses. These results were recently presented at a plenary session at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Results of a study indicate a significant benefit to initiating hormonal therapy sooner rather than later in men with early prostate cancer who experience a rapid doubling of their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level within 6 months of radiation therapy.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two widely used BRCA 1/2 mutation prediction models -- BRCAPRO and Myriad II -- fail to identify many Asian women bearing germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, new study findings indicate.

Researchers affiliated with the Children’s Cancer Study Group have reported an 81% second remission rate for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in first marrow relapse. The details of this study appeared in the August 20, 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese patients with prostate cancer appear to be more likely to receive nonsurgical treatments than their normal weight counterparts, research shows.

Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported a five-year disease-free survival of 39% for patients with Fuldara® (fludarabine)-resistant chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treated with reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell Transplantation. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on September 15, 2008.

Researchers from Baylor University, University of Texas, and Johns Hopkins University have reported that hypnosis appears to reduce perceived hot flashes in breast cancer survivors. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on September 22.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Long-term survivors of adult cancers are significantly more likely than the general adult population to have psychological distress severe enough to cause moderate to serious problems functioning in social, work or school situations.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In elderly men with localized prostate cancer, neoadjuvant hormonal therapy with brachytherapy is associated with increased all-cause mortality, according to a study reported Tuesday at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting underway in Boston.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Irradiation of axillary and supraclavicular lymph nodes is unnecessary in women whose axillary nodal status following mastectomy is negative, according to research presented Sunday at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Boston.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In women with node-negative early-stage breast cancer, an accelerated dose-intensive course of radiation to the whole breast given over 3 weeks provides good long-term control and limited late morbidity, similar to that seen with the standard, less intensive 5-week course of whole breast radiation.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For men with locally advanced prostate cancer, the addition of radiation treatment to anti-androgen hormone therapy reduces the risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality by 50% over 10 years, compared to hormone treatment alone.

According to the results of a Phase II clinical trial, the addition of the investigational drug EndoTAG-1® to chemotherapy with Gemzar® (gemcitabine) may improve survival among patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer. These results were presented in a late-breaking abstract at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO).

Researchers affiliated with the international trial known as the FREEDOM (Fracture REduction Evaluation of Denosumab in Osteoporosis every 6 Months) Trial have reported that treatment with denosumab significantly reduces the risk of vertebral and hip fractures among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. These results were presented at the 2008 meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Even 7 years after completing a 3-year course of adjuvant therapy with the bisphosphonate clodronate, patients with early-stage breast cancer were significantly less likely to develop spinal osteoporosis than were patients who did not receive clodronate. This finding, from the longest prospective follow-up study of clodronate (also known as clodronic acid), was published in the September 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers involved in a U.S. multicenter trial comparing CT colonoscopy with optical colonoscopy have concluded that CT colonography is accurate enough to be used as a routine screening technique in persons at average risk of developing colon cancer. The details of this study appeared in the September 18, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.