Combining Fludara (fludarabine), Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide), and Rituxan (rituximab) was safer and produced a higher response than pairing Campath (alemtuzumab) with Fludara and Cytoxan in patients under age 65 with advanced B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia receiving their first treatment.
Treanda (bendamustine) may be an effective substitute for CHOP as the chemotherapy partner to Rituxan (rituximab) for patients receiving initial therapy for advanced follicular or mantle cell lymphomas.
The key findings from a phase 3 Spanish study are three-fold: less aggressive initial (induction) therapy with once-weekly—rather than twice-weekly—Velcade (bortezomib) was effective; melphalan outdid thalidomide as a partner to Velcade; and following induction with maintenance therapy may be the best approach for treating multiple myeloma patients over 65 who haven’t received previous treatment.
Vitamin supplementation can reduce certain side effects of Folotyn (pralatrexate), and the majority of patients are able to tolerate the full dose, concluded two safety studies in relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma.
Readers share how cancer was a positive experience for them and their family.
In the past, doctors advised breast cancer survivors with lymphedema to avoid heavy lifting because of the possibility of infection and symptom flare-ups, but a new study shows weight-lifting may actually be beneficial and help reduce lymphedema symptoms.
Two recent studies offer hope of enhancing both the effectiveness and safety of Herceptin, the drug that helped introduce the era of targeted therapy.
Guided imagery decreased stress and relieved anxiety in patients who used the technique before and after radiation therapy for breast cancer, according to a study presented during a poster session at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
One of the most visible side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss—a problem so distressing that some patients refuse treatment to avoid going bald.Studies have suggested that cooling the scalp during and immediately after treatment may help reduce hair loss. When the skin is cold, less blood flows to hair follicles, reducing their exposure to the drugs. One product, the Penguin Cold Cap System (manufactured by Medical Specialties of California UK), is billed as preventing hair loss in 80 percent of patients.
