October 20th, 2008
Lung cancer causes more deaths in the United States than any other form of cancer, killing eighty percent of those who get it and more than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. It takes more than 160,000 lives each year in the U.S. But, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Gielan, a new approach to fighting lung cancer appears to help at least some patients — an approach apparently applicable to other forms of cancer, as well.
October 17th, 2008
Personalized medicine and targeted cancer therapies are being offered at many academic medical centers and National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Centers. But many Americans who could benefit from personalized cancer care are not getting it.
“There has been a revolution in oncology in the past decade. It has translated into a much different way to approach cancer,” says Dr. Roy S. Herbst, chief of the section of thoracic medical oncology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “But there needs to be an information database for patients. People need to know, how do you get it?”
October 17th, 2008
The search for equally reliable indicators of cancer risk remains in its infancy. But doctors who treat cancer and the organs it invades should follow the cardiovascular model, says Dr. Leslie Ford, associate director for clinical research at the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Prevention.
“I challenge oncologists to think differently — to find people with risk factors for cancer and think about prevention,” Ford says. “They haven’t gotten there. It’s not where the money is . . . and primary care physicians are overcome with other problems. It’s a real challenge, but we’re plugging along. I’m cautiously optimistic.”
October 13th, 2008
A healthcare trust has agreed to provide a life-saving drug free on the NHS in a landmark case brought by a woman with terminal cancer.
Carol Rummels, from Bristol, was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer last summer and given just two months to live. However, after taking the drug Tarceva the tumours shrank, prolonging her life by another year.
October 13th, 2008
Lung disease can take the form of cancer, chronic breathing conditions and even lung failure. Determining the appropriate treatment options for the vast variety of lung diseases can be overwhelming to patients. Dr. Mason will join The Cleveland Clinic on October 16th to take your questions on the latest advances have been made in the treatment of lung disease. These include improvement in diagnostic techniques, medical management and new surgical techniques, including minimally invasive surgery
October 9th, 2008
Lung cancer is one of the most common and deadliest cancers. Small cell lung cancer makes up about 10 percent to 15 percent of all lung cancers. Because of early metastatic spread, small cell lung cancer has very poor long-term survival with less than 10 percent of patients surviving two years after diagnosis.
Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for small cell lung cancer and many consider drugs containing platinum the most effective agents. However, a new evidence review calls that assumption into question.
October 6th, 2008
On Monday, Aug. 18, a state-of-the art surgery was performed at Community Medical Center (CMC) in Scranton.
Surgeons Dr. Russell Stahl and Dr. Brian Mott performed VATS - video-assisted thoracic surgery.
Their patient had a suspicious mass in his right lung. Drs. Stahl and Mott were to remove the mass for biopsy and - if cancer was found - to remove a lobe of the lung in hopes of a effecting a cure.
VATS for lobe removal is a new technique and Drs. Stahl and Mott are among the few surgeons in NEPA currently offering it. Dr. Mark R. Katlic also performs VATS lobectomies at Geisinger Wyoming Valley.
October 6th, 2008
To get convince the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to pay for its lung cancer treatment, Roche had to cut the price by about $1,000 in order to bring the cost more in line with Taxotere, an older medication sold by Sanofi-Aventis, Dow Jones tells us.
October 6th, 2008
Genentech Inc. and OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday a combination of two cancer drugs missed its primary goal in a clinical trial, failing to improve survival for patients with lung cancer.
October 6th, 2008
Shares of Genentech Inc. and OSI Pharmaceuticals fell Monday after the companies reported disappointing results from a study that tested Genentech’s top-selling oncology drug Avastin with OSI’s Tarceva in the treatment of advanced lung cancer.
