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Volume 2, Number 1 (January/February 2005) | |||||
Letter from the Editor |
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A new year, a new era The West Clinic, Memphis, TN Profound changes engendered by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 are now being felt—heavily. Our Editor-in-Chief parses the good, the bad, and the uncertain in this new era.
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Community Translations |
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Azacitidine in myelodysplastic syndrome Azacitidine (Vidaza) is the first—and only—drug approved for the treatment of MDS. It is also the first agent that clearly delays the progression of MDS to acute leukemia.
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Activity of pemetrexed in thoracic malignancies Until recently, no proven systemic treatment existed for patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. The study described here led the FDA to approve pemetrexed (Alimta) in combination with cisplatin for these patients. Results of phase III clinical studies also show benefit in NSCLC.
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Original Research |
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Gaps in colorectal cancer outcomes research University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, and Pfizer Inc, New York, NY Cancer treatment objectives have broadened from solely increasing survival to improving patients’ quality of life and satisfaction, as well as cutting medical costs. But a literature search of articles on outcomes studies in colorectal cancer published from 1999 to 2003 shows that the research is still dominated by survival as the primary endpoint—in some cases, the only endpoint.
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Controversies in Patient Management |
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Family history impacts patient care: how to recognize genetic risk Hubert H. Humphrey Cancer Center, Robbinsdale, MN As the number of genetics tests and the demand for genetic services continue to grow, community oncologists will play an increasingly important role in documenting family histories and triaging the appropriate patients into a cancer genetics specialty clinic.
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Economics/Practice Management |
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NOA treatment guidelines: interactive clinical and business support for the 21st century oncology office National Oncology Alliance, Inc, Rafael, CA Community-based oncologists have a powerful tool at their disposal: practical, evidence-based work-up, treatment, and follow-up guidelines for cancer.
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Challenging Cases/Rare Cancers |
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Intravascular B-cell lymphoma Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA A rare and aggressive variant of diffuse large cell lymphoma, IVL has a tendency to mimic other diseases. Most cases are diagnosed postmortem. The authors report on one patient they diagnosed and were treating successfully when she decided against further chemotherapy and entered hospice.
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Practice Survival Skills |
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Dealing with the difficult patient Arena Oncology Associates, Great Neck, NY Doctors are called upon to be great healers and great communicators. Can you be both, when economics and difficult patients conspire against you?
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Community Dialogue |
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Overhauling Medicare: the big balancing act As head of the largest health insurance organization in the world, he faces a gargantuan task: fix a broken bureaucracy, ensure that patients have access to care, and keep competing interests happy.
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Psychosocial Oncology |
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Initiating a community-based cancer supportive care program Cancer Supportive Care Program National/International and Stanford Cancer Supportive Care Program, Stanford, CA When linked to the cancer care continuum, supportive programs can improve patients’ quality of life. The authors have developed a simple model of a supportive care program that can be implemented in both large and small cancer centers, using a team approach and available resources.
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Meetings Highlights & Calendar |
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Palonosetron: enhanced patient care and significant savings
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Community practice in a new light: the vision ahead
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Meetings Calendar |
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Washington Update |
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Richard Pazdur, MD: Riding the FDA fast track
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The Medicare fix: off kilter
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Reader Services |
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Guide for Authors
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© 2005 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. |
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