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Volume 4, Number 11 (November 2007) | |||||||||||||||||
Letter from the Editor |
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New treatments and old standbys Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA In this issue we focus on a number of hot topics: the recent approval of ixabepilone (Ixempra) for metastatic breast cancer; how practices can make a smooth transition to digital mammography; the debate over erythropoiesis-stimulating agents; recruiting adult cancer patients into clinical trials; and tools oncologists can use to help patients make treatment decisions.
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Community Dialogue |
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New ESA guidelines from ASH-ASCO: the last word? When Medicare issued its policy this past July restricting coverage of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents to treat chemotherapy-related anemia, there was an uproar in the medical and scientific communities. To learn more about the rationale behind the new ASH-ASCO guidelines and the ongoing controversy, we spoke with hematologist/oncologist Samuel Silver.
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Community Translations |
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Ixabepilone in metastatic breast cancer Now that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved ixabepilone (Ixempra) as a treatment option for metastatic breast cancer, the question for oncologists becomes how and when to best use this promising drug. | ||||||||||||||||
FROM THE COMMUNITY ONCOLOGIST'S PERSPECTIVE Wilshire Oncology Medical Group, Inc., La Verne, CA | |||||||||||||||||
FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR'S PERSPECTIVE Wilshire Oncology Medical Group, Inc., La Verne, CA
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Original Contributions |
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Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma: a retrospective analysis of rituximab and CHOP chemotherapy Southern Ohio Medical Center, Portsmouth, OH; Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY; and Our Lady of Mercy Hospital, Bronx, NY Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a recognized subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with distinct clinical, pathologic, and molecular features. A standard therapeutic approach for PMBCL has not been established and remains controversial. In this retrospective analysis, we report the outcomes of 10 patients with PMBCL treated in our institution and affiliated offices with rituximab and CHOP chemotherapy from 2000 to 2003.
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Economics/Practice Management |
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Making the transition to digital mammography Christiana Care Breast Center, Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, Wilmington, DE After months of planning and research, the Christiana Care Breast Center made the switch to digital mammography with the stepwise installation of two, full-field digital mammography systems from Hologic. Teamwork that gave voice to the needs and concerns of all key users helped smooth the transition for both patients and personnel.
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Psychosocial Oncology |
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Putting shared decision making to work in breast and prostate cancers: tools for community oncologists Health Decision Research Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, and Decision Services, University of California, San Francisco, CA A diagnosis of prostate or breast cancer throws patients into a state of cognitive and emotional overload. Patient anxiety and confusion can be exacerbated when there is no single dominant treatment. Patients rely on their oncologists to guide them to good decisions. There are an increasing number of tools available to help oncologists engage and educate their patients before, during, and after consultations. We discuss four tools that are available to community oncologists.
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Implementing Clinical Trials |
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Poor access to clinical trials among newly diagnosed adult cancer patients in the community—1999–2004 Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation, Cancer Registry, and Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, La Crosse, WI Less than 5% of adult cancer patients are enrolled in clinical trials. The barriers to enrollment need to be identified and overcome. Toward that end, the authors conducted a retrospective study of a single institution serving a population in three Midwestern states. The lack of appropriate clinical trials was the most common reason that cancer patients in the community setting did not participate. Their study suggests that improving access to clinical trials in the community could improve adult participation.
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Letters to the Editor |
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Fulvestrant loading, tumor markers, and ongoing trials European Association for Cancer Research (EACR), Brooklyn, NY
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Extravasation in community practice River Ridge, LA
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Cases in Community Oncology |
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A 68-year-old man with multiple colonic polyps discovered upon routine colonoscopy US Oncology, Cancer Centers of Florida, Orlando, FL The discovery of multiple polyps upon a routine colonoscopic screen of an apparently healthy asymptomatic elderly patient, combined with microscopic, immunohistochemical, and cytogenetic analysis, led to a diagnosis of an unusual—and often difficult to treat—malignancy.
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Washington Update |
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Medicare and ESAs: feedback from the community A random sampling of community practitioners and what they are saying about Medicare’s policy on reimbursement for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents.
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© 2007 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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