FDA approves Amgen's Neulasta for serious, frequent chemotherapy side effect
SOURCE: Amgen press release
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2002--Amgen (Nasdaq:AMGN - news) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Neulasta(TM) (pegfilgrastim). Neulasta, administered as a single fixed dose per chemotherapy cycle, for decreasing the incidence of infection, as manifested by febrile neutropenia (fever associated with a severe drop in infection-fighting white blood cells) in patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive anti-cancer drugs.
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ImClone debacle hits cancer community hard
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - As Congress and U.S. regulators probe, lawyers sue and investors fret over ImClone Systems' failed attempt to win approval for its cancer drug Erbitux, Vee Kumar and legions of other cancer patients are frustrated and disappointed.
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Bristol-Myers Squibb outlook murky
NEW YORK - Jan 25 - (AP) - No one will ever call Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. chief executive Peter Dolan meek, or stingy.

His expensive, aggressive business strategy included a $1.2 billion bet on ImClone Systems Inc., a once-hot biotech company now the subject of inquiries by the Securities and Exchange Committee, the Justice Department and a congressional subcommittee for allegedly overpromising on an experimental colon cancer drug's potential.
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SEC gathering information on ImClone
TheStreet.com - View from TSC, Jan. 24 - The Securities and Exchange Commission has made a request for information that could signal the beginning of an investigation of whether ImClone Systems (Nasdaq: IMCL - news) misled investors about troubles with its experimental cancer drug Erbitux.

Also coming to light Thursday were filings showing ImClone CEO Sam Waksal, already under fire for insider stock sales, has sold even more of his ImClone holdings since the middle of January. The sales were filed after a separate congressional probe of the company began.
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ImClone Receives Inquiries From SEC, DOJ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) Jan. 25 - ImClone Systems Inc., accused of misleading investors about when a highly touted colon cancer drug might be marketed, said on Friday it received inquiries from securities regulators and the Justice Department, leading its shares to drop another 14 percent.

The New York biotechnology company is already being questioned by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee over allegations it hid negative information about its research.
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Gleevec(R) improves survival in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in accelerated phase
Source: 411Cancer.com, 01/07/2002
According to results recently presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, further evidence indicates that Gleevec(R) appears to produce anti-cancer responses and improves survival in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in accelerated phase (CML-AP).
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Short-term quality-of-life outcomes following laparoscopic-assisted colectomy vs open colectomy for colon cancer
A Randomized Trial, JAMA, Jan. 16, 2002
Context:  Laparoscopic-assisted colectomy (LAC) has emerged as the preferred minimally invasive surgical strategy for diseases of the colon. The safety and efficacy of LAC for colon cancer are unknown, and the nature and magnitude of any quality-of-life (QOL) benefit resulting from LAC for colon cancer is also unknown.
Objective:  To compare short-term QOL outcomes after LAC vs open colectomy for colon cancer.
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Researchers advise against keyhole surgery for colon cancer
CHICAGO Jan. 15 (AP) - A type of colon cancer surgery involving an extremely small incision does not necessarily mean a quicker, less painful recovery, and should be avoided until more is known about whether it helps people live longer, disease-free lives, researchers say.
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Colonoscopy can be cost-effective for evaluating young patients with rectal bleeding
NEW YORK Jan. 17, 2002 (Reuters Health) - For the investigation of rectal bleeding in patients 35 years of age or older, initial colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy plus barium enema is as cost-effective as other widely used screening practices, according to results of an investigation conducted at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
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Bristol-Myers earnings increase
NEW YORK (AP) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. posted a 26 percent increase in fourth quarter earnings even as the company struggles to deal with expensive, controversial acquisitions made during the period.

[snip]

Shares of Bristol Myers fell $1.87, or nearly 4 percent, to $47.51 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

In September, Bristol Myers purchased a 20 percent stake in ImClone Systems Inc. for $1 billion and paid the company an additional $200 million for signing the deal.

Two months later, the Food and Drug Administration rejected ImClone's application to review Erbitux, an experimental colorectal cancer drug because it was lacking important patient information.
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Bristol weighing options amid ImClone controversy
NEW YORK, Jan 24 (Reuters) - U.S. drug giant Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said Thursday it was considering unspecified actions to "protect'' shareholders following setbacks in its controversial cancer-drug partnership with ImClone Systems Inc. (NasdaqNM:IMCL - news)
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Amgen Wins, ImClone Loses in FDA Approval Gamble, in an Advisory by Industrialinfo.com
Industrialinfo.com Press Release
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 24, 2002--Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Inc; Houston, Texas). With untold millions at stake, drug companies find themselves playing against dreadful odds with each new product in development. Beyond the incredible expense of drug development and the strenuous clinical trial process, manufacturers also have the responsibility to take it to market. Two recent FDA decisions illustrate just what a gamble the entire process is.

Amgen, Inc. (Thousand Oaks, CA) chose to lay a wager in the form of over $200 million in manufacturing facilities at their 232-acre Longmont, Colorado campus, years prior to FDA approval of their drug Aranesp, for patients with anemia-related kidney problems. It appears likely to pay off with the potential $5 billion in sales they expect the recently approved Aranesp to help generate.

ImClone Systems, Inc. (New York, NY), thinking they had a sure winner in Erbitux, a treatment for colon cancer, invested $40 million at their Branchburg, NJ facility. ImClone wasn't alone in feeling confident in anticipating FDA Approval, as Bristol-Myers Squibb (New York, NY) invested $1 billion in September of 2001 to secure the drug's U.S. marketing rights.
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Merck KGaA's european development plan for C225 remains unchanged
Press Release from Merck KGaA
DARMSTADT, Germany, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck KGaA today confirmed that its European studies for the cancer treatment C225 are continuing as planned. Merck has a license to the rights for C225 outside of North America, except for Japan where Merck KGaA, Bristol-Myers Squibb and ImClone Systems Incorporated have development and commercialization rights.
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Novartis reports positive Glivec data
BASEL, Switzerland (Reuters Health) Jan 07 - Swiss healthcare group Novartis said on Monday that early positive data in tests of Glivec have led to major protocol changes whereby some of the mirror test patients will also be given its cancer drug.

It said that in an interim analysis of a phase III study that compared Glivec to the standard therapy of interferon injections plus Ara-C chemotherapy for newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia (CLM) patients, Glivec was found to show a substantially higher response.

As a consequence, the Independent Data Monitoring Board recommended a change in the protocol to enable patients on standard therapy who have not achieved a major cytogenic response to switch to Glivec at this time.

Glivec is sold as Gleevec in the US.

With colon cancer surgery, smaller cuts may not be enough
Boston Globe, 1/22/2002 -- With its promise of smaller scars and shorter recovery time, ''minimally invasive'' surgery has become one of the hottest trends in medicine, as doctors offer it for everything from appendicitis to cancer.

But, when it comes to colon cancer, at least, more caution is warranted, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Introgen awarded $492,600 grant from the National Cancer Institute to evaluate INGN 241 in melanoma
AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 22, 2002 -- Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it was awarded a $492,600 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Cancer Institute. The 2-year grant will fund collaborative research between Introgen and Elizabeth Grimm, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Bioimmunotherapy and Co-Director of the Melanoma Program at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and principal investigator of the study. The research collaboration will help advance preclinical development of INGN 241, (Adenoviral-mda7), Introgen's novel gene-based drug designed to kill cancer cells without harming normal cells.


The grant, titled "Gene Therapy for Human Malignant Melanoma," is being used to support collaborative studies at Introgen and M. D. Anderson Cancer Center that evaluate the therapeutic potential of Adenoviral-mda7 in human melanoma. INGN 241 is a modified adenoviral vector that carries the cancer cell killing mda-7 gene. The collaborators' previous studies indicated that Adenoviral-mda7 treatment result in targeted destruction of breast, lung and colon cancer cells, while sparing normal cells. Interim results from a Phase 1 dose escalation study in solid tumors were recently presented at the 10th International Conference on Gene Therapy of Cancer in San Diego, Calif. These results demonstrated safety and the ability of INGN 241 to kill cancer cells in patients with advanced cancer, with administration of a single dose.
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ImClone Is Bringing Down the Biotech Neighborhood
TheStreet.com - Silicon Valley
The stink at ImClone Systems is wafting over the entire biotech sector, and it's going to take some time before the air clears.
Investors are treating biotechs like five-day-old fish, pushing the American Stock Exchange Biotech Index down 10% since the beginning of the year, compared with about a 2% drop in the S&P 500 .
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Alcoholism increases risk of high-risk adenomas and colon cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 07 - Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the link between alcohol consumption and colon cancer development. Now, a report in the January issue of Gut suggests that when adenomas are present excessive alcohol consumption promotes the development of high-risk adenomas or colorectal cancer.
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Colonoscopy appears to be the best strategy for colorectal cancer screening
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 09 - Colonoscopies performed at ages 50 and 60 years may be the most effective and most cost-effective screening test for colorectal cancer, researchers suggest.
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Benefits of continued colorectal cancer screening persist beyond 10 years
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 08 - The relative risk of death from colorectal cancer was reduced to less than 0.70 among subjects who completed seven biennial rounds of fecal occult blood screening compared with individuals who underwent no screening, according to the findings of a large ongoing Danish study.
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Sweet success for cancer team, cancer cells have a sugar coating
BBC News | HEALTH | Jan. 22 -- Sugar molecules on the surface of cancer cells could be manipulated to stop a tumour growing, say scientists.

The team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, have developed a technique to alter the way the cancer cell works by exposing it to body chemicals that affect the sugar coating.
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FDA and the quality and integrity of research
FDA Updates--January-Februry 2002 FDA Consumer
The FDA has established an office to help ensure that research studies involving humans are conducted according to good clinical practice.

Good clinical practice (GCP) is a standard for the total research process: designing studies, conducting and monitoring them, recording data, analyzing results, and reporting and submitting these results to support product applications to the FDA.

The FDA's newly established office for good clinical practice (OGCP) requires that FDA-regulated medical research conform to the GCP standard. Compliance with this standard assures that the data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, safety, and well-being of people in studies are protected. "Poor quality data has an impact on the accuracy of product labels and advertising that will be used by the public--and may lead to inappropriate decision-making on product approvals," says David Lepay, M.D., Ph.D., director of the OGCP. "Our office is out to ensure FDA's broad public protection role of high-quality decision-making on product approvals and labeling. We also want to protect subjects participating in clinical research that is critical to FDA decision-making."

To help make sure that the GCP standard is followed, the FDA conducts more than 1,000 inspections of clinical trials each year.

The OGCP, established in October and located within the office of the FDA commissioner, works closely with the FDA centers, the FDA's office of regulatory affairs, and the Department of Health and Human Services' office for human research protections. The OGCP staff also works with international colleagues to implement GCP standards globally.

If you have a question about the FDA's good clinical practice regulations and policy, call 301-827-4000 or 301-827-3340.

Bringing real life to the table, patient reps help FDA review products

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA Consumer magazine, January-February 2002
When Jim Anderson of La Plata, Md., became an FDA patient representative in 1997, he wasn't sure how much help he could be. In preparation for his first advisory committee meeting, the Food and Drug Administration sent him a new drug application (NDA) briefing package, which he describes as "10 pounds of paper."

But the fear didn't last long, says Anderson, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1993. He recalls reviewing a drug that gave "a small chance to provide pain relief and a significant risk of heart failure," in his opinion. He was glad he spoke up about it because his concern prompted a serious discussion among the scientists and doctors.

Anderson was one of about 23 patient representatives who gathered in Rockville, Md. for an FDA training workshop in September. Since 1991, patient representatives have served on FDA advisory committees to help review products. Advisory committees provide a forum through which the FDA seeks advice from outside experts and consumers.
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Value of positron emission tomography with [F-18]Fluorodeoxyglucose in patients with colorectal liver metastases: A prospective study
JCO -- Abstracts: Ruers et al. 20 (2): 388, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 20, Issue 2 (January), 2002: 388-395, American Society for Clinical Oncology
PURPOSE: To assess prospectively the value of fluor-18-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET), in addition to conventional diagnostic methods (CDM), as a staging modality in candidates for resection of colorectal liver metastases.

CONCLUSION: FDG-PET as a complementary staging method improves the therapeutic management of patients with colorectal liver metastases, especially by detecting unsuspected extrahepatic disease.
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Bacteroides Peritonitis associated with colon cancer in a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patient
Medscape
[South Med J 94(10):1021-1022, 2001. - 2001 Southern Medical Association]
Peritonitis is not an uncommon complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). We report a case of Bacteroides fragilis-induced bacterial peritonitis, probably due to clinically occult malignancy, in a 76-year-old woman on CAPD.
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Gene test for cancer treatment in trial, Daiichi takes early step toward personalized medicine
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Jan. 18 -- In an early step toward personalized medicine, a Japanese drug company, Daiichi Pharmaceuticals, is beginning clinical trials for a genetic test that would determine patients likely to suffer severe diarrhea from a chemotherapy drug.
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Counting alleles to predict recurrence of early-stage colorectal cancers
The Lancet, Jan. 19, 2002
Background: Chromosome imbalances occur in many cancers and represent important biological properties of tumours. However, measurements of such imbalances are difficult. We used a new, quantitative approach to investigate the prognostic value of chromosome imbalances in early-stage colorectal cancers.
Interpretation: In patients without metastasis, allelic imbalance is a better predictor of prognosis than histopathological stage.
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Molecular markers in colorectal cancer
The Lancet: Commentary, Jan. 19, 2002 -- Despite much new understanding of the molecular and genetic events associated with cancer, translation to improved therapeutic outcomes has been disappointingly slow. If tumour progression is a linear process analogous to differentiation and development, specific events should provide vulnerable therapeutic targets and precise diagnostic or prognostic markers. Although this concept has been verified and effectively exploited for certain leukaemias,1 successful therapeutic exploitation has been limited for the common adult-onset solid tumours.
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Cancer care makes more progress, but in the next decade, the disease may be the No. 1 killer
WebMD Medical News
Jan. 18, 2002 -- Are you doing your part in the fight against cancer? The disease accounts for about one in four deaths in the U.S., but we continue to see improvement year by year, according to a new study published in the January/February issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Cancer is the No. 2 killer in the U.S., behind heart disease. And most of those deaths are due to four cancers: lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate.
"Cancer continues to take a terrible toll on the American people ... Estimates indicate that sometime within the next 10 to 15 years, cancer will overtake [heart disease] and become the most-common cause of death in the U.S," according to Robert C. Young, MD, president of the American Cancer Society, and president of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
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House Panel to investigate a cancer drug and its maker
New York Times Business Section, Jan. 19, 2002
Saying it had "serious concerns" about how ImClone Systems (news/quote) had communicated with investors, a House committee said yesterday that it would investigate whether the company had covered up problems involving its cancer drug.
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ImClone's woes cast a broader biotech shadow
New York Times Business Section, Jan. 21, 2002
A controversy surrounding ImClone Systems is casting a cloud over the biotechnology industry, some analysts say.

With the House Energy and Commerce Committee saying on Friday that it will investigate whether the company misled investors, the industry may now be treated to its own little version of the Enron (news/quote) debacle, with juicy memos about ImClone coming to light one after the other.
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Cancer patients face delays for follow-up appointments
The Scotsman Jan. 19 - Hundreds of patients receiving follow-up care at Scotland?s biggest cancer centre will have to wait up to a year for an appointment with a consultant.

Many more patients, including those who have had lung cancer, will have to travel up to 40 miles to see a cancer specialist. The "indefinite" disruption to cancer services at the Beatson Oncology Unit follows the resignation of four consultants, who handed in their notice in a row over funding.
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Low-Level Microsatellite Instability Occurs in Most Colorectal Cancers and
Is a Nonrandomly Distributed Quantitative Trait
Cancer Res 2002;62 53-57
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Chemopreventive Properties of a Selective Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase
Inhibitor in Colon Carcinogenesis, Administered Alone or in Combination
with Celecoxib, a Selective Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitor
Cancer Res 2002;62 165-170
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Involvement of Prostaglandin E Receptor Subtype EP4 in Colon Carcinogenesis
Cancer Res 2002;62 28-32
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Inquiry Leads ImClone Stock to Drop
NEW YORK (AP) - Shares of ImClone Systems Inc. plunged nearly a third Friday after being temporarily halted as the beleagured company disclosed it was the subject of a congressional inquiry.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., which owns 20 percent of ImClone, also received a letter from the congressional subcommittee investigating the matter, said company spokeswoman Nancy Goldfarb. She declined to comment further.
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ImClone Systems makes statement concerning Congressional Committee inquiry
Press Release SOURCE: ImClone
NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 18, 2002--ImClone Systems Incorporated received a letter of inquiry today from the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. The Committee has requested information pertaining to Erbitux(TM), an investigational drug being studied by ImClone Systems. The information requested is a result of the Committee's concerns based on recent stories in the media concerning the Company's receipt of a refusal to file letter for Erbitux as well as significant public information and media attention surrounding Erbitux. Specifically, the Subcommittee has requested records in connection with the refusal to file letter, records relating to meetings between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Company concerning Erbitux, and records relating to the pivotal study. The Company intends to cooperate fully in response to the inquiry.

The Company remains fully confident in Erbitux and looks forward to continuing its dialogue with the FDA regarding the potential approval of this drug. We are committed to serving the needs of people with cancer and we will allocate all necessary resources to ensure a full and timely review of Erbitux by the FDA.
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After The Bell - Microsoft trims loss, ImClone down
NEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Technology stocks ticked slightly higher in after-hours trading on Friday, finding their footing after a sharp slide in the regular session sparked by lackluster earnings reports from tech giants like Microsoft Corp.

[snip]

Shares of ImClone Systems, however, sank further, sliding to $19.31 after sliding nearly 30 percent during the regular trading session to end at $21.15.

A government committee said it will investigate allegations that ImClone misled investors by hiding negative information about research into its experimental cancer drug Erbitux.
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U.S. House panel to probe ImClone Systems
(UPDATE: Adds comment from board member)
NEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A government committee said on Friday it will investigate allegations that ImClone Systems Inc. misled investors by hiding negative information about research into its experimental cancer drug Erbitux.
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Cancer drug inventor sees no ImClone, Enron link
NEW YORK - 1/18 (Reuters) -- Dr. John Mendelsohn has a long and distinguished reputation as a cancer researcher, but he has gained an unenviable record as a corporate director.

Mendelsohn is on the boards of just two major public companies -- energy trader Enron Corp., which has collapsed amid a growing corporate scandal, and biotechnology company ImClone Systems Inc., whose shares have tumbled 60 percent in three weeks. Congress is probing activities of both companies.
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Level of allelic imbalance in colorectal tumors predicts recurrence
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 17 - Allelic imbalance of chromosome 8p or 18q or both is a better prognostic indicator than histopathological stage for early colorectal cancer, investigators report in The Lancet for Jan. 19.
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Colonoscopy can be cost-effective for evaluating young patients with rectal bleeding
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 16 - For the investigation of rectal bleeding in patients 35 years of age or older, initial colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy plus barium enema is as cost-effective as other widely used screening practices, according to results of an investigation conducted at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
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Laparoscopic-assisted colectomy offers little quality-of-life benefit
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 15 - For patients with colon cancer, laparoscopic-assisted colectomy (LAC) provides minimal improvements in short-term quality of life (QOL) compared with open colectomy, according to a report published in the January 16th issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Reduction of 17HSD enzyme may explain influence of estrogen in colon cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 11 - Down regulation of the estrogen-metabolizing enzyme 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17HSD) type 2 in adenocarcinomatous colon cells appears to be responsible for the increased influence of estrogen observed in colon cancer, Finnish researchers suggest.
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Subtle cognitive deficits may remain 10 years after cancer chemotherapy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 11 - A decade after receiving systemic chemotherapy for breast cancer or lymphoma, patients score significantly worse on some cognitive function tests than similar patients who underwent local therapy only, investigators report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology for Jan. 15.
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Genetic imbalances may predict colon cancer survival
Friday January 18 10:26 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Genetic imbalances in certain chromosomes may predict the odds that colorectal cancer will return after treatment, the results of a new study suggest.

Although the findings need to be confirmed, testing for these abnormalities may make it possible to identify patients who would benefit from more aggressive treatment, one of the study's authors told Reuters Health.
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Small incision surgery offers limited benefits for colon cancer patients
BOSTON -- (cancerfacts.com) Jan. 15, 2002 -- Colon cancer patients who undergo a minimally invasive surgical procedure to remove their tumors experience only slightly better quality-of-life outcomes than those who have the standard surgery, new research shows.
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Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer by aspirin: A cost-effectiveness analysis
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
Published online 7 Jan. 2002
Gastroenterology 2002;122:78-84
Background Aims: The aim of the study is to compare the cost-effectiveness of aspirin and colonoscopy in the prevention of colorectal cancer. Conclusion: As compared with colonoscopy once per 10 years, the use of aspirin to prevent colorectal cancer saves fewer lives at higher costs. The high complication cost and the lower efficacy of aspirin render screening colonoscopy a more cost-effective strategy to prevent colorectal cancer.
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Markers of drug resistance in relapsing colon cancer
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, The National and Capodistrian University of Athens
Springer-Verlag 2001
Abstract. Purpose: 5-Fluorouracil failure and drug resistance, which often occurs during chemotherapy, is still a great obstacle to the success of human colon cancer treatment. Thus, the comparative study of markers of drug resistance in cancer cells before and after chemotherapy may be extremely helpful in the selection of the appropriate chemotherapeutic drug in colon cancer patients who fail adjuvant treatment with 5-fluorouracil. Conclusions: According to our results, increased topoisomerase II immunohistochemical expression appears to be part of the malignant cells' phenotype in recurrent colon cancers. Therapeutic options after failure of 5-fluorouracil-based treatment could therefore include appropriate topoisomerase II-targeted drugs
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Oncogenic -Catenin and MMP-7 (Matrilysin) Cosegregate in late-stage clinical colon cancer
Divisions of Diagnostic Molecular Oncology and Surgical Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
Gastroenterology -- Abstracts: OUGOLKOV et al. 122 (1): 60, Published online 7 Jan. 2002, Gastroenterology 2002;122:60-71
Conclusions: Oncogenic activation of -catenin in the tumor invasion front, as represented by its NAinv pattern of expression, may be an independent and reliable indicator of membership in a subset of colon cancer patients who are highly susceptible to tumor recurrence and have a less favorable survival rate.
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Author: National Cancer Institute
Publish Date: 01/14/2002
CancerSource.com Feature Stories
This patient summary on post-traumatic stress disorder is adapted from the summary written for health professionals by cancer experts. This and other credible information about cancer treatment, screening, prevention, supportive care, and ongoing clinical trials, is available from the National Cancer Institute. Better treatment of many cancers has resulted in more patients experiencing longer periods of disease-free survival. This has also led to more patients experiencing psychological problems, which are collectively called post-traumatic stress disorder. This brief summary describes post- traumatic stress disorder, its symptoms, and its treatment.
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Researchers caution on colon surgery
Tuesday, Jan. 15
CHICAGO (AP) - A type of colon cancer surgery involving an extremely small incision does not necessarily mean a quicker, less painful recovery, and should be avoided until more is known about whether it helps people live longer, disease-free lives, researchers say.
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Researchers call herbs rich source of healthy antioxidants; oregano ranks highest
InteliHealth: Cancer, Jan. 7, 2002
(American Chemical Society) -- Better health may be only a dash and sprinkle away: Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have found that herbs, in addition to making food tastier, are an abundant source of antioxidants and could provide potential anticancer benefits when supplementing a balanced diet.
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Latino men face different obstacles to cancer screening
InteliHealth: Cancer
Jan. 8, 2002
(Center for the Advancement of Health) -- Nearly half of Latino men have never had a recommended digital rectal exam to check for prostate and colorectal cancer, but the barriers to cancer screenings differ across subgroups of Cuban Americans, Central Americans, Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans, according to a study.
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New procedure holds promise for the wary - and for earlier detection
InteliHealth: Cancer
Jan. 8, 2002
(The Fort Worth Star-Telegram) - Men may accept the indignity of digital rectal exams and prostate-specific antigen tests, and women reluctantly submit to pap smears and mammograms, but most still balk at the colonoscopies, flexible sigmoidoscopes and double-contrast barium enemas used to detect cancers of the colon and rectum.
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Epidermal growth factor blocking antibody to be tested in colorectal cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 28 - Abgenix Inc. has launched its third phase II trial this year of ABX-EGF, an anti-cancer monoclonal antibody the company is developing with Immunex Corp.

In the open-label phase II trial, Abgenix expects to enroll up to 100 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have failed prior chemotherapy treatment. Patients will receive intravenous infusions of 2.5 mg/kg of ABX-EGF weekly during an eight-week treatment cycle. Investigators at several medical centers may treat patients for up to six cycles.

ABX-EGF is an epidermal growth factor receptor antagonist. The receptor (EGFr) is expressed in many types of solid tumors and is believed to influence the rapid growth of cancer.
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Memory problems following chemotherapy, benefits outweigh the risk, researchers say
By Michael Smith, MD WebMD Medical News
Jan. 14, 2001 -- Evidence has been building that cancer chemotherapy can impair memory for at least a few years after treatment. Now, a new study shows that this effect can linger as long as 10 years
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Diet seems to have no clear link to colorectal cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 01 - It appears that weight control and exercise are more important than diet in preventing colorectal cancer, Dr. Paul Terry of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, told Reuters Health.
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Colorectal Cancer Network announces conference
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Jan 10. -- The Colorectal Cancer Network's Second Annual Survivors Conference will be held from April 19 to 22, 2002 in Newport Beach, California. Three words sum up the conference theme: "Inform -- Empower -- Connect."
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Therapeutic cancer vaccine enters international pivotal clinical trial for second indication
Yahoo Press Release SOURCE: CancerVax Corporation
CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- CancerVax(TM) Corporation announced today that it submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2001 to initiate a pivotal (Phase 2/3) clinical trial of the Canvaxin(TM) therapeutic cancer vaccine as a treatment for metastatic colon cancer.
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Viruses to tackle cancer: Scientists are harnessing the ability of viruses to infect cells to treat a range of deadly cancers
BBC News, Friday, 4 Jan., 2002, 01:00 GMT
A team from Hammersmith Hospital in London is launching a series of pioneering clinical trials to discover whether the technique can produce tangible results.
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Protein research targets cancer
By Raja Mishra, Boston Globe Staff, 1/4/2002
Beth Israel Deaconess researchers have uncovered the intricate biological mechanism behind a tumor-fighting protein in the body, increasing the likelihood it may one day be harnessed to treat cancer patients.

The protein, tumstatin, helps stanch the blood flow to tumors, starving them to death. But the deadliest cancers can overwhelm the body's natural tumstatin supply. The paper, in today's issue of the journal Science, could help scientists find a way to augment that supply.
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Cancer-fighting drug may work in prevention, treatment
1/7/2002, ScienceDaily Magazine - Fox Chase Cancer Center (http://www.fccc.edu/)
PHILADELPHIA -- The ABCs of fighting cancer these days include two big words that describe exciting basic concepts. One is anti-angiogenesis, a strategy to stop or prevent the growth of blood vessels needed to nourish a tumor and allow it to spread. Another approach is chemoprevention - using medication to halt, delay or reverse the development of cancer.

According to new prevention research by Fox Chase Cancer Center cell biologist Margie Clapper, Ph.D., of Harleysville, Pa., and colleagues at Cephalon Inc. in West Chester, Pa., the drug Oltipraz holds the potential to achieve both goals. A report on the ongoing studies appears in the January 2002 issue of Clinical Cancer Research. Co-authors include Dr. Clapper and Bruce Ruggeri, Ph.D., of Cephalon's Division of Oncology.

In early clinical studies, Clapper worked with Fox Chase medical oncologist Christine Szarka, M.D., to see how well Oltipraz increased protective enzymes among people at high risk of colon cancer. For comparison, some trial participants took dried broccoli tablets instead of the drug. Oltipraz surpassed the dietary approach by a significant measure with few or no side effects. A later study used Oltipraz for people at risk of lung cancer.

Most recently, with support from the Cancer Research Foundation of America, Clapper has focused on individuals with ulcerative colitis, which increases the risk of colon or rectal cancer by 10 times. In studies with laboratory mice, Oltipraz has proved to inhibit colitis-associated colon cancer. This research will form a basis for designing the first trial of a preventive treatment for people with this disease.
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Health 2001-2002: Colon Cancer, 2001 Review - 2002 Preview
By Jennifer Huget
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2002; Page HE04
New U.S. cases in 2001: 98,200
Deaths: 48,100 in 2001

While colon cancer death rates have steadily declined since the late 1980s, the disease still kills more Americans than any cancer besides lung cancer.

Research last year confirmed that NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and a variety of prescription pain relievers help keep polyps from forming. But because these products increase risk of stomach ulcers and other digestive disorders, along with kidney failure and liver dysfunction, they aren't recommended for routine preventive use.

Regarding treatment, last year also saw broader use of the drug irinotecan, introduced in 2000 as part of a chemotherapy cocktail and considered the first effective new drug treatment for colon cancer in 25 years. Drug development in 2002 will focus on finding agents that can target specific proteins associated with colon cancer; this approach is preferable to chemotherapy, which affects both diseased and healthy tissue.

It's still unclear whether a fiber-rich diet can help prevent colon cancer. It now appears that other components of such foods -- fruit, vegetables and whole grains -- may be more important than the fiber in reducing disease risk.
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Predicting Treatment Response in Colon Cancer
Matthew Kulke, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Colon Cancer Viewpoint-Current Edition from Veritas Medicine
One of the many uncertainties facing patients with colon cancer is their inability to know ahead of time whether a specific therapy will help them. While most therapies are associated with specific response rates, such rates, which are generally based on studies involving hundreds of patients, are generally not helpful in making individual decisions.
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Novartis reports positive Glivec data
BASEL, Switzerland (Reuters Health) Jan 07 - Swiss healthcare group Novartis said on Monday that early positive data in tests of Glivec have led to major protocol changes whereby some of the mirror test patients will also be given its cancer drug.
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Colonoscopy appears to be the best strategy for colorectal cancer screening
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 09 - Colonoscopies performed at ages 50 and 60 years may be the most effective and most cost-effective screening test for colorectal cancer, researchers suggest.
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Progress report on the US war against cancer
The Lancet Oncology Journal : Current Issue
In the Cancer Progress Report 2001, released in December 2001, NCI researchers have assembled the most current information on cancer detection, prevention, and treatment trends, and tracked trends to compare the nation's advances to the goals set out in Healthy People 2010, a set of national health objectives developed by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Overall trends are encouraging, with a steep decline in new cancer cases and deaths since the early 1990s, but the nation is also losing ground in some areas. The report is available online at http://progressreport.cancer.gov

Benefits of continued colorectal cancer screening persist beyond 10 years
NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2002 (Reuters Health) - The relative risk of death from colorectal cancer was reduced to less than 0.70 among subjects who completed seven biennial rounds of fecal occult blood screening compared with individuals who underwent no screening, according to the findings of a large ongoing Danish study.
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Heavy alcohol use ups colon cancer risk for some
NEW YORK, Jan 08, 2002 (Reuters Health) - Previous studies have yielded conflicting results on the link between alcohol consumption and colon cancer. Now, a report in the January issue of Gut suggests that when precancerous abnormalities are present in the colon, excessive alcohol consumption promotes their development into high-risk polyps or colorectal cancer.
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Anti-colorectal cancer drug faces FDA obstacle
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
01/03/02
An anti-colorectal cancer treatment whose early promise generated national attention and calls from desperate patients has encountered a roadblock in its quest to get on the U.S. market.
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Signaling Pathway Molecules Play Role In Metastasis
Uni-Sci
One of the more deadly properties of cancerous cells is their ability to leave their place of origin and invade surrounding tissues. While cancer research has provided a great deal of information about the survival and growth of tumors, the mechanisms that stimulate cancerous cells to migrate and become invasive, or metastasize, are not nearly as well understood. A report in the Dec 28 issue of Cell provides new information about the molecular signals that enable a cell to become invasive.
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Viruses to tackle cancer, expert at infecting cells
BBC News | HEALTH | Friday, 4 January, 2002, 01:00 GMT
Scientists are harnessing the ability of viruses to infect cells to treat a range of deadly cancers.
A team from Hammersmith Hospital in London is launching a series of pioneering clinical trials to discover whether the technique can produce tangible results.
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Protein research targets cancer
By Raja Mishra, Boston Globe Staff, 1/4/2002
Beth Israel Deaconess researchers have uncovered the intricate biological mechanism behind a tumor-fighting protein in the body, increasing the likelihood it may one day be harnessed to treat cancer patients.

The protein, tumstatin, helps stanch the blood flow to tumors, starving them to death. But the deadliest cancers can overwhelm the body's natural tumstatin supply. The paper, in today's issue of the journal Science, could help scientists find a way to augment that supply.
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Oxaliplatin and irinotecan helpful in 5-FU-resistant colorectal cancer
WESTPORT, CT -- 11/28/2001 -- (Reuters Health) - Oxaliplatin and irinotecan treatment appears to be useful for advanced colorectal cancer patients with resistance to fluorouracil (5-FU), according to French researchers.
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Novel target gene for sporadic colorectal tumors identified
Source: Reuters News
Publish Date: 12/28/2001

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein 3 (wisp-3) gene, appears to be a novel target in the development of colorectal tumors with microsatellite instability (MSI), European investigators report.
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Epidermal growth factor blocking antibody to be tested in colorectal cancer
Source: Reuters News
Publish Date: 12/29/2001

YORK (Reuters Health) - Abgenix Inc. has launched its third phase II trial this year of ABX-EGF, an anti-cancer monoclonal antibody the company is developing with Immunex Corp.
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New tool predicts cancer outcome
Source: Nature Medicine
Publish Date: 12/27/2001

Using the latest tools for genomic analysis, researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Massachusetts have been able to distinguish which of a group of cancer patients will be cured and which will die. This form of diagnostic analysis is the first in a new line of techniques based on knowledge from the human genome which will revolutionize healthcare.
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How breast cancer is cured affects quality of life
Source: Reuters News
Publish Date: 01/02/2002
NEW YORK, Jan 02 (Reuters Health) - Breast cancer survivors often enjoy a high quality of life years after treatment, but those who receive systemic therapies -- meaning treatment that affects the entire body--may have some decline in physical functioning over time, new research suggests.
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Potential for reducing colon cancer risk not being realized -- lifestyle changes count; screening lowers rates
Colon cancer reates in the United States have been dropping in recent years, but the result of Americans' changing their habits for five risk factors does not tell the whole story, according to a study.
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Getting a good night's sleep may be challenging for a cancer patient -- tips to getting the rest you need
2001/11/07
A good night's sleep can work wonders for an individual's outlook on the day at hand. When someone loses sleep or does not get the kind of sleep that refreshes, irritability can result. For individuals with cancer, problems with sleep may be caused by pain, anxiety, depression, medications, or night sweats.
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ACS :: Doctor as patient: Cancer fatigue can be devastating
Lack of understanding compounds frustration
2001/11/28
Even doctors who treat cancer patients on a regular basis have a difficult time understanding the intense fatigue that often accompanies treatment.
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Understanding cancer statistics
Author: Deborah Mayer, RN, MSN, AOCN, FAAN - Chief Medical Officer, CancerSource.com
Publish Date: 01/02/2002
Every year, the American Cancer Society publishes Facts & Figures, a booklet that lists the number of people expected to get cancer during that year, how long someone may survive, and the number of people expected to die from cancer that year. This article describes how to better understand this type of statistical information. It also lists several online sources of cancer statistics.
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