Some thoughts from Kate Murphy . . .I’m in Chicago for the 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. It’s huge! More than 30,000 doctors and researchers from all over the world here to find out about the latest cancer research.
I recently had a chance to attend the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s Fight Back Express Bus tour when it pulled into Maine’s state capital. I was excited, since things like this rarely happen in my area and with it only being 20 minutes away, I had to go. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to help spread the word about colorectal cancer and talk about Cover Your Butt.
The Maine Attorney General spoke as well as aides for both of our Senators and our Congressman. A local oncologist was also there supporting the effort.
The FDA has approved Entereg® (alvimopan) to speed the restoration of normal bowel function after intestinal surgery.
However, the approval comes with a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to be sure that the benefits of using Entereg outweigh any potential risks. Under the REMS, the drug can only be used only in hospitals for inpatients. Hospitals that use it must be certified and materials developed for the health care professionals who administer it. Its effectiveness must be regularly assessed. Read the rest of this entry »
C3 will represent people touched by colorectal cancer with the Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) initiative by serving on the SU2C Advocacy Advisory Council. “Our role as advocates is to help shape the direction of the exciting research that will be funded by SU2C,” said Nancy Roach, C3 Board of Directors.
SU2C is a national effort to raise substantial monies for ground-breaking translational cancer research that will accelerate advances in patient care as well as in cancer prevention. A program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, SU2C was established by a group of media, entertainment, and philanthropic leaders whose lives have all been affected by cancer in significant ways. They have partnered with American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to provide expert scientific oversight of this important initiative.
The centerpiece of this initiative will be a nationally televised fundraising event to air on September 5, 2008. The networks have joined together in an unprecedented collaboration to donate one hour of simultaneous, commercial-free prime time for this program.
US patients treated with 5FU or Xeloda® (capecitabine) were more likely to experience serious side effects than patients outside the United States. They also required more dose reductions and had to stop treatment more often than their non-US counterparts.
Researchers reviewed the safety results of three randomized phase III clinical trials comparing bolus regimens of 5FU to Xeloda (capecitabine) to treat metastatic cancer, separating enrolled patients into those treated in the United States and those treated in other parts of the world. They also analyzed an adjuvant trial that included US patients, patients in East Asia, and patients in the rest of the world. Infusional 5FU was not part of any of these studies. Read the rest of this entry »
