Today, the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee met to consider the fiscal year 2011 bill that funds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The Subcommittee approved $2.571 billion in funding for the FDA.

This is an increase of $214 million above last year’s level and $55 million above the President’s request.  C3 is very pleased with this proposed increase, and applauds the leadership of Chairwoman De Lauro, Ranking Member Kingston and the members of the Subcommittee.

Earlier this month, C3 advocates went to Capitol Hill to urge Congress to increase funding for the FDA.  Register today as a C3 advocate, and we will update you on what you can do to help us make sure this increased funding for the FDA stays in the bill as it moves through the appropriations process.

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Close to three million children in the United States live with parents who have had cancer, half a million with parents in the early stages of treatment and recovery.

One in five adults recently diagnosed with cancer reported having a child under 18 living with them.

Most were women, married, and under the age of 50. Read the rest of this entry »

Even colorectal cancer patients whose tumors had grown and spread after two or more other chemotherapy regimens benefitted when perifosine was added to Xeloda chemotherapy.

Both the time until cancer got worse and survival time improved with perifosine compared to a placebo.  This held true for patients who had received 5-FU previously.

Based on the results of this Phase II trial, reported at ASCO 2010, a Phase III trial is underway and is recruiting colorectal cancer patients whose cancer has progressed on all standard treatments. Read the rest of this entry »

A surgical site infection is one that happens in the part of the body where an operation has taken place.

Nearly one in five hospital infections happens at the surgical site according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC has tips that can help you and your health care team prevent surgical site infections.  They will tell you what you can do before and after your operation to reduce the risk that you’ll get an infection. Read the rest of this entry »

Patients are telling C3 that they are being turned away from scheduled cancer treatment because of a new shortage of leucovorin, a drug that is commonly used in colon and rectal cancer treatment.  However, good news is on the way.

TEVA Pharmaceuticals has told the Food and Drug Administration that they are shipping back orders of leucovorin now and that the drug should be in oncology clinics and doctor’s offices next week.

The FDA has put leucovorin on its drugs shortages list, citing manufacturing delays as the reason.   The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (AHSP) has additional details on the shortage. Read the rest of this entry »