This morning the FDA added fluorouracil to its drug shortage list. The American Society of Healthcare Pharmacists (ASHP) has also reported a shortage of fluorouracil (5-FU), a common backbone drug for colorectal cancer chemotherapy.
Two manufacturers have some doses of the drug on intermittent back order and are shipping it as it becomes available. A third has all dose vials on back order and estimates shipping sometime in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Developing tender swelling or rash on their hands and feet may actually be good news for patients being treated with Xeloda® (capecitabine).
During a recent clinical trial, colorectal cancer patients with hand-foot syndrome lived longer, and it took longer for their cancer to get worse.
Researchers comparing two Xeloda-based chemotherapies for people with advanced colorectal cancer, studied skin side effects from both Xeloda and Erbitux® (cetuximab). They found that about a third of patients experienced at least some hand-foot syndrome, and these patients lived almost 10 months longer than patients without skin changes. Read the rest of this entry »
For every 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) increase in height, women have a 16 percent increase in their risk of cancer.
Taller women have an even greater risk for colon cancer — 25 percent for every 10 centimeters. There is a 14 percent increased risk for rectal cancer.
There is about a 37 percent increase in the chance of getting any cancer between the shortest women (less than 5 feet, 1 inch) and the tallest (over 5 feet, 9 inches) according to a very large study in the United Kingdom. Read the rest of this entry »
In response to the ongoing leucovorin shortage crisis, Fight Colorectal Cancer has created a Frequently Asked Questions document for patients.
The Fight CRC Answer Line (1-877-427-2111) has fielded over 100 calls from patients who were told they could not receive leucovorin due to a manufacturing shortage in the United States. Many patients, worried and confused, have had trouble determining their options if faced with this issue.
The FAQ addresses issues such as “What choices do I have if my doctor doesn’t have leucovorin?” and “Why is there a leucovorin shortage?”. It also directs patients to the Fight CRC online action center, where they can weigh in on the issue with their Members of Congress.
New labels for Extra Strength Tylenol® will reduce the maximum daily dose from 8 pills (4000 mg) to 6 pills (3000 mg).
The interval for taking the medicine will also change from 2 pills every 4 to 6 hours to 2 pills every 6 hours.
McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the makers Tylenol of announced the change to help prevent overdoses of acetaminophen.
Although acetaminophen is safe when used as directed, it is part of over 600 over-the-counter and prescribed medicines. Maximum doses can be exceeded when people take several different medications at the same time, and too much acetaminophen can cause liver damage. Read the rest of this entry »
Together we are Strong
