Fight Colorectal Cancer

FDA: Avastin Can Cause Ovarian Failure

Posted by Kate Murphy on October 6th, 2011

FDA LogoThe FDA has changed the package insert for Avastin® (bevacizumab) to include information about newly identified risks for the drug including

  • Loss of ovarian function (ovarian failure).
  • Bone death in the jaw (osteonecrosis).
  • Bleeding and additional blood clots in patients who have already had a clot in their veins while on Avastin.

Changes to the Avastin label were announced on September 30, 2011. Read the rest of this entry »

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How the FDA Is Addressing Drug Shortages

Posted by Kate Murphy on October 5th, 2011

Syringe to inject medicineIf you missed the FDA Webinar on Drug Shortages last Friday, you can

Watch a video of the entire presentation, including questions.

Download the webinar slides.

The webinar, led by Captain Valerie Jensen, R.Ph., Associate Director for the FDA’s Drug Shortage Program, discusses how the FDA responds to drug shortages and what they are doing to try to prevent shortages of medically necessary drugs. Read the rest of this entry »

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OncoType DX Colon Now Covered by Medicare

Posted by Kate Murphy on October 3rd, 2011

Box containing Oncotype DX testGood news for stage II colon cancer patients on Medicare.  Oncotype DX® colon test is now covered.

Palmetto GBA, the designated national contractor for Oncotype DX Colon Cancer Assay, has determined that the test

Meets criteria for analytical and clinical validity and clinical utility as a reasonable and necessary Medicare benefit. Effective September 18, 2011, Palmetto GBA will reimburse Oncotype DX® Colon Cancer Assay services for patients diagnosed with Stage II colon cancer.

The Oncotype DX Colon Cancer Assay indicates how likely it is that stage II colon cancer will return (recur).  It tests tumor tissue for twelve genes to develop a recurrence score that patients and their doctors can use in combination with other clinical information to make decisions about having chemotherapy after surgery.

The test does not predict whether or not chemotherapy will reduce risk of recurrence, but it does indicate risk for recurrence. Read the rest of this entry »

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Patients Say Acupuncture Helps Nausea . . . But Does it Really?

Posted by Kate Murphy on October 1st, 2011

Three small hazelnutsColorectal Cancer News in a Nutshell

Summer’s over. The black squirrels in the front yard are scurrying around hunting acorns and my inbox is full of neat nuggets of colorectal cancer news — and I don’t want to leave them buried all winter.

So here they are in brief.  You can check the links for more details.

Mixed Results Using Acupuncture for Radiation Nausea

The good news is that almost all patients felt they had less nausea after either real or sham acupuncture to manage nausea and vomiting during radiation therapy.  Nine out of ten wanted more treatments. Read the rest of this entry »

Get Inspired in Our New Online Community

Posted by Carlea Bauman on September 29th, 2011

At Fight Colorectal Cancer we use the word community a lot but we don’t use it lightly. We know that a solid community needs to have trust, credibility and the best of intentions at its core.

So when we invite members of our community to check out the community at the website Inspire.com, we do so because we believe you’ll find something useful and meaningful there.

Get your questions answered. Find a supportive group of new friends. Laugh with others who know exactly what you’re going through. Compare side effects and learn how others cope with them. Follow posts by Fight Colorectal Cancer’s Kate Murphy and stay up to date on the latest information about your specific health concerns.

Read the rest of this entry »

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