Colorectal Cancer News in Brief: November 7

Briefly

Patients with diabetes aren’t any more likely to develop neuropathy in hands and feet when treated with oxaliplatin.

Learn more about  current colorectal cancer prevention and treatment at a Memorial Sloan Kettering CancerSmart workshop on November 12.  NIH has a downloaded booklet on palliative care, and Oncology on Canvas is looking for artwork from cancer patients and their families and caregivers.

Research Reports

• Diabetic patients have no more risk of developing peripheral sensory neuropathy when they are treated with oxaliplatin than do patients without diabetes.  A pooled analysis looked at three studies totalling almost 1,600 patients.  Of those, 135 or 8.5 percent had diabetes.  The percentage of patients without diabetes and with diabetes who developed neuropathy was almost identical for each grade:  45.0%/46.7% (grade 1), 28.6%/26.7% (grade 2), and 13.0%/12.6% (grade 3).   Diabetic patients who had neuropathy before beginning treatment with oxaliplatin were not included in the study.  R. K. Ramanathan reported results from clinical trials for first and second line metastatic colorectal cancer and the adjuvant MOSAIC trial in the Annals of Oncology Advance Access, November 3, 2009.

Other Headlines

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center offers An Update on Colorectal Cancer next Thursday, November 12, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Oncologist Leonard Saltz, MD,  surgeon José Guillem, MD, MPH,  and radiation oncologist Karyn Goodman, MD will discuss up-to-date information on screening and treatment for colorectal cancer.  Part of MSK’s CancerSmart, the program will be held at the MSKCC Rockefeller Research Laboratories, 430 East 67th Street in New York City.  Call 212-639-3074 for more information.
• The National Institute of Nursing Research has a booklet for patients and families that can be downloaded: Palliative Care: The Relief You Need When You’re Experiencing the Symptoms of Serious Illness. In explaining that palliative care is different from hospice care, the booklet says, “Palliative care is available to you at any time during your illness. remember that you can receive palliative care at the same time you receive treatments that are meant to cure your illness. its availability does not depend upon whether or not your condition can be cured. The goal is to make you as comfortable as possible and improve your quality of life.”
• Oncology on Canvas provides a way for people affected by cancer to express their experiences through art.  The 2010 competition is now open.  Registration must be submitted by June 10, 2010 and artwork completed by June 30, 2010.  Work in watercolor, oil, pastel, photography, acrylic or mixed media is acceptable.  Artists must be someone diagnosed with cancer, or a family member, friend, caregiver or healthcare provider of a person diagnosed with cancer.