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Response rates for patients with hairy cell leukemia are high and typically of long duration, yet one-third or more will relapse. The use of oral fludarabine in combination with rituximab in four monthly cycles was shown to be highly effective in reinducing durable remissions.
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A 48-year-old woman, who is 8 years post-hysterectomy for excessive menstrual bleeding, just completed a four-cycle course of chemotherapy (doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide), for a 2.8 cm, high-grade breast cancer with a negative sentinel node biopsy.
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In this Phase 2 trial, 32 heavily pretreated patients including those who received adjuvant temozolamide, were treated with daily low-dose temozolamide at 50 mg/m2 and twice-weekly Bevacizumab. The treatment was well tolerated with a median progression-free survival of 15.8 weeks and a median overall survival of 37 weeks. However, this was lower than those reported in studies with single-agent bevacizumab and bevacizumab/irinotecan combination.
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In a Phase 3 trial including 268 patients with advanced biliary tract cancers, response rates were improved in patients receiving erlotinib with chemotherapy (gemcitabine/oxaliplatin) compared to chemotherapy alone. However, progression-free survival was not enhanced except for the subset with cholangiocarcinoma.
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With more effective local therapy achieved by concurrent chemoradiotherapy for patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, the occurrence of distant relapse is becoming increasingly observed. In a Phase 2 study, six weekly doses of carboplatin and paclitaxel prior to concurrent chemoradiotherapy resulted in comparable local control and fewer distant relapses when compared to prior studies from this group. The role for induction chemotherapy and the agents selected remains to be established.
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Statins and diabetes risk; new treatment guideline for diabetes; new pertussis vaccine recommendation; antibiotics and rhinosinusitis; fluoroquinolones and cystitis; and FDA actions.
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Ipilimumab has recently been approved for the treatment of advanced melanoma. The current trial was undertaken to determine its safety and efficacy in patients with brain involvement.
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Drug shortages; metformin and cancer prevention; migraine prevention guidelines; and FDA actions.
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The practice of tanning by artificial means, such as by sunlamps or sunbeds, continues to be popular, particularly in young people despite the acknowledged risk for increased skin cancer.
