COLUMBIA, SC -- Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents were indicated for use in patients with cancer who receive noncurative myelosuppressive chemotherapy, with the intention of mitigating symptoms and side effects to decrease the need for red blood cell transfusions....
Lymphoma Rates Drop With Better Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment at VA
SEATTLE -- High systemic inflammatory activity is suspected to be a major risk determinant of lymphomagenesis, and past epidemiological studies have consistently demonstrated a link between rheumatoid arthritis and the incidence of lymphoma. A study in RMD Open -...
ART Has Changed the Cancers Associated with HIV
New York—Antiretroviral therapy transformed infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a death sentence to a chronic condition, along the way changing virtually everything about the disease, including its association with cancer. For years, specific...
Is Radiation Therapy Linked to Second Cancer Diagnoses?
STANFORD, CA – How likely is a second cancer diagnosis after primary cancer treatment with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), or proton beam radiotherapy (PBRT) for lymphoma and other cancers? Researchers from...
Acute Kidney Injury Risk With Stem Cell Transplant
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be a life-saving therapy for many patients with cancer, as well as patients with some nonmalignant hematologic disorders, such as aplastic anemia, sickle cell disease, and certain congenital immune...
VA Has More Options as Treatment for Mantle Cell Lymphoma Expands Rapidly
Most patients with mantle cell lymphoma, which is considered a presumptive condition for veterans exposed to Agent Orange, face a rapidly progressive disease and higher mortality rates. New therapies are giving VA clinicians more options to help MCL patients. For example, the availability now of three Bruton tyrosine kinase [BTK] inhibitors is allowing treatment to be better matched to the needs of the patient.
Hepatitis C ‘Cure’ Doesn’t Always Prevent Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development
More than 100,000 VA patients have been cured of hepatitis C with direct-acting antiviral treatment. Even though HCV is the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States, curing the infection only reduces the risk; it doesn’t entirely eliminate it. That’s why the VA has continued with research to determine who is at greatest risk of HCC and is looking at expanding screening.
Relapse Remains a Critical Issue in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
MIAMI — Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) APL was first reported and described in Norway in 1957, and is connected to the proliferation of promyelocytes, catastrophic hemorrhagic incidences, and hyper-acute onset. A new review in Oncotarget discusses advances in...
CLL Treatments Shift Significantly at VHA From 2013-2018
DENVER, CO – Since the first novel agent was approved for use in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients in 2014, how have treatment regimens changed at the VHA? That was the question behind a presentation at the recent 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncologists...
Circulating Stromal Cells Could Serve as Solid Tumor Biomarkers
A type of circulating stromal cell, CAMLs arise as part of an innate immune response, which could make them useful for predicting the presence of cancer. That would be particularly useful as the cells can be isolated from peripheral blood, making a test non-invasive.
Timely Care Not Received by Many Rural Veterans with Colorectal Cancer
For many rural patients, receiving timely, quality cancer care remains difficult. Challenges include transportation hurdles, financial constraints, a lack of providers, and minimal access to clinical trials. As a result, while cancer incidence rates are lower in rural areas, cancer mortality rates are higher.
How Uterine Cancer Manifests Differently in Black, White Women
Black women are more likely to die of uterine cancer than white women, even though the incidence rate is the same between the two groups.
VA Rapidly Adopted Novel Agents for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
In 2015, the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) named the transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) the Cancer Advance of the Year.
Value Calculations Conflict in Genomic Profiling of Tumors
Increased personalization of cancer therapy has transformed oncology over the past decade as a growing number of targeted therapies have entered the market.
More Screening Urged to Stem Increase in Colorectal Cancer in Younger Patients
Rates of colorectal cancer have been rising in younger patients since the mid-1980s, even as rates have fallen in individuals over age 50, according to the American Cancer Society.
Immunotherapy Increases Overall Survival in Veterans with NSCLC
Real world results often differ markedly from those seen in clinical trials. In the very real world setting of the VA, does immunotherapy really provide greater benefit than chemotherapy for patients with lung cancer?
Effective EPOCH-R Treatment for Older Patients With Aggressive Lymphomas
Over the last few years, two combinations have dueled for primacy in treatment of lymphomas: DA-EPOCH-R (dose-adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and rituximab) and R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone).
Early Progression Linked to Worse Outcomes in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
Among veterans, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 3% of all diagnosed malignancies or approximately 2,250 new diagnoses each year.
Guideline-Concordant Skeletal Survey Might Overestimate Multiple Myeloma
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines continue to recommend conducting a skeletal survey or whole-body radiography as the first step in identifying osteolytic bone lesions and distinguishing between smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) and multiple myeloma (MM).
Prognostic Models Fail to Reflect Racial Differences in Prostate Cancer
Every physician knows each patient is different. Prognostic models, however, tend to assume everyone’s the same. That can skew decisions in cancer care.
Veteran Survival Varies Widely with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Across the VA system, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are being prescribed for a growing number of cancer types including renal cell carcinoma, lung cancer, head and neck cancers, and melanoma.
Microneedling Skin to Protect Against Non-Melanoma Cancer
DAYTON, OH —Geriatric patients are the primary victims of nonmelanoma skin cancer, according to a new study pointing out that only 20% of them are diagnosed in patients younger than 60. Part of the reason, according to an article in Archives of Dermatological...
Older Men With Prostate Cancer Likely to Die of Other Causes
LOS ANGELES —Men with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy don’t always receive enough information on competing risks of mortality to inform prognosis and guide treatment, according to a new study. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center-led researchers sought to...
Lipid Trait Variants Don’t Appear to Be Linked to NHL Subtypes
ROCHESTER, MN – Noting that studies linking lipid traits to risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma have been inconclusive, new research examined the association of genetically predicted lipid traits with risk of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), chronic lymphocytic...
Survey of VHA Use of Chemoprevention for Breast Cancer
INDIANAPOLIS—Although clinicians now have tools to reduce the risk of breast cancer, most eligible women in the United States aren’t offered either personalized screening or chemoprevention. That is despite breast cancer being the most common cancer diagnosed among...
Link Found Between Taller Adult Height, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Risk
BETHESDA, MD – Is taller adult height associated with an increased risk of some non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes? An international study led by the National Cancer Institute and partially funded by the VA’s research service sought to determine how height, which is...
Aggressive Chemo-Immunotherapy Found Safe for Older Patients With CLL Treatments
MINNEAPOLIS — Even though chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a disease of older adults, with median age of 68 years at diagnosis, clinical trials on chemo-immunotherapy agents rarely included patients of advanced age, according to a new study. Noting the strong...
Chemo-immunotherapy and Older Patients Before New CLL Treatments
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Even though chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disease of older adults, with median age of 68 years at diagnosis, clinical trials on chemo-immunotherapy agents rarely included patients of advanced age, according to a new study. Noting the strong...
Study Looks at Trichomonas Vaginalis Infection, Cancer Link
LOUIS—The protist Trichomonas vaginalis causes a common, sexually transmitted infection, some research has raised the possibility that it might contribute to the development of chronic prostate conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. A...
Multiple Myeloma Treatment Linked to More Secondary Malignancies in Veterans
BOSTON – While treatment of and survival with multiple myeloma has dramatically improved with better therapeutic options, concerns have been raised about a concurrent increase in second primary malignancies that appear to be related to treatment. A presentation at the...
