NEWS
Targeted Nanoparticle Tested in Patients with Cancer
The first trial to test a targeted nanoparticle capable of controlling a drug's release is now under way in humans. By packaging molecules of the chemotherapy drug docetaxel in nanoparticles, researchers aim to deliver a higher dose of the drug directly to tumors and to reduce the toxicity to patients.
In animal studies performed before the trial, the nanoparticle delivered a greater amount of the drug to tumor cells than could be achieved with the unpackaged (or free) drug. In addition, the nanoparticle did not show any more toxicity than docetaxel on its own.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, BIND Biosciences, Inc., and their colleagues reported the development of the nanoparticle, called BIND-014, in the April 4 Science Translational Medicine. Read more > >
Many Patients with Cancer Need Better Treatments for Pain
Inadequate treatment more frequent among minority patients than white patientsMore Chemotherapy May Help after Initial Treatment for Childhood Leukemia Fails
International study could change how doctors treat some patients with ALLFor Older Patients with Leukemia, Low Doses of Gemtuzumab Improve Survival
New treatment schedule reduces side effects seen in earlier trialsCOMMENTARY
A Conversation with Dr. Lowell Schnipper about Cancer Care and the Choosing Wisely CampaignNine professional medical societies, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), each recently released a list of the five most commonly performed medical tests and procedures within their specialties that are not supported by published evidence and contribute heavily to unnecessary health care spending in the United States. The release was part of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation's Choosing Wisely campaign.
Dr. Lowell Schnipper of Harvard Medical School and chair of the ASCO Cost of Cancer Care Task Force, which spearheaded ASCO's contribution to the Choosing Wisely campaign, spoke with the NCI Cancer Bulletin about the top-five list and the larger effort behind it.
IN DEPTH
Norwegian Study Estimates Overdiagnosis of Breast Cancer from Screening
Up to 25 percent of invasive breast cancers may not harm or require treatment
Using Imaging to Pinpoint Genetic Mutations in Brain Tumors
Noninvasive approach may aid in diagnosis and monitoring of some patients
Featured Clinical Trial: Testing Vascular Disruption Combined with Chemotherapy for Advanced Solid Tumors
Will new class of drugs be safe and beneficial for patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer and other advanced solid tumors?
UPDATES
Legislative Update
- Latest State Cancer Legislative Database Update Now Available
CDC Update
- Calls to Tobacco Quitline Hit Record High after Launch of National Ad Campaign
Notes
- Free Telephone Workshop Series for Cancer Survivors Begins April 24
- Public Comment Sought on Draft Statement on Ovarian Cancer Screening
- Apply to Visiting Scholars Program at Frederick National Laboratory by May 11
- Applications for Oncology Fellowships Due May 31
- NCI Requests Targets for Monoclonal Antibody Production and Characterization
Selected articles from past issues of the NCI Cancer Bulletin are available in Spanish.
The NCI Cancer Bulletin is produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which was established in 1937. Through basic, clinical, and population-based biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can identify the environmental and genetic causes of cancer, prevent cancer before it starts, identify cancers that do develop at the earliest stage, eliminate cancers through innovative treatment interventions, and biologically control those cancers that we cannot eliminate so they become manageable, chronic diseases.
For more information about cancer, call 1-800-4-CANCER or visit http://www.cancer.gov.
NCI Cancer Bulletin staff can be reached at ncicancerbulletin@mail.nih.gov.
