Treatment

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New Trial Recruiting for Skin T-Cell Lymphomas

There is a clinical trial now recruiting for treatment of T-cell lymphoma of the skin (Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma or CTCL, including Mycosis Fungoides & Sezary Syndrome) in stages 2 through 4a or stage 1b that has relapsed.

Depsipeptide is a new type of drug that disrupts the ways DNA binds in cancer cells, disrupting cancer cell growth. This compound has been studied for quite awhile by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) and it shows excellent reactivity against a number of cancers especially lymphomas.

Cancer after Lymphoma - take past results with open eyes and a sun hat

An April study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology looked at the risk of second cancers after Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. If you or a loved one were treated between 1973 and 2000, this may be of interest.

BUT . . .

If treatment was recent, such a study may be nearly useless and might impart the wrong information. Newer treatments for NHL have improved remission rates and chances are that new trial drugs will continue to lead to better treatments. Thus studying the past does not have any correlation with how current patients may do.

ACOG Presentation: Chemotherapy Can Be Given in 2nd and 3rd Trimester to Pregnant Women With Lymphoma

According to new research presented at the 54th Annual Clinical Meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), some diagnoses of lymphoma can be safely treated during pregnancy, and chemotherapy in the second and third trimester appears to be relatively safe to the fetus.

Price for Mustargen Rises Sharply With New Manufacturer

News broke today after the New York Times and other papers published a story on the sharp rise in cost for the drug Mustargen (Nitrogen Mustard). The drug was developed over 60 years ago and has been a mainstay for lymphoma treatment for most of that time.
It is a primary drug used to treat cutaneous (skin) T-cell lymphoma and Hodgkin's Lymphoma as part of the MOPP regimen used if ABVD chemotherapy cannot (or has failed).

Conflicting Information on Rheumatoid Arthritis

In previous blog entries in October, November, and December 2004, I linked to articles about Remicade, Methotrexate, and Humira respectively. Article, studies, even a manufacturer stated that certain rheumatoid arthritis (RA)medications could be linked to increased lymphoma risk.

Today, articles seem to change the story - in that famous (??) journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, Swedish researchers say that having longstanding RA makes one 70 times more at risk for contracting lymphoma.

FDA Approves Rituxan Plus CHOP as a First-Line Treatment for Diffuse B-Cell NHL

Genentech and Biogen Idec announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Rituxan(R) (Rituximab) for use in the first-line treatment of patients with diffuse large B-cell, CD20-positive, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), in combination with CHOP(cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) or other anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens. Rituxan has previously been approved as a single agent for use in relapsed or refractory, low-grade or follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Trial: Targeted Treatment for Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Phase II Study of LMB-2 Immunotoxin in Patients with CD25-Positive Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (NCI-04-C-0142). See the protocol summary at http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/NCI-04-C-0142.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Robert J. Kreitman, NCI CCR

Why This Trial Is Important?

Health Insurance and Quality of Cancer Treatment

Evidence-based treatment guidelines exist for almost all common types of cancer. However, many studies have noted disparities in the receipt of guidelines-based treatment, often along lines such as race, economic status, and age. A study by NCI's Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) published in the December 20 Journal of Clinical Oncology examined whether the receipt of guidelines-based treatment is also affected by the type of medical insurance held by patients.

Rituxan Also Provides Relief for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rituxan(R) (rituximab), a monoclonal antibody used to treat some B-cell lymphomas, has proven to be effective in treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have not responded to current treatment, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting. The drug has been given priority review status by the FDA for patients with arthritis who have failed treatment with one or more TNF blocker drugs.

Women's Hodgkin's Treatment, Infertility, and Birth Control

A study in the October 20th issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology looked at female long-term survivors of successfully treated Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) to see if they were at risk for late complications. Among these, infertility is of major importance.