News at ASCO

News at ASCO
http://www.asco.org/portal/site/ASCO

Some headlines and excerpts
Diet, growth are major cancer causes: report
October 31, 2007
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - What people eat and how fast they grow are both
significant causes of cancer, but many Americans still incorrectly believe
that factors such as pesticides are bigger causes, experts reported on
Wednesday.
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of cancer for mother and child, and tall
people have a higher risk of cancer than shorter people, the report found.

"We need to think about cancer as the product of many long-term
influences, not as something that 'just happens,'" Dr. Walter Willett, a
nutrition expert at the Harvard School of Public Health in Massachusetts,
told a news conference.

The report, released jointly by the World Cancer Research Fund and the
American Institute for Cancer Research, is the result of five years of
study by nine teams of scientists.

They reviewed 7,000 studies on diet, exercise, weight and cancer.

Most of what they recommended for cancer prevention is in line with what
health experts have long been advising -- that diets based on fruits,
vegetables and whole grains and that go easy on red meats, dairy products
and fats protect against heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

They found evidence that factors such as hormones that cause the body to
grow quickly may be involved in some cancers.

"We found that tallness is also probably linked to increased risk for
ovarian, pancreatic and pre-menopausal cancer as well," said Dr. Willett.
He stressed that tall people are not destined to get cancer but should
take care to maintain healthy habits.



Glioblastoma survival rate quadrupled with temozolomide plus radiation
October 31, 2007
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Health) - For the first time in approximately 30
years, a new treatment approach has improved the long-term survival rate
of patients with glioblastoma.
The study involved 573 patients between the ages of 18 and 70 with newly
diagnosed glioblastoma, WHO grade IV, who were randomized to standard
radiation therapy, with 60 Gy given in 30-day fractions of 2 Gy, or to
combination therapy, consisting of standard radiation plus temozolomide,
75 mg/m² daily for 35-42 days, followed by up to four cycles of
temozolomide, 150 mg/m² five days a week for 28 days.

After a mean follow-up of 45.9 months, median survival was 12.1 months in
the radiation-only arm and 14.6 months in the temozolomide-plus-radiation
arm of the study.

The 2-year survival was 11.2% with radiation alone and 27.3% with
combination therapy. The 3-year survival rate was 4.3% with radiation and
16.7% with combination therapy, and at 4 years the corresponding rates
were 3.8% vs. 12.9%.

Radiation plus temozolomide is most effective in patients with RPA class
3, indicating a relatively good prognosis, and those with suppression of
the repair gene, methylated MGMT, Dr. Mirimanoff said.


ASCO Releases New Guideline on Preventing and Treating Blood Clots in
Cancer Patients
ALEXANDRIA, Va.— The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released
new clinical guideline recommendations on the use of anticoagulants to
treat venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clots, in people with cancer.

The key recommendations in the guideline include:

• All hospitalized patients with cancer should receive preventive
anticoagulation.
• All patients with cancer who develop a blood clot should be treated with
an anticoagulant for at least six months and possibly longer in those who
continue treatment for active cancer.
• Doctors should evaluate all patients with cancer receiving major
surgery, for administering anticoagulation, beginning before the operation
or as soon afterwards as possible.
• Regular use of an anticoagulant for patients with cancer who are not
hospitalized and receiving chemotherapy is not recommended, except for
patients with multiple myeloma receiving thalidomide or lenalidomide with
chemotherapy or dexamethasone (a steroid).

“The frequency of diagnosed blood clots in cancer patients has been rising
yearly. On the other hand, several studies suggest that anticoagulants are
underused, particularly in hospitalized cancer patients who are at
increased risk,” Dr. Lyman said.