Fifteen Ways to Attract Malpractice Lawsuits: A Free Guide
Here’s a fun fact: most doctors will be sued at least once during their career. Physicians in high-risk specialties such a surgery have a 99% chance of being sued by age 65; even low-risk specialists have a 75% probability. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 26, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Guidelines for Treatment of Multiple Myeloma-Related Bone Disease Released
The International Myeloma Working Group recently released new recommendations to aid physicians in the treatment of bone disease related to multiple myeloma. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 26, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Escitalopram for Head and Neck Cancer Patients Cut Depression in Half
Prophylactic use of the SSRI escitalopram decreased the occurrence of depression in patients with head and neck cancers by 50% and resulted in significantly improved quality of life for 3 months after drug cessation, according to the results of the PROTECT trial. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 25, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Ibrutinib Yields Durable Responses in CLL
Monotherapy with the investigational oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib was well tolerated and produced durable responses in a phase Ib/II, open-label, multicenter study of 85 patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 25, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

PET/MR Outperforms PET/CT in Detecting Prostate Cancer Recurrence
A new imaging approach, combining PET with magnetic resonance (MR), was shown to be more sensitive in detecting recurrent prostate cancer compared with PET/CT. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 25, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Bisphosphonate Effective in Treating Osteonecrosis Pain in Pediatric ALL
Use of the bisphosphonate pamidronate (Aredia) may be “more efficient” than standard regimens as palliative treatment for symptoms of acute symptomatic osteonecrosis in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 24, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Cancer Groups Call for Clarity on Patient Access to Clinical Trials
A group of cancer and other healthcare advocacy organizations applauded a provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires private insurers to cover the routine medical costs of patients participating in clinical trials. However, many of those patients will continue to face roadblocks to participating in trials unless the federal government provides clear guidance on implementation, the groups said in a recent letter. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 24, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Ibrutinib Shows High Response Rate in Mantle-Cell Lymphoma
Phase II trial results of the targeted agent ibrutinib in relapsed or refractory mantle-cell lymphoma show that the drug led to promising and durable responses. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 22, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Patient With Mass in Sacrococcygeal Region
A 58-year-old man presents with pain in the lower back. Radiographic imaging shows a mass in the sacrococcygeal region. Resection of the tumor was performed. What is your diagnosis? (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 21, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

ASCO: Daratumumab Safe in Multiple Myeloma
Results from a first-in-human trial of daratumumab indicate that the investigational drug reduced paraprotein and bone marrow plasma cells at doses greater than 4 mg/kg in patients with advanced multiple myeloma. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 21, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

How Honest Is the EMR?
Have you ever read someone’s note in the EMR and noticed it says “normal” in every section under physical exam, when in fact, the patient has had a mastectomy, a markedly enlarged liver, 3+ edema, or (horrors!) an amputation that goes undocumented? (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 21, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

BOLERO-3: Adding Everolimus Improves PFS in HER2+ Breast Cancer
The addition of everolimus (Novartis) to combination trastuzumab/vinorelbine leads to a significant improvement in progression-free survival compared with placebo in advanced and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 20, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Gene Variations May Predict Response to Breast Cancer Prevention Therapies
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have identified variants in two genes that result in a higher chance that tamoxifen or raloxifene will actually prevent breast cancer. More studies are needed, but if confirmed, women with these variants may be more likely to undergo the 5-year preventive regimen. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 20, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Study: BPA Exposure in Developing Prostate Increases Later Cancer Risk
In a new study presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, researchers using animal models show that early BPA exposure increases prostate cancer risk. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 20, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Denosumab Approved by FDA for Giant-Cell Tumor of the Bone
The first treatment for a rare tumor called giant-cell tumor of the bone has been approved by FDA. The approval of denosumab (Xgeva) was based on a priority FDA review. (Source: Cancer Network)
Source: Cancer Network - June 20, 2013 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news