Making Chemotherapy Toxicity Palatable by What You Put or Don’t on Dinner Plate

Watching what we eat and how much we eat may be an effective tool to manage the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs says this month's online article in the New England Journal of Medicine.

What are the Smart Apps in Oncologist's Phone

Last June, a Romanian start-up Cronian Labs released an iPhone app Skin Scan which claimed that it can help with early diagnosis (or warning signs) of melanoma.  The availability of Skin Scan at Apple iTunes Store was widely covered in the media (eg, read here and here).  And, it was also the first time I put medical apps on my radar screen.

There are now hundreds of medical apps, and it is not unsurprising to find oncologists and cancer researchers using a variety of these as reference tools, calculators and diagnostic aids.  Here is a short list:

Targeting Tumor Microenvironment, Boston: Pre-meeting notes 2

In the run up to the Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment meeting, taking place in Boston, this October, there are some great resources available to you to download free of charge from the website resources page.

Targeting Tumor Microenvironment, Boston: Pre-meeting notes 1

"Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment" meeting will take place in Boston in October and will be looking at how to achieve tumor delivery, tackle drug resistance and improve clinical efficacy.

Increasing Anti-Tumor Response by Localized High Dose Radiation

Sci Transl Med 6 June 2012: 

Vol. 4, Issue 137, p. 137ra74 
Sci. Transl. Med. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3003649

• RESEARCH ARTICLE

TUMOR RADIOTHERAPY

Phase 1 Study of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy and Interleukin-2—Tumor and Immunological Responses

Health Costs of Smoking and Prop 29

Smoking causes 5-6 million avoidable deaths annually worldwide.  One in 5 men and 1 in 20 women who die after age 30 die of smoking-related causes.  

These distressing numbers should be enough to galvanize the California voters who will decide to accept or reject the California Cancer Research Act, commonly called Proposition 29 (or Prop 29).  If Prop 29 passes, the money raised through new taxes on cigarettes will support research into smoking-related diseases.

Spotting EMILIA at ASCO12 Chicago

EMILIA trial is the first study to evaluate the efficacy of an antibody drug conjugate T-DM1 in metastaic breast cancer (mBC) patients.  At ASCO 2012 meeting in Chicago, Dr. Kim Blackwell of Duke University presented the final analysis of the progression-free survival (PFS) results in mBC patients treated with T-DM1.  A few days back, this trial was featured in the NBC Nightly News (read here.)

Notes on Prostate Cancer From ASCO 2012

Phase 3 date on abiraterone trial in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) was profiled in the ASCO daily news.  These results have the potential of changing the standard of care in mCRPC.

T-DM1 Shows a Way to Deliver Chemo Without Side Effects

Two months ago, Trastuzumab Emtansine (T-DM1) metastatic breast cancer trial (called EMILIA trial) reached a major milestone when patients treated with T-DM1 had longer cancer-free periods, also called progression-free survival or PFS, compared to those patients who were on a combination chemotherapy consisting of lapatinib (Tykerb) and capecitabine (Xeloda). (read here).  Today, NBC Nightly News gave a human face to this trial.

Choosing Cancer Charity: CureSearch for Children's Cancer

In a new series on this blog called "Choosing Cancer Charity," I have chosen to present CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation, also called CureSearch for Children's Cancer to the readers this month.  There are several reasons that motivates me to pitch this charity for your dollars, and donations of time, expertise and support.