Lord of the Files
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Melissa Welch
Southwest Oncology Network
6921 Shoreview Drive
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Popular Antidepressant Interferes with Cancer Drug
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The popular antidepressant drug Paxil may interfere with breast cancer treatments, making patients more likely to relapse and die, researchers in Canada reported on Monday.
Women who took GlaxoSmithKline's Paxil while taking tamoxifen at the same time were more likely to die of their breast cancer, the researchers found. The longer the overlap between Paxil and tamoxifen, the more likely the patients were to die, they reported in the British Medical Journal.
It is likely because Paxil, sold generically as paroxetine, interferes with the compound the body uses to process tamoxifen, the researchers said.
"There is probably a better choice of antidepressants for women taking tamoxifen but (any change) should be done gradually with a doctor," said Dr. David Juurlink of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto.
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Amgen: Denosumab Prostate Cancer Trial Meets Goals
Denosumab shown to reduce risk of bone complications.
LOS ANGELES, Feb 8 (Reuters) - A third pivotal trial of Amgen Inc's (AMGN.O) experimental drug denosumab found that it works better than a rival to delay and reduce the risk of fractures and other bone complications in men with advanced prostate cancer, the company said on Monday.
Amgen said the 1,900-patient trial, which compared denosumab to Novartis AG's (NOVN.VX) Zometa, met all of its primary and secondary goals.
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No High Hopes for Health Care Summit |
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Immediately after President Barack Obama announced a bipartisan health reform summit, Democrats and Republicans made clear they have almost no expectation the half-day meeting can break a bitter yearlong standoff.
The two parties are staking out positions that leave them completely at odds even before they sit down.
Republicans say they're open to compromise - as long as Obama tears up the House and Senate bills, restarts the legislative process and drops several key parts of his wish list.
Democrats say, not a chance.
And in fact, Obama hopes to walk into the Feb. 25 summit with an agreement in hand between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on a final Democratic bill, so they can move ahead with a reform package after the sit-down
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Study: Medicare Covers Only Half the Cost of Administering Chemotherapy to Seniors with Cancer
A comprehensive study of the components of the delivery of modern-day cancer care in community oncology practices revealed that Medicare covers only 56% of the actual costs of administering chemotherapy and providing related infusion room services to seniors with cancer. The remaining costs -- for essential services provided such as treatment planning, care coordination, and follow-up care planning -- are not reimbursed by Medicare, causing many oncology practices to struggle to continue to provide care under the Medicare program.
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Medicare "Doc Fix" Coming? |
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Indications last week that Congress will possibly move on legislation averting the 21.2% Medicare payment cut.
Although the situation is fluid, what Congress may do is pass a multi-year patch to the SGR, possibly 5 years.
If an Independent Medicare Advisory Board is created, as in the Senate version of health care reform, it would be empowered to cut spending when the patch expires.
Obviously, every medical professional, not just in community oncology, is concerned about the general Medicare payment cut of 21.2 that looms on March 1, 2010. However, congressional action at the end of last week may be the prelude to addressing the "doc fix," as it is referred to on Capitol Hill.
At the end of last week, the Senate passed a variation of a House bill that would increase the national debt ceiling and institute a pay-as-you-go (paygo) rule. This would require any legislation that spends federal money to be offset with corresponding spending cuts and/or revenue raisers. In this way, at least on paper, new legislation would not increase the national debt. We say "on paper" because Congress always finds ways of skirting any fiscal discipline that it tries to enact Read More |
Suggested Reading
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Cancer Fitness: Exercise Programs for Patients and Survivors
By Anna L. Schwartz
( As described on Amazon.com)
Increase your survival odds by creating and following an exercise program that counteracts the side effects of your treatment, speeds your recovery, and reduces your risk of recurrence.
Most cancer patients and survivors think that "rest" will decrease their fatigue and speed their recovery. But in fact, rest can make patients weak and debilitated during treatment and may prolong hospitalization. Based on Dr. Anna Schwartz's research and her life's work as a nurse and a coach, Cancer Fitness offers cancer patients and survivors comprehensive advice and an easy step-by-step program to begin improving their physical and emotional health and reclaiming their lives beyond cancer.
Through exercise, patients will regain some control over their body, manage side effects more successfully, and increase their body's ability to heal. Cancer Fitness provides clear directions to safely start an exercise program, and the tools to make exercise a long-lasting lifestyle change to heal body and soul.
For ordering information, click here. | |
