| TREANDA Significantly Improves Clinical Outcomes In Patients With ...
Cephalon, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH) announced that in a pivotal study of treatment-naive patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), those who received TREANDA (bendamustine HCl) had better clinical outcomes compared to patients treated with chlorambucil, an FDA-approved therapy for patients with CLL. TREANDA(R) is a novel investigational chemotherapy that is currently under priority review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). CLL is a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow disease with an estimated 15,000 new cases diagnosed every year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. The final data from this large, international, multi-center study were presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in Atlanta, GA [Poster # 233-II; Abstract #2043].
Friends plea for bone marrow donors for 23-year-old
Friends of recording studio owner Kevin Couvillon have put out a plea to find a bone marrow donor to save the Windsor man's life. Couvillon, 23, was disagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in July and last month learned that no perfect matches were found out of the 11 million donors in the worldwide bone marrow registry. Since his diagnosis, Couvillon has undergone four rounds of chemotherapy, and his cancer is in remission. But Couvillon said doctors have told him that his genes indicate it's almost guaranteed the remission won't last. .
Benefit will help cancer patient
A benefit for Pat Hickey will take place from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Moose Lodge No. 1351 in LaGrange.Hickey is an 11-year breast cancer survivor, whose cancer has returned and spread to her bones. She is undergoing chemotherapy treatments. The money raised will help pay medical expenses.The benefit will feature entertainment, food, raffles, a silent auction and a 50/50 drawing. Entertainment will include Drum and Wires, Spectre, Rachel Swallows and disc jockey Ed Steams. Hickey will perform a comedy routine, as will Marc Satterfield.Hickey is employed at Indiana Custom Trucks/Aluminum Cargo Trailers in LaGrange, which has organized this benefit. Company officials are asking for donations of items to be auctioned off, as well as cash for the 50/50 raffle.Donated items can be taken to ICT's office at 2840 N.
Researchers advance stem cell gene therapy
Under this protocol, MGMT, a drug-resistance gene, is added into purified hematopoietic stem cells to protect these cells from the damage of chemotherapy regimens. In one of 24 presentations by Ireland Cancer Center researchers at the annual American Society of Hematology meeting, Stanton Gerson, MD, and colleagues presented that eight patients were enrolled on the trial and six were infused with their own stem cells which were engineered to carry the MGMT gene. In three patients, stem cells carrying the gene were identified in their blood or bone marrow. In one patient, stem cells carrying the gene were detected up to 28 weeks after their administration. This significant finding has never been reported before with this gene and drug combination. ??This study is the first to show the success of treatment with evidence that stem cells now carry the new gene,?? says Dr.
Raising cancer awareness one step at a time
Luke Robinson and his two Great Pyrenees, Murphy and Hudson, are getting ready for the hike of their lives. The trio is training to walk to from Austin to Boston in February. The 2,000 mile trek is designed to raise money and awareness to help in the fight against cancer The idea for the walk grew out of a promise Robinson made to his first Great Pyrenees, Malcolm, shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer. "Though Malcolm wasn't my blood he was my boy in every respect," Robinson said. Malcolm went through chemotherapy and had a leg amputated, but the bone cancer moved into his lungs. "I'd never really lost anything in my life so it hit me pretty hard. The vast majority of cancers that are found in cats and dogs are the same types of cancers that are found in humans," Robinson said.
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