Other Cancer

COPENHAGEN -- Genmab A/S announced today it has initiated a Phase I/II study of zalutumumab (HuMax-EGFr(TM)) in combination with radiotherapy for the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer. The study will include a maximum of 36 patients who are ineligible for platinum based chemotherapy. "Platinum based chemotherapy is currently considered to be the best available standard treatment for advanced head and neck cancer. We hope zalutumumab may some day provide a treatment option for patients who are in need of less toxic therapies," said Lisa N.

Researchers in the United States say they have been able to cure a man with skin cancer by injecting the patient with billions of clones of his own immune cells. The 52-year-old man had been suffering from advanced melanoma which had spread to his lungs as well as his lymph nodes, but since receiving the treatment, he has been living cancer-free for two years. Dr Naomi Hunder is an oncologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, and one of the lead authors in the study.

Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, announced safety and efficacy results from a previously unpublished Phase 1 clinical trial of picoplatin and liposomal doxorubicin in patients with advanced solid tumors, including ovarian cancer. Results demonstrated signals of clinical activity and acceptable toxicity with this combination. Picoplatin, the Company's lead product candidate, is a new generation platinum chemotherapy agent with the potential to address multiple indications, combinations and formulations.

Results from an adjuvant trial in high-risk melanoma patients demonstrated that a majority of patients treated with Leukine(R) (sargramostim) achieved disease-free and/or overall survival. These findings, which indicate Leukine's potential in this cancer setting, were released at the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Results from the Phase II study (ASCO abstract #20027) show that 60 percent of the 45 high-risk patients enrolled in the trial experienced disease-free survival and 64 percent of patients achieved overall survival at 21 months.

Pfizer announced results from several clinical trials further describing the activity of its investigational compound CP-751,871 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and Ewing's Sarcoma, both diseases with high unmet medical need. The three oral presentations and one poster discussion underscore that the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) is increasingly recognized by the medical community as a relevant target for investigation in cancer research. The results were presented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, IL.

LONDON -- Flip-flops and sandals may put wearers at risk of developing skin cancer on their feet, doctors in Britain warn. Open-toe shoes can increase chances of lesions developing as the skin is exposed to intense sunlight, a cause of skin tumors, or melanomas, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday. Cancer affecting the feet is called acral melanoma, doctors said. Research shows that only half of patients with foot melanomas survive, compared with four of five people with cancer elsewhere on their legs.

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed the release of promising data from the pivotal Phase III First Line in Lung Cancer with Erbitux(R) (FLEX) Study. The data, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), showed a significant increase in overall survival in the first line treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). "This is very exciting news," said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA President & CEO. "The FLEX data shows significant improvements in overall survival for a broad base of patients with no new safety concerns.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Like most children, Shoko Kiyono of El Cerrito, Calif., spent countless hours of her youth playing under the sun. Kiyono, who grew up in Japan, never wore sunscreen. No one spoke about the sun's harmful rays, though she was encouraged to wear a hat to keep her face "light and pretty," she says. The hat only did so much. Contrary to commonly held myths about skin of color, Kiyono, now 51, deals with sun damage. She burns. She has moles.

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Neoprobe Corporation, a diversified developer of innovative oncology and cardiovascular surgical and diagnostic products, today announced that a multicenter Phase 3 study of Lymphoseek(R) has been initiated in patients with either breast cancer or melanoma. The Phase 3 study will evaluate the efficacy of Lymphoseek to identify lymph nodes that may be predictive of determining whether a patient's cancer has spread into the lymphatic system. The Phase 3 study has been registered on the national clinical trials website www.clinicaltrials.gov.

A clinical trial of a liver cancer treatment at the Goshen Health System Center for Cancer Care, the only one of its kind in the United States, is yielding promising results, says Dr. Seza Gulec, who oversees the study. Gulec, who heads the endocrine surgery, hepatic oncology, molecular imaging and position emission tomography programs at the Goshen Center for Cancer Care, led the fourth annual clinical symposium on liven directed therapy in Chicago recently. The Goshen center hosted the event.