ACOG Updates Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

November 20, 2009 — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has revised its cervical cancer screening recommendations: the organization now recommends that women begin screening at the age of 21 and receive screening at less frequent intervals. These recommendations will be published in the December 2009 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

New Velcade®-melphalan Transplant Regimen for Multiple Myeloma

November 20, 2009 — Researchers from France have reported encouraging results with adding Velcade® (bortezomib) to high-dose melphalan followed by autologus stem cell infusion for initial treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The details of this Phase II study appeared in an early online publication in Blood on November 2, 2009.

Folic Acid May Be Beneficial in Patients with Recurrent Colorectal Adenoma Who Are Folate Deficient

November 20, 2009 — Researchers affiliated with the Health Professional Follow-Up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study have reported that folic acid supplementation in patients with recurrent colorectal adenoma was not protective or harmful in most patients. However, patients who were folate deficient had a significant 39% decrease in adenoma recurrence. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication on October 28, 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Prospective Study Confirms that MRI Detects More Breast Cancers in High-risk Women

November 20, 2009 — Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have reported that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is superior to digital mammography or ultrasound for the detection of breast cancer in high-risk women. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on November 2, 2009.

Patterns of Use of Erythropoiesis-stimulating Agents in Medicare Population Reported

November 19, 2009 — Researchers from Columbia Medical Center have reported that by 2002, 45.9% of Medicare recipients with common cancers were treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) such a Procrit® (epoetin alfa) and Aranesp® (darbepoietin). The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on November 10, 2009.