ONS Connect - August 2008 - (Page 8)

JUSTIN [By Deborah McBride, RN, MSN, CPON ®, Contributing Editor] Protein Biomarkers May Indicate Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer esearchers have discovered a blood protein that reliably indicates early-stage pancreatic cancer, according to an article published in the Public Library of Science. Researchers believe that these results are a breakthrough in the application of proteomic technologies and mouse models to cancer biomarker discovery. In the study, mice were genetically engineered to mimic the course of pancreatic cancer in humans. The researchers identified five proteins, LCN2, REG1A, REG3, TIMP1, and IGFBP4, which were consistently found in mice with precancerous growths called pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia but not in mice with fully developed cancer or healthy control mice. The researchers validated the protein panel by testing it against blood samples from 13 people in a prevention study who developed pancreatic cancer within a year of donating the sample. The protein panel consistently identified samples from the patients who developed cancer. More research is needed to validate the biomarker panel’s value in early detection among those at high risk for pancreatic cancer and to develop a diagnostic test. Faca, V.M., Song, K.S., Wang, H., Zhang, Q., Krasnoselsky, A.L., Newcomb, L.F., et al. (2008). A mouse to human search for plasma proteome changes associated with pancreatic tumor development. PLoS Medicine, 5(6), 953–967. R Maintenance Therapy May Delay Lung Cancer Growth new study has shown that maintenance therapy with pemetrexed (Alimta®, Eli Lilly and Company) delays by 50% the time it takes for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to progress. This is the first study to show that patients with lung cancer can benefit from maintenance therapy, a treatment given to patients three to six weeks after completing platinum-based induction chemotherapy in an effort to prevent the cancer from progressing. The approach appears to significantly increase the amount of time that patients have before their cancer progresses without increasing additional side effects. Until now, maintenance chemotherapy has not been proven to be of value for patients with lung cancer and is not a part of the standard of care. Pemetrexed is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating NSCLC that has progressed despite previous chemotherapy. The 8 ONS CONNECT A study analyzed progression-free survival and overall survival among 663 patients with advanced NSCLS whose cancer was stable following treatment with a platinum-contain drug (such as cisplatin or carboplatin); 441 patients were randomly assigned to receive pemetrexed, and 22 patients received a placebo. Progression-free survival was significantly longer in patients who received pemetrexed (4.3 months) compared with those who received a placebo (2.6 months). Overall survival was 13 months for the pemetrexed group versus 10.2 months for the placebo group. The results regarding overall survival are preliminary; final results will be necessary before researchers are able to draw conclusions about the impact of pemetrexed maintenance therapy on overall survival. Ciuleanu, T., Brodowicz, T., Belani, C., Kim, J., Krzakowski, M., Laack, E., et al. (2008, May). Maintenance pemetrexed plus best supportive care (BSC) versus placebo plus BSC: A phase III study [Abstract 8011]. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Chicago, IL. Obesity May Prevent Screening for Breast and Cervical Cancer omen who are obese are less likely than women with healthy weights to obtain recommended screening W August 2008

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ONS Connect - August 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Safe Handling of Chemotherapy A Year in the Life—Month Eight Put Evidence Into Practice to Manage Dyspnea Web Connect Capitol Connection Notice Nursing Now Caregiver Care KRAS Status Predicts Response to Cetuximab for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Calendar of Events Working for You Staying on Top

ONS Connect - August 2008

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