DrugTherapy

The discovery of a biomarker that predicts the response to chemotherapy in patients with the most malignant form of ovarian cancer will help lead to better treatment options.  

Johns Hopkins researchers are trialling a new MRI technique to detect early-stage cancer, guide biopsies and monitor chemotherapy response.  

New evidence published in the Cochrane Library shows that hormone replacement therapy does not protect post-menopausal women against cardiovascular disease, and may even cause an increased...  

Scientists have created nanocarriers that can selectively deliver chemotherapy drugs locally to lung tumor sites without touching healthy tissue, potentially reducing side effects.  

Up to 15 percent of the general adult population is affected by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and most patients struggle to find effective drug therapy.  

Hair loss is one of the most distressing side-effects of cancer treatment and can even deter some patients from undergoing life-saving chemotherapy.  

Manchester researchers have provided early evidence to suggest that a blood test could be used to identify bowel cancer patients that may benefit from more intensive chemotherapy.  

COXEN gene expression model matches dogs with bone cancer to most effective drugThere are two chemotherapies commonly used to treat bone cancer in dogs: doxorubicin and...  

Taking certain fish oil supplements or eating herring or mackerel may increase the risk of chemotherapy resistance for cancer patients, a new study suggests.  

Treating patients with high-dose radiotherapy after chemotherapy and surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma does not achieve improvements in local relapse and overall survival, according...  

A Boston researcher and physician caring for individuals with substance abuse disorders, believes the term opioid substitution therapy (OST) has unintended adverse consequences for patients...  

A 52 year old man was admitted to our oncology unit owing to the side effects of ongoing chemotherapy; he also gave a 10 day history of back pain. In 2008, after a bowel resection for colonic obstruction, he had been diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma. This was treated with eight cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone) and a complete response was achieved.  

A 72 year old man with relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia developed a rash seven days after starting a combined chemotherapy regimen (fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony stimulating factor, and idarubicin). He first noticed a painful lesion on his left forefoot, and over the next seven days he developed similar lesions on the left lower limb (fig 1⇓), right thigh, and face. He was referred for a dermatological opinion on day 14.  

Polypharmacy, defined as the chronic co-prescription of several drugs, is often the consequence of the application of disease specific guidelines, targeting disease specific goals, to patients with multiple chronic diseases. One common consequence of polypharmacy is the high rate of adverse drug reactions, mainly from drug-drug interactions (the ability of a drug to modify the action or effect of another drug administered successively or simultaneously).1 The risk of a drug-drug interaction in any particular patient increases with the number of co-existing diseases and the number of drugs prescribed.2  

Polypharmacy, defined as the chronic co-prescription of several drugs, is often the consequence of the application of disease specific guidelines, targeting disease specific goals, to patients with multiple chronic diseases. One common consequence of polypharmacy is the high rate of adverse drug reactions, mainly from drug-drug interactions (the ability of a drug to modify the action or effect of another drug administered successively or simultaneously).1 The risk of a drug-drug interaction in any particular patient increases with the number of co-existing diseases and the number of drugs prescribed.2  

Treating women with the gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonist goserelin during chemotherapy for breast cancer significantly reduced the subsequent risk of ovarian failure and improved fertility, an international randomised trial reported in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown.1  

A 52 year old man was admitted to our oncology unit owing to the side effects of ongoing chemotherapy; he also gave a 10 day history of back pain. In 2008, after a bowel resection for colonic obstruction, he had been diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma. This was treated with eight cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone) and a complete response was achieved.  

A 72 year old man with relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia developed a rash seven days after starting a combined chemotherapy regimen (fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony stimulating factor, and idarubicin). He first noticed a painful lesion on his left forefoot, and over the next seven days he developed similar lesions on the left lower limb (fig 1⇓), right thigh, and face. He was referred for a dermatological opinion on day 14.  

Polypharmacy, defined as the chronic co-prescription of several drugs, is often the consequence of the application of disease specific guidelines, targeting disease specific goals, to patients with multiple chronic diseases. One common consequence of polypharmacy is the high rate of adverse drug reactions, mainly from drug-drug interactions (the ability of a drug to modify the action or effect of another drug administered successively or simultaneously).1 The risk of a drug-drug interaction in any particular patient increases with the number of co-existing diseases and the number of drugs prescribed.2  

Polypharmacy, defined as the chronic co-prescription of several drugs, is often the consequence of the application of disease specific guidelines, targeting disease specific goals, to patients with multiple chronic diseases. One common consequence of polypharmacy is the high rate of adverse drug reactions, mainly from drug-drug interactions (the ability of a drug to modify the action or effect of another drug administered successively or simultaneously).1 The risk of a drug-drug interaction in any particular patient increases with the number of co-existing diseases and the number of drugs prescribed.2