Pancreatic Cancer Report Urges Changes in Clinical Trials

The slow but steady march toward more individualized care in cancer medicine has left pancreatic cancer behind. Patients diagnosed with this disease live no longer today than patients diagnosed 2 decades ago, despite more than a dozen large clinical trials. Even as many patients with other cancers have benefited from targeted drugs like imatinib (Gleevec) and trastuzumab (Herceptin), pancreatic cancer remains as deadly as ever. Read more > >

• Even With Very Small Breast Tumors, Studies Find HER2 Status Matters

  Still no clear evidence on whether such tumors should be treated with targeted therapy

• Risk of Contralateral Breast Cancer Estimated for BRCA Families

  Younger age at first diagnosis and BRCA1 gene mutations were risk factors

• Lower Total Blood Cholesterol Levels Are Not Linked to Higher Cancer Risk

  High HDL cholesterol levels may, however, indicate lower risk

• Tests for Catching Cervical Precancers Show Equivalent Accuracy

  Large trial indicates either test is an acceptable option for screening programs

• Nicotine Patch and Lozenge Combination Helps Smokers Quit for Longer

  Several cessation regimens were compared in a randomized trial

• Personalized Phone Counseling Helps Teens Quit Smoking

  First trial to show a prolonged effect in this difficult-to-reach population

Guest Director's Update: Entering a New Era in Tobacco Control Research

by Dr. Cathy Backinger

With the enactment of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act on June 22, the United States entered a new era in tobacco control and prevention. While the importance of the new law cannot be overstated, it is only one component of a much larger, comprehensive tobacco control and prevention agenda, for which NCI-supported science is critically important. This issue of the NCI Cancer Bulletin highlights several important tobacco control research studies supported by NCI.

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