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Hematologic Cancers
New “Tip Sheets” Help NHL Patients Communicate with the Oncology Team By Caroline Helwick
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research-based educational program aimed at enhancing communication between nonHodgkin lymphoma patients and their healthcare providers has just been launched and is available for healthcare providers. Framing Life With Lymphoma was developed by the Cancer Support Community, which unites The Wellness Community and Gilda’s Club Worldwide, and was supported by a grant from Cephalon. “Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the seventh most common cancer, yet the majority of people who are diagnosed have very little information on the disease and how it may impact their
lives,” said David Henry, MD, clinical professor of medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital and the physician advisor for Framing Life With Lymphoma. The program contains simple tip sheets outlining ways to approach each conversation the patient is likely to encounter from diagnosis through treatment. The information was created through input from an expert steering committee and a national survey of 150 hematologists/ oncologists and 133 patients with indolent lymphoma. The survey found that 96% of physicians and 86% of patients felt their communication could be made more efficient with informational aids. The survey also revealed that about two in
five patients do not ask all their intended questions during visits, usually because they don’t remember. “This survey shows that it is critical that patients have resources to help them understand their condition and treatment options. This helps them communicate more effectively with their physicians,” Henry said. “In addition to providing information, physicians need to work with their patients to create a team-based approach to treatment,” he added. “Working as a team creates an environment where informed patients are more comfortable addressing their concerns and questions, and this can have a positive impact on their overall
treatment experience.” Kim Thiboldeaux, president and CEO of the Cancer Support Community, also applauded the program.“We hope Framing Life With Lymphoma will become an important resource for the lymphoma community,” she said. “A clear majority of patients and physicians reported that discussion materials would improve their conversations. That is what this program aims to do.” The patient tip sheets for newly diagnosed patients and those undergoing treatment, along with the survey results and other program information, can be downloaded at www.Framing LifeWithLymphoma.org. ●
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Reports from the European Society of Cardiology Congress and the Joint Annual Meeting of the International Continence Society and International Urogynecological Association By Jill Stein
Western Lifestyle Responsible for UK Breast Cancer Surge LONDON—A Western lifestyle characterized by an excess of food and alcohol and a lack of exercise may explain increasing breast cancer rates in the United Kingdom, new data suggest. Findings from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) show that the breast cancer rate in the United Kingdom is more than four times higher than in eastern Africa, which has the lowest breast cancer rate worldwide. The organization recently reported that 87.9 women per 100,000 in the United Kingdom were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 versus only 19.3 women per 100,000 women in eastern Africa, which includes Kenya and Tanzania. Cancer experts have suggested that the growing gap in breast cancer rates between rich and poor countries may be partly a function of better surveillance and diagnosis in wealthier countries. They also emphasize, however, that lifestyle is an important contributor. In fact, it is estimated that 40% of breast cancer cases in the United Kingdom, or more than 18,000 cases per year, could be avoided if women adopted a healthier lifestyle involving a better diet, more exercise, and less alcohol. Women in eastern Africa consume less alcohol than UK women and are less likely to be obese. They are also more
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likely to breastfeed, and breastfeeding has been associated with a lower rate of breast cancer. Rachel Thompson, MD, with the WCRF, said that breast cancer is not the only cancer for which lifestyle may be a contributor. In fact, roughly a third of the most common cancers in the United Kingdom could be prevented by lifestyle changes, she noted.
No Evidence that Statins Cause Cancer STOCKHOLM—Statins do not increase the risk of cancer, according to the results of a large meta-analysis released at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2010. Researchers from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and the University of Sydney, Australia, said in a news release that their results will “reassure the millions of people worldwide who are taking statins to lower cholesterol levels and clarify earlier research that had raised concerns of a causal link.” The data are from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration, which reviewed data from 170,000 patients enrolled in 26 trials. Overall, 10,000 patients developed cancer and more than 3500 died of cancer. “Statin therapy had no adverse effect on cancer at any site or in any group of individuals, irrespective of their cholesterol levels,” said principal investigator
Statin therapy had no adverse effect on cancer at any site or in any group of individuals, irrespective of their cholesterol levels. Jonathan Emberson, MD, of the University of Oxford. “There was also no association of cancer with statin dose or duration.” The study was funded by the UK Medical Research Council, the British Heart Foundation, and the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia).
Overactive Bladder without Hematuria May Be Cancer Symptom TORONTO—Overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms without hematuria may be a presenting symptom of bladder cancer, researchers reported at the joint annual meeting of the International Continence Society and International Urogynecological Association. Most patients with bladder cancer present with hematuria. Jeffrey Weiss, MD, of State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, and colleagues searched a database for the years 1998 through 2008 to identify patients without hematuria who underwent cystoscopy as part of an evalua-
tion for refractory OAB. Overall, 1420 patients underwent cystoscopy, and eight were found to have bladder cancer. The mean duration of OAB symptoms was 3.3 years. In all cases, the initial biopsy in patients with bladder cancer demonstrated low-grade Ta transitional carcinoma that, in most cases, resembled a typical papillary transitional cell tumor on cystoscopy. At a mean follow-up of 5.2 years, four (50%) patients had experienced one or two recurrences and two had disease progression—in one case to carcinoma in situ and in the other case to high-grade T3 disease. The study also found that bladder cancer was 10 times more common in women with OAB than men with OAB despite the fact that it is two to three times more common in men than in women in the general population. Because OAB symptoms without hematuria may be an initial symptom of bladder cancer, patients with OAB symptoms even without hematuria should be advised to undergo cystoscopy to rule out underlying bladder cancer, the authors said. ●
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