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April
3, 2006 |
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Top
Stories |
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Legislation and Regulation |
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Clinical
Research |
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Pharmaceutical News |
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Association
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Calendar |
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Job &
Fellowship Connections |
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Monthly Journal |
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eNews
Archives |
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BMT Tandem
Meetings
Feb. 8-12, 2007
Keystone, Colorado |
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Evidence-Based Reviews
Are the ASBMT evidence-based reviews helpful? What topic should be next? Give us
your opinion. |
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Calendar |
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• April
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
97th Annual Meeting
April 1-5
Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.
National Bone Marrow Transplant Link (nbmtLINK)
11th Annual Education Forum
April 22
Livonia Civic Center Library
Livonia, Michigan
Canadian Blood and Marrow Transplant Group (CBMTG)
10th Biennial Conference
April 22-24
Shaw Conference Centre
Edmonton, Alberta
Responding to Hematologic Toxicity from a Nuclear Detonation
Event
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
April 28
MSKCC Rockefeller Research Laboratories
New York, N.Y.
American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPH/O)
19th Annual Meeting
April 28-May 1
San Francisco, California
• May
International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT)
12th Annual Meeting
May 4-7
Maritim proArte Hotel
Berlin, Germany
Cell Transplant Society (CTS)
8th International Congress
May 18-20
San Raffaele Congress Centre
Milan, Italy
2nd International Symposium on Childhood, Adolescent and
Young Adult Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons,
and the University of Giessen, Germany
May 18-20
Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers
New York, New York
BMT Education Forum: The New Normal for Patients, Caregivers
and Health Professionals
National Bone Marrow Transplant Link (nbmtLINK)
May 20
United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast Community Resource Center
Houston, Texas
American Society for Apheresis (ASFA)
27th Annual Meeting
May 23-26
Venetian Resort Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada
• June
Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS)
6th Annual Conference
June 1-5
San Francisco Marriott
San Francisco, California
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
42nd Annual Meeting
June 3-6
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia
International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)
4th Annual Meeting
June 29-July 1
Metro Toronto Convention Center
Toronto, Ontario
• July
World Transplant Congress 2006
American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)
and the American Society of Transplantation (AST)
July 22-27
Hynes Convention Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Society for Cryobiology
Cryo 2006: 43rd Meeting
July 24-27
Hamburg Chamber of Commerce
Hamburg, Germany
• August
International Society of Hematology (ISH)
31st World Congress
Aug. 9-12
Puerto Rico Convention Center
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Cytokines 2006: Molecular Biology & Human Diseases
International Cytokine Society (ICS)
Aug. 27-31
Hilton Stadtpark
Vienna, Austria
• September
Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development:
Maximizing Opportunities for Treatment
American Society for Cancer Research (ASCR)
Sept. 12-15
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
American Society of Multicultural Health and Transplant
Professionals (ASMHTP)
14th Annual Conference
Sept. 22-24
Hyatt Regency
Dearborn, Michigan
10th Biennial National Symposium on Hematopoietic Cell
Transplantation
Stanford University School of Medicine
Sept. 28-30
Fairchild Auditorium
Stanford, California
2007
BMT Tandem Meetings
(Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings)
Feb. 8-12
Keystone Conference Center
Keystone, Colorado
2008
BMT Tandem Meetings
(Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings)
Feb. 13-17
Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel
San Diego, California
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Top
Stories |
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Metabolites identified that lead to cancer
Certain metabolites of natural estrogens can react with DNA
to cause specific damage that leads to breast, prostate and
other cancers. According to research to be presented at the
Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Division of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, eliminating this
initiating event could help prevent cancer.  |
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Thalidomide improves remission rates for multiple myeloma
Thalidomide improves remission rates in patients with
multiple myeloma, according to research reported in the March 9
issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Adding
thalidomide to a treatment regimen that included high-dose,
melphalan-based chemotherapy and tandem peripheral blood stem
cell transplants provided higher complete remission and
event-free, five-year survival rates.
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Company develops human stem cells from fetal
tissue
Stem Cell Innovations, Inc., has produced multiple lines of
human pluripotent stem cells derived from fetal tissue, making
them eligible to use in laboratories funded by the National
Institutes of Health. These cells are embryonic germ cells
derived from fetal gonadal tissue and are able to maintain their
undifferentiated state and normal chromosome complement.
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Implant could halt side effects of chemotherapy
Use of a new implant called Fibrasorb to deliver
chemotherapy drugs could help end such side effects as hair loss
and vomiting, according to researchers at Bath University in the
United Kingdom. The implant, which consists of tiny fibers and
beads soaked in chemotherapy drugs, dissolved internally.
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Word from President
Robert Negrin, MD
Six years ago, ASBMT shouldered the responsibility of
developing evidence-based reviews of the role of cytotoxic
therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplant for
specific diseases. The reviews have been developed under
the direction of independent panels of experts that
include medical specialists, transplant specialists,
disease-specific authorities for non-transplant therapies,
third-party payers and patient advocates. The reviews are
comprehensive and scholarly.
Pediatric and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are
the newest in the series of reviews, and
position statements appear in the March issue of
Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
The reviews provide comprehensive analysis of their topics
and evidence indicating which patients may most benefit from hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The information
also may be helpful in situations such as providing
insight to medical directors of managed care
organizations, insurers, legislators and to patients
themselves.
Our gratitude is extended to the members of the expert
panel on ALL, all volunteers, led by Dr. Donna Wall, and
the steering committee for the reviews, headed by Dr. Roy
Jones. Work is well under way on the next review on
pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with an expert
panel chaired by Dr. Doug Rizzo.
The significance of the reviews was recently underscored
by a $600,000 grant from the National Marrow Donor Program
(NMDP), which will help the Society carry forward this
important work over the next three years.
The clinical questions and the contexts will differ but,
because of the efforts of many volunteers and funding
sources, our Society will continue to be a place to find
the evidence-based answers. We hope these reviews are
helpful to you.
As always, we appreciate
your feedback on the timeliness and topics chosen. We
also welcome your opinion on how useful these reviews are
to you in your individual practices and your advice on how
to make the reviews even better.
– Rob |
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Legislation and Regulation |
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House budget resolution preserves Medicare, Medicaid spending
The House Budget Committee voted 22-17 along party lines last
week to approve a $2.8 trillion FY2007 federal budget that does
not include mandatory spending reductions for Medicare or
Medicaid. But the budget resolution also does not include a proposed
$7 billion increase in discretionary spending for health and
education programs, one of several reasons to expected a fight
when the resolution reaches the floor of the House.
FDA announces projects to streamline drug approval
The Food and Drug Administration has released a list of
about 75 projects, under its “critical path” initiative, that
the agency believes can help shorten the time it takes for new
drugs to reach patients, as well as make the process more
predictable and less expensive. The list focuses on two areas:
new scientific projects to improve how clinical trials are
designed and new ways to validate methods of measuring the
toxicity and efficacy of drugs.
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Clinical Research |
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Protein discovered that tells cancer cells to migrate
Working with mice, researchers have discovered a protein in
bone called RANKL that communicates with a receptor in breast,
prostate and skin cancer cells, telling them to migrate.
According to a study published in the March 30 issue of the
journal Nature, this protein is a critical factor in
controlling bone turnover and controls the growth of mammary
cells to form lactating mammary glands.
Mouse stem cells repair spinal damage in rats
Stem cells from the brains of adult mice can repair damaged
spinal tissue and help restore movement in paralyzed rats,
according to a report published in the March 29 issue of the
Journal of Neuroscience. More than one third of the
transplanted cells developed into the type of cells that had
been destroyed in the spinal cord, and they began restoring the
myelin.
Extensive lymph node removal improves stomach cancer
survival
Extensive removal of lymph nodes boosts five-year survival
for patients with stomach cancer, according to research
published in the April issue of the journal The Lancet Oncology.
However, patients in the group undergoing this more radical
surgery had more short-term deaths, more complications and blood
loss, longer surgery times, and longer hospital stays than those
receiving less radical surgery.
Experimental lung cancer treatment fails clinical test
A clinical trial of ispinesib, an experimental lung cancer
treatment from Cytokinetics Inc., has failed. The Phase II trial
of patients with platinum-sensitive non-small cell lung cancer,
failed to meet the criteria to advance to the next stage of
clinical testing. |
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Pharmaceutical News |
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Baxter begins Phase II study of stem cells for cardiac repair
To identify the efficacy, tolerability and safety of
blood-derived CD34+ stem cells in patients with chronic
myocardial ischemia, Baxter Healthcare Corporation has initiated
the first human Phase II adult stem cell therapy trial in the
United States. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled,
multi-center study will involve about 150 patients.
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Association
News |
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Members mobilized to add health dollars to federal budget
In a series of broadcast e-mail messages this past month,
ASBMT members were given information on how to contact members
of Congress about adding to appropriations for health care and
medical research, including NIH funding, in the FY2007 federal
budget. The efforts brought results in the Senate, where $7
billion has been added to its budget resolution. At month’s end,
action was still pending in the House.
Guidelines offered for cGvHD supportive care
Guidelines for ancillary therapy and supportive care in
chronic graft-versus-host disease are presented in an NIH
consensus report published in the April issue of Biology of
Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
Symposium to address cellular, molecular targeting for GvHD
ASBMT will present a symposium on “Cellular and Molecular
Targeting of Graft-versus-Host Disease” at the 6th Annual
Conference of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Society
(FOCIS) on June 1 in San Francisco. FOCIS is a federation of 19
associations in the field of clinical immunology.
Moffitt scientist wins ASBMT/PDL new investigator award
Xue-Zhong Yu, MD, an assistant professor at the University
of South Florida’s H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research
Institute, is the recipient of a New Investigator Award from
ASBMT and PDL BioPharma.
ASBMT eNEWS circulation tops 10,000
The monthly distribution for the ASBMT eNEWS
surpassed 10,000 subscribers during March. The Society’s monthly
electronic newsletter currently is broadcast to 10,199
subscribers, including all ASBMT members, many referring
physicians and other health professionals across North America,
in Europe and around the world.
Teleconference will address cell therapy for tissue repair
“Cellular Therapy for Tissue Repair and Stem Cell
Transplantation” is the topic of a 90-minute teleconference
developed by ASBMT for nationwide transmission on April
26. Designed for physicians, technologists, residents/fellows,
nurses and managers/supervisions, the teleconference is part of
a series sponsored by the AABB.
CME audioconference will consider pediatric AML
A CME audioconference on “Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia:
Advances, Evidence and the Future” will be conducted on
Wednesday, May 17, sponsored by the National Marrow Donor
Program. Frank Smith, MD, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Medical Center will discuss group stratification, options for
treatment and current outcomes. He also will describe upcoming
studies that will address comparative treatments.
Additional copies of ‘Education Book’ available
The Education Book for the BMT Tandem Meetings this
past February in Honolulu has 18 articles written by the chairs
of plenary and concurrent scientific sessions. Additional copies
are available for $20 each.
Audio and CD-ROM recordings capture Honolulu sessions
Audio CDs, MP3 files and CD-ROMs with PowerPoint visuals can
be purchased online for the BMT Tandem Meetings plenary and
concurrent scientific sessions, symposia and oral abstract
sessions. Also available are recordings of the parallel
conferences of the oncology nurses, BMT pharmacists, BMT
administrative directors and clinical research professionals.
BMT Tandem Meetings abstracts can be viewed online
Abstracts presented at the BMT Tandem Meetings – both oral
and posters – are indexed and accessible online. The abstracts
also were published in the February 2006 issue of Biology of
Blood and Marrow Transplantation (Vol. 12, No. 2,
Supplement).
View, order photos from annual meeting social events
View 251 photos from the “E Komo Mai!” Welcome Reception and 114
photos from the ASBMT President’s Dinner. Prints can be ordered
online.
Resource guide updated for BMT patients
The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link (nbmtLINK) has
updated and re-issued its Resource Guide for Stem Cell
Transplant Including Bone Marrow, Peripheral Blood and Cord
Blood. The booklet addresses physical and emotional concerns
as well as financial and insurance issues. More than 60,000
copies of earlier editions of the booklet have been distributed.
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