Lymphomation: What's New Digest - August 14

[Guest guest]

Greetings,

The story of the week was the dramatic clinical responses reported in the

NEJM to a type of immunotherapy made possibly by the genetic engineering of

t-cells, which were programmed to target cells that have the cd19 receptor.

.... See the link to our comment within, which provides also a link to

's insightful and highly readable comments posted to CLL Topics.

I think you will see from each commentary that this major scientific

breakthrough is not yet clearly a clinical breakthrough - because there are

still MANY unanswered questions, not the least of which are safety concerns

and how to bring such a therapy up to scale - so the patient (you and me, or

a loved one) might have access to it -- if it should prove to be effective

in the long term.

Story 2 - and so far under the radar: We need the patient community to come

together on an important policy issue, which is holding up science and

access to already approved and highly effective therapies: How RIT drugs

are reimbursed by CMS!

PLEASE take five minutes to review PAL's letter to Dr. M. Berwick, MD

Administrator Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the

illogical way that radioimmunotherapy (RIT) agents (Bexxar and Zevalin) are

reimbursed, and how the policy contributes to the under-use of RIT.

.... Then follow the link to a petition to CMS set up by Betsy de Parry -- a

VERY easy way to tell Dr. Berwick that you agree with PAL and Betsy on this

issue.

Finally to the What's New Digest:

==Advocacy and Notices - posted August 14

PAL: Letter on the need to amend CMS reimbursement policy for

radioimmunotherapy PDF

... PAL endorses Betsy de Parry's Petition, which is easy to sign!

Drug Shortages and How to Address! (STILL A MAJOR ISSUE@@@!!!)

Karl's Experience at AACR/ASCO Clinical Trial Methods Workshop

==Clinical Trials

Lymphoma Studies sponsored by CALGB cooperative group - now called the

ALLIANCE

== PAL Updates

PET scan - clinical use ... " very little is certain and agreed upon. "

== Food for Thought

Retractions of Scientific Research Papers Going Up

Use of Chemo Assays Outside Clinical Trials Still a No No

Annual Review 2010/11 - Revolutionizing the way we diagnose and treat cancer

== Survivorship

Exercise should be 'standard part of cancer care'

Sorry you're sick, but wow, you're so skinny!

Covetous compliments on illness-related weight loss can rankle

Before Treatment: Seeking a Second Opinion

Letting Doctors Make the Tough Decisions?

Free subscription to Cure magazine

Surveillance CT scans are a source of anxiety and fear of recurrence in

long-term lymphoma survivors

== Reports / Background

PAL: Comments on Programming T-cells to Kill Malignant Lymphocytes

Why Some Patients [May] Not Respond To Standard Lymphoma (Rituxan) Therapy

Chemotherapy Primer: Why? What? and How?

Clinical guidelines for treatment of follicular lymphoma

Cancer statistics 2011

== Videos / Webcasts / Cartoons

Depression during Cancer Treatment

Video from U Penn scientist on Redirecting T cells trial reported in NEJM

Video on natural " cures "

Help dealing with stress as a cancer caregiver video

== Technical

Disappearance of Genetic Material Allows Tumor Cells to Grow

To open links, go to www.lymphomation.org/current.htm

OR www.facebook.com/lymphomation.PAL (requires facebook account)

~ Karl

PATIENTS (helping-to-make-progress) AGAINST LYMPHOMA

www.lymphomation.org