Funeral Industry Workers face higher risk of leukemia

[Guest guest]

22 Nov 2009 - Funeral Industry Workers Exposed To Formaldehyde Face Higher Risk

Of Leukemia Source The Journal of the National Cancer Institute ..............

" Long durations of exposure to formaldehyde used for embalming in the funeral

industry were associated with an increased risk of death from myeloid leukemia,

according to a new study published online November 20 in the Journal of the

National Cancer Institute. Previous studies have shown excess mortality from

lymphohematopoietic malignancies and brain cancer in anatomists, pathologists,

and funeral industry workers, all of whom may have worked with formaldehyde. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171746.php

15 Jan 2010 - Ariad drug information released

Source: ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc (Clinical Proof-of Concept in Patients with

CML and Ph+ ALL)

" Thirty-two patients have been enrolled to date in this trial in six dosing

groups (once daily oral dosing) at five medical centers in the United States; 28

of the patients have resistant and refractory CML or Ph+ ALL. All patients have

previously been treated with the currently available first- and

second-generation targeted therapies for CML and in most instances, other

investigational agents as well. The patients with CML and Ph+ALL enrolled in

this study only had very limited treatment options available to them: stem cell

transplants, conventional palliative chemotherapy or investigational agents. The

study commenced patient enrollment in the second quarter of 2008 and will

continue enrolling patients until approximately 50 patients have been enrolled.

Dose-escalation will continue until dose-limiting toxicity is observed.

Key preliminary findings to date include:

" In patients with a variety of Bcr-Abl mutations, hematologic responses,

cytogenetic responses, and molecular responses have been observed with AP24534

treatment. Hematologic and cytogenetic responses have also been seen in patients

with the T315I mutation, which is resistant to all approved Bcr-Abl inhibitors.

Collectively, these data suggest a significant degree of anti-tumor activity of

AP24534 in highly resistant CML patients.

" In addition, of 23 CML patients in the four highest dosing groups, 19 patients

remain on study without disease progression, evidence of control of their

disease. Most importantly, of 12 CML patients with the T315I mutation, nine

patients remain on study without disease progression, providing further evidence

of control of their disease.

" For many of the patients in the highest dosing groups, the duration of

treatment with AP24534 has been relatively short. In these patients, it is still

early for complete-response assessment. Even in spite of this, evidence of

significant improvement in multiple blood-cell lineages has been observed.

" Preliminary safety assessment shows that AP24534 is well tolerated without

dose-limiting toxicity at doses studied to date. The most common drug-related

adverse events have been thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and neutropenia

(low white blood cell count), which the Company believes reflects the underlying

disease and the extensive pre-treatment of the patients in the trial. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159087.php

FYI,

Lottie Duthu