FDA Advisers Recommend Drug for Preoperative Treatment of Early Breast Cancer

An advisory panel to the FDA has recommended approval of the first drug to treat early stage breast cancer prior to surgery, the Associated Press reports. Pertuzumab (marketed as Perjeta), a monoclonal antibody, is currently approved for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. An industry trial indicated that women with preoperative breast cancer whose regimens contained pertuzumab were up to 18% more likely to be free of cancer at 12 weeks than women who were given other drugs. ref

Taller = higher cancer risk

Taller postmenopausal women face higher risks for 10 types of cancer, according to a study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. Researchers examined the association between height and cancer risk among some 145,000 Women's Health Initiative participants. During roughly 12 years of follow-up, 14% received diagnoses of invasive cancer. After multivariable adjustment, the risk for all cancers increased significantly, by 13%, with each 10-cm (4-inch) increase in height. In particular, risks for the following types of cancer were increased: breast, colon, colorectal, endometrial, melanoma, multiple melanoma, ovarian, rectal, renal, and thyroid. Additional adjustment for cancer screening did not alter the results. The researchers say height should be considered "a marker for one or more exposures that influence cancer risk rather than a risk factor itself." ref

Conflict-of-Interest Seen in Some Prescribing Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer

The number of self-referrals for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) of prostate cancer has increased in the U.S. in recent years, while use of this treatment has actually declined among non-self-referring groups, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The number of self-referred claims for IMRT among Medicare recipients increased from 80,000 to 366,000 from 2006 to 2010. Non-self-referring claims dropped from 490,000 to 466,000 over the same period. The GAO says its analyses "suggest that financial incentives for self-referring providers — specifically those in limited specialty groups — were likely a major factor driving the increase." The report recommends that providers be required to disclose their financial interests to their patients and that Medicare "should identify and monitor self-referral of IMRT services." ref