Drug Updates

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States among men and women. The most common type of the disease, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 231,840 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and nearly 40,300 women will die from the disease in 2015. Overall, 61% of women with breast cancer are diagnosed while the disease is confined to the breast; for these women, the 5-year survival rate is 98.6%. However, for women with metastatic breast cancer, the 5-year survival rate falls sharply, to 26%.

Multiple myeloma, also referred to as myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow that often leads to bone destruction and bone marrow failure. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 26,800 new cases of multiple myeloma will be diagnosed in 2015, and 11,240 deaths will be attributed to this disease.

Similar to myelofibrosis and essential thrombocythemia, polycythemia vera is a Philadelphia chromosome–negative myeloproliferative neoplasm. Polycythemia vera is characterized by the clonal stem-cell proliferation of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Increased red blood cell mass results in the hyperviscosity of the blood, an increased risk for thrombosis, poor quality of life, and a shortened life expectancy.

One of the most fear-inducing side effects of chemotherapy is nausea and vomiting. Without appropriate antiemetic prophylaxis, 70% to 80% of all patients with cancer who receive chemotherapy experience nausea and/or vomiting. Consequently, preventing and managing chemotherapy­induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a crucial part of care planning for patients with cancer.

Thyroid cancer, cancer that starts in the thyroid gland, accounts for 3.8% of all cancer cases in the United States.1 There were an estimated 62,980 new cases of thyroid cancer and 1890 deaths resulting from thyroid cancer in 2014.1 Thyroid cancer is most common in people aged 45 to 54 years (median age, 50 years),1 and it occurs 2 to 3 times more often in women than in men.2 The incidence of thyroid cancer has risen steadily in recent years.3 Although this increasing rate can be attributed largely to disease detection at an earlier stage, the incidence of larger tumors has also increased.3

Gastric cancer and lung cancer impose a substantial burden on patients. In light of the high mortality rate and quality-of-life issues associated with these 2 types of cancer, there is a marked need for additional therapeutic options to improve outcomes for patients with gastric or lung cancer.

On July 3, 2014, the FDA approved belinostat (Beleodaq; Spectrum Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory PTCL.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common type of leukemia in adults, is a cancer that predominantly affects the B-cell lymphocytes.

Lung cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers, as well as the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States.