The FDA gives orphan drug status to specific drugs that are no longer marketed for their original use, to encourage that these products be redeveloped.

Tau Therapeutics, LLC., a development stage biopharmaceutical company based in Virginia, says mibefradil can help fight pancreatic cancer. According to the company, unlike cancer therapies that damage healthy cells, mibefradil prevents tumor growth by blocking calcium from entering cancer cells.

Mibefradil, trade named Posicor, is a T-channel-blocking drug that was originally marketed for hypertension. It was taken off the market following drug to drug interactions with cholesterol-lowering medications.

Tau Therapeutics says the drug has proven to effectively treat pancreatic cancer in animals and has also been given orphan drug status by the FDA for treating ovarian cancer.

Obese breast cancer patients could benefit from an older class of drugs called epithelial growth factor receptor inhibitors, which block stimulatory effects of hormones.

A study published in this month's Cancer Research said obese breast cancer patients produce more leptin, a hormone that is produced by fat cells and helps regulate appetite, bone formation and reproductive functions.

Leptin combined with heightened levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) was shown by the study to stimulate breast cancer cell growth, reports ScienceDaily.

Researchers found that drugs inhibiting epithelial growth factor blocked the effects of leptin and IGF-1.  Study authors noted more tests in animal models is necessary to strengthen findings.

Scientists say they may have found a way to predict which women are likely to experience hot flashes from tamoxifen therapy, reports Reuters Health.

Tamoxifen is associated with hot flashes that often cause women to discontinue the therapy. Doctors, however, say discontinuing the therapy puts women at risk of cancer reoccurrence and death.

A report published in the November 17 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology says genetic variants in estrogen receptors may identify which women have a problem with taking tamoxifen.

A research team from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine determined estrogen receptor variants in nearly 300 women who were starting tamoxifen therapy. Each woman maintained a symptoms diary that was used to calculate a hot flash score.

The researchers identified increased hot flash scores in premenopausal women with an increase in ESR1 variants Pvull and XbaI CG alleles.

In postmenopausal women, ESR1 Pvull CC and ESR2-02 GG genotypes were linked to increased hot flash scores.

Genentech is looking to accelerate the federal approval process of its drug Avastin for use in treating aggressive brain cancer, according to a news article published in Mercury News.

Avastin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration when used in combination with chemotherapy to treat colon and breast cancers. The San Francisco-based biotechnology company announced earlier this month that it wants the drug approved to treat glioblastoma, a common type of brain tumor.

The federal government requires three separate stages of studies prior to approving a drug. Genentech is seeking approval of Avastin with having only performed two of the three studies. The FDA does approve some drugs when early studies show effectiveness in treating life threatening diseases, such as cancer.

Genentech made its request based on a study of 167 glioblastoma patients, of which 43% taking Avastin showed no sign of their cancer worsening. The company also noted tumors shrunk by half for about 28% of those taking the drug. Avastin blocks blood supply to the tumor, inhibiting growth.

An individualized treatment approach to kidney cancer can benefit patient survival rates, according to a recent study by UCLA researchers.

The study involved nearly 1,500 patients treated for kidney cancer over a 15 year period.  According to researchers, not all kidney cancer patients, localized kidney cancers or metastatic kidney cancers are the same.  The study helps outline a foundation for individualized kidney cancer therapies.

A prime example from the study showed that a low-risk patient with localized kidney cancer could have a very good outcome from surgery alone.  A low-risk patient with metastatic cancer, however, should get an aggressive treatment. In contrast, metastatic kidney disease patients that fall into a high-risk group are unlikely to benefit from treatment, and may want to consider not having surgery or other toxic therapies.

The study was published in the November 1st issue of Cancer.

Those fighting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma will have another possible treatment. The U.S. government has approved the sale of chemotherapy drug Treanda.

Reuters Health reported that drug company Cephalon Inc. announced last week the approval to sell the drug, which was previously approved in March by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  

Cephalon reported one trial of Treanda showed that the drug delayed progression of the disease for more than 9 months. Treanda is used in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a prevalent form of leukemia in the United States.

An estimated 30,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with the disease this year, according to Reuters.

Australian researchers have developed a decision aid that helps men reduce uncertainty about genetic testing for colorectal cancer.

The decision aid, or pamphlet, which was originally designed to help men and women make decisions about genetic testing, has proven more effective for men.

The decision aid was developed by Dr. Claire E. Wakefield of Macquarie University in New South Wales, Australia, and was published in a recent issue of Cancer.

Dr. Wakefield's team tested the aid's effectiveness on 153 people, some of which used a control pamphlet, while others used the actual decision aid. In all, 109 patients (71.2%) completed the first questionnaire within one week and 95 patients (62.5%) completed a 6-month follow-up questionnaire.

According to Wakefield's research, while the aid did not have an impact on the actual genetic testing decision or feelings of regret for having made the decision, it did reduce feelings of uncertainty and conflict regarding genetic testing. Those who used the decision aid felt they made a more informed decision than those who used the control pamphlet.

Researchers also found the decision aid was more helpful for men, who were found to have significantly higher knowledge levels for having used the decision aid than men who didn't. There was no such difference found in women. According to the researchers, differences between what men and women need to make decisions may play a role, but women may also need a decision aid with more extensive information since women have an increased risk of multiple cancers.

More breast cancer patients don't comply with taking tamoxifen than any other adjuvant therapies, according to a recent study published in this month's The American Journal of Surgery.

Tamoxifen is the most common hormone therapy drug used in breast cancer treatment today.

The study found younger women were less compliant with taking tamoxifen, resulting in an increased risk of having their cancer return in five years. Old age was attributed to noncompliance with chemotherapy and radiation. However a noncompliance with radiation and chemotherapy didn't significantly affect 5-year diseases-free survival rates.

The study was conducted to supply more information on patient-driven non-compliance of adjuvant therapies and its consequences.  The study compared clinical, pathological features and outcomes of breast cancer patients who were compliant to recommended radiation, chemotherapy and hormonal therapies to those who were not.

A recent Journal of Clinical Oncology editorial cited several studies suggesting yoga and other mind-body techniques are suitable alternatives to hormone therapies for treating hot flashes and night sweats experienced by many breast cancer survivors.

According to the editorial, hot flashes and night sweats are experienced by 65% of women following traditional breast cancer treatment. These symptoms occur more in women taking tamoxifen or having chemotherapy treatments. Often hot flashes are so severe, the editorial states that many women discontinue tamoxifen and other endocrine therapies.

The gold standard for treating hot flashes is an estrogen therapy, alone or combined with progesterone to regulate existing estrogen fluctuations that cause the symptoms. Estrogen, however, is not recommended for breast cancer survivors.

Instead of seeking herbal remedies that could have adverse effects, the editorial suggests mind-body interventions, such as: "paced respiration, biofeedback, relaxation, meditation, yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and hypnosis."

These low-cost, minimal risk techniques are attractive to breast cancer survivors, but according to the editorial, pose problems for researchers. Many of the studies report poor adherence to protocol and lack adequate control groups. In addition, participants may drop out of the studies because they are too time intensive and don't provide instantaneous results.

Despite the difficulty in producing solid evidentiary studies, the editorial views mind-body approaches as potentially safe, effective ways for breast cancer survivors to reduce hot flashes and night sweats.

Last month, researchers also identified acupuncture as an effective complementary therapy for reducing hot flashes caused by conventional breast cancer treatments.

According to a recent article in USA Today, more U.S. hospitals are offering their patients access to complementary and alternative care treatments.

Complementary and alternative therapies, such as naturopathic medicine, mind-body medicine, pain management techniques and other therapies, can help treat patients battling a wide range of disease, including cancer.

According to a survey by the American Hospital Association, 37% of U.S. hospitals provide patient access to complementary and alternative therapies. That percentage has increased from 25% just three years ago.

Data from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine puts spending on alternative therapies at $19 billion a year.

According to the USA Today article, patient satisfaction and clinical data are the two most important factors that the majority of hospitals use to determine if a complementary treatment is effective.

Learn more about complementary and alternative care treatments by visiting the Your Guide to Cancer Care section of our website.