Research Notes
Wilmot Cancer Center Studies New Chemo Pill for
Lymphoma
Doctors at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center are first
in the world to study a new, targeted agent that zeroes-in on
B-cell lymphomas. The investigative drug, R788, targets a common
protein in normal B cells—white blood cells that fight
infection—and lymphoma cells. Jonathan Friedberg, director of
clinical research for hematological malignancies, says that if
successful, the drug, in combination with other therapies might be
a good one-two punch for lymphoma.
Personal Comments by Physicians Distract from Patient
Needs
In well-intentioned efforts to establish relationships,
some physicians tell patients about their own family members,
health problems, travel experiences, and political beliefs. While
such disclosures seem an important way to build a personal
connection, a School of Medicine and Dentistry study finds that the
personal disclosures have few demonstrable benefits and may even
disrupt the flow of important patient information. The journal
Archives of Internal Medicine published the surprising
results of the investigation this summer. Investigators found no
examples of a physician making a statement that led back from the
self-disclosure to the patient’s concern.
Hidden Planet Pushes Star’s Ring a Billion Miles
Off-Center
A young star’s strange elliptical ring of dust
likely heralds the presence of an undiscovered Neptune-sized
planet, says Alice Quillen, associate professor of astronomy, in
the latest Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical
Society. Stars in the early stages of life are surrounded by
dust clouds that thin out and dissipate as the star reaches
maturity, becoming rings in their final stages. One star, however,
has a dust ring that has long puzzled astronomers because it is not
centered around the star as usual. Instead, the ring is elliptical,
with the parent star off to one side. Quillen used new images from
the Hubble Space Telescope to show that the ring itself had a
surprisingly sharp edge. The sharp inside edge of Fomalhaut,
Quillen calculated, demanded that a relatively small, Neptune-size
planet was tucked right up against the inner side of the ring,
using its gravity to toss dust in the area out of orbit.
Clots and Cancer Carry Hidden Double Risk
Blood clots are increasingly common in cancer patients,
but Medical Center researchers have created a novel risk model that
can predict, with 98 percent certainty, which patients will not get
a blood clot. The goal is to improve patient care by preventing
early deaths due to blood clots—a complication that struck
41,666 of 1 million hospitalized cancer patients between 1995 and
2003. Rochester researchers discovered five variables that offer
clues to a cancer patient’s risk of clots: the site of the
cancer (pancreas, stomach, brain, and lung are worst); body mass
index above 35; and three measures within a blood sample including
platelet, hemoglobin, and white blood cell counts. Patients at
higher risk are candidates to receive blood thinners. The findings
were presented at the International Society of Thrombosis and
Haemostasis meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
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