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National Association of Chain Drug Stores Announces New ECON 09 Lineup For Marketplace Conference In Boston
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) announced its ECON 09 Business Programs for the 2009 Marketplace Conference, to be held June 28-July 1 in Boston, Massachusetts. The presentations are new additions to the Marketplace program.
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Plexxikon Announces PLX4032 Phase 1 Data Showing Objective Responses In Metastatic Melanoma Patients
Plexxikon Inc. today announced preliminary data from a Phase 1 clinical study investigating PLX4032 (R7204). PLX4032 is a novel, oral and highly selective drug that targets the BRAFV600E cancer-causing mutation that occurs in most melanomas and about eight percent of all solid tumors. In patients whose cancer harbors this mutation and who were treated with therapeutic doses of PLX4032, tumor shrinkage and extended progression-free survival have been observed. Currently, two extension studies are being conducted in mutation-positive melanoma and colorectal cancer patients. Following the initial positive findings announced today, larger clinical trials to support a registration program for product approval are targeted to start later in 2009. Plexxikon and Roche are co-developing PLX4032 under their 2006 license and collaboration agreement.
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Study Looks At HIV, Risk Behaviors Among Male Clients Of Sex Workers In Tijuana, Mexico
"A large percentage" of U.S. and Mexican men who regularly engage in sexual activity with sex workers in Tijuana, Mexico, do not use condoms and have a history of substance and alcohol use, according to a study published in the online journal AIDS, the Los Angeles Times" blog "L.A. Now" reports. The study, by researchers from Mexico and the University of California-San Diego, surveyed 400 men - both Mexico and U.S. residents - and found that half of the men had unprotected sex with a female sex worker within the last four months. Researchers noted that although Tijuana authorities require that sex workers be registered and tested regularly for HIV, "only about half of [sex workers] have registered or been tested," according to the blog. Thomas Patterson of the UC-San Diego"s department of psychiatry and the Veterans Affairs health center, said the findings indicate a need for an educational campaign targeting men who frequent sex workers (Perry, 7/11).
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No Improvement In Detecting Cervical Cancer With Addition Of HPV Test In Cervical Screening Programme In The UK

An article published Online First and in the July edition of The Lancet Oncology reports that the combination of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing with regular liquid-based cytology (LBC) screening does not improve the detection of cervical cancer compared with LBC screening alone. In the UK, liquid-based cytology (which is a liquid form of the Pap smear test) has replaced the conventional Pap smear test. It has been shown to improve detection of precancerous cervical cells called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Also it has reduced the number of unsatisfactory samples that require retesting. According to earlier research, testing for HPV in the cervix is more sensitive than conventional Pap smears and can detect CIN that smears can miss. However, it also results in more false positives than conventional smears. In the UK, the present programme of cervical smear testing with LBC prevents about seventy percent of cancers. However it is unknown if supplementing HPV testing to routine cervical screening could raise the effectiveness of the screening programme in the UK. Henry Kitchener and team conducted the ARTISTIC trial in order to investigate. Their work was the first randomised trial to measure combined LBC plus HPV testing with LBC alone in primary cervical screening. It included in total 24,510 women aged 20 to 64 years. All the participants attended general practice or family-planning clinics for routine cervical screening in Greater Manchester, UK. As part of the national screening programme they were also tested for HPV. The women were randomly assigned in a ratio of 3-1 to either have their HPV result revealed and acted upon or concealed from both the woman and the researcher. Women who were HPV positive with a negative smear in the revealed group underwent repeat testing at twelve months and a colposcopy was offered if they still tested positive. There were 18,386 women in the revealed group and 6,124 women in the concealed group. There was monitoring and screening at three years for all the women in order to evaluate if as a result of the HPV testing, the revealed group had less pre-cancers because of superior detection and earlier treatment of underlying lesions. Generally, the combination of testing with LBC and HPV did not detect more high-grade lesions than LBC testing alone. The results indicated that in the earlier screening round HPV testing did detect cases of CIN grade 3 or worse (CIN3+). Those cases were missed by LBC alone. But in the second round, there were fewer cases detected in the combined group. In addition, after examination of both screening rounds there was no considerable distinction between the two groups. In the first series of screening there were 233 women (1.27 percent) in the revealed group that had CIN3+, compared with 80 women (1.31 percent) in the concealed group. In the second series of screening the number of women with CIN3+ lowered to 29 women (0.25 percent) in the revealed group and 18 women (0.47 percent) in the concealed group. In the combination of both rounds, there was no major statistical difference in the proportion of women found to have CIN3+ which were 1.5 percent in the revealed group and 1.77 percent in the concealed group. The researchers explain that: "Over two rounds this trial showed no evidence that LBC combined with HPV testing in primary cervical screening detected more CIN2 or CIN3+ than cytology alone. This summed effect over two rounds is relevant because screening relies on repeated rounds to achieve its sensitivity." There will be a third round of screening six years after enrolment, as the ARTISTIC trial continues. The authors say this will: "Determine whether HPV testing could extend screening intervals because of the longer duration of protection conferred by a negative HPV result than with a negative LBC finding." "HPV testing in combination with liquid-based cytology in primary cervical screening (ARTISTIC): a randomised controlled trial" Henry C Kitchener, Maribel Almonte, Claire Thomson, Paula Wheeler, Alexandra Sargent, Boyka Stoykova, Clare Gilham, Helene Baysson, Christopher Roberts, Robin Dowie, Mina Desai, Jean Mather, Andrew Bailey, Andrew Turner, Sue Moss, Julian Peto DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(09)70156-1 thelancet/oncology Written by Stephanie Brunner (B.A) Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today


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