A study from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that not everyone needs a genetic test prior to taking Camptosar (irinotecan).

Irinotecan, also known as Camptosar, is used as a second-line treatment for colorectal cancer. The FDA recommends screening for a gene that could make patients more susceptible to the harmful side effects of the drug, namely neutropenia, which is an abnormally low level of white blood cells.

The UNC researchers analyzed data from nine previous studies of irinotecan. They found that patients who received a medium or high dose had a greater risk of neutropenia if they had two copies of a specific variant of the gene UGTA1. At lower doses of the drug however, the risk was the same regardless of UGTA1 status.

The authors, led by Howard McLeod, Pharm.D., recommends that the FDA amend their guidelines to reflect this knowledge. Changing this guideline may help avoid unnecessary tests and expenses as well as quicken treatment waiting times.

I read a two articles about treatments for recurrence of rhabdomyosarcoma recently. I first got interested in this childhood and young adult cancer when I read Karen's blog. Karen was diagnosed as a young adult and wants to raise awareness for this rare cancer, sometimes just called rhabdo, that does not have a great survival rate. I did a post about her and her cancer journey that you can read called Raising awareness about rhabdomyosarcoma.

This brings me to the two articles that I recently read about treatments for recurrent rhabdomyosarcoma:

A Phase II clinical trial was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The drug Camptosar (irinotecan) reduced or eliminated detectable cancer in 11 percent of the children who had relapsed rhabdomyosarcoma. The study states that patients with recurrent disease have a very poor prognosis. Eleven percent, (four out of thirty five patients), does not seem like a very high success rate however, these trials are needed to find treatments to improve survival for this deadly cancer.

The other article I read was also published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. It states that treatment with the chemotherapy drug combination of Camptosar (irinotecan) and vincristine reduced or eliminated detectable cancer in 70 percent of children with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma. It stated that treatment alone with Camptosar is not good enough. The combination of Camptosar and vincristine, 70 percent of children experienced a partial or complete disappearance of detectable cancer. This is better news!

You can read more about rhabdomyosarcoma in the post called Cancer by the Numbers: Rhabdomyosarcoma.

The world's largest drug maker -- Pfizer Inc. -- announced Monday it will cut 10,000 jobs and close at least five facilities due to fierce competition from generic drug makers. The goal, says Pfizer spokespeople, is to whittle away annual costs by $2 billion by the end of the year -- to combat the prediction that the company will lose 41 percent of its sales to generic drugs between 2010 and 2012.

Pfizer's other obstacles include expiring drug patents -- costing Pfizer about $14 billion in revenues between 2005 and 2007 -- as well as demands for lower prices by insurers and large purchasers, and repeated requests for evidence of products' worth.

The 10,000 layoffs amount to 10 percent of the company's global workforce and will take jobs from 2,200 United States employees. The company will cut 20 percent of its European sales force, will close three research sites in Michigan and two manufacturing plants in New York and Nebraska, and is considering selling a manufacturing site in Germany and closing two research sites in Japan and France. In the midst of all of this, the company will focus its efforts on transforming the way they do business.

"I believe we must transform the way we've done business in the past in order to be more successful in the future," said Jeffrey Kindler, CEO and chairman of Pfizer. " Incremental evolution is not enough. Fundamental change is imperative -- and it must happen now."

Pfizer's Monday announcement is the second declaration of budget cuts. A previous announcement has the company -- the maker of cancer drugs Aromasin, Ellence, Camptosar, and Sutent -- slashing costs by $4 billion a year until 2008.