Effective Treatment Key To Turning A Corner On The War Against Cancer (NAPSA)—Americansare turning a corner on the war against cancer. According to a recent report from the American Cancer Society, cancer deaths dropped for a second consecutive year, with hard work in the areas of cancer prevention, early detection and more effective treatment paying lifesaving dividends. And while concerns about the top four major cancers—lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers—often take center stage, one of the most rapidly increasing types of cancer in the U.S., non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is often overlooked. “There have been such remarkable advances in cancer treatmentin the last decade, andit is a comfort to patients like me that we have options beyond chemotherapy, such as targeted therapies to try to keep non-Hodgkin’s lymphomaatbay.” @ Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma refers to a group of cancers that affect the lymphatic system, the disease-fighting network of specialized vessels, cells, structures (e.g., lymph nodes) and organs spread through the body. Since the early 1970s, the incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has nearly doubled, and it is currently the fifth most common cancer in women and sixth most common cancer in men. An estimated 332,000 Ameri- cans have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Of those diagnosed, 30-40 percent have diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a faster- growing subtype of nonHodgkin’s lymphoma. About 2030 percent have a slow-growing form of the disease—the most common type called follicular lymphoma. “To learn of my diagnosis at the age of 37 with a husband and two young children was quite devastating,” said Evelyn Lipori, a nonHodgkin’s lymphomapatient living in Massapequa, New York. Diagnosed with stage IV follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in November 1997, Lipori says that hope, perseverance and effective treatment have gotten her to wheresheis today. “There have been such remarkable advances in cancer treatment in the last decade, and it is a com- the treatment of relapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell nonHodgkin’s lymphoma. “Rituxan has changed how we treat certain types of nonHodgkin’s lymphomaandis a cornerstone of care for many patients,” said Dr. David G. Maloney, oncology specialist and associate member of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington School of Medicine. “The proven clinical benefits of Rituxan, when given in combination with standard chemotherapy as per the approved label, are well-documented.” Rituxan has been studied and proven in hundredsofclinicaltrials fort to patients like me that we have options beyond chemotherapy, such as targeted therapies to try to keep non-Hodgkin’s lymphomaat bay,” says Lipori, who is a passionate patient advocate and also serves on the board of a national lymphomaresearch foundation. “I’m proof that it is possible for some people to live longer with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.” Until 1997, chemotherapy was considered the primary treatment option available for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but there were limitations for many patients, some of which were related to the side effect profile of the drugs. But, scientific advancements helped over the past 10 years. Rituxan has been shown to improve response, progression-free survival and/or overall survival in certain patients with follicular or DLBCL, and has becomeone of the standard therapies for certain types of nonHodgkin’s lymphoma, including improved clinical benefits, along with a different safety profile from chemotherapy drugs. Rituxan becamethefirst therapeutic antibody approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administra- viral infections, cardiovascular and thefirst targeted therapy for chills. refine therapy, offering patients tion for the treatment of cancer, first-line treatment of follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell andfirst-line treatment of DLBCL, CD20-positive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Rituxan has been associated with fatal infusion reactions, tumor lysis syndrome, severe mucocutaneous reactions, pro- gressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), hepatitis B reactivation with related fulminant hepatitis and other serious events, renal toxicity, and bowel obstruction and perforation. Patients commonly experience infusion-related side effects, particularly during the first infusion. These include fever, shaking and Rituxan (Rituximab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory, low-grade or follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Rituxan (Rituximab) is indicated for the first-line treatment of diffuse large B-cell, CD20-positive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in combination with CHOPorother anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens. Rituxan (Rituximab) is indicated for the first-line treatment offollicular, CD20-positive, B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in combination with CVP chemotherapy. Rituxan (Rituximab) is indicated for the treatment of low grade, CD20-positive, B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomain patients with stable disease or who achieve a partial or complete response following first-line treatment with CVP chemotherapy. For a copy of the Rituxan full prescribing information, including Boxed Warning, visit www.rituxan.com.
