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The article discusses changes to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) clinical practice guideline which covers the use of chemotherapy, biologic therapy, and molecular markers for stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the U.S. It notes that the changes follow several regulatory actions regarding new agents approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It mentions that the FDA and the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health have restricted the use of gefitinib in the released guideline.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of acupuncture treatment for persistent hiccups in cancer patients. Design: The study design was a retrospective case series. Settings/location: The study setting was the Clinical Research Center of the National Institutes of Health. Subjects: The subjects were 16 adult male patients ages 27–71 with cancer, with persistent hiccups. Interventions: There were one to three acupuncture sessions over a 1–7-day period. Outcome measures: Treatment efficacy was measured using a hiccup assessment instrument pre- and post-treatment. The effects of acupuncture on common symptoms reported by all patients were also evaluated. Results: Thirteen (13) patients experienced complete remission of persistent hiccups ( p < 0.0001); 3 patients experienced decreased hiccups severity. Significant improvement was observed in discomfort ( p < 0.0001), distress ( p < 0.0001), and fatigue ( p = 0.0078). Conclusions: This case series demonstrates that acupuncture may be a clinically useful, safe, and low-cost therapy for persistent hiccups in patients with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]