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Purpose. When a patient is diagnosed with lung cancer, members of his/her social network may be more likely to engage in smoking cessation efforts. Proactive telephone counseling combined with a tailored self-directed intervention may be more effective at fironioting smoking cessation than a tailored self-directed intervention alone. Design. Randomized controlled triaL Setting. Four clinical sites. Subjects. Current smokers who are family members and close friends of patients with lung cancer Intervention. Six counselo,tinitiated counseling calls using motivational interviewing techniques and focusing on teaching adaptive coping skills based on the transactional model of stress and coping along with tailored self-directed materials (including nicotine patches, if not contraindicated) (n = 245) vs. tailored self-directed materials (including nicotine patches, if not contraindicated) (n = 251). Measures. Participants were surveyed at baseline and at 2 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months participants. The outcome was 7-day point prevalent abstinence. Analysis. The objective of this study was to test for arm d!ffcences in smoking cessation rates at 2 weeks and 6 months postinlervention (primary) and at 12 months postintervention (secondaiy,). Results. We found no overall effect of the proactive intervention on cessation rates. Among younger participants (age <50), the cessation rate in the intervention group was higher titan in the control group at 2 weeks postintervention (16% vs. 4 %, p = .046). For older participants (age >50), there were no group differences. Conclusion. Proactive telephone counseling focusing on adaptive coping skills was difficult to implement among smokers in bung cancer patients' social network. Although this study did not demonstrate any added benefit to cessation rates, this null finding may be a result of an intervention that was weaker than intended, owing to difficulties in completing the counseling phone calls. We discuss lessons learned and areas for future research in this special population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Flavopiridol has in vitro activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and promotes apoptosis independent of p53 function or prior fludarabine exposure. We sought to determine if flavopiridol has activity in previously treated CLL using two schedules of administration., Patients and Methods: Patients with previously treated CLL were enrolled in two sequentially done phase II studies. Patients in the first trial received flavopiridol (50 mg/m(2)/d) as a continuous infusion (CI) for 72 hours every 2 weeks. Patients in the second trial received flavopiridol 50 mg/m(2) as a 1-hour bolus (IVB) daily for 3 days repeated every 3 weeks. Patients received up to 12 (CI cohort) or 8 (IVB cohort) cycles of therapy., Results: Fifteen patients were enrolled in the 72-hour CI phase II trial; 6 (40%) had intermediate-risk (Rai stage I or II) and 9 (60%) had high-risk (Rai stage III and IV) stages. No responses were noted in this group; 27% had stable disease and 73% had progressive disease. Thirty-six patients were enrolled in the second IVB trial, with 13 (36%) having intermediate and 23 (64%) having high-risk disease. Four patients (11%) had partial responses, 19 (53%) had stable disease, and 13 (36%) had progressive disease. The progression-free survival for responders in the IVB trial was 3, 3, 9, and 19 months. The median progression-free survival was 2 months [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.8-3.8] for patients in the CI trial and 3 months (95% CI, 2.5-7.4) for the IVB trial. The median overall survival was 27 months (95% CI, 20-42) for the CI trial and 24 months (95% CI, 18-31) for the IVB trial. Toxicity was manageable and included mainly myelosuppression, infections, diarrhea, and fatigue., Conclusions: Flavopiridol has modest, schedule-dependent clinical activity in relapsed CLL and warrants future investigation utilizing alternative schedules of administration.

Secondary cytogenetic abnormalities at diagnosis of Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) have been associated with an inferior outcome in reported series of largely chemotherapy-treated patients. To date, no study has specifically focused on the prognostic significance of secondary karyotypic abnormalities, detected at the time of diagnosis, in interferon (IFN)-alpha treated patients. We compared the outcome of 29 newly diagnosed Ph+ CML patients with additional abnormalities to that of 234 sole Ph+ patients, treated on CALGB protocols with IFN-alpha alone or together with IFN-gamma or low-dose cytarabine. Complete and partial cytogenetic responses were achieved in 20 and 19% of sole Ph+ patients, compared to 23 and 18%, respectively, of patients with additional abnormalities (P=1.00). None of 4 patients with 'high-risk' secondary abnormalities [+8, +Ph and i(17)(q10)], for whom follow-up cytogenetic samples were available, achieved a cytogenetic response. With a median follow-up of 11.3 years, the median overall survival (OS) was 6.0 years for sole Ph+ patients compared to 7.5 years for patients with additional abnormalities (P=0.70), with corresponding 8-year OS of 36 and 38%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, only age (P<0.001) and white blood cell count (P=0.02) were associated with outcome. We conclude that, with the possible exception of +8, +Ph and i(17)(q10), additional chromosomal abnormalities at diagnosis are not associated with inferior outcome in Ph+ CML patients treated with IFN-alpha-based therapy.

Mailed surveys are widely used to collect epidemiological and health service data on cancer populations. Nonresponse can threaten the validity of surveys and various strategies, including the enclosure of modest incentives, are often used to increase response rates. A study was undertaken to determine whether response rate to a mailed survey differed with provision of immediate versus delayed incentives. A six-page mailed survey to ascertain dietary supplement use was sent to 1402 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Subjects were block randomized into two groups based on age (< or =65 years versus >65 years), race (white versus nonwhite), and disease status (locoregional versus distant). One group received a 30-min prepaid phone card concurrently with their blank survey (unconditional incentive), whereas the other group received the incentive only on receipt of their completed survey (conditional incentive). A 60% overall response rate was achieved, and no differences in response rates were noted between conditional and unconditional incentive groups (overall, as well as within defined age, race, and disease-defined strata). Nonwhites, however, were significantly less likely to respond than whites (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, acceptable response rates to a mailed survey can be achieved in a general population of cancer survivors using modest incentives. Given no differences in response rates using conditional versus unconditional incentives, the decision to provide immediate versus delayed incentives is one that should be considered on a study-specific basis, and a decision based primarily on cost. Other means, however, appear necessary to achieve acceptable response rates among minority group cancer survivors.