Authors

Latest:

Studies have shown a strong association between certain human papillomaviruses and the development of cervical carcinoma and its precursor lesions. The oncogenic potential of papillomaviruses has been clearly

Latest:

Drs. Quon and Harrison have written an excellent review on the role of brachytherapy in the management of head and neck cancer. Brachytherapy is a time-honored technique, and the authors have carefully reviewed the pertinent literature extolling its virtues. However, there are many papers that fail to document efficacy of brachytherapy over conventional techniques, demonstrating that, similar to surgery, the technique is both patient- and operator-dependent.

Latest:

As outlined in the comprehensive review by Dr. Schwartz, cytoreductive surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy is considered the standard of care in the initial management of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Considering prognostic factors for patients with advanced disease, residual disease after primary surgery is still considered to be the most important modifiable prognostic factor influencing survival. This has again been recently confirmed by a large retrospective study including six different Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) studies.[1]

Latest:

Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed noncutaneous neoplasm in men.[1] While there are many questions of profound clinical significance related to the management of this neoplasm, few are as critical as those regarding the limitations of current imaging modalities for clinicians involved in the management of these patients. As such, the thorough, if somewhat depressing, overview of the current status of imaging in prostate cancer by El-Gabry et al provides timely insight into both where we are and where we need to go.

Latest:

Dr. Balducci has presented a timely and useful overview of bone health in elderly patients undergoing cancer treatment. This topic has important implications, not only within geriatric oncology but also throughout the entire age spectrum. Dr. Balducci’s focus on the elderly population is especially relevant, as this group is at particularly high risk for bone complications over the course of cancer therapy. In his review, Dr. Balducci provides an introduction to the physiology of bone reabsorption and formation, and discusses risk factors for the interruptions in usual physiologic homestasis that lead to osteoporosis.

Latest:

Latest:

Records from 653 patients treated between 1991 and 1998 in the Oncology Practice Patterns Study (OPPS) were analyzed to determine contemporary chemotherapy delivery patterns in patients with intermediate-grade non-

Latest:

An increasing body of evidence suggests that geriatric patients can benefit from and tolerate standard chemotherapy similarly to younger patients in the settings of both early- and advanced-stage colorectal cancer. Assessment of this unique population requires more comprehensive evaluation in addition to routine history, physical examination, and laboratory tests. Specific considerations of their physiologic functional changes will help physicians better manage these patients. Ongoing studies are now designed to better understand the decision-making process, safety profile, and efficacy of various treatment regimens in geriatric patients.

Latest:

The variety of treatment options available to patients of all ages who have multiple myeloma has improved considerably in the past decade. However, elderly patients have benefited more than patients of other ages. Because elderly patients, as a group, are usually not offered autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) as a treatment option, they have been unable to benefit from the wide application of this technique, first introduced in the late 1980s. In the past 8 years, however, thalidomide, bortezomib, and very recently lenalidomide, when combined with conventional doses of alkylators and corticosteroids, have produced marked improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in elderly patients. Harousseau has thoroughly reviewed the important studies documenting these benefits for this population.

Latest:

Daniel C. McFarland, DO; and guest William S. Breitbart, MD, discuss the critical role of meaning-centered therapy in addressing the psychosocial needs of patients with cancer.

Latest:

The patient’s medical history is remarkable only for asthma and mild emphysema. The family history included a grandmother with gastric cancer. The patient had been taking estrogen replacement therapy since menopause 3 years earlier, and she was

Latest:

The review by Mendenhall et al presents selected papers pertinent to the effect of metastatic nodes on local control in patients with head and neck cancer. These data are retrospective and, as the authors point out, do not resolve the matter.

Latest:

The success of the National SurgicalAdjuvant Breast and BowelProject (NSABP) trial P-01at showing that we now have an effectivemeans to prevent breast cancerposes larger and more seriousquestions: Who should receivechemoprevention, and at what pointin life should this occur? The designof the P-01 study allowed many womento enroll who, according to Gailmodel calculations, were at a less than 1% per year risk of subsequent breastcancer during the expected 5-yeartreatment period. These lower-risk individualsseemed to have less benefitthan those patients at much higherrisk. Other similar prevention studiesseem to confirm this observation.

Latest:

Despite advances in the treatment of many malignancies, a large number of cancer patients will require evaluation and possible surgical intervention for lesions that have metastasized or directly invaded the spinal column. The need for heightened awareness of and aggressive early intervention for spinal metastases is underscored by many studies that have reported a relationship between pretreatment and posttreatment neurologic function in these patients. Recommendations for operative intervention should be made following an evaluation of the patient by multiple specialties, both medical and surgical. In the last decade, advances in surgical techniques for tumor decompression and spine stabilization, neurophysiologic monitoring, and anesthetic expertise have allowed surgeons to perform more extensive procedures with improved outcomes and reduced morbidity. This article will review the factors favoring an operative recommendation in patients with metastatic spinal disease, preoperative evaluation, and available surgical options. Patients with symptomatic spinal metastases should receive early surgical consultation as part of a multidisciplinary approach to their disease process. [ONCOLOGY 14(7):1013-1024, 2000]

Latest:

Breast reconstruction improves quality of life, but providers must be aware of the risks and benefits of each reconstruction approach in the setting of postmastectomy radiotherapy.

Latest:

This 47-year-old man underwent surveillance colonoscopy for a history of an adenomatous polyp. He has a history of hemorrhoids and occasional bright red blood on the toilet tissue. There is no history of diarrhea, constipation, or abdominal pain.

Latest:

Advances in science have prolonged the average life span, and people are living relatively longer than before. Nevertheless, we have much to achieve to prolong the "healthy life span." People in old age suffer from multiple chronic ailments, and many of them succumb to death by heart disease, cancer, or stroke.[1] To survive these diseases, patients continuously depend on concurrent multiple medications-also referred to as polypharmacy-and with that comes the responsibility of appropriate selection, administration, and monitoring of therapeutic modalities.

Latest:

Cancer-related thrombocytopenia is a clinical problem. Unfortunately, the qualitative nature and quantitative extent of the problem has been poorly defined to date. Without knowing these two parameters, the risk/benefit ratio of any management option for cancer-related thrombocytopenia is impossible to calculate accurately. Drs. Goodnough and DiPersio have done an excellent job of delineating many of the potential risks of managing the problems associated with platelet transfusions.

Latest:

In this video, Dr. Tap discusses a randomized phase Ib/II trial that found that adding olaratumab to doxorubicin dramatically improved survival in patients with advanced soft-tissue sarcoma.

Latest:

This video reviews the management approach for prostate cancer in older patients, including when screening is appropriate and how geriatric assessments can guide treatment decisions.

Latest:

For localized in-transit disease, less is more, with local destruction, excision, and intralesional therapy being the cornerstones of treatment. If local therapies fail or if distant disease arises, isolated limb perfusion and systemic therapy remain effective options.

Latest:

These guidelines review the use of radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery in borderline and unresectable pancreas cancer. Radiation technique, dose, and targets were evaluated, as was the recommended chemotherapy, administered either alone or concurrently with radiation. This report will aid clinicians in determining guidelines for the optimal treatment of borderline and unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Latest:

The goal of palliative radiotherapy is to treat symptoms as rapidly and efficiently as possible, with the fewest side effects.[1] For many years, pain medication, radiotherapy, and surgery were the only tools available for the treatment of bone metastases. This has changed significantly over the past 15 years. New systemic agents, including bisphosphonates such as zoledronic acid (Reclast, Zometa), are available to prevent the development of new lesions, strengthen the bone, and improve symptoms. In addition, targeted treatments directed at achieving tumor ablation now include radiofrequency ablation and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

Latest:

Drs. Winell and Roth provide agood overview of the commonpsychiatric disorders andcancer-related symptoms in elderly individualswith cancer. Because of thelarge and growing percentage of cancerpatients who are over age 65, theauthors duly highlight the importanceof this topic. The article is highly relevantto the clinical practice of oncologyand detailed information is includedto help guide treatment options formajor depression, anxiety, delirium,and other cancer-related symptoms.

Latest:

Surgical resection remains the sole modality that has proven capable of "curing" pancreatic cancer.

Latest:

Clinical hypnosis has been defined as a mind-body therapy that involves a deeply relaxed state, individualized mental imagery, and therapeutic suggestion.

Latest:

Dr. Eisenberg has produced anexcellent, concise, yet comprehensivereview of the evolutionof the KIT inhibitor imatinibmesylate (Gleevec) and the preoperativeand postoperative treatmentdilemmas surrounding mesenchymalgastrointestinal stromal tumors(GISTs), particularly in the face ofadvanced disease and recurrences. Thefocus of the article is on the naturalhistory of GISTs, from a molecularand pathobiologic perspective, toclarify the rationale for the use ofimatinib.

Latest:

Several recent studies have addressed the management of infectious problems in patients with acute leukemia. Although those studies have served to emphasize the fundamental management principles formulated and proven

Latest:

Despite the impact of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing on the detection and management of prostate cancer, controversy about its usefulness as a marker of disease activity continues. This review, based on a

Latest:

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a clonal malignancy that results from expansion of the mature lymphocyte compartment. This expansion is a consequence of prolonged cell survival, despite a varied cell. The affected lymphocytes are of B-cell lineage in 95% of cases, and the remaining cases involve T lymphocytes, representing a distinct disorder.