ONCOLOGY Vol 15 No 2

What constitutes comprehensive cancer care? One interpretation, by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), defines it as a commitment to exploring the basic science and clinical care of patients with cancer. Cancer centers designated by the NCI as

ALZA Corporation and MedImmune, Inc, recently announced the results of a phase III study evaluating the use of amifostine (Ethyol) in the care of head and neck cancer patients who received radiation therapy. Recently published in the Journal of

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung and bronchus cancer. During 1988-1997, per capita cigarette smoking in California declined more than twice as rapidly as it did in the rest of the country. To characterize lung cancer incidence in

Medicare made an important decision in December 2000 to expand its coverage of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET) as a cancer screening tool. The agency said it would pay for FDG-PET for diagnosis, staging, and

Sentinel lymph node biopsy has rapidly evolved into the standard of care for node-negative melanoma. It has been used at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) since 1993, and through periodic reviews of results, several modifications have been

This second edition of the text edited by Bland and Copeland represents a comprehensive reference that reviews the history, pathobiology, and current clinical management of diseases of the breast. Much more than a book about breast

A new study presented at the Ninth World Congress on Lung Cancer demonstrated that topotecan (Hycamtin) in combination with carboplatin (Paraplatin) is active as a first-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Topotecan

Results of the lead-in phase of an ongoing randomized phase III trial of motexafin (Xcytrin) in patients with brain metastases, as well as preliminary results of an ongoing phase I trial of motexafin for glioblastoma multiforme, were presented at the 42nd

The administration of docetaxel (Taxotere) immediately after conventional chemotherapy with cisplatin (Platinol)/etoposide and radiotherapy results in prolonged survival in patients with stage IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer, reported researchers from

The Medicare bill that Congress passed in December 2000 (H.R. 5661) didn’t help oncologists or any other medical specialty in terms of increasing payment in such pressing areas as chemotherapy administration. Instead, the bill gave big bucks

For the first time, researchers believe they may be able to predict which breast cancer patients are at high risk of developing bone metastases. By identifying these patients, researchers say drugs now used to treat bone cancer may also prove useful in

Novartis Oncology recently announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved letrozole (Femara) tablets for the first-line treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive or hormone-receptor-unknown

In the largest prospective study of cigarette smoking and colorectal cancer mortality, researchers from the American Cancer Society report finding strong evidence that cancers of the colon and rectum are, in part, smoking related.

Although bone pain from osteoblastic metastases can be ameliorated 50% to 80% of the time by use of intravenously or orally administered radiopharmaceuticals, we cannot accurately predict who will or will not

Corticosteroids play a vitally important role in the treatment of patients with advanced cancer. While the scientific data, as reviewed by Wooldridge et al, are often slim, most physicians who treat patients with cancer quickly become comfortable with prescribing synthetic glucocorticoids for a variety of indications. Wooldridge et al have provided a much needed synthesis of the medical literature on the use of steroids, both as part of chemotherapeutic treatment for a variety of malignancies and in symptom control.

Drs. Wooldridge, Anderson, and Perry have succinctly reviewed the use of corticosteroids in patients with advanced cancer. The common uses of corticosteroids-namely, the treatment of nausea and vomiting, hypersensitivity reactions, and appetite stimulation-are well covered. In addition, the use of corticosteroids for the treatment of spinal cord compression and bone pain are also reviewed. The authors provide a definitive summary of the available published literature.

Although bone pain from osteoblastic metastases can be ameliorated 50% to 80% of the time by use of intravenously or orally administered radiopharmaceuticals, we cannot accurately predict who will or will not

The 4th National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference on Adjuvant Therapy of Breast Cancer, held November 1-3, 2000, concluded that decreasing breast cancer mortality rates in the United States were due, at least in part, to advances made in adjuvant treatment. This fact lends credence to the importance of incremental improvements that have resulted from randomized, controlled clinical trials of adjuvant therapy, and underscores the value of this approach. With 185,000 new diagnoses of breast cancer expected in the United States in 2000, over 100,000 women may be candidates for some form of adjuvant therapy each year.[1]

Although bone pain from osteoblastic metastases can be ameliorated 50% to 80% of the time by use of intravenously or orally administered radiopharmaceuticals, we cannot accurately predict who will or will not

Many active cytotoxic agents exist for breast cancer therapy, and numerous combination chemotherapy regimens are derived from them. Creating these combinations is sometimes empirically motivated by non-overlapping

Dr. Subir Nag et al are to be congratulated for their excellent, thorough analysis and presentation of the use and role of

The first attempt at using monoclonal antibodies in lymphoma therapy, reported in 1980, was unsuccessful. Since that time, several immunotherapeutic approaches to treating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have been developed,

The article by Nag and colleagues of the American Brachytherapy Society is a well-intentioned effort to establish guidelines

The field of stereotactic radiosurgery is rapidly advancing as a result of both improvements in radiosurgical equipment and better physician understanding of the clinical applications of stereotactic radiosurgery. This

The first attempt at using monoclonal antibodies in lymphoma therapy, reported in 1980, was unsuccessful. Since that time, several immunotherapeutic approaches to treating non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have been developed,

Despite impressive response rates, none of the current array of monoclonal antibodies has produced cures. The median duration of response following rituximab is about 1 year, and all patients eventually relapse and require additional treatment

Other active unconjugated antibodies are in various stages of their clinical development. CAMPATH-1H has recently been approved for the treatment of refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (Keating et al: Blood 94:705a[abstract 3118],

Once the radioimmunoconjugates (RICs) become more widely available, the practicing physician will be faced with important questions regarding their role relative to the unconjugated antibodies, and with a decision as to which is the

Rituximab is also being explored in other lymphoid malignancies. Some of the most interesting data are in patients with CD20-positive Hodgkin’s disease (abstract #3153). The Stanford group (abstract #3592) reported on 13 patients. Of the 9

The availability of a continually increasing menu of effective monoclonal antibodies has revolutionized the management of patients with indolent B-cell malignancies. The dilemma we now face is how to best incorporate these agents into our