The treatment of inoperable stage III non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a challenge due to high rates of distant metastasis, local recurrence, and toxicity associated with definitive therapy.
Why Did CVS Decide to Stop Selling “Poison?”
July 11th 2014When the media reported earlier this year that giant drugstore chain CVS had announced that it would stop selling tobacco products, it appeared to be a sudden, independent, and ethically responsible business decision. In fact, there is important background and subtext.
Frailty in Breast Cancer Patients Does Not Affect Therapy Use
June 19th 2014The CALGB 369901 trial examined how frailty and older age influence the use of adjuvant hormonal therapy for breast cancer and found that while frailty can deter the start of therapy, frail patients who had started on a regimen were not much more likely to discontinue their treatment early.
Fractionation in Breast Cancer Radiotherapy for Conservative Treatment: Are We Really Done Learning?
June 15th 2014There is a need to learn more about the effect of hypofractionation on an individual patient’s breast cancer outcomes and tissue toxicities, based on both biologic and technical variables, so that the treatment decision is not primarily a matter of dollars and cents.
Consider a Single Intraoperative Fraction for Patients Eligible for Hypofractionated Regimens?
June 15th 2014Customized more aggressive treatments should be given to patients with the worst prognosis. For most of the other breast patients, shorter and often milder treatment is also a humble victory in our daily struggle against cancer.
Considering the Cost of Cancer Care in Treatment Decisions
June 11th 2014Words like value, quality, and even cost flowed freely at the ASCO Annual Meeting this year. Along with great excitement about the latest and greatest ways to understand tumor biology and treat cancer patients, there is an increasing recognition that we need to consider whether the things we do are worth it.