Authors

Latest:

This article reviews recent findings from clinical trials of epothilones and discusses future directions for the use of these agents in cancer therapy, with a focus on the two most-studied epothilones to date: ixabepilone and patupilone.

Latest:

As part of our coverage of the ONS Annual Congress, we are discussing the oncology nurse's role in distress screening in cancer patients.

Latest:

Oncologists often do not give honest prognostic and treatment-effect information to patients with advanced disease, trying not to “take away hope.” The authors, however, find that hope is maintained when patients with advanced cancer are given truthful prognostic and treatment information, even when the news is bad.

Latest:

Minimizing late treatment toxicities in these patients remains an important priority due to both the young age of the patients and the high cure rate that can be achieved.

Latest:

A 44-year-old patient with a history of stage IIB colorectal cancer at the hepatic flexure, invading the duodenum and pancreas, was initially diagnosed in September 2005 and received modified Whipple surgery and 8 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine and oxaliplatin every 3 weeks.

Latest:

As inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) become an increasingly common therapeutic option in cancer, appropriate management of their associated toxicities emerges as a critical part of treatment. Cutaneous manifestations, probably linked to the function of the EGFR in epithelial development, are the most common adverse reactions to EGFR inhibition. The key manifestations are follicular eruptions, nail disorders, xerosis, and desquamation. Growing attention continues to be devoted to the analysis of these events, particularly given their potential role as markers of responsiveness to treatment. However, to date, there are few evidence-based guidelines for the appropriate management of these dermatologic events. Multidisciplinary collaboration between oncologists and dermatologists will be required to improve our understanding and optimize the characterization of these skin toxicities, and to design effective management approaches.

Latest:

An 84-year-old woman with a history of Graves disease, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension presented to her physician with progressive fatigue and palpable bilateral axillary lymphadenopathy.

Latest:

After a review of the published literature, the panel voted on three variants to establish best practices for the utilization of imaging, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy after primary surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer.

Latest:

We conducted a phase II study to assess the response rate and toxicity profile of the irinotecan (CPT-11, Camptosar) plus cisplatin combination administered weekly to patients with at least one previous chemotherapy for advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction. Patients with histologic proof of adenocarcinoma of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction with adequate liver, kidney, and bone marrow functions were treated with 50 mg/m² of irinotecan plus 30 mg/m² of cisplatin, both administered intravenously 1 day a week for 4 consecutive weeks, followed by a 2-week recovery period.

Latest:

Rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in nonmetastatic prostate cancer occurs in two main clinical settings: (1) rising PSA to signal failed initial local therapy and (2) rising PSA in the setting of early hormone-refractory prostate cancer prior to documented clinical metastases. Most urologists and radiation oncologists are very familiar with the initial very common clinical scenario, commonly called "biochemical recurrence." In fact, up to 70,000 men each year will have a PSA-only recurrence after failed definitive therapy. The ideal salvage therapy for these men is not clear and includes salvage local therapies and systemic approaches, of which the mainstay is hormonal therapy. Treatment needs to be individualized based upon the patient's risk of progression and the likelihood of success and the risks involved with the therapy. It is unknown how many men per year progress with rising PSA while on hormonal therapy without documented metastases. This rising PSA disease state is sometimes called, "PSA-only hormone-refractory prostate cancer." As in the setting of initial biochemical recurrence, evidence-based treatment options are limited, and taking a risk-stratified approach is justified. In this article, we will explore these prostate cancer disease states with an emphasis on practical, clinically applicable approaches.

Latest:

Locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach still carries a poor prognosis, with 5-year survival rates of < 15%. Palliative chemotherapeutic regimens for this disease are largely 5-FU–based. We

Latest:

Kilbridge correctly points out that comparative effectiveness research (CER) does not require cost data. It should also be pointed out, however, that the composition of the quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gain of one intervention over another-whether the QALY gain is achieved mainly in the dimension of longevity or in the dimension of quality of life-has real consequences in terms of comparative costs of the interventions. Basically, a longevity increase entails additional consumption costs and additional labor earnings, essentially negative costs, during the extended life that should be included in the “cost” of an intervention.[1-3] Because labor earnings tend to be negligible relative to consumption costs toward the end of one’s life, due to sickness or retirement, failure to incorporate consumption costs and labor earnings into the comparative costs of two interventions generates a bias in favor of the intervention with the larger longevity effect.

Latest:

Latest:

As part of our coverage of the 2014 ASCO GI Symposium, we highlight some of the most interesting trials presented at this year's meeting.

Latest:

Breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy are equivalent treatments for invasive breast cancer patients in terms of overall survival. For the majority of patients, successful breast conservation requires a margin-negative lumpectomy and access to WBRT. CPM yields no definitive survival advantage.

Latest:

In the “Current Status of AdjuvantTherapy for Colorectal Cancer,”Dr. O’Connell provides importanthighlights of historical and recent developmentsin adjuvant treatment forcolon and rectal cancer. In addition,he provides insight into the future directionsof research for adjuvant therapyof cancer of the colon and rectum.As the review is thorough, wewould like to expand upon a coupleof areas including lymph node evaluation,changes to the staging system,and the use of molecular prognosticand predictive markers in futurestudies.

Latest:

Management of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) commonly involves excision, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy. Radiotherapy is employed for local control in breast conservation. Evidence is evolving for several radiotherapy techniques exist beyond standard whole-breast irradiation.

Latest:

A recent survey of the medical oncologists and oncology nursing staff at UCH showed that 71% of physicians feel Beacon has made patient treatment easier for providers.

Latest:

Most of the clinical experience with irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) has been with either a weekly or an every-3-week schedule. Recent phase I trials have explored new routes and schedules of administration. One approach

Latest:

Proteasome inhibition is a novel, targeted approach in cancertherapy. Both natural and synthetic proteasome inhibitors selectivelypenetrate cancer cells, disrupting the orderly destruction of key regulatoryproteins involved in tumorigenesis and metastasis. Disrupting theorderly destruction of regulatory proteins causes an imbalance of theseproteins within the cell, which interferes with the systematic activationof signaling pathways required to maintain tumor cell growth and survival;therefore, cellular replication is inhibited and apoptosis ensues.

Latest:

It is ironic that we were asked to comment on the article by Dr. McLaughlin in this issue of ONCOLOGY. A few months ago, one of us (LKJ) was attending a patient in the breast clinic who had recovered well from a lumpectomy with sentinel node biopsy followed by completion axillary lymph node dissection (ALND).

Latest:

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common treatment-related side effect of several widely used drugs. Agents known to cause CIPN include platinum analogs, antitubulins, proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory agents, and some of the newer biologics.

Latest:

Intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy is a preferred treatment option that should be offered to all women for front-line treatment of stage III optimally debulked ovarian cancer. Patients should be provided with information on the survival and toxicity for both IP and intravenous (IV) therapies, as well as practical information about the administration of each regimen, so that they may play an active role in the decision-making process. When making a decision between IP and IV therapeutic options, the experience and preference of the oncologist are critical factors in determining appropriate therapy for each woman.

Latest:

Over the past 50 years, great strides have been made in diagnosis, treatment, and survival of childhood cancer. In the 1960s the probability of survival for a child with cancer was less than 25%, whereas today it may exceed 80%. This dramatic change has occurred through significant and steady progress in our understanding of tumor biology, creation of specialized multidisciplinary care teams, incremental improvements in therapy, establishment of specialized centers with research infrastructure to conduct pivotal clinical studies, and the evolution of a cooperative group mechanism for clinical research. Most children with cancer in the United States, Europe, and Japan receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment, although access is limited in developing countries. The price of success, however, is the growing population of survivors who require medical and psychosocial follow-up and treatment for the late effects of therapy. Here we review the progress made in pediatric oncology over the past 3 decades and consider the new challenges that face us today.

Latest:

We speak with two experts to discuss breast cancer risk, genetics, and prevention options available to women at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

Latest:

Hepatic metastases remain a lethal and recalcitrant problem in the management of malignant disease, and the review by Drs. Zani and Clary of the role of hepatic metastasectomy for patients with stage IV melanoma or breast cancer is timely and welcome.

Latest:

Energy therapies consist of interventions that are designed to interact with the biofield of a person. The concept of the biofield is based on the assumption that all living things have a natural flow of energy that is integral to their basic composition.

Latest:

This book is intended to serve as a quick reference for advanced practice nurses (APNs) caring for oncology patients, from diagnosis through treatment and rehabilitation. With the advances made over the past several years in prevention, early

Latest:

Solomon et al have written a valuable primer to guide clinicians in identifying, diagnosing, and treating familial colon cancer syndromes. The authors succinctly describe the essential features of each of the well-defined hereditary colon cancer syndromes, including those associated with colonic adenomas (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer [HNPCC] and familial adenomatous polyposis [FAP]) and colonic hamartomas (Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, juvenile polyposis, and Cowden syndrome). In addition to the specific features that might trigger recognition of one of these syndromes, we advise health-care providers to consider the possibility of hereditary cancer in cases with the following features:

Latest:

My organization, the National LGBT Cancer Network, estimates that there are one million lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) cancer survivors in the U.S. today. While you may not know it, you likely have LGBT cancer survivors in your community.