Authors

Latest:

In this article, we summarize the systemic therapies now available for melanoma, with a focus on the recently approved agents for cutaneous melanoma; discuss important considerations in selecting a treatment from the available options; and highlight some of the promising investigational approaches for this disease.

Latest:

Experts on multiple myeloma outline current challenges in determining the optimal treatment strategy for patients with relapsed/refractory disease who are eligible for bispecifics and CAR T-cell therapy.

Latest:

Case History: 60-year-old man with mild right side abdominal discomfort and hepatomegaly found to have large right renal mass during CT scan.

Latest:

Thanks to the widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), AIDS patients continue to live longer after their initial diagnosis.

Latest:

Prevention of CNS seeding early in the metastatic disease course using drugs with both intra- and extracranial activity will be crucial to improving outcomes in patients with breast cancer brain metastases.

Latest:

Surgical resection of isolated pulmonary metastases has been incorporated into the management of cancer for more than 70 years. However, many questions still remain concerning indications, technique, and efficacy for this approach.

Latest:

A 70-year-old man presented at our institution for a second opinion regarding diagnosis of a urinary bladder mass. He had a 3-year history of worsening urinary incontinence and urgency, for which he had undergone colonoscopy, as well as testing for prostate issues; all test results were negative.

Latest:

The purpose of this article is to present an updated set of American College of Radiology consensus guidelines formed from an expert panel on the appropriate use of radiation therapy in postprostatectomy prostate cancer.

Latest:

In the United States, approximately 20% of patients with colorectal cancer present with distant metastasis at diagnosis. In 25% of cases, the peritoneal cavity is the only site of metastatic disease, which is not indicative of a generalized systemic disease, as is the case with lung or liver metastases.

Latest:

While organ preservation with nonextirpative surgery, radiotherapy,and frequently, chemotherapy has become a favored strategy in thetreatment of many cancers, bladder preservation for patients with invasivedisease remains controversial. The standard treatment for muscleinvasivebladder cancer in the United States is still radical cystectomywith pelvic lymph node dissection. An alternative to cystectomy ismultimodality bladder preservation with thorough transurethral resection,chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. This review will addressissues raised by a multimodality approach for the treatment of invasivebladder cancer.

Latest:

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancerrelateddeath in the United States. Approximately 30% to 40% of patientswith colorectal cancer have locoregionally advanced or metastaticdisease on presentation and cannot be cured with surgical therapy.After many years without significant change, systemic therapy forcolorectal cancer is rapidly evolving. The past decade has seen the introductionof new chemotherapeutic agents such as irinotecan(Camptosar), oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) and the oral 5-FU prodrugcapecitabine (Xeloda). Combination studies of these new agents withthe standard 5-FU/leucovorin have extended median survival in patientswith advanced colorectal cancer for up to 21 months. In addition,targeted agents with activity in colorectal cancer have emergedand are promising. This article reviews the current treatment recommendationsfor patients who present with advanced colorectal cancer.Survival in patients with advanced colorectal cancer is on a positivetrajectory. The hope that some patients with advanced disease will belong-term survivors (even without surgery) appears to be within therange of possibility.

Latest:

Prevention of CNS seeding early in the metastatic disease course using drugs with both intra- and extracranial activity will be crucial to improving outcomes in patients with breast cancer brain metastases.

Latest:

Up to 25% of patients diagnosed with breast cancer have tumors that overexpress HER2. HER2-positive breast cancer is highly proliferative, difficult to treat, and confers a poor prognosis. The advent of the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) has markedly altered the clinical course of both early and advanced HER2-driven breast cancer. Despite the use of trastuzumab, however, patients with HER2-positive breast cancer still experience disease progression. Overcoming that resistance to therapy is our next challenge. This review examines the current understanding of HER2 biology, the mechanisms of action of and resistance to trastuzumab, as well as new therapies on the horizon.

Latest:

Xerostomia is a permanent and devastating sequela of head and neckirradiation, and its consequences are numerous. Pharmaceutical therapyattempts to preserve or salvage salivary gland function through systemicadministration of various protective compounds, most commonlyamifostine (Ethyol) or pilocarpine. When these agents are ineffective orthe side effects too bothersome, patients often resort to palliative care, forexample, with tap water, saline, bicarbonate solutions, mouthwashes, orsaliva substitutes. A promising surgical option is the Seikaly-Jha procedure,a method of preserving a single submandibular gland by surgicallytransferring it to the submental space before radiotherapy. Improved radiationtechniques, including intensity-modulated radiotherapy andtomotherapy, allow more selective delivery of radiation to defined targetsin the head and neck, preserving normal tissue and the salivary glands.Acupuncture may be another option for patients with xerostomia. All ofthese therapies need to be further studied to establish the most effectiveprotocol to present to patients before radiotherapy has begun.

Latest:

About 30,000 new cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed annually in the United States.[1] The incidence among men has risen more dramatically than any other malignancy in recent years (2.4% annual increase).[2] Thyroid cancers arise from one of two cell types, namely follicular and parafollicular cells.

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:

This management guide covers the diagnosis and treatment of early-stage breast cancers, including lobular carincoma in situ (LCIS), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and both noninvasive and invasive disease.

Latest:

Latest:

APBI is a technique that offers women with early-stage breast cancer a choice. The preponderance of evidence supports the efficacy and safety of this technique, and it should continue to be offered to appropriately selected patients on and off protocol.

Latest:

This management guide covers the screening, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of cervical cancers.

Latest:

Childhood Leukemias is a comprehensive text that encompasses every aspect of leukemia in children, ranging from general diagnosis, classification, and pathobiology to management and supportive care.

Latest:

The person diagnosed with cancer typically is confronted with a variety of difficult challenges. Treatment for cancer can be physically arduous, it generally disrupts patients’ social and work life, and it may even limit their ability to care for themselves or live independently for some period of time. In addition to these physical and functional burdens, cancer patients often face fears of death or disability, and may be prone to feelings of isolation or depression.

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:

The article written by Chadha and Axelrod provides a timely discussion of several critical issues in the current debate over the use of axillary lymph node dissection in early-stage breast cancer. As new information and techniques become available, they and others have reassessed the value of axillary lymph node dissection in four key areas:

Latest:

Assessing outcome after ablation is difficult because few studies with good long-term followup have evaluated local recurrence, disease-free survival, and overall survival after ablation. This and other limitations make it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions.

Latest:

Most patients with advanced cancer, and up to 60% of patients with any stage of the disease, experience significant pain. The WHO estimates that 25% of all cancer patients die with unrelieved pain.

Latest:

A 46-year-old woman had a routine screening mammogram that showed new calcifications in the posterior left breast. A diagnostic mammogram showed several small punctate calcifications, and a 6-month interval follow-up was recommended.

Latest:

A phase I, single-center, open-label, dose-escalation study (University of Alabama [UAB] 9614) has been undertaken to evaluate the feasibility and safety of uracil and tegafur (in a molar ratio of 4:1 [UFT]) plus oral

Latest:

s. L is a married 41-year-old woman with recently diagnosed stage I breast cancer. She comes to her oncologist's office for a routine visit following her third cycle of preoperative doxorubicin hydrochloride (Adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan). Ms. L's major complaint is fatigue. The oncologist had started Ms. L on paroxetine (Paxil), a selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), at 20 mg qhs 2 months earlier because of concerns that Ms. L might be depressed, based on her complaints about depressed mood, difficulties sleeping, and other depressive symptoms.

Latest:

The outcomes for patients with metastatic or recurrent esophagealcancer are dismal, with 1-year survival rates of approximately 20%. Inthis phase II study, we studied the combination of docetaxel (Taxotere)and irinotecan (CPT-11, Camptosar) in patients with metastatic orrecurrent esophageal cancer. Eligible patients included those withhistologic or cytologic diagnosis of adenocarcinoma or squamouscancer of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction who had receivedno previous chemotherapy for metastatic esophageal cancer. Previouschemotherapy in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting was allowed.Patients received irinotecan at 160 mg/m2 over 90 minutes followed bydocetaxel at 60 mg/m2 intravenously over 1 hour, with chemotherapycycles repeated every 21 days. Patients were reevaluated every twocycles. Of a planned 40 patients, 15 were enrolled, with 14 patientsevaluable for toxicity and 10 evaluable for response and survival. Thecombination of docetaxel and irinotecan resulted in a response rate of30%. An additional 40% achieved stable disease. The median survivalwas 130 days, with three patients still alive at the time of this analysis.The toxicities included 71% incidence of grade 4 hematologic toxicities,with 43% febrile neutropenia. One patient died of cecal perforationafter one cycle. There was no evidence of pharmacokinetic interaction,as systemic clearance of both drugs was similar to that seen after singleagentadministration. In conclusion, the regimen of docetaxel andirinotecan is active in metastatic or recurrent esophageal cancer.However, this combination chemotherapy regimen has an unacceptablerate of febrile neutropenia. This regimen needs to be modified toreduce the incidence of febrile neutropenia.