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There are a number of clinicopathologic variables that predict outcome in rectal cancer. In the era of postoperative chemoradiation treatment, these were more easily identified and were used to help select patients for adjuvant therapy.

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In this article we discuss the challenges and new advances in adult ALL, as well as our approach to the treatment of these patients.

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In patients with high-risk localized disease, the use of systemic chemotherapy should be strongly considered to delay recurrence and/or reduce the patient’s risk of developing metastatic disease. In patients with metastatic disease, systemic chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment.

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There is no question that the robot has leveled the playing field. It has allowed more surgeons to offer patients a minimally invasive approach. In terms of perioperative outcomes, there is clear evidence showing shorter hospital stays, less blood loss, lower complication rates, and shorter convalescence with robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.

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Authors Dori Beeler, PhD; Shelley Wang, MD, MPH; and Viraj A. Master, MD, PhD, spoke with CancerNetwork® about a review article on cancer-related fatigue published in the journal ONCOLOGY®.

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Cancer clinical trials are a necessary component of the effort to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Essential to this process is the informed consent of the individuals who participate in these research studies. The purpose of this article is to describe patient, provider, and informed consent process issues with presentations of data reported in the current literature. The role of nursing in the facilitation of informed consent is discussed.

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Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy, with an estimated 40,100 cases and 7,470 deaths in 2008. This malignancy represents 6% of all cancers, and 3% of cancer deaths in women. Endometrial cancer is more prevalent in older women, with an incidence of 1 in 142 for women 40 to 59 years old, increasing to 1 in 81 women over 70 years old.[1] Median age at diagnosis is 62.[2] The mortality of endometrial cancer has decreased from 4.18 to 4.12 per 100,000 from 1991 to 2004.

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Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the most commonly diagnosed, noninvasive type of breast cancer in women. In this interview Dr. Lance Liotta and Professor Virginia Espina, whose laboratory has been one the first to successfully culture living DCIS cells, discuss novel ways to stop breast cancer before it becomes invasive and malignant.

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A 35-year-old woman noticed a mass in her right breast and underwent a diagnostic workup, including a mammogram that revealed a 2.4-cm mass and ultrasound that showed two adjacent masses, as well as enlarged axillary lymph nodes.

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In this interview we discuss lung cancer prevention, the recent low-dose CT screening recommendations from the USPSTF, hurdles in preventing the disease, and more.

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Although investigators knew before 1980 that retroviruses could cause various forms of leukemia, lymphoma, and solid tumors in animals, not until then was the first human oncogenic retrovirus, human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus-I (HTLV-I), isolated [1].

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An estimated 219,440 new cases of lung cancer were expected in 2009, accounting for about 15% of cancer diagnoses.

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Melanoma has historically been considered a radioresistant tumor. Emerging data have challenged this viewpoint. The potential roles of radiation therapy in the treatment of patients with melanoma will be reviewed here.

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Until prospective randomized clinical data accrue and mature, this controversial issue will continue to suffer from overinterpretation of inadequate supporting data.

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In patients with adult soft-tissue sarcoma (ASTS), the use and timing of adjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy remains controversial. The appropriate target population is generally accepted as International Union Against Cancer (UICC)/American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage III extremity or trunk sarcomas (ie, > 5 cm, grade 3/4, located deep to the superficial fascia, with no evidence of metastases). After definitive local treatment, the 5-year disease-free and overall survival rates in this population are approximately 52% and 56%.

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Recently, third-generation cryosurgery has been widely introduced into clinical practice using argon-driven, ultrathin 17-gauge cryoprobes in accordance with the Joule-Thompson principle.[1-3] Contemporary cryosurgery includes these technologic advances along with the routine utilization of ultrathin needles incorporating a thermal monitoring system (TMS) for temperature surveillance, transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) imaging, and a urethral warming catheter to minimize morbidity associated with the procedure.[4-7]

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This management guide covers the risk factors, screening, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma.

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In this article, we provide an overview of the currently available systemic agents, including immunotherapeutic agents and targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We also provide a practical management algorithm to guide the practicing oncologist in the use of both of these new therapies and the more traditional local treatments.

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This report aims to assess the effect of increased drug dose on the efficacy and toxicity of the BEACOPP regimen with

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Adenocarcinoma of the prostate is now the most common tumor in males. The use of the digital rectal examination, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and transrectal ultrasound of the prostate with biopsies has improved the detection of prostate cancer and has increased the percentage of patients with organ-confined disease who are treated with radical prostatectomy. It is critical for the practicing urologic and medical oncologist to have accurate and precise pathologic information in order to counsel patients for appropriate therapy. Ideal biopsy and clinical predictive criteria for tumor volume in prostates are not readily available in the literature.

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Although increasing age is the major risk factor for breast cancer incidence and mortality, when adjusted for disease stage, breast cancer mortality is similar among younger vs older patients. Importantly, about 90% of older women with breast cancer present with early-stage disease. The biologic characteristics of breast tumors in older patients suggest they would derive benefit from adjuvant therapy, particularly endocrine therapy, but older women are still frequently undertreated, resulting in poorer survival. Studies suggest that focusing on comorbidity rather than “chronologic age” as a surrogate for life-expectancy is a key aspect of adjuvant decision-making for older patients. Morbidity and mortality from cancer in vulnerable patients with poorer health can be accurately predicted by the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), which evaluates comorbidities, functional status, cognition, social support, psychological state, nutritional status, and polypharmacy. Use of the CGA and newer versions of this tool can lead to interventions that maintain function and improve quality of life in older patients with breast cancer.

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This phase II trial investigated the safety and efficacy of a combined-modality treatment with rituximab (Rituxan) and fludarabine (Fludara) in patients with fludarabine- and anthracycline-naive chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL).

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In their review of multi-gene assays of breast cancer, Drs. Gökmen-Polar and Badve highlight the overall similarity of “first-generation” molecular assays that have been developed, using different strategies, to understand the relationship between gene expression within tumor samples and the outcomes of patients with breast cancer.

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Selective neck dissection is a procedure that is primarily indicated in patients with clinically negative nodal disease in which there is a high risk of occult metastases. Others have advocated its use for patients with

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This study was designed to evaluate the cardiac safety of the combined treatment of HER2-positive metastaticbreast cancer patients with trastuzumab (Herceptin) plus epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (EC) incomparison with EC alone in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer patients. Patients included those withmetastatic breast cancer without any prior anti-HER2 treatment, anthracycline therapy, or any other chemotherapyfor metastatic disease. This was a nonrandomized, prospective, dose-escalating, multicenter, openlabel,phase II study in Germany. A control group of 23 patients received EC 90/600 mg/m2 3-weekly for sixcycles (EC90 alone). A total of 26 HER2-positive patients were treated with trastuzumab, or H (2 mg/kg weeklyafter an initial loading dose of 4 mg/kg), and EC 60/600 mg/m2 3-weekly for six cycles (EC60+H); another 25HER2-positive patients received H and EC 90/600 mg/m2 3-weekly for six cycles. Asymptomatic reductions inleft ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of more than 10% points were detected in 12 patients (48%) treatedwith EC60 + H and in 14 patients (56%) treated with EC90 + H vs 6 patients (26%) in the EC90 alone cohort.LVEF decreases to < 50% occurred in one patient in the EC60+H cohort and in two patients in the EC90+Hcohort during the H monotherapy. No cardiac event occurred in the cohort with EC90 alone. The overallresponse rates for EC60+H and EC90+H were >60%, vs 26% for EC90 alone. The interim results of this studysuggest the cardiac safety of the combination of H with EC may be greater than that of H with AC (doxorubicin[Adriamycin]/cyclophosphamide); however, studies in larger numbers of patients are warranted. The combinationregimen revealed promising efficacy.

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This nonblinded, multicenter, randomized phase III study compares the median time to progression (primary endpoint), response rate, and quality of life, safety, and survival of

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It is our opinion that surgery is inappropriate for very-high-risk prostate cancer and that a combination of EBRT and ADT should be the preferred treatment modality.

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A 59-year-old man with metastatic gastric cancer presented to the oncology clinic with a 1-week history of positional headache, nausea, and vomiting. He stated that the headache was located in the frontal region, was 8 on a scale of 10 in intensity.