By John D. Zoidis, MD

This year in the US, the American Cancer Society estimates that lung cancer will kill more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, and kidney cancers combined, making it the leading cause of cancer death among Americans.

New pancreatic cancer vaccine findings were presented at the 2007 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held January 19-21 in Orlando, FL.

The treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer often represents a therapeutic challenge. As the most common malignancy in men and the second-leading cause of cancer death in the US, the number of patients requiring posthormonal therapy is increasing.

A study was commissioned by the Board of Directors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to assess the supply and demand for oncology services through 2020.

The results of Amgen's %u201C145 study%u201D of Aranesp in patient's with late-stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) are released.

Novel therapeutic approaches represent the latest advances in targeted cancer therapy that may one day provide clinicians with a better means of custom-tailoring cancer treatment. Eventually, treatments may be individualized based on unique sets of molecular targets.

This issue features reports from: American Association for Cancer Research meeting April 14-18, 2007 Los Angeles, CA BIO International Convention May 6-9, 2007 Boston, MA

The first revision in 12 years, the new guidelines are based on a growing body of evidence-based research and emphasize communication with the patient regarding risk, treatment options, and potential outcomes.

Two presentations are highlighted from the meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology held in Chicago, IL: 1) Navigating Multiple Pathways: Evolving Strategies and Future Directions in Targeted Therapies 2) Two Studies Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Lapatinib (Tykerb) in Advanced Breast Cancer

Treatment advances focus on the potential use of Bortezomib and Lenalidomide in the front-line setting to improve patients' response rates.