April 2013

The I-SPY trials are designed to test several different experimental therapies at once to determine which ones work best in which patients.

For appropriate patients, postmastectomy radiation therapy is associated with improved locoregional control and better survival.

Discussing prognosis and a treatment plan has been getting particularly complicated with acute myelogenous leukemia with the development and use of molecular markers that confer prognostic and therapeutic information.

Experts provide an in-depth look at the treatment strategy in patients with solid tumors, specifically looking at the role of maintenance therapy.

A large, international study has yielded a wealth of new information about genetic alterations that can increase an individual's risk of breast, prostate, and ovarian cancer.

Barbara J. Gitlitz, MD, Stephen V. Liu, MD, and Peter A. Jones, PhD, DSc, from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, describe efforts to translate promising epigenetic research into clinical practice.

While radiotherapy can be an effective treatment for early-stage breast cancer, incidental irradiation of the heart during treatment may increase the risk of developing ischemic heart disease.

With increasing use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer, controversy has erupted regarding the optimal timing of sentinel lymph node biopsy.

Interview With Andrew Pecora, MD, President, Regional Cancer Care Associates, Chief Innovations Officer and Vice President, Cancer Services, John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, Editor-in-Chief, Oncology & Biotech News

The key to advancements in chemotherapy treatment for patients with metastatic breast cancer most likely will come through a better understanding of their underlying tumor biology.

Digital rectal examination should remain a standard for screening for prostate cancer and may even be able to identify cases of the disease that are not picked up by the PSA test.

Patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and low levels of the BRCA1 protein had significantly improved overall survival (OS) when their platinum-based chemotherapy was delivered abdominally by injection

The Biotech Focus series provides updates on advances in the oncology treatment pipeline. In each entry, summaries of ongoing research, breaking news, and FDA decisions relating to a variety of cancers are presented.

Perry Shen, MD, FACS, and Clancy Clark, MD, from Wake Forest Baptist Health Comprehensive Cancer Center, discuss advances in the management of hepatic and pancreatic malignancies.

Clinical trials are under way that may change the way risk of recurrence is assessed for early-stage breast cancer patients, allowing for individualization of therapy.