June 2015

Research evidence has been mounting that PARP inhibitors are not just for gynecologic malignancies-or for patients whose tumors harbor inherited BRCA defects.

One of the most gratifying aspects of working in the oncology information field is the opportunity we have to interact with the scientists and clinicians who are seeking to advance the care of patients with cancer.

After weeks of deliberations, the final votes have been cast and the winners of the 2015 Giants of Cancer Care® can now be revealed.

The definition of liquid biopsy has expanded to include the collection of cell-free DNA (cfDNA), along with various species of cell-free RNA and exosomes, all of which are capable of providing information on the disease status of patients with cancer.

Thousands of women have made the selfless choice to literally donate a precious piece of themselves by giving a breast tissue sample to the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, a unique resource for researchers worldwide.

The rise in survivorship has increased chronic pain in the cancer pain population, the treatment of which has many fundamental differences when compared to acute and terminal cancer pain.

To assess the impact of additional screening, Jean M. Weigert, MD, FACR, head of breast imaging for the Hospital of Central Connecticut, conducted a retrospective chart review to see how well it worked in detecting cancers in women with dense breasts during the first 4 years of implementation statewide.

Dr. Maurie Markman discusses how the transition to the new therapeutic paradigm of oral therapies necessitates that we consider unique aspects of this strategy that may negatively impact outcomes compared with an approach of systemic antineoplastic drug administration.

The debate over the relative impact on survival outcomes of therapy versus the inherent biology of an individual patient's cancer remains one of the most controversial areas in all of cancer medicine.

Combination therapy has significant potential to fill the niche of developing resistance to BTK inhibitors and rational pairings of ibrutinib with other standard treatments, including chemoimmunotherapy and CD20-targeting monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are rapidly gaining ground.

As the field evolves, it is likely that HER2-directed agents will be used to an increasing extent instead of conventional chemotherapy, further reducing toxicity.

As immunotherapy agents enter into greater clinical use in oncology, clinicians are learning to manage immune-related adverse events related to the mechanism of action of these new drugs.

The emerging treatment landscape for patients with high-risk multiple myeloma is burgeoning with new classes of drugs, novel agents, and fresh combination strategies that offer many promising and exciting options for future therapeutic approaches.