May 2015

During the past five years, the progress in therapeutic options for men with prostate cancer has been truly remarkable.

While diagnostic tests play a critical role in physician decision making-particularly in oncology-questions remain regarding the clinical utility of some of these tests, as well as the validity of laboratory-developed tests.

Several monoclonal antibodies with multiple myeloma cell antigen or bone marrow targets have exhibited strong antimyeloma activity and may become potential therapeutic agents.

Psychosocial telephone counseling intervention benefits mood and quality of life for cervical cancer survivors, including cancer-specific and gynecologic concerns.

The sheer number of survivors- nearly 15 million in the United States, or 4% of the population-has brought greater attention to ensuring that cancer treatment does not cause other harms, since cancer patients are not only living but also living longer.

With increased understanding of the biology of CRPC and the mechanisms of action of AR-targeting drugs, researchers are developing a growing appreciation for the extensive heterogeneity and complexity of both prostate cancer and androgen signaling.

A partnership between the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and Perthera, a self-described "concierge" for molecular diagnostic testing, is aiming to give patients with this hard-to-treat cancer the ability to determine the best course of treatment.

Although CLL is the most common chronic leukemia, there remains no single agreed-upon standard of care for first-line treatment.

The field of prostate cancer vaccines remains an area of active exploration, with clinical trials into sipuleucel-T continuing even amid a corporate restructuring and a phase III study into PROSTVAC reaching full enrollment.

The recent approval of nivolumab in the non–small cell lung cancer setting marks a unique shift in the treatment landscape of this malignancy, one that harnesses the patient's own immune system to target the tumors. However, there are challenges in using these agents.

In 1974, Patrick C. Walsh, MD, took charge of the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and spent the next few decades refining the radical prostatectomy into a safe, effective, and tolerable procedure, one that has not only extended countless lives but has also preserved quality of life.

Optimal testing strategies for breast and ovarian cancer associated with mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes, including when to start testing and which prophylactic approach to pursue, have remained a topic of debate.

An improved understanding of how the immune system recognizes and eradicates cancer cells, along with advances in drugs that effectively promote antitumor immune responses, is revolutionizing the field of cancer therapy.

Although patients with invasive lobular carcinoma are typically treated with the same therapeutic strategies as those with infiltrating ductal malignancies, ILC is emerging as a molecularly complex and distinct tumor type that suggests different approaches may be effective.

Amid the increasingly public discussion and often vigorous debate surrounding the general topic of precision cancer medicine, there appears to be a misconception of what the term is meant to imply.