Table of contents
November 2005 Volume 2 No 11
Editorial
Viewpoints
What is the value of screening for prostate cancer in the US?
536This Viewpoint assesses whether prostate cancer screening within the US is justifiable outside clinical trials. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values may fluctuate for physiologic reasons and the natural history of the disease varies between individuals. PSA testing increasingly identifies too many cases of indolent disease that would never have threatened patients' lives.
Does current evidence justify prostate cancer screening in Europe?
538The evidence for prostate cancer screening using prostate-specific antigen with reference to UK criteria is presented. Such screening might result in considerable over-diagnosis and over-treatment of clinically insignificant prostate cancer. Morbidity associated with treatment of suspected prostate cancer is substantial, so the likelihood of harm may outweigh the prospect of benefit.
Research Highlights
Treatment of acute myeloid leukemia with gefitinib: clinical trials recommended
540NAT2 and GSTM1 polymorphisms affect the risk of bladder cancer
540Effective salvage therapy for children with recurrent extragonadal germ-cell tumors
540Antiandrogen and vaccine therapy for hormone-refractory prostate cancer
541Excellent local control of small renal tumors achieved by CT-guided radiofrequency ablation
541A role for the NF1 gene in the development and progression of colon cancer?
542CDH3 promoter hypomethylation and P-cadherin expression in invasive breast carcinoma
542Tumor-specific oncopeptide immunization associated with longer survival
543A novel technique for the quantitative measurement of malignant ascites
543Mutant NPM1 predicts outcome in younger adults with AML and normal cytogenetics
544Hyaluronan levels and endometrial cancer progression
544AMN107: a potential therapy in myeloproliferative disease
544Practice Points
What influence does hormone replacement therapy have on endometrial cancer risk?
546Is fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy effective in pituitary adenomas?
548Is radiotherapy optimally combined with chemotherapy in elderly patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer?
550Reviews
EGFR inhibitors: what have we learned from the treatment of lung cancer?
554The identification of somatic mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene and promising clinical trial data showing a favorable clinical response to associated gefitinib and erlotinib in non-small-cell lung cancer patients was a major breakthrough in the field. Should patient selection for treatment with these drugs, however, be solely based on mutational EGFR status? Giaccone and Rodriguez discuss ways in which mutational analysis could be optimized, highlight factors that might help define sensitivity to EGFR inhibitors, and comment on how to select those patients who would benefit from treatment.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0341 | Full Text | PDF (141K)
Angiogenic inhibitors: a new therapeutic strategy in oncology
562Based on preclinical data, it has been suggested that antiangiogenic compounds could improve cytotoxic drug delivery because of their effects on tumor endothelium. Most of the early clinical testing of these agents was conducted in patients with advanced disease resistant to standard therapies, and while some of the phase III trial data were disappointing, recent studies validated in large clinical trials with the anti-VEGF antibody, bevacizumab, demonstrated significant clinical benefit and renewed enthusiasm for this therapeutic strategy. This review highlights the challenges related to choosing appropriate strategies for the selection of patients, study design, and choice of appropriate endpoints for the study development of these agents.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0342 | Full Text | PDF (318K)
Drug Insight: metastatic colorectal cancer—oral fluoropyrimidines and new perspectives in the adjuvant setting
578Prodrugs of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) have been shown to be as effective as bolus 5-FU and folinic acid (FA) both in the metastatic and adjuvant setting for colon cancer treatment. Currently, oxaliplatin/5-FU is regarded as the standard adjuvant treatment, and improved response rates and prolonged survival support the use of irinotecan or oxaliplatin combined with 5-FU/FA. The use of oral compounds of 5-FU with irinotecan and oxaliplatin in patients with metastatic disease, however, is questionable due to toxicity concerns. Folprecht and Köhne explain why fluoropyrimidines remain an important component of first-line treatment and discuss which patients would benefit from monotherapy with fluoropyrimidines.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0353 | Full Text | PDF (168K)
Case Study
Recurrent endometrial stromal tumors with smooth-muscle differentiation and a protracted clinical course
588doi:10.1038/ncponc0340 | Full Text | PDF (587K)
