Table of contents
May 2005 Volume 2 No 5
Editorial
Viewpoint
Targeting the most critical cells: approaching leukemia therapy as a problem in stem cell biology
224Recent scientific advances have provided new insights into why leukemia is such a difficult disease to treat and identified molecular processes activated in leukemia stem cells that may facilitate their drug resistance and quiescent cell-cycle status. Monoclonal antibody therapy may be appropriate for malignant cells, and other approaches involve identification and targeting of specific survival pathways for these biologically distinct cells, which are discussed in this Viewpoint article.
Research Highlights
Patients' perception of breast cancer risk: effects of genetic counseling
226New recommendations propose earlier screening for colorectal cancer in African Americans
226Adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer: assessment of age
226Alternative splicing of KLF6 associated with increased risk of prostate cancer
227Localized aggressive lymphoma: ACVBP compared with CHOP plus radiotherapy
227A new role for sirolimus: regression of Kaposi's sarcoma in kidney-transplant recipients
228Glioblastoma treatment with temozolomide plus radiotherapy
228Endoscopic stenting for gastroduodenal outflow obstruction: a new treatment of choice?
229Thalidomide for attenuation of weight loss during advanced pancreatic cancer
230Increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma with TIPS for cirrhosis?
230HOPE-TOO results: vitamin E supplements do not protect against cancer or cardiovascular disease
231Practice Points
How does antiangiogenic therapy affect brain tumor response to radiation?
232Is fecal DNA testing superior to fecal occult-blood testing for colorectal cancer screening?
234Does androgen deprivation improve treatment outcomes in patients with low-risk and intermediate-risk prostate cancer?
236Chemotherapy for metastatic NSCLC: current status and future direction
238Does childhood vaccination and exposure to infection improve long-term survival in patients with malignant melanoma?
240How can bone turnover markers be best utilized for prediction of skeletal events in patients with solid tumors?
242Reviews
Technology Insight: application of molecular techniques to formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from breast cancer
246In order to improve prognostic and predictive markers of breast cancer, assessment of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue is important. However, there are problems associated with the use of paraffin-embedded tissue for gene-expression profiling, especially when analyzing older samples. Paik et al. discuss the advantages of using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for gene-expression level quantification and describe how the Oncotype DX™ RT-PCR assay, among others, has helped to circumvent some of these challenges.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0171 | Full Text | PDF (362K)
Mechanisms of Disease: prostate cancer—a model for cancer chemoprevention in clinical practice
255Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the US, making it an attractive target for chemoprevention. Androgens are known to promote prostate cancer, and compounds that inhibit their production, such as 5
-reductase are promising chemopreventive agents. Other potential strategies to reduce prostate cancer initiation include limitation of inflammation, which is associated with prostate cancer onset. The authors elegantly describe the mechanisms by which COX2 inhibitors, NSAIDs, selenium and vitamin E have been linked to prostate cancer prevention.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0172 | Full Text | PDF (170K)
Drug Insight: thalidomide as a treatment for multiple myeloma
262Understanding the tumor microenvironment and bone marrow interactions for multiple myeloma is crucial for the development of new therapies aimed at circumventing resistance to conventional therapy. Kumar and Anderson discuss how the development of thalidomide and its immunomodulatory derivatives are a milestone in the treatment of this disease, and how assessment of these agents in model systems has shown great promise in the clinic, thereby paving the way for the development of even more effective therapies.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0174 | Full Text | PDF (225K)
Case Study
Multidisciplinary treatment of synchronous primary rectal and prostate cancers
271doi:10.1038/ncponc0173 | Full Text | PDF (164K)
