Table of contents
July 2006 Volume 3 No 7
Editorial
Viewpoint
Increasing survival rates of patients with pancreatic cancer by earlier identification
346Early treatment of pancreatic cancer increases the likelihood of survival, but detection of the disease is difficult in the early stages. The authors of this Viewpoint recommend screening populations at increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer because of family history, to identify early disease in a higher proportion of patients.
Research Highlights
Bone marrow tumor-cell status predicts prognosis of patients with breast cancer
348doi:10.1038/ncponc0494 | Full Text | PDF (100K)
A safe and effective vaccine against human papillomavirus types 16 and 18
348Fluorescence-guided surgery improves outcome in patients with malignant glioma
348Rituximab improves the efficacy of CHOP in treatment of diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma
349doi:10.1038/ncponc0523 | Full Text | PDF (100K)
Conjugated equine estrogens have no effect on breast cancer risk
349Estrogen-receptor status and response to chemotherapy
350Does gastrazole improve survival in pancreatic cancer?
351doi:10.1038/ncponc0527 | Full Text | PDF (109K)
Long-term follow-up study identifies mortality risks in breast cancer survivors
351doi:10.1038/ncponc0530 | Full Text | PDF (109K)
PSA nadir after radiotherapy for prostate cancer is a predictor of outcome
352Percentage of positive nodes determines need for regional radiotherapy
352Can hypermethylated Wnt-antagonist genes act as biomarkers for bladder cancer?
353doi:10.1038/ncponc0533 | Full Text | PDF (100K)
Practice Points
What effects do variations in local treatment have on recurrence of early breast cancer and long-term survival?
354Does adjuvant therapy with letrozole improve survival in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer?
356doi:10.1038/ncponc0537 | Full Text | PDF (100K)
Is carboplatin plus gemcitabine therapy beneficial in locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer?
358Can the standard chemotherapeutic regimen be improved upon for small-cell lung cancer?
360doi:10.1038/ncponc0519 | Full Text | PDF (101K)
Reviews
Dichotomies in cancer research: some suggestions for a new synthesis
364Despite recent progress in oncology, the continuing high incidence and mortality rates illustrate that our overall approach to tackling this disease is still inadequate. While the emphasis on treatment of end-stage disease is crucial, chemoprevention approaches could be regarded as the 'Cinderella' of the cancer field; largely neglected from cancer research and practice. This review elaborates on fundamental dichotomies in our outlook between traditional and revisionist viewpoints and presents a new synthesis, which builds on old strengths but also encourages a holistic approach to the entire cancer problem aimed at improving quality of life.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0536 | Full Text | PDF (204K)
Bortezomib: efficacy comparisons in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies
374Bortezomib is a protease inhibitor and is the first compound in this drug class to be used in clinical practice, with trials demonstrating efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Mature clinical data on the efficacy of bortezomib in solid tumors are not yet available, but early clinical data indicate this could be a promising drug for the treatment of advanced solid tumors. This Review summarizes the principal clinical trials of bortezomib and discusses its efficacy in solid and hematologic tumors.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0555 | Full Text | PDF (295K)
Drug Insight: cancer therapy strategies based on restoration of endogenous cell death mechanisms
388Regulation of cell death pathways is pivotal to cancer development and progression. Much knowledge has been gained from basic research efforts to understand the complex molecular mechanisms that drive cell turnover, leading to several strategies that modulate the cell death machinery. This article discusses these strategies, which include development of epigenetic modifiers of gene expression, gene therapy approaches, and compounds that induce pro-apoptotic events, and overviews the recent progress on some of these strategies that are being explored and tested in clinical trials.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0538 | Full Text | PDF (224K)
Case Study
Small-cell lung cancer with lymphadenopathy in an 18-year-old female nonsmoker
399doi:10.1038/ncponc0534 | Full Text | PDF (347K)
