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A phase III trial investigated the efficacy of carboplatin and a taxane with and without cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody against EGFR, in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. This trial did not reveal an improvement in the primary end point of progression-free survival (according to an independent radiological review committee) with the addition of cetuximab to the carboplatin and taxane regimen. A retrospective investigation of potential biomarkers did not reveal any significant association between these biomarkers and cetuximab efficacy.

Brain metastases are a frequent complication in patients with advanced breast cancer. Whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) is the standard treatment for these patients, but it can cause neurocognitive damage, and results are suboptimal. Therapies that reduce toxic effects, improve local control, and prevent recurrences are needed. The authors of this Review outline the current strategies and novel developments in WBRT, and discuss new irradiation modalities that are improving outcomes in breast cancer patients with brain metastases.

Modern cancer treatment is a complex process that requires the cooperation of individuals with a range of specialties and backgrounds. In this Perspective, a multidisciplinary team of authors propose a conceptual model to improve patient-centered cancer care. This model describes the roles of the active caregivers (for example, physicians), basic supportive caregivers (for example, psychologists) and community support (for example, advocacy groups) in providing the full continuum of the cancer treatment experience.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia has long been regarded as an incurable disease of the elderly. Consolidation strategies using non-cross resistant agents have improved the success rates of patients with residual disease at the end of induction treatment. This Review discusses chemoimmunotherapy regimens that contain purine analogs and rituximab and considers new developments in induction and consolidation strategies that are leading the path towards cure.

Castleman's disease is an infectious disease of the lymph node that causes either local symptoms or a systemic inflammatory syndrome. This Review discusses the viral causes of the disease and the mechanisms of its subsequent progression. The efficacy of established treatment options for this disease and of potential novel therapies is outlined.

A randomized, controlled trial has shown human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing with and without liquid-based cytology to be more sensitive but less specific than conventional Papanicolaou smears for detection of precancerous lesions of the cervix. The lead-time advantage of early detection of precancerous lesions by HPV DNA testing resulted in cervical cancer reduction; however, an increased detection of possibly regressive precancerous lesions could result in unnecessary treatment, especially in women aged 25–34 years.

Encouraging data have been reported from a randomized, double-blind, phase III trial comparing pazopanib therapy to placebo in treatment-naive and cytokine-refractory patients with advanced renal-cell carcinoma. The challenge that lies ahead is determining where pazopanib fits into the crowded therapeutic algorithms for this disease.

In the NOAH clinical trial, trastuzumab treatment for locally advanced breast cancer was associated with increased complete and overall response rate and improved event-free survival. The ability to identify this advantage in a relatively smaller number of patients (compared with adjuvant therapy trials) suggests that the neoadjuvant setting might serve to inform the design of adjuvant trials and indicate appropriate off-study adjuvant therapy.

Platinum-based chemotherapy has been the standard first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer for decades. However, a recent study has shown the superiority of gefitinib treatment in comparison with chemotherapy in a molecularly selected cohort of patients harboring sensitizing EGFR mutations. These results demonstrate the importance of incorporating molecular selection into the design of lung cancer trials that use EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Sentinel lymph-node biopsy is an accurate staging procedure for patients with melanoma. However, this procedure followed by immediate completion lymph-node dissection (CLND) does not seem to improve survival, based on data from the MSLT-1 randomized trial. Patients with micrometastases <0.1 mm have a similar clinical course to sentinel-node-negative patients and routine CLND may not be indicated in these patients. The authors discuss the issue of prognostic false positivity and explain how the Rotterdam Criteria could be useful for the measurement of sentinel node tumor burden.

The rapid pace of research in cancer biology, and the advent of molecular targeted therapies has made personalized medicine a reality. This knowledge has generated a vast panel of molecular biomarkers. This Review presents the molecular, prognostic and predictive factors for the six solid tumors associated with the highest mortality. The authors discuss the key biomarkers for each disease site according to its associated clinicopathological presentation and specific associated molecular interactions.