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An important phase III trial involving transplant-eligible patients with multiple myeloma compared bortezomib and dexamethasone (BzD) induction with the previous standard of care. BzD was associated with a higher overall response and a deeper response to therapy that translated to superior responses following high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation.
Men with locally advanced or high-risk prostate cancer may benefit from combined modality strategies. This Review discusses the approaches and rational for preoperative and intraoperative radiotherapy and compares them with the utility of postoperative radiotherapy. The urgent need for novel biomarkers for selection purposes is highlighted.
Chemotherapy and trastuzumab is standard therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer, although aromatase inhibitors combined with anti-HER2 therapies is an option in patients with HER2 and hormone receptor-positive tumors. The activity observed with chemotherapy and anti-HER2 therapies seems to be higher than with aromatase inhibitors and HER-2-based therapies. The authors highlight the data that have led to current treatment strategies and the importance of considering chemotherapy and anti-HER2 therapy for HER2 and hormone receptor-positive tumors.
Selectively targeting cancer stem cells with novel therapeutics is gaining importance because disease recurrence after treatment-induced remissions is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This Review discusses the pathways that are active during development, specifically the Wnt, Notch, and Hedgehog pathways, and the clinical development of therapeutic agents that target these pathways.
A personalized treatment approach for lymphoma has potential to improve treatment responses. In this Review, Anas Younes summarizes the current development status of novel agents for lymphoma and discusses strategies to move the field forward.
The high attrition rate for cancer drugs is discussed in this Review of the preclinical models available to cancer researchers and clinicians. The classic methods of drug discovery and analysis are described along with new preclinical strategies, including the genetically engineered mouse models and small-interfering RNA that have identified promising targeted drugs. Better knowledge of oncogenic signaling pathways and the mechanism of action of their inhibitors is probably the most effective way to improve the development of successful anticancer drugs.
A randomized phase III trial of patients with stage II and III colon cancer showed no benefit of adding bevacizumab to standard adjuvant oxaliplatin plus fluorouracil and leucovorin. Despite suggestive evidence of a short-term benefit, these data and other similar findings dictate that adjuvant bevacizumab should not be used in colon cancer.