Table of contents
December 2004 Volume 1 No 2
Editorial
Viewpoints
Preoperative radiotherapy in rectal cancers: why a standard in Europe and not in the US?
56In the treatment of rectal cancer, the additional use of radiotherapy has changed treatment policy dramatically. Compelling data showed that preoperative radiotherapy, in addition to surgery for resectable rectal cancer, is superior to postoperative treatment. Considering evidence-based data, it is hard to understand why preoperative radiotherapy has not been accepted in the US.
Adjuvant chemotherapy in rectal cancers: why a standard in the US and not in Europe?
58In 1990, an NIH Consensus Conference recommended postoperative chemoradiotherapy as standard treatment for stage II and III rectal cancer. Many European centers and even some countries have adopted the US recommendations as standard care. In other parts of Europe, however, the jury is still out, as discussed in this Viewpoint.
Research Highlights
Surgical practice patterns in stage IV colorectal cancer
60Preserving salivary output following head and neck irradiation
60End-fire ultrasound probes in prostate cancer diagnosis
63Advanced refractory prostate cancer: new treatment trial
64Practice Points
Biomarkers of response to gefitinib in non-small-cell lung cancer
66Can weight loss at presentation predict patient outcome in lung cancer?
68First-line treatment options for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer
70Can frequency and severity of symptoms predict the presence of ovarian cancer?
72Are circulating tumor cells an independent prognostic factor in patients with high-risk melanoma?
74Is laparoscopically-assisted colectomy an acceptable operation for colon cancer?
76Reviews
Mechanisms of Disease: radiosensitization by epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors
80Among the most intensely studied new agents are the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors. This review focuses on how radiosensitization of tumors by EGFR inhibitors may be mediated, with reference to cell proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, and DNA repair. Defining the signals involved in radiosensitization could potentially predicting response and guide approaches to combine further novel regimens.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0048 | Full Text | PDF (190K)
Drug Insight: cancer cell immortality—telomerase as a target for novel cancer gene therapies
88Untangling the complex pathways underlying the major cancer phenotypes remains a significant challenge, but deregulated expression of a single multi-component enzyme, telomerase, is implicated as a causative factor for immortalization in the vast majority of human tumors. This review highlights the potential of telomerase as a target for novel cancer gene therapies.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0044 | Full Text | PDF (314K)
Technology Insight: proton beam radiotherapy for treatment in pediatric brain tumors
97Advances in imaging and computing technology have improved the targeting of tumor tissue using conventional X-ray therapy, especially for the treatment of childhood brain tumors. Proton radiotherapy allows better sparing of normal tissues than the most conformal photon radiation. The characteristics of this technology and examples of who would benefit most from this treatment are discussed.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0090 | Full Text | PDF (621K)
Technology Insight: identification of biomarkers with tissue microarray technology
104High-throughput technologies have been developed in hopes of increasing the pace of biomedical research, accelerating the rate of translation from bench to bedside. Using such technology in target discovery has necessitated validation of the targets in an equally rapid manner. This review looks at the role of tissue microarrays in validating potential tumor biomarkers, now and in the future.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0046 | Full Text | PDF (415K)
