Table of contents
January 2005 Volume 2 No 1
Viewpoints
Problems and promises of targeted therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma
2Hodgkin's lymphoma has become a curable disease successfully treated using dose-escalated BEACOPP chemotherapy regimens pioneered by the German Hodgkin's Lymphoma Study Group. However, the unacceptable side effects of chemotherapy have propagated new therapeutic concepts based on biological characteristics of the disease to be explored. This viewpoint discusses the promises and pitfalls of targeted therapy.
What is the role of radiotherapy in bladder-preserving cancer therapy?
4The combination of transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT), chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in selected patients with bladder cancer may result in survival rates comparable to the best cystectomy series, while preserving bladder function. This Viewpoint article discusses the role radiotherapy plays in this approach.
Research Highlights
blockade in metastatic breast cancerAdvances in thermal therapy for recurrent prostate cancer
8p21 expression predicts efficacy of chemoradiotherapy for treatment of esophageal cancer
9Surgical versus medical castration in prostate cancer patients
9Antioxidant supplements—is there a benefit in gastrointestinal cancer prevention?
10Salvage surgery in prostate cancer: assessment of rectal wall invasion
10Practice Points
Is 6 months of androgen suppression therapy plus radiotherapy of benefit in patients with localized prostate cancer?
12Can plasma Epstein–Barr virus DNA levels be used to monitor nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression?
14How do personal characteristics affect sensitivity and specificity of mammography?
16Should patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia receive hematopoietic stem-cell transplant from an unrelated donor?
18Can the addition of cetuximab to irinotecan improve outcome in colorectal cancer?
20Appropriate use of surveillance colonoscopy after polypectomy
22Reviews
Genomics in breast cancer—therapeutic implications
26The use of prognostic and predictive factors for the treatment of breast cancer patients has both advantages and limitations when applied to the interpretation of microarray data in the clinical setting. This review focuses on the critical aspects of genomic parameters and how the information gleaned from microarray analysis can be used to enhance clinical therapy.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0072 | Full Text | PDF (865K)
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy in the treatment of head and neck cancer
34Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a new technical advance in radiotherapy that delivers high dose of radiation to the tumor, while reducing the dose to adjacent non-target tissue, thereby sparing critical organs. This technique is especially attractive for treating head and neck cancers, and this review critically discusses the advantages of this targeted therapy.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0058 | Full Text | PDF (105K)
Partial-breast treatment for early breast cancer: emergence of a new paradigm
40Radical surgical treatment for breast cancer has become superseded by breast conserving surgery with protracted whole breast irradiation. The last decade has seen the emergence of a new treatment paradigm for early breast cancer in the form of partial breast treatment with conservative surgery and accelerated partial breast irradiation. Survival, cosmetic, and cost implications are comprehensively discussed.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0071 | Full Text | PDF (135K)
Therapy Insight: influence of type 2 diabetes on the development, treatment and outcomes of cancer
48Treating cancer patients who have type II diabetes is a challenge, especially as cardiac, renal, and neurologic complications need to be considered. This review discusses the evidence from population-based studies and clinical trials, and suggests how improvements in cancer outcomes can be achieved by improved diabetes control.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0062 | Full Text | PDF (111K)
Case Study
Facial numbness in a man with inguinal and retroperitoneal masses
54doi:10.1038/ncponc0059 | Full Text | PDF (266K)
