Table of contents
August 2005 Volume 2 No 8
Editorial
Viewpoint
We can eradicate the global scourge of tobacco
378Asia, Africa and Latin America are at particular risk of marketing efforts by tobacco companies, with children being the most vulnerable. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control has now become legally binding in the countries that have adopted it. John Seffrin discusses the global measures designed to prevent tobacco companies gaining a stronghold in developing countries, and reiterates why the US needs to be at the forefront in implementing these measures.
Research Highlights
Decreased PTV margin with hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate cancer
380RON and MET co-expressionis a prognostic indicator in bladder cancer patients
380Does participation in a trial affect clinical outcome?
380Biologic markers for targeted therapy in non-small-cell lung cancer
381Possible molecular markers for efficacy of cetuximab in metastatic colorectal cancer
381Neoadjuvant trastuzumab induces apoptosis in primary breast cancers
382Prognostic factors affecting pancreatic adenocarcinoma
382Diagnostic algorithm for prediction of adenocarcinoma sites of origin
383Elevated cardiac troponin T is an early indicator of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity
383Bcl-2 antisense therapy shows promise in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia
383MRI is comparable to laparotomy and superior to CA-125 for detecting residual ovarian cancer
384TRAIL receptors as a potential target for apoptosis induction in colorectal cancer
384Practice Points
Is postoperative chemotherapy alone sufficient to treat young children with medulloblastoma?
386Is bortezomib an effective treatment for indolent or mantle-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma?
388Lenalidomide for myelodysplastic syndromes: finally, hope not hype
390Do elderly patients have a worse outcome in response to platinum-based therapy for metastatic urothelial cancer?
392Ovarian ablation, a perennial technique still not well understood
394Reviews
Serrated adenoma of the colorectum and the DNA-methylator phenotype
398Epithelial polyps of the colorectum have traditionally been classified into two main groups: neoplastic polyps or adenomas, and hyperplastic polyps. Serrated adenomas display features intermediate between hyperplastic polyps and adenomas. The absence of serrated adenomas in recently published series of colorectal polyps indicates that some pathologists do not recognize them. Yet, it is becoming increasingly clear that serrated adenoma serves as the precursor lesion for a major subset of colorectal cancers. It is likely that a significant proportion of these lesions do not evolve through the adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence, but through a largely independent 'serrated-polyp pathway' in which DNA methylation is a key genetic hallmark. Jass discusses the importance of the 'CpG-island-methylator phenotype' and the morphological and molecular correlations of serrated adenomas.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0248 | Full Text | PDF (410K)
Therapy Insight: AIDS-related malignancies—the influence of antiviral therapy on pathogenesis and management
406Patients with HIV infection are at an increased risk of malignancies, especially Kaposi's sarcoma and certain B-cell lymphomas. Highly active antiretroviral therapy has helped to reduce the incidence of many HIV-associated tumors, but as the number of people living with AIDS is increasing, AIDS-associated malignancies will probably rise, posing a significant treatment challenge. Yarchoan et al. discuss the pathogenesis of AIDS-related malignancies, and describe the successful treatments for Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphomas using treatments based on viral, vascular or other pathogenesis-based targets.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0253 | Full Text | PDF (184K)
Guidelines
REporting recommendations for tumor MARKer prognostic studies (REMARK)
416Despite the plethora of reports on tumor markers in oncology, the number of markers that have emerged as clinically useful is disappointing. There is considerable evidence that the quality of reporting of studies of biomarkers, particularly tumor prognostic markers, is generally poor. McShane et al. present guidelines that provide helpful suggestions on study design, patient characteristics, statistical analysis methods, and guidance on how to present data. The authors advocate the importance of transparent and complete reporting of tumor marker prognostic studies in order to increase accessibility and interpretability of trial data, which should help to improve patient treatment and management.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0252 | Full Text | PDF (133K)
