Table of contents
February 2006 Volume 3 No 2
Viewpoints
Glioblastoma—more questions than answers?
60Glioblastoma multiforme (GMB) is a devastating neoplasm that nearly always culminates in death within 1–2 years of diagnosis. Despite decades of intensive clinical and laboratory research, progress has been slow, partly because of limited drug delivery and tumor heterogeneity. David Reardon describes an innovative chemoradiation approach that has improved overall survival for newly diagnosed GBM patients, and details a number of promising therapeutic strategies under evaluation.
The investigational new drug application—who benefits?
62The Investigational New Drug (IND) process was established to ensure that the FDA is informed of any new treatment before use in humans. The process is now used for approval rather than notification. The time from conception to approval for a new drug is estimated at over 15 years, of which two-thirds is devoted to pre-IND testing. In the meantime the patient is denied access to the investigational treatment. A centralized IND procedure, when the public are already protected by processes within academic centers of excellence, is redundant and costs lives.
Research Highlights
New molecular links with hereditary colorectal cancer?
64Bortezomib-induced thrombocytopenia is transient in patients with multiple myeloma
64Akt activation leads to poor prognosis in postoperative breast cancer patients
64Improving antitumor dendritic-cell vaccination through depletion of regulatory T cells
65Hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy effective in localized prostate cancer
65MRI is important for preradiotherapy evaluation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma
66Combination targeted therapy for metastatic renal-cell carcinoma
66Prophylaxis of pelvic adhesions following radical oophorectomy for ovarian cancer
67MicroRNA signature predicts prognosis and progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia
67Nucleophosmin mutation as a favorable prognostic marker in acute myeloid leukemia
68Genetic alterations in melanoma explain differing reactions to UV light
68Pelvic irradiation increases the risk of pelvic fracture in elderly female cancer patients
68Accurate urine telomerase test for detecting bladder cancer
69Practice Points
Does temsirolimus have a role in recurrent glioblastoma multiforme?
70Is histologic necrosis in the primary tumor of patients with renal-cell carcinoma a predictor for survival?
72Are prostate cancer clinical trial enrollment criteria and endpoints appropriate?
74Does the addition of oxaliplatin increase the risk of capecitabine-induced cardiotoxicity?
76Does HER2 overexpression affect response to endocrine therapy in advanced cancer?
78Should women with early hormone-responsive breast cancer be switched from tamoxifen to anastrozole?
80Is an aromatase inhibitor more effective than tamoxifen in neoadjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer?
82Reviews
Therapy Insight: therapeutic challenges in the treatment of elderly cancer patients
86Cancer mortality is highest in cancer patients aged 65 years or older. Optimal chemotherapy dosing and regimens for these patients pose a significant challenge because of changes that occur with aging, as well as other comorbidities. This review discusses the important considerations for tailoring chemotherapy to the individual's performance and functional status.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0420 | Full Text | PDF (161K)
Technology Insight: utility of TNF-
-based isolated limb perfusion to avoid amputation of irresectable tumors of the extremities
94Isolated limb perfusion (ILP) combined with melphalan and TNF-
produces striking response rates for the treatment of bulky melanoma metastases, soft tissue sarcomas and various other tumors. TNF--based ILP is a well-established treatment that helps to avoid amputations, and this represents an important approach that is now widely practiced in Europe.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0426 | Full Text | PDF (238K)
Case Studies
Hypocalcemia associated with bone metastases in a patient with salivary-gland carcinoma
104doi:10.1038/ncponc0405 | Full Text | PDF (114K)
Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration in a woman with ovarian cancer
108doi:10.1038/ncponc0379 | Full Text | PDF (133K)
