Table of contents
July 2007 Volume 4 No 7
Viewpoints
Accelerated partial breast irradiation using multicatheter brachytherapy
382This Viewpoint compares multicatheter brachytherapy with other forms of partial breast irradiation. As the forerunner of other ABPI techniques, interstitial brachytherapy has to its credit the best intermediate-term to long-term oncological and cosmetic results, and to its discredit some of the highest recurrence and complication rates. Enhancements to quality assurance and patient selection criteria could hold the key to best practice.
Partial breast irradiation using targeted intraoperative radiotherapy (Targit)
384This Viewpoint compares targeted intraoperative radiotherapy with other forms of partial breast irradiation. Advantages of targeted intraoperative radiotherapy include reduced risk of the target area being untreated, the potential to add external-beam whole-breast radiotherapy, cost-effectiveness of this technique and relatively straightforward technical requirements.
Research Highlights
Needle biopsy grading does not aid selection of patients suitable for transplant for HCC
386Induction chemotherapy does not affect radiation-induced pulmonary damage
386PancPRO: family history predicts risk of incident pancreatic cancer
386Genomic analysis detects two distinct molecular subtypes of ER-positive breast cancer
387The radiation sensitizer AK-2123 prolongs survival in patients with stage III cervical cancer
387N ratio is prognostic in gastric cancer, even after limited lymph-node dissection
388Computer-aided detection does not improve the accuracy of mammogram interpretation
388Gene expression profiling: correlation with response to bortezomib
388JM-27 levels can distinguish between different forms of benign prostatic hyperplasia
389Plasma cytokine signature predicts first-line treatment failure in Hodgkin's lymphoma
389HLA-matched donor HSC allografts improve survival in newly diagnosed myeloma
390Temozolomide is an active agent for the treatment of primary brain lymphomas
390Aspirin therapy is safe in cancer patients with ACS and thrombocytopenia
391Practice Points
Should recommendations for colorectal-cancer screening be changed?
392Does maintenance therapy with thalidomide benefit patients with multiple myeloma?
394Is lenalidomide a new standard treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome?
396Does addition of lapatinib to capecitabine improve outcome in women with refractory breast cancer?
398Is stereotactic radiosurgery the best treatment option for patients with spinal metastases?
400Reviews
Experimental and clinical approaches for optimization of the graft-versus-leukemia effect
404The goal of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (alloHSCT) in the treatment of hematological malignancies is to harness the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect, while minimizing the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). AlloHSCT research has focused on the GVL target antigens and effector mechanisms, and on potential approaches to exploit the GVL effect independently of GVHD. In this review, the authors focus on the currently available approaches to exploit these GVL mechanisms and discuss some of the newer approaches that have been explored in clinical practice.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0848 | Full Text | PDF (274K)
Risk factors and hormone-receptor status: epidemiology, risk-prediction models and treatment implications for breast cancer
415Breast cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases and hormone receptor status defines important clinical and etiologic differences between breast cancer subtypes. This article reviews the epidemiologic data on differences in risk factor associations by hormone receptor status, and highlights the limitations of commonly used prediction models. The authors describe how receptor status information can be applied to risk analysis for screening and preventive therapies.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0851 | Full Text | PDF (229K)
Strategies for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma
424Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) generally develops as a consequence of underlying liver disease, most commonly viral hepatitis. Currently, surgery remains the treatment of choice for HCC; however, due to underlying liver disease only a minority of those affected are candidates for resection, and access to transplantation is limited by organ availability. The authors of this review discuss when liver resection, nonsurgical HCC treatment and management before liver transplantation should be considered, and the applications of nonsystemic therapies.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0844 | Full Text | PDF (235K)
Case Study
Severe TMD/AMKL with GATA1 mutation in a stillborn fetus with Down syndrome
433Children with Down syndrome who develop transient myeloproliferative disorder or acute megakaryoblastic leukemia harbor somatic mutations in the GATA1 gene, a phenomenon specific to this syndrome. Heald and colleagues report the first case of a stillborn fetus with Down syndrome-associated acute megakaryoblastic leukemia/transient myeloproliferative disorder and a GATA1 mutation. The authors discuss the management of fetuses with suspected or confirmed diagnosis of Down syndrome and highlight the need for genetic screening and counseling based on maternal age.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0876 | Full Text | PDF (559K)
