Table of contents
January 2008 Volume 5 No 1
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Full text content of the January 2008 issue is freely available in both HTML and PDF formats.
Editorial
Why perform sentinel-lymph-node biopsy in patients with melanoma?
1doi:10.1038/ncponc1022 | Full Text | PDF (127K)
Viewpoints
Adjuvant therapy with high-dose interferon 
2b in patients with high-risk stage IIB/III melanoma
2The immunosuppressive impact of melanoma upon the human body is now beginning to be understood and interferon 
2b at high dosage is critical to the reversal of signaling defects in the T cells of melanoma patients. The authors of this Viewpoint discuss the use of high dose interferon 2b in patients with high risk melanoma.
doi:10.1038/ncponc1004 | Full Text | PDF (184K)
Adjuvant use of interferon 2b is not justified in patients with stage IIb/III melanoma
4The incidence of the skin malignancy, melanoma, is increasing and it often becomes refractory to common therapies after metastasis. In this Viewpoint the author discusses different therapeutic approaches for metastatic melanoma.
doi:10.1038/ncponc1007 | Full Text | PDF (173K)
Research Highlights
Potential therapy for Ph1-ALL and CML tumors unresponsive to imatinib and/or dasatinib
6Chemotherapy can replace or delay radiotherapy in pediatric intracranial ependymoma
6IgE levels correlate with survival in patients with multiple myeloma
6Postmastectomy radiotherapy and tamoxifen in stage II breast cancer: long-term data
7Paclitaxel-based therapy no better than cisplatin and 5-FU for operable esophageal cancer
7Radiotherapy and hormone therapy in patients with high-risk prostate cancer
8Development of imatinib-resistant clones in metastatic GISTs
8Chemotherapy increases survival in patients with multiple myeloma
9Practice Points
Do molecular diagnostics add to clinical characteristics in selecting patients for gefitinib treatment?
10doi:10.1038/ncponc0997 | Full Text | PDF (180K)
Cervical cancer prevention: who should receive vaccination?
12doi:10.1038/ncponc0976 | Full Text | PDF (174K)
Is drug treatment superior to allografting as first-line therapy in chronic myeloid leukemia?
14doi:10.1038/ncponc0983 | Full Text | PDF (147K)
Is advanced renal cell carcinoma best treated with temsirolimus, interferon , or both?
16doi:10.1038/ncponc0986 | Full Text | PDF (149K)
Reviews
Prognostic false-positivity of the sentinel node in melanoma
18Sentinel lymph node biopsy is standard care for intermediate thickness melanoma despite a lack of evidence of its impact on survival. Late-stage disease is frequently wrongly predicted, leading to unnecessary treatments. These issues are discussed here and the author recommends ultrasound-based surveillance after wide excision of the primary tumor for patients assigned false-positive prognoses.
doi:10.1038/ncponc1014 | Full Text | PDF (416K)
Human papillomavirus in cervical and head-and-neck cancer
24Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer mortality and is initiated by infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs). An improved understanding of the virologic basis for this disease will help with prevention and treatment. This Review summarizes the main events of the HPV life cycle, the functions of the viral proteins, and the implications of HPV infection on their hosts, with an emphasis on carcinogenic mechanisms and disease outcomes in cervical and head-and-neck cancer.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0984 | Full Text | PDF (333K)
Antiemetics: an update and the MASCC guidelines applied in clinical practice
32A large number of trials have improved antiemetic therapy and made evidence-based recommendations possible for the majority of patients receiving chemotherapy. This Review discusses the pathophysiology of nausea and vomiting, the development of antiemetics, highlights some of the newest antiemetics, and finally summarizes recommendations from the evidence-based guidelines developed by the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer.
doi:10.1038/ncponc1021 | Full Text | PDF (390K)
Technology Insight: novel imaging of molecular targets is an emerging area crucial to the development of targeted drugs
44Molecular imaging can stratify patients according to presence or absence of a drug target, and can distinguish between drug responders and nonresponders. The authors of this Review discuss the integration of molecular imaging in drug development and how this technology can address key questions in the preclinical and clinical evaluation of new targeted drugs.
doi:10.1038/ncponc0982 | Full Text | PDF (707K)
Case Study
Treatment of metastatic urachal carcinoma in an elderly woman
55Urachal adenocarcinomas are rare primary adenocarcinomas of the bladder for which there is no current chemotherapy regimen. Mohile and co-authors report the case of a 67-year-old woman who was diagnosed with metastatic urachal adenocarcinoma and achieved complete remission of the disease after irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin therapy. The authors discuss the current management options for patients with urachal adenocarcinomas and emphasize the need to evaluate the role of newly discovered agents in the treatment of this disease.
doi:10.1038/ncponc1009 | Full Text | PDF (371K)
