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Breast cancer screening requires a high level of compliance in order to be effective. The author of this Viewpoint discusses the socio-economic and cultural factors associated with screening in developing countries.
Patients rely on health-care professionals to provide them with relevant and clear information about their disease and its treatment. Recent research has shown that physicians are viewed as the most important source of information for patients with breast cancer; however, physicians do not necessarily provide patients with the information they need to be able to make an informed decision, as discussed in this Viewpoint.
Many cancer treatments induce gonadal failure, which can seriously influence the quality of life of survivors by causing infertility and, in women, menopausal symptoms. The authors of this Review discuss the published literature on treatment-induced gonadal failure with the goal of providing practical information on its management for healthcare providers.
In advanced cancer, breathlessness is complex and usually multifactorial, and therapeutic advances in the clinical management of dyspnea are limited. Palliation of breathlessness and an evidence-based approach by a committed multidisciplinary team can improve patient care considerably. A careful assessment of the patient, cause of breathlessness, and pharmacological palliation is a first step. This Review discusses the evidence for our present understanding of breathlessness and the many unanswered questions regarding the genesis and management of this symptom.
Steady progress has been made in our understanding of the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). The tyrosine kinas inhibitor, imatinib, exhibits impressive anti-tumor effects against GIST and has become the first-line therapy for treating patients with advanced disease. The pathogenesis of GIST, the mechanisms accounting for imatinib resistance, and potential future perspectives are discussed.
Cardiac angiosarcomas are characterized by a difficult clinical diagnosis and poor prognosis. Pigott et al. report the case of a 37-year-old man diagnosed with primary cardiac angiosarcoma with systemic metastases who was managed with neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin, and complete resection of the tumor. The authors discuss the combination of treatments undertaken, and suggest a multidisciplinary approach to improve outcome in patients with cardiac angiosarcoma.