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Estrogen-receptor expression is a useful predictive marker of response to endocrine therapy in patients with breast cancer. The authors of this Viewpoint discuss the use of gene-expression profiles and predictive markers for determining the optimum treatment strategy for women with breast cancer.
Bevacizumab, sorafenib, sunitinib and temsirolimus have been approved for use in patients with advanced solid cancers. Many other drugs with activity in preclinical models, however, have failed to show efficacy in clinical trials. The authors of this Review describe the studies that led to the approval of these antiangiogenic agents, discuss the potential value of biomarkers of angiogenesis, and provide rationale for future developments.
Brain tumors may harbor small subpopulations of cells that share characteristics of neural stem cells. The use of neural stem cells and progenitor cells as delivery vehicles of molecules toxic to tumors offers a promising experimental treatment strategy. This Review summarizes recent advances in the basic understanding of neural stem cell and cancer-stem-cell biology and the progress towards translating these novel concepts into the clinic.
Spinal radiosurgery was developed to overcome the limitations associated with invasive surgery and traditional radiotherapetuic approaches for the treatment of these lesions. The authors of this Review discuss the benefits of this new therapeutic technique, such as low rate of complications, durable pain relief and local tumor control while maintaining physical and mental quality of life.
More-effective systemic therapies are needed for colorectal cancer, and particularly for metastatic disease, for which median survival rates remain below 2 years. The addition of panitumumab to best supportive care has improved efficacy in patients with chemotherapy-refractory metastatic disease, and is associated with a favorable safety profile. The authors discuss the available data and ongoing investigations of this agent in the first-line and second-line settings.
Patients treated with irradiation for Hodgkin's lymphoma are at increased risk of breast cancer. Alm El-Din et al. report the case of a 57-year-old woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years after receiving mantle irradiation for Hodgkin's lymphoma and was managed with lumpectomy and partial breast irradiation. The authors suggest partial breast irradiation as a feasible approach for women who develop breast cancer after Hodgkin's lymphoma and decline mastectomy.
