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Two novel agents targeting the androgen receptor signalling axis, even after chemotherapy treatment, have been demonstrated to be effective in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Enzalutamide is the newest approved treatment that improves survival in this lethal and morbid disease.
Addition of aprepitant, an NK-1 receptor antagonist, to dexamethasone and a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist contributes substantially to emetic control in patients receiving 5-day cisplatin-containing chemotherapy, a new trial shows. Some needs in antiemetic therapy remain unmet, including control of emesis with multiple-day chemotherapy and control of nausea.
The observational registry CaPSURE study reported that men with prostate cancer who were taking aspirin were less likely to die of prostate cancer than nonusers. This favourable effect seems to be stronger than that observed in a pooled analysis of randomized clinical trials of aspirin, and in other observational studies.
A retrospective cohort study has shown that pancreatic radiation is a risk factor for diabetes in survivors of paediatric cancer. This validates and refines prior epidemiological observations of diabetes after radiation to the abdomen and total-body irradiation, and will result in modification of surveillance recommendations in national survivor guidelines.
The question “are we learning anything new?” keeps being asked when related to comprehensive gene analysis of tumours. This Review attempts to answer that question, and describes how new targets are being identified and how that knowledge is being translated into the clinic.
The development of treatment for rare diseases presents unique challenges. This Review article outlines the discovery process for a number of oncology paradigms in rare tumours, including those that are a subset of more-common cancers. The authors discuss drug-class examples of targeted therapies for orphan diseases, as well as potential therapeutic strategies that can be adopted to treat these orphan conditions.
Improvements in the pathological classification of lymphoma have had little impact on advancing drug development or improving the cure rate. The authors discuss the current status of biomarker development in lymphoma, and how novel biomarker-directed clinical trial designs using rationally designed combination strategies will help to improve outcomes in patients with lymphoma.
The administration of high-precision radiotherapy, termed stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), delivers high doses of radiation to tumours without greatly affecting adjacent normal tissues. SBRT can affect the disease course for properly selected patients with metastatic cancer with improved palliation, disease response, and long-term disease control. In this Review, the biology, practical aspects of delivery and emerging clinical opportunities for SBRT in limited metastatic cancer patients are discussed.
