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Hodgkin's lymphoma has become a curable disease successfully treated using dose-escalated BEACOPP chemotherapy regimens pioneered by the German Hodgkin's Lymphoma Study Group. However, the unacceptable side effects of chemotherapy have propagated new therapeutic concepts based on biological characteristics of the disease to be explored. This viewpoint discusses the promises and pitfalls of targeted therapy.
The combination of transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT), chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in selected patients with bladder cancer may result in survival rates comparable to the best cystectomy series, while preserving bladder function. This Viewpoint article discusses the role radiotherapy plays in this approach.
The use of prognostic and predictive factors for the treatment of breast cancer patients has both advantages and limitations when applied to the interpretation of microarray data in the clinical setting. This review focuses on the critical aspects of genomic parameters and how the information gleaned from microarray analysis can be used to enhance clinical therapy.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a new technical advance in radiotherapy that delivers high dose of radiation to the tumor, while reducing the dose to adjacent non-target tissue, thereby sparing critical organs. This technique is especially attractive for treating head and neck cancers, and this review critically discusses the advantages of this targeted therapy.
Radical surgical treatment for breast cancer has become superseded by breast conserving surgery with protracted whole breast irradiation. The last decade has seen the emergence of a new treatment paradigm for early breast cancer in the form of partial breast treatment with conservative surgery and accelerated partial breast irradiation. Survival, cosmetic, and cost implications are comprehensively discussed.
Treating cancer patients who have type II diabetes is a challenge, especially as cardiac, renal, and neurologic complications need to be considered. This review discusses the evidence from population-based studies and clinical trials, and suggests how improvements in cancer outcomes can be achieved by improved diabetes control.
