Ed Susman | Authors

December 29, 2010

Enlivening the public discussion about cancer biobanking will speed up the collection of specimens for research supporting the goal of personalized medicine. Biobanking is particularly important in minority populations, who experience a disproportionally greater burden of cancer incidence and mortality. But rather than unilaterally creating and launching a public education program, community medicine specialists in Florida first solicited public input.

December 13, 2010

Results from an observational study strongly indicated that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are an independent prognostic marker in metastatic breast cancer at first-line chemotherapy, and an early predictive marker of clinical benefit after one cycle of chemotherapy. But questions remain about the value of CTCs for guiding treatment decision-making.

December 13, 2010

The SUCCESS adjuvant therapy trial enrolled 2,026 women with primary breast cancer and no clinical evidence of metastatic disease. Disease-free survival at three years was 88.1% in women with one or more circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in their peripheral blood before undergoing chemotherapy compared with 93.7% in women with no CTCs.

June 22, 2010

Metformin, a biguanide antidiabetic drug administered orally, could play a critical role in controlling, and possibly preventing, lung cancer in at-risk patients. Animal studies conducted at NCI demonstrated that treating mice with metformin reduced lung tumor volume by about 50%.

June 22, 2010

Modifiable-risk biomarkers are increasingly being used in early-phase research to guide larger prevention trials.

June 22, 2010

Cancer survival notwithstanding, patients must still be encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle to help avoid progression.

June 21, 2010

Success of adaptive randomization in BATTLE could provide new strategy in cancer trials. NSCLC also gain another tool for maintenance therapy.

May 17, 2010

Cabazitaxel, an investigational taxane, significantly extended survival among prostate cancer patients whose disease had progressed despite hormone therapy.

May 17, 2010

Adding gemcitabine (Gemzar) to concurrent radiotherapy and cisplatinum in invasive bladder cancer could preserve the organ even when the tumor has invaded the muscle.

April 14, 2010

Patients who undergo resection of all metastatic kidney lesions, especially of disease that has spread to the lungs, appear to have outcomes as good as patients who have only a single surgery.