This article will review these intersections of exercise and oncology, discuss the known mechanisms by which exercise exerts its salutary effects, and touch upon the future directions of exercise research in the oncology setting. Finally, recommendations are provided for clinicians to help patients with and without cancer take advantage of the benefits of physical activity.
Dr. Brenner discusses the role of chemopreventives, biomarkers, and early detection for cancer prevention.
Radical cystectomy remains standard management for patients with locally advanced T2 through T4, N0, M0 transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.
In this installment of Second Opinion, we are presenting two cases of tumors of the female genital tract, specifically, the ovary and uterus, which contain both epithelial and mesenchymal components and therefore have unique diagnostic and therapeutic implications. The first has an unusually poor prognosis and the second is notoriously difficult to diagnose.
The purpose of this article is to present an updated set of American College of Radiology consensus guidelines formed from an expert panel on the appropriate use of radiation therapy in postprostatectomy prostate cancer.
One of the potential side effects of chemotherapy is cardiac toxicity. The resulting damage to the heart can range from non–life-threatening events to devastating heart failure. The spectrum of these events can occur almost immediately, during a drug infusion, or as a delayed complication later in the patient’s life. Oncology nurses not only need to be familiar with identifying and intervening in acute cardiac events, but also in some instances will need to monitor for delayed cardiac toxicities during the continuum of the patient’s life.
As the aging population in the United States continues to grow, the incidence of diseases of the elderly, such as breast cancer, are increasing. Many more elderly women are expected to be diagnosed with new breast cancers, most of them in an early stage. Appropriate treatment of these women is important, as they have poorer outcomes when undertreated. In this review, we will discuss the biology and treatment of early breast cancer in elderly women. We will focus on the role of comorbidity and its effect on life expectancy, treatment decisions, current recommendations for primary treatment with surgery, radiation and neoadjuvant strategies, and adjuvant treatment including local radiation therapy and systemic treatment with endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, and newer agents. Finally we will discuss the importance of clinical trials in the elderly.
Active surveillance seems to be generally safe, yet African-American men tend to have more aggressive prostate cancers. Thus, it is imperative that we learn the characteristics and outcomes of African-American men considering surveillance.
Over 5 million central venous catheters are inserted annually in the United States. Yet the ‘ideal’ access device does not exist. A host of issues preclude optimizing central line care.
The needs and challenges of cancer survivors and their family members do not vanish once treatment has been completed, although their follow-up care is often not addressed sufficiently.
Over the past 2 decades, breast-conservation therapy with lumpectomyand whole-breast radiotherapy has become a standard option for themajority of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. Long-term localcontrol is achieved in approximately 85% of patients, and the therapy isgenerally well tolerated. There can, however, be long-term effects on thebreast and other nearby tissues that may range from asymptomaticfindings on examination to severe, debilitating problems. Infection, fatnecrosis, and severe musculoskeletal problems such as osteoradionecrosisor soft-tissue necrosis are uncommon, affecting less than 5% ofpatients. However, changes in range of motion, mild-to-moderate musculoskeletalpain, and arm and breast edema are much more common.As more women choose breast-conservation therapy for management oftheir breast cancer, physicians will encounter these problems, as well asin-breast tumor recurrence, with greater frequency. This review willfocus on the incidence, contributing factors, and management of thelate problems of infection, fat necrosis, musculoskeletal complications,and local recurrence following breast-conservation therapy.
Although high-level evidence is lacking, the existing literature indicates that select men with lymph node–positive prostate cancer benefit from local therapy.
In light of the changing trends in the diagnosis and management of invasive breast cancer, the practice of routine axillary dissection should be reevaluated. A growing number of patients with breast cancer are diagnosed as
Adult survivors of childhood craniopharyngiomas, the second most common type of childhood brain tumor, face many challenges, including multiple life-threatening metabolic abnormalities. Serious metabolic deficits can result from injury to the pituitary gland or hypothalamus.
This comprehensive guide for oncologists covers the diagnosis, staging, treatment, and management of gastric cancer.
Responses to treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma are characteristically short, and median survival is as brief as 6 months. Although prognostic factors in the context of relapsed and refractory disease require further characterization, high-risk patients include those with certain cytogenetic abnormalities, high β2-microglobulin, and low serum albumin.
This article reviews the current status of local therapy for breast cancer and the likely impact of evolving molecular data on the present paradigm.
The 5-year survival rate of cancer patients in the United States is about 66%, and today there are approximately 12 million cancer survivors in the US.
Bone sarcomas are extremely rare neoplasms, which precludes determination of their true incidence. In 2009, approximately 2,570 new cases of cancer of the bones and joints will be diagnosed in the United States, and some 1,470 patients will succumb to the disease. Population-based tumor registries seldom separate bone sarcomas into various histologic types.
Xerostomia, or dry mouth, is a common complaint that may be caused by several conditions, which include side effects of a wide variety of drugs, such as antidepressants, therapeutic radiation to the head and neck,
Without question, targeted therapies have revolutionized the treatment of cancer across histologies.
It is important to help patients with recurrent ovarian cancer recognize and acknowledge when further therapy is likely to be futile. For some patients this might occur very early in their disease course, while for others it may be after many years of treatment.
Survivorship care is “a distinct phase of care for cancer survivors that includes four components: (1) prevention and detection of new cancer or recurrent cancer; (2) surveillance for cancer spread, recurrence, or second cancers; (3) intervention for consequences of cancer and its treatment; and (4) coordination between specialists and primary care providers to ensure that all of the survivor’s health needs are met.”
The authors present an excellent review of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), bringing us up to date on the large body of information that has been collected since this marker came into clinical use in the mid-1980s. It is hard to believe that we have had this tool for nearly 20 years. Much has been learned.
Statins inhibit the activity of the rate-limiting enzyme in the cholesterolbiosynthetic pathway, HMG-CoA reductase, and are widely prescribedfor lowering plasma lipid levels. Several statins have antitumor effects inexperimental models, and observational studies suggest that this anticanceractivity in the laboratory may translate into effective treatments and/orpreventive strategies for certain human cancers. This paper reviews thelaboratory and clinical evidence that statins have anticancer activity, discussesthe possible mechanisms by which tumor growth may be inhibitedby this class of drugs, and outlines strategies for the evaluation of theseagents in the prevention and treatment of human cancers.
Both clinicians and patients should have as much information as possible to participate in shared decision-making for CLL care, says Jacob D. Soumerai, MD.
In this interview we discuss follow-up care and screening for second primary cancers in cancer survivors.
Long-term neurotoxicity associated with central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), primarily involving physical growth and cognitive development, is an ongoing
The Internet is rapidly becoming a third party in the doctor-patient relationship. The World Wide Web, electronic mail (e-mail), and discussion groups have dramatically increased the quantity of medical and health