ONCOLOGY Vol 11 No 10

Female reproductive hormones cause breast cancer. Long-term use of postmenopausal hormones increases the risk of breast cancer. The apparent survival advantage seen in women diagnosed with breast cancer while taking

Metastatic prostate cancer is a growing health problem and is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. While the response of patients with metastatic prostate cancer to initial hormonal manipulation is excellent, the

Liposomes have been proposed as potential vehicles for drug therapy targeted to solid tumors, in particular, because of the increased permeability of these tumors to macromolecules. The recent development of Stealth

While doxorubicin (Adriamycin) is among the most active single agents in the treatment of breast cancer and other solid tumors, its concomitant toxicity limits its use. Quality-of-life issues have driven the search for gentler,

Many of the more commonly observed adverse effects of standard doxorubicin (Adriamycin) are lessened by pegylated liposomal delivery (Doxil). The slow release of doxorubicin into normal tissue cells via this form of liposomal delivery ameliorates its potential for severe alopecia, nausea and vomiting, cardiotoxicity, and myelosuppressive toxicity. Infusion-related acute reactions are managed by slowing infusion rates and thorough dilution and mixing of the infused drug. Vesicant properties normally seen with doxorubicin are absent. Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia can be reduced by decreasing the dose or increasing the dosing interval. Many of these side effects are developing a predictable profile and are manageable. Because of its overall reduced toxicity profile, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin may be well-suited for use in combination chemotherapeutic regimens. [ONCOLOGY 11(Suppl 11):54-62, 1997]

The treatments employed for Kaposi’s sarcoma in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS-KS) have been limited in their usefulness by toxicities and underlying immunodeficiency in this patient population.

Liposome-encapsulated drug delivery is a methodology that has been evolving over the past 30 years. A number of liposome-encapsulated anthracycline products are in development and two, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin

After pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PEG-LD) (Doxil) was shown to be active in ovarian tumors, several trials were developed at the University of Southern California to determine its safety and efficacy in a variety of gynecologic and peritoneal malignancies. Completed phase I and phase II trials have found PEG-LD to be safe and effective in the treatment of platinum- and paclitaxel-refractory epithelial ovarian carcinoma. A new phase II trial is currently underway in similarly refractory patients with ovarian and other related cancers and various degrees of pretreatment. In addition, the efficacy of PEG-LD is being explored in combination with paclitaxel (Taxol), with cisplatin, and with hyperthermia. [ONCOLOGY 11(Suppl 11):38-44, 1997]

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

The introduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing for use in the early detection of prostate cancer has led to controversy regarding the appropriateness of prostate cancer screening and any subsequent treatment. Much

This review succinctly summarizes a relatively large body of literature surrounding the treatment of advanced, stage D2 (M+) prostate cancer. However, the patient with classic stage D2 prostate cancer, presenting de novo with multiple sites of bony metastasis, pain, and other systemic symptoms, is becoming less common in clinical practice. In 1997, prostate cancer is most commonly diagnosed in a locally advanced form, either clinically or pathologically stage C (T3), and accounts for approximately 60% of all newly diagnosed cases in the United States.[1] The reasons for this “stage migration” undoubtedly lie in the widespread use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) for the detection of prostate cancer while still organ-confined, and in the use of PSA to monitor patients who have undergone definitive local treatment.

Contemporary breast cancer treatment research has focused on systemic postoperative adjuvant treatment and the elimination of established micrometastases. An alternative approach addresses the potential for seeding at the time of primary surgery. Several retrospective reports have suggested that the hormonal milieu during lumpectomy or mastectomy impacts on the likelihood of tumor cell shedding and implantation at distant sites.

The article written by Chadha and Axelrod provides a timely discussion of several critical issues in the current debate over the use of axillary lymph node dissection in early-stage breast cancer. As new information and techniques become available, they and others have reassessed the value of axillary lymph node dissection in four key areas:

The 1996 Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS), was held on November 21 and

Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer as a leading cause of cancer mortality in women. In women with metastatic, hence, essentially incurable disease, we strive to find effective chemotherapeutic regimens that offer a