ONCOLOGY Vol 13 No 6

For many leukemia sufferers, bone marrow transplantation is their only hope. Unfortunately, for about 40% of patients with terminal disease, a perfectly matched donor cannot be found

Results of a study published in a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine suggest that, in the near future, a simple blood test that detects levels of sex hormones could predict which women are at highest risk of developing breast cancer.

The side effect profiles of various therapeutic modalities used in the definitive management of prostate cancer differ significantly, reported Tamara LaCouture, MD, and colleagues at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and

Data published in a recent issue of Blood suggest that valspodar (Amdray), a multidrug resistance modulator being developed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, may show promise in treating certain patients with acute myelogenous leukemia

To determine whether a shorter course of radiation treatment may be associated with an improvement in quality of life (QOL), investigators at William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, compared the QOL of women with early-

Baylor-Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center and Physician Reliance Network (PRN) Research recently announced data demonstrating that one in five patients with hard-to-treat metastatic breast cancers responded to capecitabine (Xeloda) even

Some Medicare managed care organizations (MCOs) are telling beneficiaries that they need to get a referral from one of the plan physicians before they can get a mammogram. But that is not what the law says. A woman can get an annual, routine

Citing the unprecedented opportunity granted by last year’s 15% increase in biomedical research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Joseph S. Bailes, MD, then president-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO),

There are serious shortcomings in the quality of care for manyAmericans with cancer, according to a report just released by the Institute of Medicine National Cancer Policy Board. Deficits in care identified in the report include underuse of screening

From the survivor’s viewpoint, Ms.Hoffman’s paper addresses a critical need, expressed in both its title and its conclusions: Medical professionals who treat cancer patients need to be aware of the anxieties faced by those diagnosed with cancer “so

One dose of radiation is proving to be an effective, less expensive method for treating patients with certain benign tumors at the base of the skull, a new study has found.

New research shows that a low-calorie diet slows the progress of prostate cancer in animals. Tumor progression was inhibited irrespective of how the calories were reduced; ie, by cutting fat or carbohydrates or by changing the overall diet. The research

Adenocarcinoma of the prostate the most common solid tumor in American men, is responsible for tremendous morbidity and mortality in this country, and yet controversy governs most discussions of screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Central to any

Very little has changed in the management of advanced renal cell carcinoma since the approval of interleukin-2 (IL-2, aldesleukin [Proleukin]) in 1992 by the FDA for the systemic treatment of this disease. Dr. Bukowski succinctly reviews the

Laparoscopy dates back to 1901 when Kelling inspected a dog’s abdominal cavity with a cystoscope introduced transcutaneously. This technique was subsequently applied to humans in 1923.[1] Jacobaeus, in 1910, developed instruments

Quality of life (QOL) and health status data obtained from the Veterans Administration Cancer of the Prostate Outcomes Study (VA CaPOS) have the potential to add substantially to information available from other observational databases and

Dr. Chi very nicely reviews the history of operative laparoscopy in gynecologic oncology and covers most of the applications currently considered to be useful.

Minimally invasive surgery is simply the use of small incisions with specialized equipment to accomplish surgical objectives that would otherwise be completed through larger incisions with conventional equipment. A priority of gyne-cologic oncologists

One of the cornerstones of gynecologic cancer surgery is the assessment and removal of the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Numerous reports have demonstrated that, when performed by highly skilled individuals, laparoscopic

The VA Cancer of the Prostate Outcomes Study (VA CaPOS) is collecting quality-of-life (QOL) information from prostate cancer patients, spouses, and physicians at six VA medical centers. Currently, 601 men with prostate

Cancer survivors’ access to equal employment opportunities and adequate health insurance has changed significantly during the 1990s. New federal and state laws have expanded survivors’ rights to be treated fairly in

Like pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA), post-treatment PSA nadirs may have prognostic significance in patients with prostate carcinoma, according to data presented by Timothy S. Boyd, MD, Robert C. Orth, BS, Wolfgang A. Tomé,

Currently, at least 8 million individuals are alive who have survived cancer for 5 or more years.[1] By the year 2000, 1 in 900 individuals between the ages of 16 and 44 years will be survivors of childhood cancer.[2] Given these statistics, the unique

Problem: Several million women worldwide have survived breast cancer but are currently advised against the use of estrogen for the management of menopausal symptoms and for the prevention of early cardiovascular death and osteoporosis.

Patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma continue to present a therapeutic challenge. Current therapeutic approaches involve surgery and various types of immunotherapy. The rationale for this latter form of therapy

Based on a keynote address given by Marie Overgaard, md, at the 1998 American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) meeting. Dr. Overgaard is consulting oncologist, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, as