ONCOLOGY Vol 25 No 10

The safety and efficacy of breast-conserving therapy (BCT) for women with early-stage breast cancer are well established. BCT entails wide excision of the tumor and appropriate nodal evaluation, followed by radiation therapy to the breast.

This article focuses on the recent debate regarding when-or whether-patients with ovarian cancer should undergo aggressive surgical resection.

This review describes the clinical features that should suggest a search for systemic malignancy as the cause of unexpected microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia.

Wide variations in the care of early bladder cancer exist, and among high–treatment intensity urology providers, overall survival is unchanged while rates of transition to major surgery are actually increasing. It has been said that for bladder tumors, it is time for a paradigm shift. We believe that the time is overdue.

Breast-conserving therapy (BCT), which includes wide local excision of the tumor followed by irradiation, has become a standard treatment option for women with early-stage invasive breast cancer.

The article by Revesz and Khan is an excellent summary of the state of our knowledge of margin width in relation to breast cancer recurrence.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) is a voluntary program designed to assess and improve processes of care in oncology practices.

The diagnosis and therapy of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) have advanced dramatically in the past 25 years, with increasing diagnostic awareness spurred on by the discovery of plasma exchange as an effective therapy.

Whether advanced ovarian cancer should be treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy or primary debulking surgery is one of the most debated topics in gynecologic oncology.

Surgical debulking of epithelial ovarian carcinoma has been a mainstay of therapy for more than 50 years-since the approach was first advocated by Meigs in 1934.[1] In 1968, Munnell[2] introduced the idea of the "maximum surgical effort”-essentially the removal of as much cancer as possible.

Ginkgo biloba, one of the oldest living tree species, is cultivated worldwide for its medicinal properties and aesthetic appeal. The leaves and seeds are used in traditional medicine to treat respiratory diseases, circulatory disorders, sexual dysfunction, and loss of hearing.

The article by Dr. George is of great use to the practicing clinician, not only in the hematology-oncology setting but also in general practice or emergency medicine.

Bladder cancer is a complex neoplasm with multiple histologic subtypes and a wide spectrum of clinical states, ranging from relatively nonlethal Ta cancers to virulent M1 disease.

In this issue of ONCOLOGY, Kamat and Mathew provide an excellent overview of the current status and future imperatives of bladder cancer treatment and research.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week the approval of brentuximab vedotin, a CD30-directed antibody drug-conjugate, for the treatment of refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and systemic anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved vemurafenib (Zelboraf) for the treatment of metastatic or unresectable melanoma. The new drug, also known as PLX4032, specifically targets patients whose tumors express the BRAF V600E gene mutation.