ONCOLOGY Vol 25 No 5

In 2004, Dr. Leisha Emens and I reviewed the use of trastuzumab (Herceptin), the monoclonal antibody directed against the HER2 protein, in the treatment of breast cancer.

Fatigue, fever, depression, confusion, and memory loss are general symptoms that can all indicate inflammation, which itself can often be caused by physical or psychological stress or a common infection such as influenza.

My 2002 article provided an overview of the various interleukin-2 (IL-2)–based treatment regimens that had been explored over the preceding two decades

Our paper, “Darbepoetin Alfa Administered Every 2 Weeks Alleviates Anemia in Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy,” at the time of its publication almost a decade ago, was impactful and frequently cited.

It is somewhat ironic (no pun intended) that a review whose title, “Iron and the Anemia of Chronic Disease,” suggests content more appropriate to a hematology journal than one devoted to oncology, has been found to have lasting value by practicing oncologists.

A role for inflammation in cancer initiation and progression has been inferred for a long time, but it has only been in the last 10 to 15 years that the molecular mechanisms have been dissected such that targeting inflammatory pathways for cancer prevention and therapy has become a practical possibility.

First of all, thank you for your continued readership of ONCOLOGY: Perspectives on Best Practices

I began practice as a medical oncologist in 1986, and like the journal ONCOLOGY, I am celebrating my 25th year in the field.

The past twenty-five years have seen a drop in deaths from cancer, particularly in the last half of that period.

Twenty-five years ago, the journal ONCOLOGY came into being. At that time patients with B- and T-cell lymphomas were lumped together in clinical trials, and mantle cell lymphoma, MALT lymphoma, and many subtypes of the peripheral T-cell lymphomas were not recognized as specific entities.

The practice of radiation oncology has been transformed over the past quarter-century in three significant aspects.

We review the evidence implicating a strong association between chronic inflammation and cancer, with an emphasis on colorectal and lung cancer.