Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers
Skin cancer is the single most common form of cancer, accounting for more than 75% of all cancer diagnoses. More than 1 million cases of squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas are diagnosed annually, with a lifetime risk of more than one in five.
Multi-Agent, Dose-Intensive Regimen Improves EFS in Rhabdomyosarcoma
October 30th 2015A treatment strategy including dose intensification with interval compression, use of the most active agents available, and the use of irinotecan as a radiation sensitizer led to a promising event-free survival rate in certain patients with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma.
Primary Metastatic Small Intestinal Carcinoid Tumor Without Carcinoid Syndrome
October 15th 2015Small intestinal “carcinoid” or well-differentiated grade 1 neuroendocrine tumors can have an insidious onset or be diagnosed serendipitously at the time of surgery, during the workup for another disorder, or during a screening test.
Study Shows BRCA Mutation Screening Needed Despite Family History
October 13th 2015A new study at a single center in Japan found no significant differences in the rate of BRCA mutations between ovarian cancer patients with or without family histories of the mutations and recommends that BRCA1/2 testing be required for all ovarian cancer patients
Experts Offer Guidance on Integrating Palliative Services Into Cancer Care
October 12th 2015Palliative care should be provided with cancer care early in the course of illness for all patients with advanced disease, according to a new guidance statement from ASCO and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Incorporating Palliative Care Improved Radiation Treatment for Bone Metastases
October 7th 2015A novel program combining radiation oncology with palliative care in patients with painful bone metastases increased the use of proven treatments while maintaining pain management, decreased palliative radiation use, and decreased hospital length of stay.
Challenges of Rural Cancer Care in the United States
Rural cancer patients often face substantial barriers to receiving optimal treatment, including availability of cancer care providers, distance to services, lack of public transportation, financial barriers, and limited access to clinical trials. However, a number of promising approaches may address some of these challenges.
Should Response to Preoperative Therapy Guide Local Management in Node-Positive Breast Cancer?
September 15th 2015Current data challenge the statement that recommendations for postmastectomy radiotherapy should be based on the highest clinical or pathologic stage. Instead, data suggest that in a majority of patients, the pathologic stage after neoadjuvant chemotherapy carries more prognostic value.
Country Docs With City Technology Can Address Rural Cancer Care Disparities
September 15th 2015As technology has affected every segment of society, we in the oncology community have a responsibility to make every effort to utilize these advances to enable the broadest possible outreach to our patient population in a continual process of quality improvement.