CA recent issues

Thirdhand Smoke Identified as Potent, Enduring Carcinogen [News and Views]

Dreyfuss, J. H. — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:00:40 PDT

Tamoxifen Infrequently Used by Women at Risk for Breast Cancer [News and Views]

Dreyfuss, J. H. — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:00:40 PDT

Diabetes and Cancer: A Consensus Report [Articles]

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:00:40 PDT

Epidemiologic evidence suggests that cancer incidence is associated with diabetes as well as certain diabetes risk factors and treatments. This consensus statement of experts assembled jointly by the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society reviews the state of science concerning 1) the association between diabetes and cancer incidence or prognosis; 2) risk factors common to both diabetes and cancer; 3) possible biologic links between diabetes and cancer risk; and 4) whether diabetes treatments influence the risk of cancer or cancer prognosis. In addition, key unanswered questions for future research are posed. CA Cancer J Clin 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors: Current Strategies and Future Prospects [Articles]

Cook, K. M., Figg, W. D. — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:00:40 PDT

Angiogenesis has become an attractive target for drug therapy because of its key role in tumor growth. An extensive array of compounds is currently in preclinical development, with many now entering the clinic and/or achieving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. Several regulatory and signaling molecules governing angiogenesis are of interest, including growth factors (eg, vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and epidermal growth factor), receptor tyrosine kinases, and transcription factors such as hypoxia inducible factor, as well as molecules involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling. Pharmacologic agents have been identified that target these pathways, yet for some agents (notably thalidomide), an understanding of the specific mechanisms of antitumor action has proved elusive. The following review describes key molecular mechanisms and novel therapies that are on the horizon for antiangiogenic tumor therapy. CA Cancer J Clin 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Bladder Cancer in 2010: How Far have We Come? [Articles]

Jacobs, B. L., Lee, C. T., Montie, J. E. — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:00:40 PDT

Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer and ranks eighth as a cause of death from cancer among men in the United States. Although guidelines assist in treatment, the art of managing bladder cancer, such as the decision to use neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the timing of cystectomy, is still variable. Bladder cancer has a propensity to recur, and with recurrence, a significant number of cases progress, which makes the early detection of high-risk patients imperative. Advances in detection, surveillance, and treatment of bladder cancer are reviewed in this article. CA Cancer J Clin 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Online Continuing Education Program [CME/CNE Quizzes]

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:00:40 PDT

Occupational Formaldehyde Exposure Linked to Increased Risk of Myeloid Leukemia and Death [News and Views]

Dreyfuss, J. H. — Wed, 05 May 2010 09:00:46 PDT

Cigarette Smoking Linked to Increased Human Papillomavirus DNA Load [News and Views]

Wed, 05 May 2010 09:00:46 PDT

Quality in Cancer Diagnosis [Articles]

Raab, S. S., Grzybicki, D. M. — Wed, 05 May 2010 09:00:46 PDT

Improving the quality of oncologic pathology diagnosis is immensely important as the overwhelming majority of the approximately 1.6 million patients who will be diagnosed with cancer in 2010 have their diagnoses established through the pathologic interpretation of a tissue sample. Millions more patients have tissue samples obtained to rule out cancer and do not have cancer. The majority of studies on the quality of oncologic pathology diagnoses have focused on patient safety and have documented a variety of causes of error that occur in the clinical and pathology laboratory testing phases of diagnostic testing. The reported frequency of a diagnostic error made by oncologic pathology depends on several factors, such as definitions and detection methods, and ranges from 1% to 15%. The large majority of diagnostic errors do not result in severe harm, although mild to moderate harm in the form of additional testing or diagnostic delays occurs in up to 50% of errors. Clinical practitioners play an essential role in error reduction through several avenues such as effective test ordering, providing accurate and pertinent clinical information, procuring high-quality specimens, providing timely follow-up on test results, effectively communicating on potentially discrepant diagnoses, and advocating second opinions on the pathology diagnosis in specific situations. CA Cancer J Clin 2010;60:139–165. © 2010 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Exciting New Advances in Neuro-Oncology: The Avenue to a Cure for Malignant Glioma [Articles]

Wed, 05 May 2010 09:00:46 PDT

Malignant gliomas are the most common and deadly brain tumors. Nevertheless, survival for patients with glioblastoma, the most aggressive glioma, although individually variable, has improved from an average of 10 months to 14 months after diagnosis in the last 5 years due to improvements in the standard of care. Radiotherapy has been of key importance to the treatment of these lesions for decades, and the ability to focus the beam and tailor it to the irregular contours of brain tumors and minimize the dose to nearby critical structures with intensity-modulated or image-guided techniques has improved greatly. Temozolomide, an alkylating agent with simple oral administration and a favorable toxicity profile, is used in conjunction with and after radiotherapy. Newer surgical techniques, such as fluorescence-guided resection and neuroendoscopic approaches, have become important in the management of malignant gliomas. Furthermore, new discoveries are being made in basic and translational research, which are likely to improve this situation further in the next 10 years. These include agents that block 1 or more of the disordered tumor proliferation signaling pathways, and that overcome resistance to already existing treatments. Targeted therapies such as antiangiogenic therapy with antivascular endothelial growth factor antibodies (bevacizumab) are finding their way into clinical practice. Large-scale research efforts are ongoing to provide a comprehensive understanding of all the genetic alterations and gene expression changes underlying glioma formation. These have already refined the classification of glioblastoma into 4 distinct molecular entities that may lead to different treatment regimens. The role of cancer stem-like cells is another area of active investigation. There is definite hope that by 2020, new cocktails of drugs will be available to target the key molecular pathways involved in gliomas and reduce their mortality and morbidity, a positive development for patients, their families, and medical professionals alike. CA Cancer J Clin 2010;60:166–193. © 2010 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Androgen-Deprivation Therapy in Prostate Cancer and Cardiovascular Risk: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and American Urological Association: Endorsed by the American Society for Radiation Oncology [Articles]

Wed, 05 May 2010 09:00:46 PDT

Online Continuing Education Program [CME/CNE Quizzes]

Wed, 05 May 2010 09:00:46 PDT

Difficulty Accepting a Terminal Prognosis Linked with Depression, Anxiety, and Suffering [News and Views]

Dreyfuss, J. H. — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:53 PST

New Joint Outpatient Chemotherapy Administration Standards [News and Views]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:53 PST

Introducing the 2010 American Cancer Society Prostate Cancer Screening Guideline [Editorials]

Brawley, O. W., Gansler, T. — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:53 PST

American Cancer Society Guideline for the Early Detection of Prostate Cancer: Update 2010 [Articles]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:53 PST

In 2009, the American Cancer Society (ACS) Prostate Cancer Advisory Committee began the process of a complete update of recommendations for early prostate cancer detection. A series of systematic evidence reviews was conducted focusing on evidence related to the early detection of prostate cancer, test performance, harms of therapy for localized prostate cancer, and shared and informed decision making in prostate cancer screening. The results of the systematic reviews were evaluated by the ACS Prostate Cancer Advisory Committee, and deliberations about the evidence occurred at committee meetings and during conference calls. On the basis of the evidence and a consensus process, the Prostate Cancer Advisory Committee developed the guideline, and a writing committee drafted a guideline document that was circulated to the entire committee for review and revision. The document was then circulated to peer reviewers for feedback, and finally to the ACS Mission Outcomes Committee and the ACS Board of Directors for approval. The ACS recommends that asymptomatic men who have at least a 10-year life expectancy have an opportunity to make an informed decision with their health care provider about screening for prostate cancer after they receive information about the uncertainties, risks, and potential benefits associated with prostate cancer screening. Prostate cancer screening should not occur without an informed decision-making process. Men at average risk should receive this information beginning at age 50 years. Men in higher risk groups should receive this information before age 50 years. Men should either receive this information directly from their health care providers or be referred to reliable and culturally appropriate sources. Patient decision aids are helpful in preparing men to make a decision whether to be tested. CA Cancer J Clin 2010;60:70–98. © 2010 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Cancer Screening in the United States, 2010: A Review of Current American Cancer Society Guidelines and Issues in Cancer Screening [Articles]

Smith, R. A., Cokkinides, V., Brooks, D., Saslow, D., Brawley, O. W. — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:53 PST

Each year the American Cancer Society (ACS) publishes a summary of its recommendations for early cancer detection, a report on data and trends in cancer screening rates, and select issues related to cancer screening. In 2010, the ACS updated its guidelines for testing for early prostate cancer detection, and during 2009 there were several newsworthy updates in the cancer screening guidelines from other organizations. In this article, the current ACS guidelines and recent issues are summarized, updates of guidelines for testing for early breast cancer detection by the US Preventive Services Task Force and for prevention and early detection of cervical cancer from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are addressed, and the most recent data from the National Health Interview Survey pertaining to participation rates in cancer screening are described. CA Cancer J Clin 2010;60:99–119. © 2010 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Evaluating the Older Patient with Cancer: Understanding Frailty and the Geriatric Assessment [Articles]

Kumar Pal, S., Katheria, V., Hurria, A. — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:53 PST

The majority of cancer incidence and mortality occurs in individuals aged older than 65 years, and the number of older adults with cancer is projected to significantly increase secondary to the aging of the US population. As such, understanding the changes accompanying age in the context of the cancer patient is of critical importance. Age-related changes can impact tolerance of anticancer therapy and can shift the overall risk-benefit ratio of such treatment. A challenge in implementing evidence-based approaches in older adults is the under–representation of this group in oncology clinical trials. In addition, although older adults are particularly vulnerable to the side effects of cancer therapy, few oncology studies to date have incorporated a measure of health status other than the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group or Karnofsky performance scales. Novel metrics such as frailty indices or the geriatric assessment recognize heterogeneity among older adults, and may allow for risk-adapted approaches to therapy. It is increasingly recognized that several laboratory markers may predict morbidity and mortality in older adults; these biologic variables may further aid in stratifying this group of patients based on risk. This review describes key studies from the geriatric literature that provide principles for assessing health status in the older patient, and ways that these principles can be applied to oncology care in an older population are proposed. CA Cancer J Clin 2010;60:120–132. © 2010 American Cancer Society, Inc.

Should I Be Tested for Prostate Cancer? [Patient Pages]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:53 PST

Online Continuing Education Program [CME/CNE Quizzes]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:13:53 PST