ORIGINAL PAPERS

   BREAST CANCER

Central Nervous System Metastases in HER-2–Overexpressing Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Treatment Challenge

Hans-Joachim Stemmler, Volker Heinemann
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 739-750; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2008-0052
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

SUMMARY: This review focuses on risk factors for the development of central nervous system metastasis, the prognostic factors and the pattern of central nervous system involvement, and systemic treatment modalities in patients suffering from central nervous system metastasis from human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–overexpressing metastatic breast cancer.

The CYP19 TTTA Repeat Polymorphism Is Related to the Prognosis of Premenopausal Stage I–II and Operable Stage III Breast Cancers

Chiun-Sheng Huang, Sung-Hsin Kuo, Huang-Chun Lien, Shi-Yi Yang, San-Lin You, Chen-Yang Shen, Ching-Hung Lin, Yen-Sen Lu, King-Jeng Chang
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 751-760; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2007-0246
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

SUMMARY: This study examines the role of the CYP19 TTTA repeat polymorphism in breast cancer survival, and hence management, and finds this polymorphism to be associated with survival in premenopausal women, but not in postmenopausal women, with hormone receptor–positive breast cancers. Premenopausal women with the long allele have a greater survival rate and may not gain benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

Erythropoietin and Its Receptor in Breast Cancer: Putting Together the Pieces of the Puzzle

Ferdinando Mannello, Gaetana A. M. Tonti
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 761-768; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2008-0110
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

SUMMARY: The article provides a hypothetical biomolecular mechanism as to why erythropoietin may promote, in some instances, tumor cell proliferation in breast cancer-initiating cells, whereas, in other instances, it leads to better survival in breast cancer patients.

Malignancy After Solid Organ Transplantation: An Overview

S. Yousuf Zafar, David N. Howell, Jon P. Gockerman
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 769-778; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2007-0251
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

SUMMARY: The authors present the second reported case of a patient with lung transplantation who developed Kaposi's sarcoma in the lung graft. They provide a discussion of the most common malignancies encountered in the post–solid organ transplant setting and provide recommendations for surveillance and treatment.

Pheochromocytoma: Current Approaches and Future Directions

Joel T. Adler, Goswin Y. Meyer-Rochow, Herbert Chen, Diana E. Benn, Bruce G. Robinson, Rebecca S. Sippel, Stan B. Sidhu
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 779-793; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2008-0043
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

SUMMARY: This review summarizes the presentation, diagnosis, surgical intervention, postoperative management, and future directions in the treatment of benign and malignant pheochromocytomas.

Is There an Optimal Chemotherapy Regimen for the Treatment of Advanced Gastric Cancer That Will Provide a Platform for the Introduction of New Biological Agents?

Carmelo Pozzo, Carlo Barone
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 794-806; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2008-0082
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

SUMMARY: This review considers the outcome of recent randomized studies of newer cytotoxic combinations investigated as first-line treatments for advanced gastric cancer. The authors suggest that the hope for significant advances in the near future appears to rest in the combination of new targeted biological agents with existing standard first-line regimens and that the docetaxel–cisplatin–5-fluorouracil and the epirubicin–oxaliplatin–capecitabine regimens perhaps represent cytotoxic backbones of choice for new studies investigating the addition of generally well-tolerated biological agents.

Gemcitabine Pulmonary Toxicity in Ovarian Cancer

Emily Ko, Susanna Lee, Annekathryn Goodman
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 807-811; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2008-0049
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

SUMMARY: This article presents the case of an 83-year-old woman with stage IIIc ovarian serous papillary carcinoma who experience gemcitabine-induced pulmonary lung toxicity and cautions physicians to be cognizant of this condition to prevent further morbidity and mortality in these cancer patients.

Liver Tumors in Children

Jason B. Litten, Gail E. Tomlinson
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 812-820; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2008-0011
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

SUMMARY: The known causes and associations of liver tumors in children as well as the approaches to diagnosis and treatment of children are discussed in this review article.

Evaluation of Vitamin D Deficiency in Breast Cancer Patients on Bisphosphonates

Andrea Wang-Gillam, Dorothy A. Miles, Laura F. Hutchins
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 821-827; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2008-0013
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

SUMMARY: This study examined the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among breast cancer patients treated with bisphosphonates for osteoporosis or metastatic bone disease, and found a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among these patients. The authors advocate screening for vitamin D deficiency in these patients and the development of clear guidelines for the diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency and identification of the proper dose of vitamin D supplementation.

Holistic Oncology: A Healing Garden Guest Book

The Oncologist 2008; 13: 828; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2008-7001
[Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]  

Reflections

Davi-Ellen Chabner
The Oncologist 2008; 13: 3012-3015; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2008-7002
[Full Text] [PDF]  

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