|
 |
Volume 5, Number 2 (February 2008) | |||||||||||||||||
Letter from the Editor |
|||||||||||||||||
59 |
Real-world oncology in a political year Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA Just before going to press, we wrapped up our Third Annual Community Oncology Conference in Washington, DC. The sessions at that meeting mirrored the journal in a number of ways, delivering practical, “real-world” presentations that focused on the team effort required to deliver quality care in community practice. In this month’s issue, we cover even more topics with information you can use every day.
|
||||||||||||||||
Community Translations |
|||||||||||||||||
67 |
Eculizumab for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria A first-in-class complement inhibitor, eculizumab enables patients with a rare hemolytic anemia to avoid transfusions. It is the only agent approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of this condition. | ||||||||||||||||
FROM THE COMMUNITY ONCOLOGIST'S PERSPECTIVE Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
| |||||||||||||||||
Community Dialogue |
|||||||||||||||||
75 |
Bringing cancer care to people, where they live John Niederhuber became director of the National Cancer Institute in 2006 with a desire to bring cancer care to people where they live. In June 2007, he announced a new program, the National Community Cancer Centers Program, to “bring more Americans into a system of high-quality cancer care, increase participation in clinical trials, and reduce cancer healthcare disparities.” We spoke with Dr. Niederhuber recently about this pilot program.
| ||||||||||||||||
Review Article |
|||||||||||||||||
86 |
Image-guided radiation therapy: techniques and strategies Southeast Radiation Oncology, Presbyterian Cancer Center, Presbyterian Hospital, Charlotte, NC With the advances in diagnostic imaging and computerized treatment planning, radiation oncology has made tremendous strides in designing sophisticated treatment plans. Studies demonstrate continued refinements in the technical aspect of image-guided radiation therapy, which are translating into improved patient outcomes. This article reviews the rationale for image guidance with discussion of organ movement and target delineation. It describes new image-guided technologies and their limitations and explores potential developments that may reshape and advance radiation oncology.
| ||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
Pharmacogenetics |
|||||||||||||||||
99 |
Irinotecan pharmacogenetics: an overview for the community oncologist University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI Community oncologists may have had the experience of treating a seemingly excellent candidate with irinotecan (Camptosar) who developed unexpected, severe toxicity during therapy. Until recently, a patient’s ability to tolerate irinotecan was entirely unpredictable. This situation changed in the early 2000s, when pharmacogenetic study identified the polymorphisms responsible for interindividual variability in the metabolism of many chemotherapeutic agents, including irinotecan, thiopurines, and fluoropyrimidines. Approximately 10% of the North American population are homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele. Patients homozygous for UGT1A1*28 are at greater risk for developing grade 3/4 neutropenia when treated with irinotecan. A screening test for the UGT1A1 polymorphism is available, but its utility and validity are unclear and require further investigation.
| ||||||||||||||||
Psychosocial Oncology |
|||||||||||||||||
108 |
Effect of oncologist-based counseling on patient-perceived breast cancer risk and psychological distress Comprehensive Breast Center, Baystate Regional Cancer Program, Springfield, MA, and Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA Women often seek reassurance from oncologists regarding their risk of developing breast cancer. But patient-perceived risk is frequently higher than calculated estimates of risk. We assessed perceived breast cancer risk, perceived BRCA mutation carriage risk, and anxiety measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 in 81 high-risk clinic patients before and immediately after oncologist counseling. Change in risk perceptions after counseling differed; change in anxiety levels did not. Detailed information alone does not fully address patients’ anxieties. To accomplish that, trained therapists are needed. | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENTARY Marriage and Family Therapist, Claremont, CA; Psychooncology Specialist, Wilshire Oncology Medical Group, La Verne, CA
| |||||||||||||||||
Brief Communications |
|||||||||||||||||
78 |
Ultrasonography-guided assessment of surgical margins in oral carcinoma—a study of three cases Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, College of Dental Surgery, Saveetha University, Chennai, India | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENTARY Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| |||||||||||||||||
Cases in Community Oncology |
|||||||||||||||||
93 |
A 72-year-old man with a large, left-upper-lobe lung mass US Oncology Research, Virginia Oncology Associates, Norfolk, VA Non-small cell lung carcinoma of the superior sulcus, or Pancoast’s syndrome (rib erosion, shoulder pain radiating down the arm, and Horner’s syndrome), is an uncommon, challenging tumor. The management and outcome of superior sulcus tumors have remained unchanged since the 1960s; however, the recent advent of multiple-modality therapy for treating these tumors has improved the prospects for patients, as this case report demonstrates.
| ||||||||||||||||
Washington Update |
|||||||||||||||||
105 |
A crystal ball for 2008 Community Oncology Alliance, Washington, DC Before we can gaze into the community oncology crystal ball for 2008, it’s useful to look back at 2007 to get some indication of what is ahead—and, most importantly, where community oncology should focus its advocacy efforts.
| ||||||||||||||||
© 2008 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. |
|||||||||||||||||
42 kb