Volume 5, Number 7 (July 2008)

Letter from the Editor

360

To treat, perchance to cure

Lee S. Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, Editor-in-Chief

The West Clinic, Memphis, TN

The dream of manipulating the immune system and prodding it to cure cancer has excited researchers for decades. Reports in the media and in this issue of Community Oncology demonstrate how close we are getting to that goal. A diverse spectrum of reports is offered this month.

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Review Article

367

Moving forward with immunotherapy: the rationale for anti-CTLA-4 therapy in melanoma

Kim Margolin, MD, FACP

Division of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA

CTLA-4 blockade with monoclonal antibodies unblocks this physiologic suppression of cytotoxic T-cell–mediated immune responses and may enhance the immune response against malignant cells. Two fully human anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibodies (ipilimumab and tremelimumab) are being investigated for advanced melanoma and other malignancies.

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Original Contribution

376

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to intraperitoneal chemotherapy in women with advanced ovarian cancer

William R. Robinson, MD, George Barnett, MD, and April S. Rogers, RN, MSN

The Don & Sybil Harrington Cancer Center/Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by debulking surgery and IP/IV chemotherapy is well tolerated in women with advanced ovarian cancer. It appears to reduce the morbidity associated with debulking surgery, and it allows more patients to complete a full course of IP/IV therapy. In a pilot study conducted by the authors, progression-free survival and overall survival were superior to the survival of ovarian cancer patients in other clinical trials who responded to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and then underwent surgical debulking followed by IP/IV chemotherapy.

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Review Article

382

The role of endoscopic ultrasonography in patients with pancreatic cancer

Andrew Fedoravicius, MD, and Douglas G. Adler, MD, FACG, FASGE

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Accurate staging of pancreatic tumors is critical to allow patients to be appropriately referred for surgery, which is the most effective treatment for long-term survival. Endoscopic ultrasonography has emerged as a highly effective minimally invasive technique for detecting the presence of malignant lymphadenopathy and for assessing vascular tumor involvement.

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Psychosocial Oncology

407

Psychosocial considerations in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: implications for patient quality of life and post-transplant survival

Scott D. Siegel, PhD

Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DE

Many patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) report distress over their treatment. This article reviews the literature on the psychosocial sequelae of HSCT, the evidence of a prospective relationship between psychosocial factors and post-transplant survival, the clinical implications of these findings, and considerations for future research.

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Original Contribution

416

Teenage interviewers in underserved populations: a new method of assessing trends in breast cancer screening practices

Prudence Lam, MD, and Rebecca Sands, DO

Cambridge Health Alliance, The Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA, Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA

Accurate data to explain the lower rate of breast cancer screening and higher rate of mortality in black women versus white women have been difficult to obtain due to inadequate survey completion rates and concerns about inaccurate results of self-reported information. The authors applied an innovative approach to better assess current disparities and identify why they exist. Deploying teenagers as surveyors is feasible and effective in obtaining meaningful information while potentially avoiding limitations of self-reported data.

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Brief Communications

389

Hodgkin’s lymphoma during pregnancy

Amy Patel, MD, Jeanette Camacho, MD, and James Stevenson, MD

Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

A case report in which the workup of cervical adenopathy during pregnancy led to the diagnosis of a malignancy.

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Washington Update

396

It’s time to modernize Medicare payment—especially for cancer care

Ted Okon

Community Oncology Alliance

Once again, Congress went down to the wire to put a Band-Aid on the way that Medicare pays physicians for services they provide to patients.

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Adverse Events Alert

413

Cutaneous toxicities of targeted cancer therapies

Mario E. Lacouture, MD, Dennis P. West, PhD, Cara C. Tigue, BA, Kjersti Knox, BA, and Charles L. Bennett, MD, PhD, MPP

Northwestern University, VA Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL

With the increasing use of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors, toxicities are also on the rise. How to prevent and treat.

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© 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.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors or advertisers. The authors, editors, and publishers make every effort to ensure that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion, or statement is published in this journal and that drug names, dosages, and recommendations are accurate. However, readers should confirm all dosage schedules against the manufacturer’s package information data. The Publisher, Editorial Board, and their employees accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any inaccurate or misleading data, opinion, or statement.