May 2015 | Oncology Live®

Many Challenges Loom in Ensuring Validity and Utility of Diagnostic Tests

May 12, 2015

While diagnostic tests play a critical role in physician decision making-particularly in oncology-questions remain regarding the clinical utility of some of these tests, as well as the validity of laboratory-developed tests.

Cardio-Oncology Care Emerges as a Specialized Need

May 11, 2015

The sheer number of survivors- nearly 15 million in the United States, or 4% of the population-has brought greater attention to ensuring that cancer treatment does not cause other harms, since cancer patients are not only living but also living longer.

Novel Strategies Aimed at Overcoming Resistance to AR Therapy in Prostate Cancer

May 08, 2015

With increased understanding of the biology of CRPC and the mechanisms of action of AR-targeting drugs, researchers are developing a growing appreciation for the extensive heterogeneity and complexity of both prostate cancer and androgen signaling.

Initiative Seeks to Advance Molecular Understanding of Pancreatic Cancer

May 07, 2015

A partnership between the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and Perthera, a self-described "concierge" for molecular diagnostic testing, is aiming to give patients with this hard-to-treat cancer the ability to determine the best course of treatment.

Clinical Development of Prostate Cancer Vaccines Continues

May 06, 2015

The field of prostate cancer vaccines remains an area of active exploration, with clinical trials into sipuleucel-T continuing even amid a corporate restructuring and a phase III study into PROSTVAC reaching full enrollment.

Taking Lung Cancer Care into the Precision Medicine Era

May 05, 2015

The recent approval of nivolumab in the non–small cell lung cancer setting marks a unique shift in the treatment landscape of this malignancy, one that harnesses the patient's own immune system to target the tumors. However, there are challenges in using these agents.

Walsh's Quest to Understand Male Anatomy Revolutionized the Prostatectomy

May 05, 2015

In 1974, Patrick C. Walsh, MD, took charge of the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and spent the next few decades refining the radical prostatectomy into a safe, effective, and tolerable procedure, one that has not only extended countless lives but has also preserved quality of life.

The Search for Immune-Specific Biomarkers Is in Full Swing

May 04, 2015

An improved understanding of how the immune system recognizes and eradicates cancer cells, along with advances in drugs that effectively promote antitumor immune responses, is revolutionizing the field of cancer therapy.

Distinct Strategies Needed for Treating Lobular Breast Cancer

April 29, 2015

Although patients with invasive lobular carcinoma are typically treated with the same therapeutic strategies as those with infiltrating ductal malignancies, ILC is emerging as a molecularly complex and distinct tumor type that suggests different approaches may be effective.

The Precision Medicine Misconception

April 28, 2015

Amid the increasingly public discussion and often vigorous debate surrounding the general topic of precision cancer medicine, there appears to be a misconception of what the term is meant to imply.