When Pfizer followed Merck & co in withdrawing one of their COX-2 inhibitors from the market owing to increased risks of cardiovascular complications, it provided a timely reminder that medicines are not without their risks. [more]
It took José Baselga just a few years to build the oncology department at Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron hospital from a few shabby consulting rooms to a leading centre for research into targeted therapies. Europe has [more]
Every year thousands of people die unnecessarily from cancer because their care is sub-optimal or arrives too late. Europe has known where the problems are for more than a decade and has the knowledge to [more]
Do animal models reliably predict toxic effects in humans, or are they actually blocking development of vital new drugs? Two recent major health scares have reignited the old debate. Download full article
The European Patent Office (EPO) has decided that the European patent on mutations in breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility (EP 705903) is to be maintained in amended form. Download full article
Things seem to have gone quiet at the EC since 2000, when Europe Against Cancer a concerted programme aimed at reducing cancer deaths by 15% came to an end. Where is Europe concentrating [more]
As director of the NCI between 1980 and 1988, Vince DeVita was a Commander in Chief of America’s War on Cancer. He has little time for those who now criticise the plan of attack [more]
Most cancer deaths are in the developing world and the problem is set to escalate, yet cancer has never received the attention given diseases such as AIDS and malaria. Equipping less-developed health systems with the [more]
In a bid to raise standards in palliative care, ESMO has drawn up a list of criteria that hospitals must fulfill to qualify as centres of excellence. Would your hospital pass the test? Download full [more]
Three recent papers have failed to confirm any clear benefit of neoadjuvant treatment on overall survival. But its value in minimising the extent of surgery and its potential for greater survival effect using newer drugs [more]
Vaccines have long been seen as a potentially attractive option for treating cancer. Now a group targeting a peptide that plays a key role in CML think they may be onto a winner. Download full [more]
Side-effects of chemotherapy are nasty and can be dangerous. But soon patients may be able to log symptoms and receive prompt advice or, if necessary, medical attention, using nothing but a mobile phone… and a [more]
This latest edition of Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology is a one-stop shop for everything you ever wanted to know about oncology. Download full article