We told you so: How the persistence of
With two novel immunotherapies approved and many more in the pipeline, is it time to announce that a new treatment modality has emerged? A class of therapy that has long held promise for treating cancer [more]
2012
Futile care: Why does it happen, how can we avoid it?
Why are cancer patients being given medically futile treatment in the last weeks of their life? We hear this question raised time and again at international meetings and in journal articles, provoking polarised views and [more]
In the jungle of the miracle healers
It was her own fault that she lost her chance to be cured. Or was it? This article, which was first published in the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, and won its author a [more]
How exposure to a mother’s cancer treatment during pregnancy impacts on the child
When your patient is pregnant, uncertainty about the impact different therapies may have on the child makes it hard to discuss treatment options. A study of children exposed to cancer treatments before birth is now [more]
How bad news can be good news for cancer services
Knowing what needs to be done is one thing. Making it happen is quite another. Well-informed media stories that highlight shortcomings and failings can help focus minds on the need for urgent action. The media [more]
For localised prostate cancer, does technology equal progress?
Recent evolution of prostate cancer treatment reflects technological arms races driven by economic incentives rather than high-quality evidence as exemplified by proton-beam radiation, recently found markedly inferior to far less expensive alternatives. Another study [more]
Gemtuzumab ozogamicin in acute myeloid leukaemia
Gemtuzumab ozogamicin was withdrawn from the market after being evaluated in combination with chemotherapy in the frontline treatment of patients aged 18 to 60 years with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). More-recent randomised trials demonstrate that [more]
Newsround
Selected reports edited by Janet Fricker Preoperative chemoradio-therapy improves survival in oesophageal cancer => New England Journal of Medicine Preoperative chemoradiotherapy improves survival among patients with potentially curable oesophageal or oesophagogastric-junction cancers, a phase III [more]
Salvage chemotherapy in gastric cancer more than a straw?
The benefit of salvage chemotherapy in gastric cancer refractory to first-line platinum and fluoropyrimidine therapy was previously unknown. A randomised multicentre study has shown that irinotecan or docetaxel administered as single agents improved survival compared [more]
Manufacturer sponsorship bias in economic analyses matters
A qualitative study indicates that there is a positive selection bias towards favourable economic analysis of targeted therapies when these are funded by the manufacturer. At a time of increasing budgetary constraints and public scrutiny [more]
Winning or losing? ESO asks the experts
To mark 30 years of helping to improve the quality of care provided to cancer patients, ESO is convening a jury of 100 experts at the World Oncology Forum in Lugano this October to examine [more]