PARP inhibitors are the first class of drugs to exploit a new concept in oncology – synthetic lethality. Alexandra Leary explains the rationale, reviews the trial evidence and clinical experience, and looks to their future [more]
An ESO task force met to discuss the potential for “biosimilar” medical products in oncology, analyzing facts and debunking some myths. Some of the most used biologic drugs in oncology are going off patent in [more]
Uncontrolled pain can blight the lives of cancer patients and survivors. But all too often, health professionals don’t ask, and patients don’t tell. Simon Crompton looks at why this is still the case, and what [more]
Lung cancer kills more people in Europe than any other type of cancer, yet efforts to monitor and improve standards of treatment and care have lagged behind those of less fatal cancers, such as breast [more]
Complex healthcare cannot succeed without effective communication between everyone involved in the patient’s care, with each understanding and respecting the contribution of others. Peter McIntyre looks at where things can go wrong, and how to [more]
A chance to work at the heart of the trailblazing MINDACT trial gave Ivana Božović-Spasojević a memorable lesson in the value of international academic trials, and the logistics of how to run them. She spoke [more]
Sriram Venneti and colleagues examine non-invasive metabolic imaging strategies that can be used to interrogate some of the genomic alterations in brain tumours, with the ultimate goal of informing patient management. This is an abridged [more]
Male breast cancer is almost always oestrogen receptor positive, and is traditionally treated in line with guidelines for treating hormone-sensitive breast cancers in postmenopausal women. Ian Fentiman questions the rationale for this approach, pointing to [more]
For a disease that has led the field of molecular biology, it is surprising perhaps that so few biomarkers have been identified that can predict a person’s risk of developing cancer. Researchers are now looking [more]
How far can private and philanthropic providers meet the rapidly rising need for cancer detection, treatment and care in low- and middle-income countries? Sandhya Srinivasan reports on a high-profile debate involving economists, policy makers, clinicians [more]
Rare cancers were among the topics discussed last month at the 3rd conference on European Reference Networks held in Vilnius, in Lithuania, where Dr Paolo Casali, from the Milan’s Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori illustrated the goals of the Joint [more]
When it comes to breast cancer screening with mammography, are women receiving a coherent message about the best age to start and to stop, and about frequency? A survey examined the situation in the United [more]
Brain tumours are tough to treat for so many reasons. Progress depends almost entirely on the steadfast commitment of doctors working within international networks. Peter McIntyre talked to some of them, to hear about their [more]