ONCOLOGY & HEMATOLOGY REVIEW – VOLUME 14 – ISSUE 2 – FALL 2018

  Welcome to the fall edition of Oncology and Hematology Review, which features a wealth of topical and practical content for oncologists and hematologists, as well as being of interest to the wider medical community. Our expert interviews continue to be popular, providing concise snapshots of hot topics in medicine. We are entering a transformative […]

Over recent years we have seen an increasing number of global clinical trials, with nearly 31% of the world’s clinical trials being conducted outside the US and 25% of new drug applications including data from international sites.1 In addition, clinical trial protocols have increased in complexity, with increased numbers of endpoints, procedures, eligibility criteria, and […]

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and follicular lymphoma are the three most common lymphoproliferative malignancies.1 All are B-cell malignancies and, although diverse in their underlying pathologies and clinical presentation, until recently have been treated the same way. The standard first-line therapy is rituximab and combination chemotherapy, usually the CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and […]

  Until recently, the standard of care for patients with stage III (locally advanced), unresectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was platinum-based, doublet chemotherapy together with radiotherapy (chemoradiotherapy).1 However, long-term outcomes for these patients is poor, with 5-year survival rates ranging between 15–25%, while long-term survival data are rarely reported.2 Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed […]

  Immune checkpoint inhibitors have established themselves as bona fide practice-changing agents in the management of several cancers including melanoma and lung cancer. However, selection of individual regimens appropriate for first-line treatment of different subsets of patients with lung cancer remains in flux, and is subject to a number of competing predictive biomarkers. In an […]

Lung cancer accounts for the greatest proportion of cancer deaths in the US. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for around 10–15% of all lung cancers.1 It is a highly aggressive malignancy, characterized by a high proliferation rate and early metastasis, for which the most effective first-line treatment modality is combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy.2 […]

The development of precision medicine relies on the identification of biomarkers for monitoring and detecting disease. Current studies of biomarker identification have focused on serum and plasma, but in doing so, they have missed a rich source of biomarkers: platelets.1 In addition to their functions in coagulation and maintaining hemostasis following mechanical injury of the […]

  In recent years, personalized therapies have transformed the management of many advanced malignancies. However, despite advances in targeted therapy and immunotherapy that have expanded the treatment options for patients with metastatic kidney cancer, we are unable to predict which patients are most likely to respond to individual treatments.1 With a number of highly effective […]

Liver cancer has contributed to an annual 30,200 deaths in the US so far in 2018.1 An overwhelming majority is due to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the setting of advanced liver disease.2 While chronic hepatitis C and alcoholic liver disease traditionally have been the most common etiologies of cirrhosis in the US, the prevalence of […]

Esophageal cancer remains a devastating malignancy with an anticipated 15,850 deaths out of 17,290 new cases in the US in 2018.1 Forty percent of patients with esophageal cancer are diagnosed with metastatic disease and carry an even more dismal prognosis, with 5-year survival rates of <5%.1 The two predominant esophageal cancer histologic subtypes, comprising over […]