EUROPEAN ONCOLOGY & HAEMATOLOGY – VOLUME 12 ISSUE 2 – WINTER 2016

Welcome to the latest edition of European Oncology & Haematology, which features a wide variety of topical articles. This issue begins with an expert interview with Karen Gelmon on the latest advances in treatments for women with hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer, for which effective therapeutic options still remain a major unmet need. One of […]

I am delighted to take on the role of Editor-in-Chief for European Oncology & Haematology and look forward to working with everyone involved in developing the journal. European Oncology & Haematology has gained a reputation for publishing high quality, accessible articles. These articles are selected for their assessment of current practices and research and discussion […]

Endocrine treatment constitutes the therapeutic backbone for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer,1 the most common breast cancer subtype.2 Despite its efficacy, endocrine resistance can arise3 and alternative treatments options are a pressing requirement. Recently, in the double-blind, multicentre, phase III trial, Fulvestrant and AnastrozoLe COmpared in hormonal therapy Naïve advanced breast cancer (FALCON), the selective oestrogen […]

Polycythaemia vera (PV) is a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm characterised by unregulated proliferation of red blood cells, and sometimes leukocytes and platelets in the absence of a recognisable physiological stimulus.1–4 Increased red blood cell mass leads to hyperviscosity of the blood and increased risk of thrombosis. In addition, patients may have a high symptom burden that […]

Autologous haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is widely employed in haematological malignancies including multiple myeloma (MM),1 Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (HL and NHL)2–5 and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).6,7 High-dose chemotherapy is an effective treatment strategy in numerous malignant conditions, however, it requires the subsequent use of autologous HSCT in order to restore bone marrow function, mostly […]

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is one of the major complications of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) resulting from a complex interaction between the donor-derived immune system and recipient organ.1 While acute GVHD is a distinctive syndrome consisting of the development of mainly dermatitis, hepatitis and enteritis, chronic GVHD describes a more diverse syndrome, potentially […]

Epigenetics encompasses heritable changes in the pattern of gene expression mediated by mechanisms other than alterations in primary nucleotide sequence. The epigenome is an inheritable record of changes to the DNA and histone proteins, such as methylation and nucleosome remodelling that directs which genes are to be silenced or expressed. Following early studies of abnormal […]

In myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), iron overload (IOL) is the result of multiple red blood cell (RBC) transfusions and increased iron absorption. The cause for the latter is low hepcidin levels due to an ineffective erythropoiesis.1 Increased iron absorption contributes to IOL, but chronic RBC transfusions are considered the main cause of IOL.2 IOL can lead […]

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined by a lack of expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), and a lack of overexpression or amplification of human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) on tumor cells. TNBC accounts for approximately 15–20% of all breast cancers diagnosed in the United States.1 It is more common […]

Breast cancers which lack expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)—so-called triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC)—make up 15–20% of the more than 230,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the US each year.1 Metastatic TNBC remains an important clinical challenge as it is associated with a […]