Welcome to the latest edition of Oncology & Hematology Review, whose wide-ranging articles reflect the scope of this field. We begin with one of our popular expert interviews, in which I was pleased to participate. In this interview, I discuss the risk factors for the progression of smoldering myeloma to multiple myeloma and the importance of early intervention in high-risk patients to avoid this progression.
In other expert interviews, Panagiota Andreopoulou discusses the impact of breast cancer treatment on bone health; M Patricia Rivera highlights the most important recent advances in staging, treatment and care of patients with lung cancer; Ricardo H Alvarez describes his studies of large-scale genomic sequencing in routine cancer care; and David G Mutch discusses the latest advances in the treatment of endometrial and ovarian cancer, including poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Recent advances in precision medicine promise to revolutionize the treatment landscape of a number of common malignancies, but this approach relies on the identification of biomarkers. Wadie Bahou describes the role of platelets in cancer progression and metastasis, as well as their potential role as biomarkers. However, this approach has not yet proven applicable to all malignancies. Ulka Vaishampayan considers the challenges of personalized therapy in advanced renal cancer, as well as describing a promising new targeted therapeutic approach.
Worldwide, lung cancer continues to be the most common malignancy and the largest cause of cancer deaths. In the first of three interviews on this subject, Stephen Chun highlights the disparities in access to combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy for patients with small cell lung cancer across the USA. Martin Edelman discusses the PACIFIC trial, the first study to demonstrate the efficacy of immunotherapy in stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and its impact on clinical practice. In addition, Khaled Tolba provides an insight into the challenges and opportunities presented by the use of immune biomarkers in therapeutic decision making in NSCLC. We also feature a review article by Das and Gibson on recent advances in metastatic esophageal and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. The incidence of these devastating malignancies is rising in the USA, and treatment is challenging, but new therapeutic options are improving outcomes. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma also continues to increase. In another review, Chen, Lopez, and Vaccaro describe the current approach to the diagnosis, staging, and management of this condition, with a focus on evolving approaches to systemic treatment.
Oncology & Hematology Review would like to thank all expert authors who contributed towards this edition. A special thanks goes to our Editorial Board for their continuing support and guidance. Thanks also go to all organizations and media partners for their ongoing support. We hope that all our readers will find plenty of interest among these timely and thought-provoking articles.
