oncologywatch

Thor PJ, Krolczyk G, Gil K, et al. Melatonin and serotonin effects on gastrointestinal motility. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2007 Dec;58 Suppl 6:97-103. Review. PMID: 18212403

A fascinating essay/review on the therapeutic potential of these hormones for people at risk for colorectal cancer, ulcerative colitis, gastric ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome.

From the conclusion:

The intelligent modulation of the gastrointestinal motility with melatonin/serotonin on brain-gut axis may be a key point in the treatment of patients resistant to standard therapy functional disorders of GIT. In order to introduce these promising substances into the therapeutic use, basic research for the clear recognition of their interaction and function has to be performed in the nearest future.

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oncology cancer colorectal cancer

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Chelala C, Hahn SA, Whiteman HJ, et al. Pancreatic Expression database: a generic model for the organization, integration and mining of complex cancer datasets. BMC Genomics. 2007 Nov 28;8:439. PMID: 18045474

A brilliant concept, brilliantly executed.

From the abstract:

Pancreatic cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer death in both males and females. In recent years, a wealth of gene and protein expression studies have been published broadening our understanding of pancreatic cancer biology. Due to the explosive growth in publicly available data from multiple different sources it is becoming increasingly difficult for individual researchers to integrate these into their current research programmes. The Pancreatic Expression database, a generic web-based system, is aiming to close this gap by providing the research community with an open access tool, not only to mine currently available pancreatic cancer data sets but also to include their own data in the database.

The open-source database is available at www.pancreasexpression.org.

Technorati tags:
oncology cancer pancreatic cancer

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Adelstein BA, Irwig L, Macaskill P, et al. A self administered reliable questionnaire to assess lower bowel symptoms. BMC Gastroenterol. 2008 Mar 1;8:8. PMID: 1831268

An impressive contribution, showing that a simple questionnaire can help to guide clinical consultation in diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

From the conclusion:

This self administered questionnaire about lower bowel symptoms is a useful way of eliciting details of bowel symptoms. It is a reliable instrument that is acceptable to patients and easily completed. Its use could guide the clinical consultation, allowing a more efficient, comprehensive and useful interaction, ensuring that all symptoms are assessed. It will also be a useful tool in research studies on bowel symptoms and their predictive value for colorectal cancer and other diseases.

 

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oncology cancer colorectal cancer

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A January 2008 supplement to The Oncologist is devoted to articles reviewing the state of medicine in the treatment of advanced non-small lung cancer, all freely accessible online.

From the conclusion, by Paul A. Bunn, Jr (University of Colorado Cancer Center), and Nick Thatcher (Christie Hospital NHS Trust):

"A major theme that arises from this supplement is that while chemotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) prolongs survival and quality of life, the majority of advanced stage patients succumb to disease within 2 years, leaving room for improvement. The main chemotherapy doublets for untreated patients are comparable in terms of efficacy, distinct only in terms of somewhat differing safety profiles. The use of triplet chemotherapy does not result in further increased survival, but instead, increased toxicity. However, encouraging new options do seem to be on the horizon, including the targeting of therapies to specific patient subpopulations, and the use of combinations of current and new drugs to produce additive or synergistic effects."

Specific agents discussed include chemotherapy drugs carboplatin, paclitaxel, cisplatin, docetaxel, gemcitabine, vinorelbine, pemetrexed, oxaliplatin, and vinflunine; and targeted therapies erlotinib, gefitinib, cetuximab, sorafenib, bevacizumab, and enzastaurin. 

Contents 

• Bunn PA Jr, Thatcher N. Systemic treatment for advanced (stage IIIb/IV) non-small cell lung cancer: more treatment options; more things to consider. Introduction. Oncologist. 2008;13 Suppl 1:1-4. PMID: 18263768
• Ramalingam S, Belani C. Systemic chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: recent advances and future directions. Oncologist. 2008;13 Suppl 1:5-13. Review. PMID: 18263769
• de Marinis F, Grossi F. Clinical evidence for second- and third-line treatment options in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Oncologist. 2008;13 Suppl 1:14-20. Review. PMID: 18263770
• Sekine I, Sumi M, Saijo N. Local control of regional and metastatic lesions and indication for systemic chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Oncologist. 2008;13 Suppl 1:21-7. Review. PMID: 18263771
• Stinchcombe TE, Socinski MA. Considerations for second-line therapy of non-small cell lung cancer. Oncologist. 2008;13 Suppl 1:28-36. Review. PMID: 18263772
• Bunn PA Jr, Thatcher N. Systemic treatment for advanced (stage IIIb/IV) non-small cell lung cancer: more treatment options; more things to consider. Conclusion. Oncologist. 2008;13 Suppl 1:37-46. Review. PMID: 18263773

The online articles don’t identify a sponsor, just that manuscript preparation of the introduction and conclusion were supported by Remedica Medical Education and Publishing, London, UK.

Technorati tags:
oncology cancer lung cancer

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Polyak K. Breast cancer: origins and evolution. J Clin Invest. 2007 Nov;117(11):3155-63. Review. PMID: 17975657

A thoroughly up-to-date review article by an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who is a rising star in cancer genetics and the molecular basis of breast cancer. Dr. Polyak has a refreshingly clear and direct writing style:

"Despite significant advances in diagnosing and treating breast cancer, several major unresolved clinical and scientific problems remain. These are related to (a) prevention (who needs it and when), (b) diagnosis (we need more specific and sensitive methods), (c) tumor progression and recurrence (what causes it and how to predict it), (d) treatment (who should be treated and how), and (e) therapeutic resistance (how to predict, prevent, and overcome it)."

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oncology cancer breast cancer

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