Volume 22, Issue 8, August 2017

Many of the major advances in oncology over the past 2 decades are attributable to precision medicine, defined as biomarker‐driven treatment. Whether the results of precision medicine are real or an illusion is discussed here.

Imprecise terminology obscures the reasons why a cancer patient might be willing to endure the potential toxicities and side‐effects of treatment. Renaming of the categories of chemotherapy is proposed here to clarify intended definitions.

Genome‐wide association studies have identified many susceptibility loci associated with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to further analyze according to molecular subtype, leading to validation of breast cancer‐specific molecular subtype‐associated susceptibility loci in Chinese Han women.

This study focuses on whether male breast cancer as a second primary cancer is increasing and what, if any, relationships this might have with the index malignancy and associated therapy. These findings might offer insights into surveillance interventions that could benefit male cancer survivors.

This retrospective study compares the efficacy of first‐line HER2‐targeted‐containing chemotherapy between patients who did or did not undergo adjuvant trastuzumab‐based treatment. Outcome in patients with metastatic breast cancer was investigated.

This study builds on analyses performed as part of an original comprehensive National Cancer Institute Community Cancer Centers Program evaluation and examines improvements in quality of care. The following research questions are addressed: (a) have improvements in concordance rates with the five quality of care measures been sustained since 2010 and (b) how does the change in concordance for minority/underserved patients compare to the change for nonminority/nonunderserved patients through 2013?

Disparities in breast cancer care in the U.S. are multifactorial, arising from differences in income, education, cultural beliefs, and social support. This article describes the social networks of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and explores the contributing role of patient navigators.

The aim of this study was to understand factors influencing treatment decisions for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Data from a nationwide, commercially available chemotherapy order entry system, including tumor stage, disease status, and treatment indication, was analyzed. Temporal trends were identified for prescribing patterns across the continuum of metastatic pancreatic cancer therapy, as well as patient and provider characteristics influencing treatment selection across multiple lines of therapy.

This prospective study evaluated the efficacy of comprehensive geriatric assessment in predicting survival and discriminating between causes of death in elderly patients with high‐risk stage II and stage III colorectal cancer who underwent curative resection to support the decision‐making process related to adjuvant therapy.

Previous studies have shown that cancer awareness and screening rates in Iran did not improve despite of the Comprehensive National Cancer Control Program launched in 2007. To better understand the public's attitude towards cancer, we conducted a general population survey for evaluating public attitudes toward cancer and cancer patients in Isfahan, Iran as the first report in Middle East.

The objective of this study was to describe health care resource utilization and health care costs associated with the management of advanced melanoma patients receiving ipilimumab.

Given the age‐related disparities in cancer care and the expanding role of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors, it is critical to determine whether patient age impacts the effectiveness and toxicity of these treatments in the geriatric oncology population. In this retrospective study, data from 254 patients, treated at two academic cancer centers with anti‐PD‐1 or PD‐L1 therapy, was analyzed. Progression‐free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and immune‐related toxicity was compared between older and younger patients with melanoma.

This study investigated the relationship between the degree of spinal instability, as defined by the Spinal Instability Neooplastic Score, and response to radiotherapy in patients with symptomatic spinal metastases in a multi‐institutional cohort.

This analysis updates the results of two phase II studies of translocation‐related sarcomas to evaluate the efficacy of trabectedin against histological subtype and analyze overall survival.

Hepatosplenic candidiasis (HSC) often occurs without prior documented candidemia. Underrecognized HSC can be mistaken for metastases and can have serious consequences for patients, especially when additional, inappropriate treatment, such as surgery and chemo‐ or immunotherapy, is initiated. To emphasize the importance of diagnosing HSC without prior documented candidemia, three illustrative cases and a review of the literature on HSC and candidemia are presented.

A better understanding of how the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) can be used for distress screening may facilitate its use to improve patient care. In 2015, the General Medical Oncology Outpatient Clinic at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital implemented a pilot project with ESAS for distress screening. The impact of ESAS screening on access to psychosocial care before and after program implementation is reported here.

The development of a more robust observational research data infrastructure would help to address gaps in the evidence base regarding optimal approaches to treating cancer among the growing and complex population of older adults. To demonstrate the feasibility of building such a resource, information from a sample of older adults with cancer was linked using three distinct but complementary data sources. Results are reported to highlight the potential for data linkage to improve the characterization of health status among older adults with cancer and the possibility to conduct passive follow‐up for outcomes of interest over time.

This article focuses on the use of alternative cancer therapies and was previously published in “Discussions with Don S. Dizon”, on January 31, 2017.

An off‐site meeting during the 2017 ASCO annual meeting proves to be the high point of one clinician's time at the conference.

A case of severe hepatic toxicity associated with the use of kratom, a plant derivative increasingly used as a psychostimulant, is discussed.

The oncology community remembers, with great affection, Dr. Robert L. Comis, and his many contributions to the field.

Reflections on the life and legacy of Patrick G. Johnston, the President and Vice Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast, a Senior Editor of The Oncologist, and friend.