Current Controversies in Oncology

A regular feature in ASCO Connection, Current Controversies in Oncology is a physician-authored forum for the exchange of views on topical issues in the field of oncology. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the editor or of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Tissue Acquisition for Personalized Therapy: Merits and Drawbacks

22 Apr 2013 02:46 PM

IntroductionBy Al B. Benson III, MD, FACP, FASCOFeinberg School of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern UniversityPersonalized medicine embodies the concept of delivering the right care at the right time. An individualized approach to provide value-based, high-quality cancer care incorporates team medicine requiring patient access to comprehensive services offered by nurses, multispecialty oncology clinicians,... Read more
Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

25 Feb 2013 08:08 PM

Introduction By Hope S. Rugo, MD University of California, San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Can we forgo whole-breast radiation in women with very early-stage breast cancer? This question has been addressed with two major research approaches. First is the question of whether we could identify a group of patients who could entirely forgo radiation due to very low risk of local recurrence. Indeed, recent data has... Read more
Surgical Margins for Breast Cancer

20 Dec 2012 02:30 PM

Experts debate how to achieve both clear margins and the best cosmesis Introduction Anees B. Chagpar, MD, MSc, MA, MPH, FACS, FRCS(C) Breast Center—Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven and Yale University School of Medicine In a past column on ASCOconnection.org, I talked about a debate that had occurred in our tumor board in which a patient had a margin <1 mm from ink. While “technically negative,” it was a little too close... Read more
Clinical Trials, Predictive Factors, and Endpoints: Current and Future Challenges

29 Oct 2012 08:06 PM

Introduction Hope S. Rugo, MD University of California, San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center In the article that follows, Dr. Anthony Provenzano discusses some of the more challenging problems facing clinical research in this decade. An overarching theme is the inexact process of drug evaluation and approval, which is closely associated with a lack of predictive factors that would help truly individualize... Read more
HPV Vaccinations for Males: Time to Support Universal, Voluntary Vaccination

29 Aug 2012 05:14 PM

Introduction: Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer and HPV: A Different Animal Antonio Jimeno, MD, PhD University of Colorado Cancer Center and Charles C. Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology Human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 are the etiologic cause of an increasing percentage of head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC).1,2 This subtype of HNSCC typically affects younger, healthier patients, who have a potentially... Read more
Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Is It Indicated?

02 Jul 2012 10:54 AM

Introduction Robert G. Mennel, MD, FACP Texas Oncology–Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center Sarcoma makes up a true minority of malignancies. In adults, sarcomas make up only 1% to 2% of all cancers; in children, sarcomas account for approximately 7% of all of pediatric malignancies. There are also approximately 60 different diseases that are included under this diagnosis of sarcoma. The large high-grade sarcomas have a poor cure rate... Read more

Current Controversies in Oncology

Tissue Acquisition for Personalized Therapy: Merits and Drawbacks

Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Surgical Margins for Breast Cancer

Clinical Trials, Predictive Factors, and Endpoints: Current and Future Challenges

HPV Vaccinations for Males: Time to Support Universal, Voluntary Vaccination

Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Is It Indicated?