Chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer.

Background: Gastric cancer currently ranks second in global cancer mortality. Most patients are either diagnosed at an advanced stage, or develop a relapse after surgery with curative intent. Apart from supportive care and palliative radiation to localized (e.

Anti-angiogenic therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: Angiogenesis inhibitors have been developed to block tumour angiogenesis and target vascular endothelial cells. While some of them have already been approved by the health authorities and are successfully integrated into patient care, many others are still under development, and the clinical value of this approach has to be established.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy and toxicity of targeted anti-angiogenic therapies, in addition to chemotherapy, in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

[New systemic therapies in oncology].

These last decades showed important progress in cancer systemic therapies. A better understanding of the differences between cancer cells and normal cells lead to the emergence of targeted therapies. These treatments interfere with different specific molecules playing a critical role in tumour growth or progression.

[Dangerous liaisons: relation between oncologist and general practitioner].

Due to the nature of the disease, patients often have a privileged and close relationship with their oncologist, and the oncologist also with their patients. This may in turn be detrimental to the relation between the general practitioner and the patient. Patients will not return to their general practitioner until end of life care or a consultation at the patient's home if necessary.

[Breaking bad news].

Breaking bad news is one of the most stressful duties of the physician in oncology. Among other issues, it includes discussion of cancer diagnosis or the failure of therapy. The oncologist is often puzzled by an apprehension regarding the delivery of bad news.

[Present chemoprevention and future vision].

Cancer chemoprevention is defined as the use of natural or synthetic agents to reverse, suppress or prevent carcinogenic progression to invasive cancer. The success of several clinical trials within high-risk patients suggests that chemoprevention is a rational and promising strategy. This review will resume the principal molecular mechanisms of chemoprevention and discuss results and clinical outcome of selected clinical trials.

[PET contribution in oncology].

Initial workup in oncology relies on histology and extensive staging of disease. Assessment of treatment response is also of paramount importance. Functional imaging with PET provides substantially more information than conventional radiology based on anatomic structures.

[Cancer screening: when and how?].

Advances in cancer biology have led to the development of screening tests that allow an early diagnosis. Cancer screening is not just the matter of a single individual patient, it is a matter of public health. Screening is commonly viewed as of no harm, when in fact harms are associated with the majority of cancer screening tests.

Regional therapy of melanoma.

Little progress has been made in the systemic treatment of melanoma, that is for disseminated stage IV disease. However, the tumour resistance to therapy, especially chemotherapy can be overcome in melanoma by high doses of anticancer agents administered regionally. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate this concept by two modes of regional treatment namely: (1) isolation perfusion of the limbs with high doses of cytokines and chemotherapy under hyperthermia and (2) local treatment of metastatic melanoma.