Current Oncology, Volume 17, Issue 6

This meeting report is the second in a series by the Terry Fox Research Institute about its Pan-Canadian Dialogue Series on Cancer: Let’s Get Personal, a public research and outreach project. The inaugural dialogue was held in St. John’s, Newfoundlan...

The Cancer Nutrition Rehabilitation (CNR) program at the McGill University Health Centre is an interdisciplinary 8-week treatment program offering patients information, education, treatment, and support in areas such as diet, exercise, and rehabilita...

Background: Soft-tissue sarcoma spreads predominantly to the lung. The frequency with which positron-emission tomography (PET) detects metastases not already obvious by chest computed tomography (CT) or clinical examination is currently unclear. Meth...

In 1980, Terry Fox dipped his artificial leg into the cold Atlantic water in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, to launch his run across Canada to support cancer research. [...]

Purpose: To improve outcomes in localized osteosarcoma and to reduce the duration of preoperative chemotherapy, we conducted a phase ii trial assessing the efficacy of an intensive protracted regimen without methotrexate (API-AI regimen) in adolescen...

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation is a recognized complication of chemotherapy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all patients be screened for the HBV surface antigen (HBSAG) before chemotherapy. We s...

In January 2010, a panel of Canadian oncologists with particular expertise in colorectal cancer (CRC) gathered to develop a consensus guideline on the use of therapies against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the management of metastati...

Earlier this year in Current Oncology, Trop and colleagues added new information to support the claim that screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for breast cancer is superior—in terms of sensitivity— to routine mammography [...]

Objectives: The present study investigated factors affecting outcome at relapse after previous surgery and adjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) in high-risk esophageal cancer patients. Patients and Methods: From 1989 to 1999, we followed high-risk resected...

Purpose: Our survey aimed to document variability in the practice patterns of Canadian radiation oncologists treating high-grade brain tumours. Materials and Methods: A 20-question survey was developed to address various aspects of treatment: (1) Gui...

In this issue of Current Oncology, Carolyn Freeman and colleagues raise an important question about consent to external-beam radiotherapy. More specifically, they ask [...]

Background: Spontaneous rupture of adrenal pheochromocytoma is an extremely rare condition that can be lethal. Optimal treatment in these cases is still unclear. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of MEDLINE articles on ruptured pheochromoc...

Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. [...]

Cisplatin-based therapy is curative in testicular cancer. Adverse effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy include dose-dependent myelosuppression, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and ototoxicity. By contrast, chemotherapy-associated vascular complicat...

Metastasis to the breast is a rare occurrence, constituting fewer than 2% of all breast tumours. Of all metastatic tumours in the breast, most arise from contralateral breast primaries. Other reported primary solid tumour sites include melanoma; lung...

Sister Joseph nodule is a metastatic umbilical lesion secondary to a primary malignancy of any viscera. It can be a presenting symptom (a sign of undiagnosed malignancy) or a symptom or sign of progression or recurrence in a known case. Its incidence...

Aromatase inhibitors have not been adequately assessed in treatment of ovarian cancer. The aromatase inhibitor letrozole (2.5 mg daily) was administered in 2 cases of advanced endometrioid ovarian cancer with positive estrogen receptor. Case 1: A 52-...

Canadian law, and the physician’s code of ethics, requires that informed consent be obtained before any medical act is performed. However, there are no rules about how consent is to be obtained and by whom, and how that consent is to be documented. I...