David H Henry

It’s likely that you have just returned from ASCO 2014 in Chicago with 33,000 of your closest oncology friends, or that you have at least heard all about the meeting and some of the exciting presentations. Either way, you must be wondering how best to sift through the mountain of data and information that came out of the meeting so that you can organize it, absorb it, and here’s the real challenge, apply it in the real-clinic setting going forward.
 

Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.

It’s likely that you have just returned from ASCO 2014 in Chicago with 33,000 of your closest oncology friends, or that you have at least heard all about the meeting and some of the exciting presentations. Either way, you must be wondering how best to sift through the mountain of data and information that came out of the meeting so that you can organize it, absorb it, and here’s the real challenge, apply it in the real-clinic setting going forward.
 

Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.

It’s likely that you have just returned from ASCO 2014 in Chicago with 33,000 of your closest oncology friends, or that you have at least heard all about the meeting and some of the exciting presentations. Either way, you must be wondering how best to sift through the mountain of data and information that came out of the meeting so that you can organize it, absorb it, and here’s the real challenge, apply it in the real-clinic setting going forward.
 

Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.

We have some interesting and insightful articles lined up for you this month, beginning with a Commentary by Samuel and Stone on treating HER2-positive breast cancer and asking whether the era of trastuzumab therapy is over. The Commentary and accompanying Community Translations report explore the use of pertuzumab and trastuzumab together, especially in the neoadjuvant setting. The Cleopatra trial has already shown that combining pertuzumab with trastuzumab plus docetaxel as a first-line treatment for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer significantly prolonged progression-free survival with no increase in cardiac toxic effects, compared with placebo plus trastuzumab plus docetaxel, so perhaps using pertuzumab and trastuzumab upfront might be equally successful.

Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.

We have some interesting and insightful articles lined up for you this month, beginning with a Commentary by Samuel and Stone on treating HER2-positive breast cancer and asking whether the era of trastuzumab therapy is over. The Commentary and accompanying Community Translations report explore the use of pertuzumab and trastuzumab together, especially in the neoadjuvant setting. The Cleopatra trial has already shown that combining pertuzumab with trastuzumab plus docetaxel as a first-line treatment for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer significantly prolonged progression-free survival with no increase in cardiac toxic effects, compared with placebo plus trastuzumab plus docetaxel, so perhaps using pertuzumab and trastuzumab upfront might be equally successful.

Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.

We have some interesting and insightful articles lined up for you this month, beginning with a Commentary by Samuel and Stone on treating HER2-positive breast cancer and asking whether the era of trastuzumab therapy is over. The Commentary and accompanying Community Translations report explore the use of pertuzumab and trastuzumab together, especially in the neoadjuvant setting. The Cleopatra trial has already shown that combining pertuzumab with trastuzumab plus docetaxel as a first-line treatment for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer significantly prolonged progression-free survival with no increase in cardiac toxic effects, compared with placebo plus trastuzumab plus docetaxel, so perhaps using pertuzumab and trastuzumab upfront might be equally successful.

Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.

As practicing oncologists, we know the importance of having a professional support system in place, platforms that allow us to dissect and discuss all aspects of our work, from diagnosis to therapy decisions, that rare case presentation, supportive and palliative care, maintenance therapy, and yes, practice management, the impact of health reform, the dreaded EMRs, and much more. Such exchanges, whether they take the form of routine roundtable meetings, conference calls, or tumor boards and whether they are in-person or online, are crucial in shaping how we practice our specialty at both the individual and collective levels.

As practicing oncologists, we know the importance of having a professional support system in place, platforms that allow us to dissect and discuss all aspects of our work, from diagnosis to therapy decisions, that rare case presentation, supportive and palliative care, maintenance therapy, and yes, practice management, the impact of health reform, the dreaded EMRs, and much more. Such exchanges, whether they take the form of routine roundtable meetings, conference calls, or tumor boards and whether they are in-person or online, are crucial in shaping how we practice our specialty at both the individual and collective levels.

As practicing oncologists, we know the importance of having a professional support system in place, platforms that allow us to dissect and discuss all aspects of our work, from diagnosis to therapy decisions, that rare case presentation, supportive and palliative care, maintenance therapy, and yes, practice management, the impact of health reform, the dreaded EMRs, and much more. Such exchanges, whether they take the form of routine roundtable meetings, conference calls, or tumor boards and whether they are in-person or online, are crucial in shaping how we practice our specialty at both the individual and collective levels.