GORDON MCVIE, European Institute of Oncology, Milan
In Istanbul, Gordon McVie gave his opinion about the achievements of the 2006 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress. He added his comments regarding the news emerging from the Congress.

REFERENCE: 31st European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, Istanbul, 29 September – 3 October 2006 Special Session
MARTINE PICCART, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels
COMMENT: Gordon McVie
The latest evidence on how best to use trastuzumab in the treatment of early breast cancer was discussed at the ESMO conference by Martine Piccart from Brussels, who presented mature data from the HERA study of 5,000 patients conducted by the Breast International Group (BIG). The conference also heard about the group’s new “Microarray In Node-negative Disease may Avoid ChemoTherapy” (MINDACT) study, just beginning, in which 6,000 women are to be assessed by gene arrays to distinguish whether or not they require chemotherapy for their node negative disease.

REFERENCE: 31st European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, Istanbul, 29 September – 3 October 2006, Abstract LBA2
BELLA KAUFMAN, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
COMMENT: Gordon McVie
A combination of trastuzumab administered concurrently with anastrozole has extended progression-free survival in postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancers expressing both the HER2 and estrogen receptors. Bella Kaufman from the Chaim Sheba Center in Israel discussed her findings with Peter Goodwin during the ESMO congress in Istanbul.

REFERENCE: ESMO, Istanbul, 29 September – 3 October, 2006 Abstract: 710 o
JEAN-YVES DOUILLARD, Centre René Gauducheau, Nantes
COMMENT: Gordon McVie
A pooled analysis of adjuvant chemotherapy for lung cancer, the Lung Adjuvant Cisplatin Evaluation (LACE), has revealed that a combination of vinorelbine with cisplatin yields the best results, with the greatest improvements in survival, among patients diagnosed with stage III disease. During the Istanbul conference, Jean-Yves Douillard told Peter Goodwin about his conclusions.

REFERENCES: J Clin Oncol 34:3904, 3927, 3939
GEORGE CANELLOS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
In adult acute myeloid leukemia the detection of KIT mutations was associated with higher relapse risk, according to a study from Columbus, Ohio, reviewed by George Canellos. Dr Canellos also discussed findings from Paris that complete dissection of liver metastasis is not curative for colorectal cancer, and results from Boston that patients with large breast cancers removed by mastectomy may expect low locoregional recurrence rates if they are lymph-node negative, and therefore do not need postmastectomy radiotherapy.

REFERENCE: J Clin Oncol 24:3880
SANDRA STRAUSS, Royal Free Hospital, London
COMMENT: George Canellos
A new combination of immunotherapy agents – the anti-CD22 antibody epratuzumab and the anti CD20 rituximab - has shown promise for the treatment of patients whose non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is recurrent or has become refractory to standard therapy. Sandra Strauss of London’s Royal Free Hospital told Peter Goodwin about the findings from her study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

REFERENCE: J Clin Oncol 24:3570
NANCY BAXTER, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
COMMENT: George Canellos
In Stage III colon cancer having fewer negative lymph nodes leads to shorter survival, according to the findings of a study from St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Having more negative nodes is associated with longer survival. Nancy Baxter discussed the investigation with Derek Thorne.