Ann Starrs

Carine Ronsmans

Veronique Filippi

REFERENCE: The Lancet’s Women Deliver Press Conference, London, 11th October 2007
CARINE RONSMANS, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
VERONIQUE FILIPPI, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
ANN STARRS, Family Care International, New York
There are half a million maternal deaths each year, according to the Lancet’s “Women Deliver” conference held in London. Ann Starrs, Carine Ronsman and Veronique Filippi discuss with Anna Lacey how to reduce unsafe abortions and obstetric complications all over the world to bring this startling figure down.

Jose Baselga

Gordon McVie

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 2030, ECCO 14, The European Cancer Conference, Barcelona, 23 – 27 September 2007
JOSE BASELGA, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona
COMMENT: GORDON MCVIE, European Institute of Oncology, Milan
Neoadjuvant trastuzumab for patients with HER2-positive inflammatory breast cancer has shown significantly higher pathological response rates compared with chemotherapy alone. This is according to data presented at the ECCO meeting from the NOAH trial that randomly assigned more than 60 patients to receive chemotherapy plus trastuzumab or chemotherapy alone. Sarah Maxwell heard from Jose Baselga, who thinks this should be a new standard of care, and Gordon McVie.

Markus Heiss

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 5001, ECCO 14, The European Cancer Conference, Barcelona, 23 – 27 September 2007
MARKUS HEISS, Klinikum Cologne, Merheim
For patients with malignant ascites as a result of ovarian cancer, a novel intraperitoneal therapy adding the trifunctional antibody catumaxomab to standard paracentesis has prolonged survival, according to a study from Germany that randomly assigned over 100 patients. Sarah Maxwell inteviewed Markus Heiss.