Current Oncology Reports

Increasing attention is being given to evaluating and treating body image difficulties of patients undergoing cancer treatment. Head and neck cancer significantly alters physical appearance and bodily functioning and therefore directly impacts body image. Research involving body image in head and neck cancer patients is growing, and this review considers published findings from 2013 to 2014. Primary attention is given to discussing recent advancements in body image assessment, qualitative studies, descriptive research, and psychosocial intervention studies relevant to body image. Limitations and necessary advancements in this field are noted, and a commentary is provided on the state of the current literature.

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare tumor that was first described by Gerald and Rosai in 1989 as a mesenchymal entity. This tumor has a unique translocation t (11:22) (p:13, q:12) resulting in EWS/WT1 gene fusion that is diagnostic for DSCRT. The overall prognosis for desmoplastic small round cell tumor remains extremely poor, with reported rates of death as high as 90%. Although the majority of patients undergo chemotherapy following surgery, the prognosis has been shown to be independent of whether the surgical process preceded or followed chemotherapy. In this review, we provide insights for the management of DSCRT that requires aggressive multimodality therapy.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA. The challenge in managing castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) stems not from the lack of therapeutic options but from the limited duration of clinical and survival benefit offered by treatments in this setting due to primary and acquired resistance. The remarkable molecular heterogeneity and tumor adaptability in advanced prostate cancer necessitate optimization of such treatment strategies. While the future of CRPC management will involve newer targeted therapies in deliberately biomarker-selected patients, interventions using current approaches may exhibit improved clinical benefit if employed in the context of optimal sequencing and combinations. This review outlines our current understanding of mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in progression to and after the development of castration resistance, highlighting targetable and reversible mechanisms of resistance.

In the vast majority of cases, head and neck cancer is a preventable disease. The relationship between tobacco and alcohol and these cancers is well established. Despite efforts aimed at reduction of risk factor exposure and early detection methods, head and neck cancer remains one of the more common cancers worldwide. Recent advances in molecular techniques have provided a framework for future targets for early diagnosis and treatment of these malignancies. This review provides a summary of recent developments in primary and secondary prevention of head and neck cancer and innovative strategies aimed at a reduction in incidence and mortality from this disease. The future prevention of head and neck cancer will likely require solutions to the widespread use of tobacco products and innovative diagnostic techniques leading to improvements in overall survival.

In the last decade, there have been multiple landmark therapeutic advances for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer, both in the castration-resistant and hormone-sensitive setting. In this review, we highlight recent progress and ongoing trials for metastatic prostate cancer, including advances in chemotherapy, androgen receptor-directed therapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy. Several landmark studies for men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer demonstrated improvement in overall survival with the addition of docetaxel chemotherapy or abiraterone acetate to standard androgen deprivation therapy. A single-arm phase 2 study of the PARP inhibitor olaparib demonstrated high response rates and more favorable progression-free and overall survival for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and DNA repair defects treated with olaparib compared with men without DNA repair defects. Multiple ongoing clinical trials are investigating novel hormonal therapies and combinations of chemotherapy, targeted small molecules, immunotherapy, and radiopharmaceuticals. Progress continues to be made in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer, and ongoing clinical trials continue to investigate novel agents and approaches to treatment.

For years, total laryngectomy was the only treatment option for patients with intermediate to advanced laryngeal cancer. Over the past two decades, great progress has been made in the management of this disease, with multimodality approaches aimed at laryngeal preservation reshaping the treatment landscape. In the era of chemoradiation, greater focus and attention are now directed toward functional laryngeal preservation—not simply “organ preservation.” The continued development and integration of new treatment approaches, including organ preservation surgery (eg, transoral minimally invasive surgery of the head and neck, supracricoid partial laryngectomy), intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and targeted molecular therapies, offer the potential to improve clinical outcomes, function, and quality of life. Incorporation of these new approaches advances the concept of personalized medicine, with treatment strategies tailored to the circumstances and future of each patient.

The purpose of this review is to discuss the current understanding of the pegilodecakin (PEGylated interleukin 10) and its role in the inhibition of tumour growth and metastasis. This review also focuses on clinical data published to date that have evaluated the efficacy and safety of pegilodecakin. Pegilodecakin has shown significant promise in preclinical models, notable for decreased tumour burden and fewer sites of metastatic disease across various malignancies. It has been most widely assessed in a phase I/Ib clinical trial against several solid tumours, leading to the phase II and III clinical trials containing pegilodecakin and its combination with other current treatments. However, the updated data have not shown higher efficacy in renal cell carcinoma, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer or pancreatic cancer, with respect to the controls, yet the adverse events presented more mixed results. Further investigation into combination therapies including pegilodecakin is ongoing. Pegilodecakin showed promise in preclinical and phase I clinical trials on its efficacy in several solid tumours, with expected regulation of IL-10 signalling pathway observed. However, the phase II and III trials did not justify its application as potential immunotherapy in selected cancers. Further evaluation of pegilodecakin’s efficacy in other cancers, either as monotherapy or in combination with the current treatments, is worth investigating clinically, which warrants to better understand its potential clinical utility.