BJMO - volume 6, issue 3, june 2012
G. Miedema , M. De Ridder MD, PhD
Bone metastases are common in many cancers. They can cause a wide range of symptoms impairing quality of life and shortening survival. Direct complications of bone involvement include severe pain, pathologic fractures, hypercalcaemia and spinal cord compression. Evaluation is critical to assess location and extent of bone metastases. This includes clinical and neurological examination. Possible imaging studies are: radiographs, skeletal scintigraphy, CT, MRI and 18-FDG-PET. The management of bone metastases is multidisciplinary. Bisphosphonates are commonly the most frequently used osteoclast inhibitors and should always form part of treatment. Radiotherapy is most efficient for pain relief. (BELG J MED ONCOL 2012;6:80–86)
Read moreBJMO - volume 6, issue 2, april 2012
T. Gevaert MD, PhD, H. Van Poppel MD, PhD, S. Joniau MD, PhD, D. De Ridder MD, PhD, E. Lerut MD, PhD
For more than four decades the Gleason score is the most widely accepted histopathological grading system for prostate cancer. It is a 5-tier grading system that correlates with tumour differentiation and is solely based on architectural patterns within the tumour. Although robust over time, revision of Gleason grading became unavoidable as diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer also underwent an enormous evolution over time. In 2005 the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) proposed several modifications to the Gleason system which should keep this grading system timely. This review compares the original system to the modified Gleason system and especially focuses on the prognostic relevance of the modifications. It further deals with the question if the Gleason system will be able to keep its prominent role in the diagnostic and prognostic algorithm for prostate carcinoma, especially in the nearby molecular era. (BELG J MED ONCOL 2012;6:45–51)
Read moreBJMO - volume 6, issue 1, february 2012
A. Stoyianni MD, PhD, G. Pentheroudakis MD, PhD, N. Pavlidis MD, PhD
Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) occur as key steps during embryonic morphogenesis and are now implicated in the progression of primary tumours towards metastases, but also towards the accumulation of stem-cell properties. Recent advances have fostered a more detailed understanding of molecular mechanisms and networks governing EMT and leading to more dedifferentiated and malignant states. Owing to the clinical importance of the EMT-induced processes, inhibition of EMT is an attractive therapeutic approach that could have significant effect on disease outcome.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2012;6:3–12)
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