This is the fourth volume of our series Progress in Anti-cancer Therapy.
For the past four years we have taken the challenge to select each year,
some of the most interesting topics on the wide field of oncology. As
usual, this volume continues the tradition and covers five cancers
(breast, prostate, bladder, lym- phoma and ovarian), the role of HIV and
HTLV in cancer, as well as some deve- lopmental pharmacology and
behavioral issues. This year, we have particularly focused our attention
on one of the most com- mon (although rarely addressed) cancer
accounting for more than 315,00 newly diagnosed cases and 41,000
cancer-related deaths annually (Landis SH et al., 1999): prostate
cancer. Five chapters address some of the issues concerning this
disease. The chap- ter by Schroder describes the hopes and pitfalls of
early detection of prostate cancer. It reviews the literature on
screening studies that have been performed both in the US and in Europe.
These studies suggest that cancer mortality could be reduced by
screening for prostate cancer, mostly through PSA testing. However, the
effectiveness of early detection still needs to be definitely confir-
med and ongoing randomized studies are described, the results of which
will probably help the medical community determine the worth of
PSA-based scree- ning for prostate cancer. On the same hand, the paper
from von Eschenbach is reviewing the clinical problems that are related
this disease.
