Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Melanoma
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is now a standard component of the treatment of many melanomas, and its use is accepted as routine.1,2 So routine, in…
Biopsy and Definitive Excision of Primary Cutaneous Melanomas
BIOPSY Print Section Listen A skin lesion that is suspicious for melanoma is best removed by excisional biopsy with a 1- to 2-mm clinical lateral margin and a deep margin…
Regional Cancer Therapy: Isolation Perfusion, Isolation Infusion, and Local Ablative Techniques
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Regional cancer therapies are treatments that direct a therapeutic intervention to a cancer burdened organ or region of the body; they have the collective advantage of…
Genomics and Cancer Biomarkers
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Cancer is a complex disease capable of manifesting itself as many different disease phenotypes occurring in virtually any tissue of the body. This complexity can be…
Cancer Epigenetics
“EPIGENETICS”: ORIGIN OF THE WORD Print Section Listen Conrad Hal Waddington is usually credited with modifying the Greek word “epigenesis,” which described a theory of development, into a new term…
Radiation Oncology: Concepts and Techniques
EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY Print Section Listen Radiation Oncology is the medical discipline that uses ionizing radiation with therapeutic intent in the management of cancer and selected benign disease. Compared…
Targeted Therapy
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Chemotherapy has been the mainstay of systemic treatment of cancer for nearly 75 years. Chemotherapy can be broadly classified as either cytotoxic (killing rapidly dividing cells)…
Patient Safety in Surgical Oncology
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Harm from medical mistakes can be catastrophic to the patient, and can also damage the reputation of a surgeon and institution. Today, patients, payers, and clinicians…
Outcomes Research
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen In 2013, an estimated 1.7 million people in the United States will be newly diagnosed with cancer.1 With advances in multidisciplinary care, there has been a…
