Prostate cancer: to screen or not to screen

Screening for early detection of prostate cancer seems both necessary and possible but it remains to be proven that it can lower mortality from the disease. Until properly evaluated, the risks of screening at present do not justify either the cost or the potential benefit that could result. An increased awareness of the problems encountered by screening could lead to greater impetus around the world to design and implement the proper studies. The recent information about the outcome following conservative management means that the value of treatment must also be assessed since it is possible that the only tumors cured by radiation therapy or surgery are those that are not life threatening, whereas the most lethal tumors are not identified sufficiently early by the available screening tests to be cured. The increased incidence and mortality from prostate cancer should lead to increased pressure to answer the important questions as soon as possible.     

Cellular phones: to talk or not to talk

Cellular phone use has exponentially increased in recent years. There have been some reports of an association of use of these phones with brain tumours. This article gives a summary view of the possible effects related to cellular phone use. It further discusses if we need to observe precautions while using these devices.     

Natural killer cells: Artifact to reality:

Summary The biology of the natural killer cell system is being investigated by many different laboratories using multiple approaches. The rationale for these investigations is the experimental evidence that NK cells play some role in inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis, convey some protective immunity and may be operative in control of differentiation from fetal life to adulthood. Thus, a survey of the literature reveals a multiplicity of studies examining many of these potential roles for NK cells. This review will attempt to summarize some of the findings critical to an understanding of the role NK cells play in immunophysiology and in immune reactions to various diseases. Even after ten years of study, the whole system of natural reactivity remains difficult to define. The evidence available would indicate that the NK system while incompletely understood, may be manipulated in favor of the host when threatened by infectous or neoplastic disorders.     

Metastases to eyelids: Breast

Edema and erythema of the right eyelid were the first clinical symptoms of widely metastatic carcinoma in a 61-year-old female. At the time of biopsy of the eyelid there were no other clinical manifestations of the disease. The case history points out a rare manifestation and emphasizes the many faces of breast cancer.     

From tumor immunology to cancer immunotherapy: miles to go

Advances in tumor immunology are supporting the clinical implementation of several immunological approaches to cancer in the clinical setting. However, the alternate success of current immunotherapeutic regimens underscores the fact that the molecular mechanisms underlying immune-mediated tumor rejection are still poorly understood. Given the complexity of the immune system network and the multidimensionality of tumor/host interactions, the comprehension of tumor immunology might greatly benefit from high-throughput microarray analysis, which can portrait the molecular kinetics of immune response on a genome-wide scale, thus accelerating the discovery pace and ultimately catalyzing the development of new hypotheses in cell biology. Although the general principles of microarray-based gene profiling with the application of DNA microarray have rapidly spread in the scientific community, the need for mastering this technique to produce meaningful data and correctly interpret the enormous output of information generated by this technology is critical and represents a tremendous challenge for investigators. To describe the sequence of events conductive to an effective immune recognition and killing of malignant cells, clinicians might use gene profiling as a powerful tool to assess the activation status of the immune system before and during immunotherapy.     

Basic introduction to research: how not to do research

In this didactic article, I review some prevalent "myths" about clinical research: anyone can do research; you can learn how to do research from a book or journal articles; all you need to do statistics is the right software (although Excel will also do); you can do good-quality research at your kitchen sink; and what is important is that you did your best. These myths appear to be particularly prevalent in the complementary and alternative medicine communities. They are based on a clear double standard: most clinicians would express shock and horror at the very thought that someone without appropriate clinical training and qualifications might treat a patient; meanwhile, many clinicians do research with no research qualifications whatsoever. But clinical research can guide clinical decisions that affect the health and well-being of millions of people: it is therefore arguable that poorly conducted research is potentially far more harmful than poor medical practice. As such, it is doubly important that clinical research is conducted by those with appropriate training, statistical help, and institutional support.