CA-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians September/OctoberAmerican Cancer Society Although multiple myeloma remains a debilitating disease that is difficult to treat, important new choices for therapy are showing promise. Those options are discussed in the cover article and an editorial in the fall issue of CA-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. In their article, "Multiple Myeloma: An Old Disease with New Hope for the Future," Adnan A. Zaidi, MD, and David H. Vesole, MD, PhD, of Medical College of Wisconsin review such newer approaches now in active clinical trials, including more potent induction regimens using thalidomide alone or in combination with dexamethasone; tandem transplants to improve the possibilities for remission, thalidomide used as maintenance therapy with corticosteroids, nonmyeloablative therapy with allogeneic transplantation, and post-transplant vaccines.  In the article, for which physicians can receive Continuing Medical Education credit, the authors write, "With an improved understanding of the biology of myeloma and with targeted therapy tailored to each patient, the goal of a cure for this disease has never been more promising." In an accompanying editorial, Brian G.M. Durie, MD, Chairman and Scientific Director of the International Myeloma Foundation, who is Director of Salick Myeloma Programs at Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, adds, "Thalidomide, alone or in combination, is the first drug to offer true hope of survival benefit for these patients in more than three decades. Patients with life-threatening refractory myeloma have had their lives extended by one to two years. This is remarkable and makes tangible the prospect of real progress toward prolonged remission or even cure with this and/or related biologic agents." This issue of CA also includes a comprehensive review article on oral mucositis, a major complication of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The problem causes significant morbidity that may lead to delays in treatment as well as increased therapeutic expenses. Since treatment options are as yet unfortunately limited, prevention is crucial. The article discusses pretherapy assessment and treatment of any underlying oral pathology and an overall approach focused on supportive care to improve the patient's quality of life. CA-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, published for the American Cancer Society by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, is the most widely circulated cancer journal in the world. It appears six times a year and publishes articles, usually of a review nature, on all aspects of cancer detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. For an interview with any of the authors or an American Cancer Society authority on any of these or other topics, please contact Joann Schellenbach at 212-382-2169. The CA Web site, featuring free, full-text versions of all the journal's articles since 1998, can be accessed via the American Cancer Society's newly designed Web site, www.cancer.org. (Click on "Professionals," and from the menu select "Bookstore." Within the Bookstore, click on "Medical and Clinical Journals," and then select "CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians." The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy, and service. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc., is a global publisher of medical, nursing, and allied health information resources in book, journal, looseleaf, and electronic media formats. The company is a unit of Wolters Kluwer International Health & Science, a group of leading publishing companies offering specialized publications and software in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, science, and related areas.
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