Abstract: Despite the recent advances in its management using cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy, ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological malignancy. One possible treatment strategy that may improve patient outcome is the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) that selectively target tumor cells expressing tumor-associated antigens, and thus offer potential benefits such as avoiding the cytotoxic side effects in normal tissue caused by traditional chemotherapeutic agents. Based on the promising results of preclinical studies, various mAb are currently being evaluated in patients with ovarian cancer. Some of them have already demonstrated favorable clinical outcomes in phase I/II studies. However, in contrast to its use for hematological malignancies and certain solid malignancies such as breast and colorectal cancer, mAb-based therapy has not been convincingly proven to be clinically effective in patients with ovarian cancer. As the preclinical results of mAb's therapeutic effects on ovarian cancer have been encouraging, further investigations are needed to establish a more effective, specific, and less toxic treatment strategy for this malignancy. ... Read more

Abstract: No chemotherapy regimen showed a survival benefit better than 5-fluorouracil alone in a phase III trial for advanced gastric cancer in 1990s, and several new cytotoxic agents became available in late 1990s. Thereafter, a couple of phase III trials supported the substitution of infusional 5-fluorouracil by orally administered agents and the replacement of cisplatin by oxaliplatin in early 2000s. Furthermore, a substantial amount of information about the heterogeneity and the biological backgrounds of gastric cancer has been obtained from recent trials, and it is suggested that some cytotoxic agents would be well indicated. Trastuzumab has succeeded in showing a survival benefit for patients with Her-2 positive gastric cancer which accounts for about 10-20% of the cancer. This means that the door is opened to the new era of chemotherapy with molecular target agents and with individualization for advanced gastric cancer. The new approach in the development of molecular target agents, e.g., biomarker oriented strategy, for advanced gastric cancer should be studied in clinical trials in the near future. ... Read more

Abstract: Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of vision loss after age 50 in the United States. Although an important association of the complement cascade with AMD has recently been made, we still do not understand the pathogenesis of the disease. AMD is characterized by loss of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) within the macula (i.e., the center of the retina), and in turn, loss of the overlying foveal photoreceptors. Since RPE and photoreceptors can both be generated from stem cells using cell culture, there is hope for future cell replacement therapy. But, aging changes in Bruch's membrane, the scaffold on which the RPE are anchored, may complicate such therapy, and require surgical repair of Bruch's membrane to provide a suitable environment for cell survival and function. We have referred to such a multipronged approach of surgical reconstruction of the macular architecture in conjunction with cell transplantation as Maculoplasty. ... Read more

Abstract: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. About 50% of the patients present locally advanced or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. First line therapy usually consists of a combination of cisplatin or carboplatin with a third-generation agent (paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, or vinorelbine) that results in less than 5% 5-year survival (Goldstraw et al., 2007). Recently a different approach based on histological subtype has been introduced in the first line treatment of NSCLC: in the non-squamous histotypes, cisplatin plus pemetrexed, compared to the cisplatin plus gemcitabine combination, showed a better outcome, leading to its introduction in the first line treatment setting. In recent years advances in the second and third line treatments have led to a prognostic improvement. Two cytotoxic agents, docetaxel and pemetrexed, are approved as NSCLC second line treatment, and a new class of drugs against specific molecular targets -- tyrosine Kinase inhibitors (TKI) -- has emerged as an alternative to conventional treatment. Many trials are ongoing to assess the activity of new drugs, alone or in combination with other agents, or new combinations of third-generation chemotherapeutic agents. ... Read more