Although guidelines worldwide mandate fertility preservation for newly diagnosed patients within their reproductive window, most patients are still not referred or offered this option. Rebecca H. Johnson, MD, of Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, explains the steps that need to be taken when counseling patients.
Samuel M. Silver, MD, PhD, of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Al B. Benson III, MD, FACP, FASCO, of Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, discuss the evolution of NCCN Guidelines, which are available free online, and the components that make them effective: a multidisciplinary approach, the participation of patient advocates, consistency, and affordability of the evidence.
Ingrid A. Mayer, MD, of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, discusses the evolution of endocrine therapy for metastatic breast cancer.
Eric Jonasch, MD, of The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the progress being made in kidney cancer treatment and the clinical trials that focused on sunitinib, sorafenib, and everolimus, among others.
Wui-Jin Koh, MD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, discusses the program to adapt NCCN guidelines to regions of the world with different resource availability. The first guideline to be adapted in this way is for cervical cancer, which is prevalent in the developing world.
Mary Lou Smith, JD, MBA, of the Research Advocacy Network, discusses, from the perspective of a patient advocate, the value of the NCCN guidelines and the impact they have made on cancer care.
