Volume 2, Number 1

Graham H Jackson, Editor

Welcome to the second year of the British Journal of Cancer Management. We have continued to work hard to bring important articles that are well presented, easy to read, up to date and informative, to all who are interested in the care of patients with cancer.

Jean Mossman BSc Healthcare Consultant, Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire

Until the time when available treatments are 100% effective and safe, with no associated unwanted effects, the search will continue for new and better treatments for cancer. The development of a new drug is expensive; it is estimated to cost between $800 million and $1 billion to bring a new drug to market. Some of this cost will be incurred in undertaking trials to assess the efficacy of the drug, including how and when it should be taken.

Debashis Biswas BSc MRCP Specialist Registrar in Clinical Oncology, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge; David Gilligan BSc FRCP FRCR Consultant Oncologist, Thoracic Oncology Unit Addenbrooke’s and Papworth Hospitals, Cambridge

Malignant mesothelioma is a malignancy that primarily affects the pleura (both visceral and parietal) and the peritoneal linings.

Catherine Burton MB BChir MA MRCP Clinical Research Fellow; David Linch MB BChir FRCP FRCPath F Med Sci Professor of Haematology, Department of Haematology, University College London, London

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is becoming increasingly common, with 9,000 cases in the UK and over a quarter of a million cases diagnosed worldwide per annum.1 Approximately 60% are histologically aggressive lymphomas amounting to around 5,000 new cases/year in the UK. Their incidence increases markedly with age, rising from 0.4 per 100,000 in the 20–24 year age group to 16 per 100,000 in the over-75s; the median age at presentation is around 60.2

Jackie Green RGN OncDip MSc Nurse Consultant and Lead Cancer Nurse, Advanced Clinical Practice, Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust, Croydon

In recent years, the United Kingdom has seen an increase in the number of clinical nurse specialist roles. There is clear evidence that there is great variation in the skills and expertise of the clinical nurse specialist role. As part of the Agenda for Change, The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) has been established, suggesting that the Agenda for Change and its implementation is more than a new pay scheme.1 The KSF creates an opportunity to ensure that we develop a professional nursing service based on patient need.

Jamshed B Bomanji MBBS MSc PhD Consultant Physician/Honorary Senior Lecturer; Peter J Ell MD MSc PhD FRCP FRCR Professor of Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College Hospital, London

Over the past two decades, major changes have occurred in the imaging investigation and subsequent management of patients with lymphomas. Accurate staging is vital for treatment and prognostication and plays an important role in all aspects of lymphoma management. The new World Health Organization classification of tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues is expected to achieve high levels of reproducibility and improve treatment decisions.1

Graham H Jackson MA(Cantab) MBBS(Hons) FRCP FRCPath MD Clinical Director of Haematology, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust

Velcade® (Ortho Biotech, UK) has recently been licensed in Europe for secondline as well as thirdline therapy for multiple myeloma. The safety and efficacy of Velcade® was initially tested in two Phase II trials in patients with multiple myeloma at relapse after at least two previous lines of therapy.