Promising New Drugs and Combinations…Fulfilling Our Pledge

Abstract

We are fortunate, as physicians and clinical researchers, to live in a time of unprecedented expansion of treatment approaches. Much of this change is due to the application of new knowledge regarding the causes of malignant transformation and progression, and the pace of research and its application is likely to quicken. The pace of change is exemplified by the number and variety of new drugs that will transform treatment of cancer in the next few years: antibodies for breast cancer and lymphoma, differentiating agents for acute promyelocytic leukemia, molecularly targeted agents for chronic myelocytic leukemia, antiangiogenic drugs, antimetastatic agents, and new natural products with unique mechanisms of action. Some are already approved and in routine use, while others are progressing rapidly through the pre-approval process. All of this change presents a challenge to the practicing oncologist who must understand the biology, pharmacology, and clinical uses of the new drugs. What are the advantages, limitations, risks, and benefits of the drugs, how do they interact with other drugs and with irradiation, and how are they likely to be used in the future? To provide timely access to this information, The Oncologist has asked its board of editors to develop a new section of the Journal that will be devoted to Promising New Drugs and Combinations. Two experienced and highly respected clinical researchers, Frank Balis, Chief of the Pharmacology and Experimental Section in the Pediatrics Branch at the National Cancer Institute, and Michael Hawkins, Associate Director at the Washington Hospital Center Cancer Institute, have agreed to edit and oversee this section of the journal and will make sure that our readership has essential information on new drugs as they approach marketing status. Please let us know if we are providing useful and timely information. We value your suggestions for making The Oncologist the most relevant of all the journals you read.