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With research focused on targeted therapies that are less toxic, patients with advanced and rare cancers once considered incurable are being diagnosed earlier with better screening and diagnostic tests and living longer with new treatments like Xeloda for advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer.

Women with hormone-negative breast cancers may not be able to benefit from tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, but a subset of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer are able to take advantage of advances such as Herceptin and Tykerb. For women with hormone- and HER2-negative cancers, or triple negative, new research into what drives these cancers and prevent recurrence may increase treatment options and benefit this population.

With the Food and Drug Administration requesting more information about the efficacy of Provenge, an investigational vaccine for hormone-refractory prostate cancer and what many expected to be the first vaccine approved to treat cancer, one may wonder when a therapeutic vaccine will finally reach patients outside clinical trials. But as researchers learn more about the immune system, develop better vaccines, and find how best to study their effects on cancer, vaccines are still expected to be an important player in the future of cancer therapy.

A guide for caregivers after treatment ends—what to expect, how to return to normal, accepting a new role, coping with grief and finding emotional support.

A guide for navigating the challenging territory of caretaking.

How and why caregivers should care for themselves.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2007 top Clinical Cancer Advances: Major Research Advances in Cancer Treatment, Prevention, and Screening saw advances in liver cancer, better screening methods for breast cancer, and the first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer—each advancement in prevention, screening, and treatment brings researchers one step closer to improving quality care for all people affected by cancer.

Brian Durie, MD, and Susan Novis, president of the International Myeloma Foundation, answer questions about the progress in multiple myeloma.

Patients and their caregivers must do a balancing act during the holidays of continuing past traditions while also conforming to the demands of cancer treatments, side effects, and doctor appointments—families are learning that with a proactive approach and family communication, the holidays can still be festive and memorable.