chemotherapy and imunotherapy

Urothelial carcinoma is the most common urological malignancy. Nonspecific immunotherapy using the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine has long been the mainstay for the treatment of high-risk superficial bladder carcinoma in an adjuvant setting after transurethral endoscopic resection. In metastatic disease, cisplatin-based chemotherapy remains the main therapeutic modality. In Europe, the standard second-line chemotherapy for patients with cisplatin-refractory tumours is vinflunine. Other systemic treatments with a lower level of evidence include paclitaxel and docetaxel...

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor in adults, exhibiting high mortality. Standard therapy (surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide) has only limited effectiveness. The progress in genomics regarding GBM, in the detection of new markers of oncogenesis, abnormalities in signalling pathways, tumor microenvironment, and pathological angiogenesis over the past decade are briefly discussed. The role of novel prognostic in this review biomarkers [isocitrate dehydrogenases 1 and 2, CpG island methylator phenotype, promoter methylation status of the MGMT (O-6-methylguanine-methyltransferase) gene] is also discussed...

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly tumor, which in spite of surgery and radio/chemotherapy frequently undergoes relapses related to the infiltration of the normal parenchyma and to resistance to cytotoxic and radiation therapy. Immunotherapy may represent a promising approach, which may complement existing therapies with the aim of eliminating residual tumor cells, through their selective targeting by immune effector cells or antibodies. This goal can be achieved through different approaches, based either on the induction of an immune response of the host, or by the injection of in vitro generated effector cells or monoclonal antibodies...

In Germany, 6100 women and 5300 men contract a malignant melanoma of the skin every year. The chances of being cured are good in the early stages of the disease, but the average survival following distant metastasis is only 6 to 9 months. Therefore, early diagnosis is crucial, particularly as the skin is, by nature, a readily accessible organ. The introduction of epiluminescence microscopy has increased diagnostic accuracy significantly. In cases of doubt, complete excision of the suspect pigmented lesion is always advisable...