One ovarian cancer patient mentioned she was in a clinical trial, 5 years ago, for IP chemotherapy and that it was a tough treatment to go through. She's since had a recurrence.

Dr Marshall - Clinical Director of Oncology for Georgetown University Hospital. He also serves as Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center "Authority in treatment of gastrointestinal cancers"

Mentioned "triad approach" (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy) - hope they act upon cells that have spread.

For over 40 years, have been using chemotherapy. - quite successful. Recent improvements - less toxic

Has cured many childhood cancers, leukemias, lymphomas and germ cell cancers
(such as Lance Armstrong's)

Chemotherapy for the majority of common cancers (colon, breast, lung, ovarian, prostate) "has not resulted in wiping out all those cells"

Mentioned EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) agents "need to recruit their own vessels or get into the blood supply" - he described EGFR as "growth pathway - cancer grows, divides, spreads).

Mentioned angiogenesis inhibitors

Was using buzzwords such as "targeted" and "biotherapies".

A lot of mention about clinical trials - nothing specific.

I may have missed something however on a web page where he's answering questions "Q: What's the biggest difference you see today versus five to ten years ago?

Dr. Marshall: We've made so much progress that now we actually use the term
“cure” when talking about certain early stage colon, prostate and other cancers. And thanks to new therapies, patients with metastatic disease are surviving, on average, three times longer and with an improved quality of life." But he doesn't say if that's 3 times longer than (patients survived) 40 years ago or ?

Q: What produced this turn about? Dr. Marshall: Well, we can never underestimate the importance of early detection to improved outcomes when it comes to cancer. But beyond that, scientific research has produced a dramatic shift in our understanding of cancer (which is actually a collection of diseases) and, along with it, an enhanced understanding of how best to care for individual patients.