Conversation with The Cancer Letter

The stochastic process of stem cell divisions should not be equated with bad luck, said Barnett Kramer, director of the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention, focusing on misinterpretations of the “Bad Luck” paper by Cristian Tomasetti and Bert Vogelstein, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

As an oncologist who treats sarcoma, George Demetri has seen the adverse consequences of power morcellation, the surgical technique widely used to perform laparoscopic hysterectomies and remove putative fibroids.

The Cancer Letter asked Lawrence Einhorn, distinguished professor of medicine and the Livestrong Foundation Professor of Medicine at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, to reflect on one of the most spectacular successes in the history of cancer research—his development of the curative regimen for testicular cancer.

The Cancer Letter asked Patrick Loehrer, director of the Indiana University Melvin & Bren Simon Cancer Center, to discuss his institution's decision to close its 10-year-old proton beam center.

Current controversy over power morcellation points to the importance of multidisciplinary education and consultation, said Monica Bertagnolli, chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.

The Cancer Letter asked David Challoner, emeritus vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida, to discuss the intricacies and effects of the FDA's 510(k) medical device approval process, and the parties that influence it.