Advances in the Treatment of Gynecologic Malignancies

Two things become apparent to the reader of this excellent article. First, the National Cancer Institute clearly had great foresight in 1970, when they began funding the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) so that phase I, II, and III trials could be conducted in a systematic manner. Second, the authors have written a thorough review of over 3 decades of research into the biology and clinical aspects of cervical and vulvar cancer. In this short space, it would be impossible to adequately comment on the 50 studies reviewed by the authors. However, based on these studies, I would posit the rationale for a paradigm shift in the staging of cervical cancer, and would add (to paraphase Mark Twain), "the report of the complete demise of hydroxyurea as a radiation sensitizer may be an exaggeration."