June 10, 2016 (View All Issues)
Daratumumab Hits the Mark in Early Relapsed Multiple Myeloma
For relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, daratumumab (Darzalex), combined with bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone, reduced relapses by 61% in the phase III CASTOR study reported at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.1
“The results are unprecedented in a randomized study comparing a novel...
Extending ASCO’s Influence Globally to Improve Patient Care
On June 27, 2016, Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO, will begin his tenure as Chief Executive Officer of ASCO, succeeding Allen S. Lichter, MD, FASCO, who presided over the Society and the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO since 2006. Dr. Hudis’ dedication to ASCO dates back more than 25 years ...
The ENDEAVOR Trial: A Case Study in the Interpretation of Modern Cancer Trials
It can be easy to miss the forest for the trees in the interpretation of clinical trials. In particular, trials for the treatment of cancer are exceedingly complex, with long lists of inclusion and exclusion criteria, designs with hidden biases, drugs with unpronounceable names (if not cumbersome...
Additional 5 Years of Letrozole May Benefit Some Postmenopausal Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Five years of aromatase inhibitor as upfront therapy or after tamoxifen is the current standard of care for postmenopausal women with early hormone receptor–positive breast cancer. A new trial suggests that extending aromatase inhibitor therapy with letrozole for an additional 5 years may improve...
Chemoradiotherapy Improves Survival in Patients Over Age 65 With Glioblastoma: A New Standard Option?
The combination of short-course radiotherapy and temozolomide followed by maintenance with temozolomide significantly improved survival compared with short-course radiotherapy alone in newly diagnosed elderly patients with glioblastoma, according to the results of a global cooperative group trial...
Expert Point of View: Stuart A. Grossman, MD, and Deborah Schrag, MD
Formal discussant of this trial Stuart A. Grossman, MD, of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, commented that the trial did not include a best standard-of-care arm. The pivotal trial defined optimal radiotherapy as 60 Gy over 6 weeks, but this...
Adjuvant Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Pancreatic Cancer
An adjuvant chemotherapy regimen improved overall survival in early-stage pancreatic cancer patients, in the large phase III European ESPAC-4 study reported at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.1
The combination of gemcitabine and capecitabine almost doubled the 5-year survival rate, compared to...
How Will Value Framework Tools Be Used in Everyday Practice?
Value framework tools made a splash in 2015, with five different groups unveiling methods to help physicians and patients compare therapies based on efficacy, toxicity, and/or cost. Now these potential users are beginning to examine and debate the tools, including how and whether they will work in...
Comparing Treatments by Efficacy, Toxicity, and Cost
Last year, five organizations introduced new methods to compare cancer treatments. For more on ASCO’s Value Framework, see page 120.
The NCCN Evidence Blocks™ use a simple graphic to show experts’ ratings of systemic therapies in five areas: efficacy, safety, quality and quantity of evidence,...
Vice President Joe Biden Addresses Attendees at ASCO 2016 Annual Meeting
Vice President Joe Biden offered remarks on the White House’s National Cancer Moonshot Initiative on Monday, June 6, to attendees at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Essential Elements
“The Moonshot Initiative can be a vehicle for major new progress against cancer, and ASCO’s Annual...
It Started With Twitter: ASBrS Immediate Past-President, Deanna Attai, MD, Spearheads Patient-Centered Care
Breast surgeon Deanna Attai, MD, is a virtual mighty mouse as a spokesperson for her professional organization, the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS). She is as big on ideas as she is petite in stature and for actively tweeting on medical topics (@DrAttai). Assistant Clinical...
University of Catania Presents Margaret Foti Scholar-in-Training Award to Saverio Candido, PhD
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) congratulates Saverio Candido, PhD, on receiving the fourth Margaret Foti Scholar-in-Training Award from the University of Catania in Italy. Dr. Candido is being recognized for his research on biomarkers of bladder cancer development and...
Chemotherapy After Radical Prostatectomy May Benefit African Americans and High-Risk Patients
A new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study suggests that African American men and men with a higher tumor stage may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy following radical prostatectomy.1 According to prespecified analysis of these two “high–risk” subgroups, patients with ≥ T3b disease had a ...
Atezolizumab in Platinum-Treated Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma: A New Standard of Care?
Compared with a historic control rate, a phase II study of the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) has demonstrated clinically meaningful responses in patients with urothelial carcinoma who progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy.1 Hailed as a “major...
ASCO Applauds the FDA for Regulating E-Cigarettes
ASCO President Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) move to regulate electronic cigarettes.
“ASCO applauds the FDA for exercising its congressionally mandated authority to regulate cigars, hookah tobacco,...
Nivolumab in Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
On May 17, 2016, nivolumab (Opdivo) was granted accelerated approval for treatment of patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma that has relapsed or progressed after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and post-transplantation brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris).1,2 Continued approval...
ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline Update on Ovarian Suppression/Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and colleagues, ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline update on ovarian suppression as part of the extant guideline on adjuvant endocrine therapy in hormone...
Ovarian Suppression in Premenopausal Women With Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
Oophorectomy was the first proposed form of endocrine therapy for women with breast cancer. Over 100 years ago, Thomas Nunn reported a relationship between menopause and regression of breast cancer.1 This incited interest in the induction of menopause as an anticancer therapy, and in 1986, a...
Lisa A. Carey, MD, and Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, Appointed Co-Chairs of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Breast Committee
Lisa A. Carey, MD, of the University of North Carolina (UNC), and Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, have been appointed Co-Chairs of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Breast Committee.
The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology develops and conducts cancer...
AACR CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Honored With Ovarcome Excellence Award
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), has received the Ovarcome Excellence 2016 Award in recognition of her accomplishments in the field of cancer research, and her commitment to increasing public awareness about cancer...
Patient Advocate Michael Kaplan to Lead Melanoma Research Alliance
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the world’s largest private funder of melanoma research, has named Michael Kaplan as its new leader. For the past 20 years, Mr. Kaplan has headed various nonprofits and patient advocacy groups, including his most recent position as President and CEO of...
Richard J. O’Reilly, MD, Named The Society of MSK’s Inaugural Prize Winner for Groundbreaking Contributions in Pediatric Oncology
The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has announced that Richard J. O’Reilly, MD, has been named the inaugural recipient of The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize. Founded in 1946, The Society of MSK is a volunteer-led organization within MSK dedicated to promoting...
Cancer and Fertility Program Improves Patient Satisfaction With Information on Fertility Risks and Preservation
As reported by Joanne F. Kelvin, MSN, RN, CNS, AOCN, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), and colleagues in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a cancer and fertility program established at MSK improved patient satisfaction with information received regarding fertility risks and...
Learning About Fertility Is Important to Young Patients With Cancer
It is more and more common for people to wait until their 30s or 40s to have children. Consequently, many young adults have not completed their desired childbearing when they are diagnosed with cancer. Cancer treatments can impair fertility directly (usually via gonadotoxicity from...
Anti–PD-1 Inhibitor Gains Foothold in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Immunotherapy marches on! One of the latest frontiers for checkpoint inhibitors is the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but aggressive type of cancer.
First-line therapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda)—an anti–PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) inhibitor—achieved an objective response...
QOPI Certification Program Certifies First International Practice
ASCO recently announced that the Contemporary Oncology Team of Athens, Greece, as part of the new international pilot project, is the first international practice to receive Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) certification through the QOPI Certification Program, LLC (QCP).
“Achieving ...
Prolonged Progression-Free Survival With Addition of Palbociclib to Fulvestrant in HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, and colleagues, the final results of the phase III PALOMA-3 trial showed that the addition of the CDK4/CDK6 inhibitor palbociclib (Ibrance) to...
PALOMA-3 Trial in HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: Challenge of Moving Beyond Estrogen Receptor Positivity
Hormone receptor–positive breast cancer represents the largest therapeutic subgroup of the disease. The development of endocrine therapies has shaped the treatment paradigm for both advanced- and early-stage disease for decades.1 Still, despite their significant impact, advanced breast cancer...
Stephen K. Burley, MD, DPhil, Named Co–Program Leader at Rutgers
Stephen K. Burley, MD, DPhil, has been named as Co–Program Leader of the Cancer Pharmacology Research Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. This basic science program unites investigators with broad scientific expertise who share a strong interest in cancer pharmacology and preclinical ...
Peter H. Wiernik, MD, Receives 2016 Walter Reed Distinguished Achievement Award From UVA Medical
The University of Virgina (UVA) Medical Alumni Association has recognized Peter H. Wiernik, MD, as co-recipient of its 2016 Walter Reed Distinguished Achievement Award. Dr. Wiernik received the award along with Charles W. Cummings, MD, former Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and...
Lung Cancer Alliance Supports Two Young Investigator Awards
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO (CCF) has received generous support from Lung Cancer Alliance to fund a 2016 and 2017 Young Investigator Award (YIA) in lung cancer. Lung Cancer Alliance has a more than 20-year history of working to save lives and advance research by empowering those living...
ASCO Submits Comments to ONC on Enhanced Oversight of the HIT Certification Program
On Monday, May 2, ASCO submitted comments to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) regarding the proposed Enhanced Oversight of the ONC Health Information Technology (HIT) Certification Program rule.
The rule would increase ONC oversight of certified health IT, define a process for...
2016 ASCO Annual Meeting Planning Committees
The ASCO Annual Meeting highlights the latest research and treatment advances in oncology, with nearly 30,000 oncology professionals attending each year. ASCO wishes to acknowledge the volunteers on this year’s Cancer Education and Scientific Program Committees and thank them for their time and...
Newly Updated: Resources to Help Your Patients Quit Tobacco
Most smokers and other tobacco users want to quit. ASCO’s patient booklet Stopping Tobacco Use After a Cancer Diagnosis offers people with cancer and their caregivers information on tobacco cessation. With information on treatments and resources available, this booklet gives patients the practical...
Prostate Cancer: Opinions Vary on Gleason Scores and Surgery
Diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer have been the source of heated debate for decades, most of which has centered on the clinical value of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. In 2012, the U.S Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gave the PSA test a D grade, which discourages...
ASCO 2016: CancerLinQ Extends Its Reach, Announces New Partnerships
ASCO announced that a total of 58 practices in 39 states and the District of Columbia have joined CancerLinQ™, ASCO’s big data initiative to rapidly improve the quality of care for people with cancer. CancerLinQ is already up and running in a number of practices and drawing on approximately...
American Cancer Society Report Assesses Progress Against Goals Set for Nation 25 Years Ago
A new report assesses how the nation fared against the ambitious goal set by the American Cancer Society (ACS) to reduce cancer death rates by 50% over 25 years ending in 2015. The report finds areas where progress was substantial, and others where it was not. Published by Byers et al,1 the...
Daratumumab Shows High Activity in Heavily Pretreated and Refractory Multiple Myeloma
In the phase II SIRIUS trial reported in The Lancet, Sagar Lonial, MD, of Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, and colleagues found that the CD38-targeted monoclonal antibody daratumumab (Darzalex) produced durable responses in patients with multiple myeloma who had received at least...
SIRIUS Trial Heralds a New Era of Promise in Treating Resistant Myeloma
Multiple myeloma cells uniformly overexpress CD38.1 Daratumumab (Darzalex), a CD38-targeting human IgG1 kappa monoclonal antibody, has been evaluated in a series of phase I/II trials involving patients with relapsed or relapsed and refractory myeloma who have received at least two or more...
Multi-Institutional Metastatic Melanoma Research Team Receives $900,000 L’Oréal Paris USA–MRA Team Science Award for Women in Scientific Research
An international, multi-institutional research team consisting of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO); The Wistar Institute; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre; the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Liver Cancer
Pilot
Study Title: Pilot Study of Hepatic Arterial Infusion Therapy in Patients With Unresectable or Borderline Resectable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
Study Type: Interventional/nonrandomized/parallel assignment
Study Sponsor and Collaborators: Washington University School of Medicine
...
Pembrolizumab Improves Survival vs Docetaxel in Previously Treated PD-L1–Positive Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
As reported in The Lancet by Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, of Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues,1 the phase II/III KEYNOTE-010 trial showed that pembrolizumab (Keytruda) significantly improved overall survival vs docetaxel in patients with previously treated programmed cell death ligand 1...
Jeffrey Sosman, MD, Joins Northwestern’s Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Jeffrey Sosman, MD, melanoma expert and researcher, will join the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University as Co-Leader of the Translational Research in Solid Tumors (TRIST) Program and Director of the Melanoma Program. He will also serve as Director for Faculty...
Survey Finds Most Americans Unlikely to Enroll in Clinical Trials
According to a new survey of more than 1,500 consumers and nearly 600 physicians conducted for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), only 35% of Americans indicated that they were “likely” to enroll in a clinical trial. Clinical research is increasingly dependent upon larger numbers of...
Rising Breast Cancer Incidence in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities
The incidence of new cases of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is rising, and it will take a concerted effort from the international cancer community to counteract this troubling upward trend. It has been estimated that of the 15 million cancer ...
ASCO Urges Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to Withdraw Medicare Part B Demo in Formal Comments
ASCO President Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, issued this statement on May 10.
“In comments1 submitted yesterday to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), ASCO underscored the urgent need to advance a more fair and responsible payment system for oncology than what is proposed in...
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Hires Steve Stadum as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has announced the hiring of Steve Stadum as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Stadum, currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute, will join Fred Hutchinson...
Ronald David Alvarez, MD, Named Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Ronald David Alvarez, MD, Ellen Gregg Shook Culverhouse Chair in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and Vice Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has been named Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt...
2016 Oncology Meetings
JUNE
IARC: Global Cancer:
Occurrence, Causes, and Avenues to Prevention
June 7-10 • Lyon, France
For more information:
http://iarc-conference2016.com
WCIO 2016
June 9-12 • Boston, Massachusetts
For more information:
www.wcioevents.org
International Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer 2016
June 9-12 •...
ASCO Statement on Human Papillomavirus Vaccination for Cancer Prevention
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Howard H. Bailey, MD, of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, and colleagues, ASCO has released a statement on increasing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to prevent HPV-related cancers in the United States.1
In the United...
Moving the Needle on HPV Vaccination
In 2012–2013, members of the President’s Cancer Panel (prescancerpanel.cancer.gov) focused their efforts on accelerating widespread acceptance of and use of approved human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines to prevent cancer. The topic is important, because HPVs cause most cases of cervical cancer and...
Providing Inpatient Physical Rehabilitation for Patients With Advanced Cancer
Guest Editor
Physiatry in Oncology explores the benefits of cancer rehabilitation in oncology practice to screen survivors for physical and cognitive impairments along the care continuum to minimize survivors’ disability and maximize their quality of life. The column is guest edited by Sean...
Seattle Children’s Reports Promising Early Results With Immunotherapy in Relapsed ALL
Seattle Children’s announced that 39 of 42 patients treated in a phase I clinical trial using genetically reprogrammed T cells to treat relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have achieved complete remission, showing no detectable leukemia cells. Phase II of this trial, known as...
Dr. William Morton and His Engineer
A Century of Progress
The text and photograph on this page are excerpted from a four-volume series of books titled Oncology Tumors & Treatment: A Photographic History, by Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS. The photo below is from the volume titled “The Antiseptic Era: 1876–1900.” To view additional...
Statement From FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, on the Release of the Final Individual Patient Expanded Access Form
On June 2, 2016, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, issued the following statement on the release of the final individual patient expanded access form.
“Today, the FDA finalized its efforts to streamline the process used by physicians to request expanded...
PD-L1 Inhibitor Atezolizumab for Locally Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On May 18, 2016, the PD-L1 (programmed cell death ligand 1)...
Improvement in Overall Survival With Addition of Chemotherapy to Radiotherapy in Low-Grade Glioma
Final results of the RTOG 9802 phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Jan C. Buckner, MD, of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, and colleagues, showed that the addition of chemotherapy with procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine to radiotherapy significantly prolonged overall...
Combined-Modality Therapy for Low-Grade Gliomas: Balancing Toxicity, Delivery Logistics, and Survival Benefit
Low-grade gliomas account for 15% of all primary brain tumors and represent a heterogeneous group of glial neoplasms. Although these tumors have been termed low-grade, this is a misnomer, especially for some grade II gliomas, which may exhibit a more aggressive behavior and variable natural...
Lenvatinib in Combination With Everolimus in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On May 13, 2016, lenvatinib (Lenvima) was approved for use in...
Increased Survival and Toxicity With Docetaxel, No Benefit of Zoledronic Acid, When Added to First-Line Hormone Therapy in Prostate Cancer
As reported in The Lancet by Nicholas D. James, BSc, MBBS, PhD, of the University of Warwick, and colleagues, survival results of the STAMPEDE trial, which used a multiarm, multistage seamless phase II/III design, provide little evidence of benefit of zoledronic acid and showed increased...
FDA Approves New Diagnostic Imaging Agent to Detect Recurrent Prostate Cancer
On May 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved fluciclovine F-18 (Axumin), a radioactive diagnostic agent for injection. Fluciclovine F-18 is indicated for positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging in men with suspected prostate cancer recurrence based on elevated...
Low-Dose Chemical Exposure and Cancer
According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), environmental toxic exposures are responsible for between 7% and 19% of human cancers. However, the 2008–2009 President’s Cancer Panel Annual Report estimated that the “true...
The Best HCAHPS Score: A Rodeo Invitation
An otherwise healthy, actively working, independent 60-year-old patient came to us with a several months’ history of abdominal pain. He had been seen by other physicians prior to coming to us for a second opinion. Our workup revealed a large cystic lesion emanating from the pancreas but...
HOPA Research Grants Announced, Totaling Nearly $60,000 in Funding
The Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) has awarded two HOPA Research Grant Awards to Val Adams, PharmD, BCOP, FCCP, and Jill S. Bates, PharmD, MS, BCOP, for their respective research projects. The goal of HOPA’s Research Grant efforts are to fund work that results in facilitating ...
Dana-Farber President to Receive SPARK! Award for Health Promotion
The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) announced its selections for the 2016 SPARK! Awards. Edward J. Benz, Jr, MD, President and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will receive the 2016 Schweitzer Clarion Award for Health Promotion and Education.
Dr. Benz is being honored for bringing...
University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center Designated as NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center
The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center has been awarded the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI’s) highest designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. The prestigious distinction recognizes the cancer center’s high caliber of scientific leadership and robust programs ...
An Unusual Memoir of Cancer
“A book about the future must be written in advance. Later I won’t have the energy. So I will do it now.” So begins The Iceberg, a memoir set in Britain of a woman, Marion Coutts, whose husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which eventually killed him. Unfortunately, cancer memoirs flood...
Rising
There were once two patients with leukemia. Other than their diagnoses and their ages, these two men had nothing in common.
Meet Michael
Michael was an artist—a sculptor. He had large, sensitive, blue eyes and a quiet, pensive manner. His acute observational power led him to ponder deep...
The Importance of Listening to Patients
My experience with cancer, or more accurately, cancers, is complicated. In 2002, after returning from a medical mission to Honduras, I noticed a bean-sized lymph node above my left clavicle. As an oncology-certified nurse, I knew not to ignore any unusual nodules that pop up on the body and asked...
Cheryl Taylore Lee, MD, Named Urology Chair at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has named a prominent expert in bladder cancer, Cheryl Taylore Lee, MD, to lead its urology, uro/gynecology, and uro/oncologic programs, beginning July 1, pending approval by The Ohio State University Board of Trustees.
Dr. Lee will be Chair of the ...
AUA Honors Its 2016 Annual Award Winners
The American Urological Association (AUA) honored its 2016 AUA award recipients during its 111th Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calfornia. These physician researchers, educators, and organizations were honored for their contributions to the field of medicine, the specialty of urology, and the AUA.
...
Philip A. Salem, MD, Honored by President of Mexico for Cancer Care
Oncologist Philip A. Salem MD, Director Emeritus of Cancer Research at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, was honored as a physician and author on April 28 by the President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto and his government for Dr. Salem’s lifelong commitment to cancer care worldwide.
Dr. ...
Breast Density Legislation: An Opportunity for Better Risk Assessment
Dense breasts are not an automatic indication for additional imaging. Instead, breast density generally provides an opportunity for improved risk assessment, according to Kevin Hughes, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “More than 20 states have mandated that women be informed of...
Yale Researchers Win Sokoloff Family-Melanoma Research Alliance Award
A new approach to understanding why T cells are often too weak to fight and destroy tumor cells has earned Yale Cancer Center researchers team science award from the Sokoloff Family-Melanoma Research Alliance.
The $900,000 award will fund research over 3 years examining metabolic...
ASCO Updates Value in Cancer Care Framework
On May 31, 2016, ASCO published an updated framework for assessing the relative value of cancer therapies that have been compared in clinical trials. The framework, published by Schnipper et al,1 defines value as a combination of clinical benefit, side effects, and improvement in patient symptoms...
ASCO Value in Cancer Care Task Force
The Value in Cancer Care Task Force was established in 2007 to educate oncologists about the importance of discussing costs associated with recommended treatments, empower patients to ask questions about the anticipated costs of their treatment options, identify the drivers of the rising costs of ...
FDA Approves New Diagnostic Imaging Agent to Detect Rare Neuroendocrine Tumors
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Netspot, the first kit for the preparation of Ga-68 dotatate injection, a radioactive diagnostic agent for positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging. This radioactive probe will help locate tumors in adult and pediatric patients with...
FOLFIRINOX in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
First-line FOLFIRINOX (leucovorin, fluorouracil, irinotecan, oxaliplatin) is associated with median overall survival of approximately 2 years in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, according to a systematic review and patient-level meta-analysis reported by Suker et al.1
Study...
Early Lapatinib-Related Rash in Breast Cancer
An analysis of the phase III adjuvant ALTTO trial showed that early rash was associated with better clinical outcome with lapatinib (Tykerb) treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, as reported by Sonnenblick et al. It had been previously found that early rash was associated with improved...
International Prognostic Index for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
The International Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia–International Prognostic Index (CLL-IPI) working group has developed an International Prognostic Index for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia based on a meta-analysis of individual patient data, as reported in The Lancet Oncology.
The...
MD Anderson Receives $10.6 Million From CPRIT for Lung Cancer Research
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will receive $10.6 million in funding from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) for two collaborative studies targeting crucial issues in lung cancer.
The two multi-investigator research awards, designed to support teams of ...
FDA Approves EGFR Mutation–Detecting Blood Test for NSCLC
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2, a blood-based companion diagnostic for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor erlotinib (Tarceva). This is the first FDA-approved, blood-based genetic test that can detect EGFR gene...
Scenes From ASCO 2016
1. “The Bean” or Cloud Gate with a little ASCO color. Photo © 2016 ASCO/Todd Buchanan. 2. ASCO CEO Allen S. Lichter, MD, FASCO, introducing ASCO President Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, during the Opening Session of the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. Photo © 2016 ASCO/Phil...
