May 10, 2018 (View All Issues)
Evolving Standards and Quality Metrics Ensure High-Quality Cancer Programs
Dr. Shulman is Deputy Director, Clinical Services, and Director of the Center for Global Cancer Medicine, Abramson Cancer Center; and Professor of Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
IN 2008, WHEN ALLEN LICHTER, MD, FASCO, then Chief Executive Officer of ASCO,...
Minimal Residual Disease in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Mutation Matters
A RECENT article in The New England Journal of Medicine explored the nuances of minimal/measurable residual disease testing after induction treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML)1 and David P. Steensma, MD, and Benjamin L. Ebert, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical...
Pembrolizumab Plus Standard Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
ADDING THE IMMUNE checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to standard chemotherapy with pemetrexed (Alimta) and a platinum as first-line therapy was superior to chemotherapy alone in the KEYNOTE-189 trial.1 Induction and maintenance therapies with the new triplet therapy improved overall...
Adjuvant Pembrolizumab Improves Relapse-Free Survival in High-Risk Stage III Melanoma
ADJUVANT THERAPY with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) significantly prolonged recurrence-free survival compared with placebo for patients with resected high-risk stage III melanoma, according to the results of the EORTC 1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial.1 Patients who received pembrolizumab had a 43% reduction in...
NCCN Debuts Three New Sets of Guidelines
THE NATIONAL Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) debuted three sets of completely new guidelines for treating patients with uveal melanoma, for treating patients who have cancer and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and for managing immune-related toxicities.
Cancer in People Living With...
Can Some Patients With Early Breast Cancer Avoid Surgery?
RESEARCHERS AT The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are testing the possibility of safely eliminating surgery in patients with breast cancer who are “exceptional responders” to neoadjuvant therapy, according to Henry M. Kuerer, MD, PhD, a breast cancer surgeon who described this...
AACR Announces 2018 Special Recognition Awards
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for Cancer Research (AACR) presented Special Recognition Awards to the following four individuals whose work has made extraordinary contributions to the AACR’s mission to accelerate the prevention and cure of all cancers through research, education, communication, and...
Circulating Tumor DNA May Guide Treatment Intensity in Advanced HPV-Associated Head and Neck Cancers
A MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL analysis of circulating tumor DNA extracted from the plasma of patients has shown that human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) DNA is detectable in the majority of cases of favorable-risk HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and may be a clinically useful...
Microenvironment Heterogeneity May Contribute to Lack of Immunotherapy Success in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
INTER- AND INTRAPATIENT heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment may explain the limited success of checkpoint blockade thus far observed in patients with advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer, according to Paulina Cybulska, MD, MSc, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
...
Follow-up Too Short in Ovarian Cancer, Too Long in Other Gynecologic Malignancies
A STANDARDIZED 5-year period of surveillance by a gynecologic oncologist was found to be inadequate for some gynecologic cancers and excessive for others, according to research presented by Robert Dood, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, at the 2018 Society of...
Patient Attitude May Play a Part in Fears About Gynecologic Cancer Recurrence
CONCERNS ABOUT how recurrence of gynecologic cancer can affect a person’s life, and not simply fear of recurrence alone, play an important role in patient distress and functional impairment, according to a presentation at the 2018 American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) Annual Conference in...
Obesity in Cancer Survivors: Identifying Teachable Moments
OBESITY IS associated with poor survival in patients with cancer, but when research is translated into survivorship care, obese and overweight patients can experience better outcomes, according to Karen Basen-Engquist, PhD, MPH, Professor of Behavioral Science and Director of the Center for Energy...
Actively Recruiting Clinical Trials Focused on Nonmelanoma Skin Cancers
THE INFORMATION contained in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting clinical studies focused on nonmelanoma skin cancers—basal cell carcinoma; merkel cell carcinoma; cutaneous lymphoma; and squamous cell carcinoma. These studies are investigating brachytherapy; topical...
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and Management of Regional Lymph Nodes in Melanoma: ASCO/SSO Clinical Practice Guideline Update
AS REPORTED IN the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Sandra L. Wong, MD, of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and colleagues, ASCO and the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) have issued an update to the ASCO/SSO clinical practice guideline on sentinel lymph node biopsy and management of regional...
Updated ASCO/SSO Guideline on Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Melanoma: Addressing Fundamental Clinical Questions
Dr. Thompson is Professor of Melanoma and Surgical Oncology, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, and Senior Surgeon, Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney.
IN THE MID-1990s, the surgical management of patients presenting with primary cutaneous melanomas changed forever when the...
COA Practice Impact Report Details Consolidation, Shift of Cancer Care System Into Hospital Setting
THE COMMUNITY ONCOLOGY Alliance (COA) has released the 2018 Community Oncology Practice Impact Report,1 which tracks data on the changing landscape of cancer care in the United States. It details a decade-long trend of closure and consolidation in the U.S. cancer system that has resulted in a...
Planning for Potential Adverse Effects of Oral Chemotherapy
THE USE OF oral chemotherapy drugs is becoming more and more prevalent—for many types and stages of cancer, during different treatment phases, and for varying lengths of time. So it’s vital that physicians, nurses, and advanced practitioners understand all the potential adverse events of these...
Now More Than Ever, the Oncology Pharmacist Can Play a Variety of Roles on the Health-Care Team
Susannah E. Koontz, PharmD, BCOP, FHOPA, is a consultant for clinical pharmacy services, research, and education in the areas of pediatric hematology/oncology, stem cell transplantation, and cellular therapy. She has held positions at the Children’s Cancer Hospital at The University of Texas MD...
AACR Welcomes New Leadership at 2018 Annual Meeting
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH (AACR) welcomes Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, Deputy Director for the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and Associate Director of the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, as President of AACR for 2018–2019....
Afatinib in Previously Untreated Metastatic NSCLC With Nonresistant EGFR Mutations
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms of action, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On January 12, 2018, afatinib (Gilotrif) was approved...
New Laws Reduce Costs of Oral Cancer Drugs, but Not for All
The rising cost of anticancer drugs not only adds fiscal pressure to our overburdened health-care system, but also increases the stress on patients with cancer and their families. High out-of-pocket spending may cause significant financial toxicity, even for patients with good health insurance...
Melanoma Research Alliance Announces New Grants
The Melanoma Research Alliance has announced funding for research grants totaling more than $11 million. The awards will fund researchers at 23 institutions across the United States, Australia, and Belgium to conduct research to advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of melanoma.
This...
Combined Immune Checkpoint and VEGF Inhibition as First-Line Therapy in Advanced Clear Cell Kidney Cancer
In a dose-finding, dose-expansion phase Ib trial (JAVELIN Renal 100) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Toni K. Choueiri, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and colleagues determined the maximum tolerated dose of the immune checkpoint inhibitor avelumab (Bavencio)...
Combined Immune Checkpoint and VEGF Inhibition: Exciting yet Challenging Time for Renal Cancer Therapeutics
The treatment paradigm for metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma continues to evolve at a rapid pace. We have recently approved agents that target the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) pathway in the front-line setting—such as the tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib...
Nilotinib Label Updated to Provide Treatment Discontinuation Recommendations for CML With Sustained Molecular Response
On December 22, 2017, the product label for nilotinib (Tasigna) was updated to include information on nilotinib discontinuation, postdiscontinuation monitoring, and guidance for treatment reinitiation in patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have...
Using Video Decision-Support Tools to Facilitate End-of-Life Discussions With Patients
GUEST EDITOR
Addressing the evolving needs of cancer survivors at various stages of their illness and care, Palliative Care in Oncology is guest edited by Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD. Dr. Von Roenn is ASCO’s Vice President of Education, Science, and Professional Development.
Research shows that...
Should We Treat Rising PSA in Men With Castrate Androgen Levels?
In rapid succession, the SPARTAN study results were presented at the 2018 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, the data were published in The New England Journal of Medicine,1 and the drug apalutamide -(Erleada) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for men with previously...
Nivolumab in Adjuvant Treatment of Melanoma
On December 20, 2017, nivolumab (Opdivo) was granted regular approval for adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with lymph node involvement or metastatic disease who have undergone complete resection.1,2 Nivolumab was previously approved for the treatment of patients with unresectable or...
Decision Aids Reflect Patients’ Values and Preferences for Care: So Why Aren’t More Oncologists Using Them?
Overwhelming evidence shows that patient decision aids, such as educational booklets, videos, or Web-based tools that take into account patients’ values and personal preferences, hold enormous promise for improving the informed consent process. Patient decision aids both reduce unwanted medical ...
Linda D. Bosserman, MD, FACP, FASCO, Named Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Oncology Practice
Linda D. Bosserman, MD, FACP, FASCO, has been named Editor-in-Chief of ASCO’s Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP). She is a recognized leader in cancer care delivery with an understanding of the issues impacting all types of oncology practices.
Dr. Bosserman will oversee the development of each...
Primo Nery Lara, Jr, MD, Appointed Director of UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
Primo Nery Lara, Jr, MD, has been named Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated University of California (UC) Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. He will lead a team of more than 300 scientists, with an estimated $90 million in annual research funding, and a clinical enterprise...
Agnieszka Witkiewicz, MD, Appointed Director of Center for Personalized Medicine at Roswell Park
Agnieszka Witkiewicz, MD, has been appointed Director of the Center for Personalized Medicine at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is also Chief of Research and Biobanking in the Department of Pathology. Before coming to the cancer center, she worked at the University of Arizona as...
Chamomile
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies commonly used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus attention on...
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Awards $7M to Advance Immunotherapy Research
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation announced that, as part of its $15M Immunotherapy Initiative, it has awarded $7 million to fund three research programs led by myeloma researchers. The Immunotherapy Initiative, through the formation of highly collaborative, multidisciplinary Immune Networks ...
Doctoring Is a Family Tradition for Medical Oncologist Virginia G. Kaklamani, MD
Virginia G. Kaklamani, MD, Professor of Hematology/Oncology at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio and leader of the center’s breast cancer program, was born and reared in Athens, Greece. “I spent my formative years in Athens, where I attended school. My father is a physician and my mom’s a...
Spring
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the “Art of Oncology” as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
Role of Bone-Modifying Agents in Multiple Myeloma
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and colleagues, ASCO has issued a clinical practice guideline update on the role of bone-modifying agents in multiple myeloma.1 The update was performed by an expert panel systematic...
Dispel Fears About Breast Cancer Radiotherapy With ‘Real Truth’ About Modern Techniques and Side Effects
Nearly 85% of patients surveyed 6 or more months after completing radiotherapy as part of their treatment for breast cancer reported the side effects were not as bad as they had feared or expected. Approximately 92% of the 269 patients treated with breast conservation and 81% of the 58 patients ...
Study Finds Desmoplastic Melanoma Highly Responsive to PD-1/PD-L1 Blockade
Desmoplastic melanoma is a rare subtype of melanoma that is commonly found on sun-exposed areas, such as the head and neck, and usually seen in older patients. Treatment is difficult, as these tumors are often resistant to chemotherapy and lack actionable mutations commonly found in other types of...
Durvalumab in Locally Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
Updated results of a phase I/II study of durvalumab (Imfinzi) in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma were reported by Thomas Powles, MD, of Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues in JAMA Oncology. Data from the ongoing study supported the recent...
HPV-Related Cancers Like Mine Are Avoidable, So Why Aren’t More Kids Being Vaccinated?
The latest news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccination rates in the United States for human papillomavirus (HPV) is disappointing. It shows that in 2016, just 43.4% of adolescents (49.5% of females and 37.5% of males) were up-to-date with the recommended 3-dose HPV...
FDA Approves Drug Combination for Adjuvant Treatment of BRAF V600–Mutant Melanoma
On April 30, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dabrafenib (Tafinlar) in combination with trametinib (Mekinist) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test, and lymph node involvement following...
ASCO Hosts Inaugural State of Cancer Care in America Event to Examine Issues in Precision Medicine
Precision medicine is changing cancer care in profound ways. It is expected that the number of patients who benefit from precision medicine will continue to increase in the coming years, as treatments become more effective and research yields more insights on patient populations who are most likely ...
State-Level Cancer Policy Priorities, Advocacy Discussed in Statehouses and on ASCO in Action Podcast
WITH THE MAJORITY of state legislatures currently in session, ASCO and state societies across the country continue to work together to ensure lawmakers understand how legislation impacts the cancer care delivery system.
For example, in Rhode Island and Washington, ASCO worked with the Rhode...
Thriving at Your First ASCO Annual Meeting
The ASCO Annual Meeting is the world’s largest multidisciplinary oncology conference, attracting over 30,000 attendees each year. Countless advances are unveiled in Chicago year after year. The sense of excitement generated by knowing that clinical practice may change for the bettering of our...
Listen Now to “Remembering Dad”: Latest Release from Your Stories: Conquering Cancer Podcast
HOW DO patients really feel when they are in your care? What does it feel like to cure a cancer? How are the children of oncologists affected when grief is a parent’s occupational hazard? These are the personal topics explored in the candid and inspirational mini-podcast series, Your Stories:...
