Direct From ASCO
ASCO Congratulates 2023 Special Awards Recipients
ASCO and Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, will recognize researchers, patient advocates, philanthropists, teachers, and global oncology leaders who have reshaped cancer care around the world with the Society’s highest honors at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. Hear from select award reci...
ASCO Releases Guideline Updates for Stage IV NSCLC With and Without Driver Alterations
ASCO has updated two living guidelines on the systemic treatment of stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with and without driver alterations with the inclusion of new evidence-based treatment recommendations.1,2 Among the updates, the guidelines add the recently approved RAS GTPase family inh...
ASCO Member Testifies Before Congress, Urging Significant Increase in Federal Cancer Research Funding
Brian Persing, MD, a medical oncologist and hematologist in Mobile, Alabama, and a member of ASCO, the world’s leading professional organization representing nearly 45,000 oncology professionals, testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor Health and Human Services and Educatio...
President Biden Prioritizes Cancer Research, Access to Care in FY 2024 Budget Proposal
On March 9, 2023, President Joseph Biden released his proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 federal budget, with an emphasis on increased funding for medical research and expanded access to health insurance. The proposal allocates $48.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an $811 millio...
EAU and ASCO Release Collaborative Guidelines on Penile Cancer
MINDY TANZOLA, PhD
Penile cancer is a rare disease with an incidence that is rising globally. Driven by a goal to offer clinicians and patients guidance on the management of this rare condition, ASCO collaborated with the European Association of Urology (EAU) to develop new guidelines on its diagnosis and treatment. A...
ASCO Celebrates the Cancer Moonshot on Its Relaunch Anniversary
“Dedicated to making a world of difference in cancer care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and its affiliated organization, the American Association of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), laud the goals, progress, and continued potential of the Cancer Moonshot initiative. Having the full support of ...
Eight Oncology Health Systems Participating in Efforts to Improve Vaccination Rates Among High-Risk Adults
ASCO is working with eight oncology health systems to develop, test, and measure strategies to improve immunization rates as part of an initiative with the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) to improve vaccination rates among high-risk adults. Through this project, known as Specialty Soci...
2024 ACA Proposal Aims to Reduce Health-Care Coverage Gaps
ASCO submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2024 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters proposed rule. ASCO’s comments support proposals aimed at reducing or eliminating gaps in health-care coverage, and ...
Three Models Testing Ways to Lower Drug Costs Outlined in Health and Human Services Report
On February 14, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) selected three models aiming to address high prescription drug costs for testing by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). T...
ASCO Updates Guideline on Sacituzumab Govitecan-hziy in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer
Mindy Tanzola, PhD
ASCO has released a rapid recommendation update to the guideline on chemotherapy and targeted therapy for endocrine-pretreated or hormone receptor–negative metastatic breast cancer, addressing the use of sacituzumab govitecan-hziy in patients with endocrine-resistant, hormone receptor–positive, HER2...
First ASCO Guideline for Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy in Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer Now Available
MURIEL CUNNINGHAM
An ASCO expert panel has developed a comprehensive guideline for immunotherapy and targeted therapy in patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancer.1 The guideline is based on the many recent advances in immunotherapy and targeted therapy. “The role of immunotherapy has changed practice in the p...
Oncologists Applaud State of the Union’s Focus on Ending Cancer as We Know It
Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of ASCO and the Association for Clinical Oncology, issued the following statement after President Joseph Biden’s State of the Union address on February 7. “ASCO applauds President Biden’s focus on ‘ending cancer as...
Pilot Program Shows Diversity-Focused Clinical Trial Tools Are Useful at Cancer Research Sites
Cancer research sites demonstrated the utility of new resources designed to increase the diversity of participants in cancer clinical trials, although challenges remain, according to two studies published recently in JCO Oncology Practice.1,2 The studies examine the results from a collaborative pil...
New JCO Oncology Practice Special Series Highlights Current State of Team-Based Care, Innovations, and Future Direction
What is team-based cancer care, and how has it evolved over the past decade? A special series in ASCO’s JCO Oncology Practice highlights transformations in team-based delivery models within the cancer care system and their potential direction. A carefully curated series of 15 peer-reviewed articles ...
ASCO Formalizes Free Membership for Physicians in Lower-Middle–Income Countries
The ASCO Board of Directors recently took further action to support members in lower-middle–income countries. In alignment with ASCO’s strategic goal of making a global impact, the Board elected to expand free membership for physicians from lower-middle–income countries, as defined by the World Bank...
ASCO Publishes New Guideline on Immunotherapy, Biomarker Testing in Advanced Head and Neck Cancer
MINDY TANZOLA, PhD
A new ASCO guideline is available on the use of immunotherapy and biomarker testing for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The guideline provides recommendations related to PD-L1 and tumor mutational burden (TMB) testing, selection of therapy in the first-li...
Robin Zon Elected ASCO President for 2024–2025 Term; Other Leadership Positions Filled
ASCO has elected Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO, a long-time member and volunteer, as its President beginning in June 2024. Dr. Zon will take office as President-Elect immediately following the ASCO Annual Business Meeting in Chicago on June 5, 2023. Five additional members were elected to the ASCO Boar...
Former ASCO President Monica Bertagnolli Welcomed as NCI Director in Capitol Hill Reception
On December 7, 2022, Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President Julie Gralow MD, FACP, FASCO, attended a reception on Capitol Hill hosted by the One Voice Against Cancer Coalition and the House Cancer Caucus, to welcome former ASCO President Monica Be...
ASCO Guideline Offers Recommendations on Prescribing Opioids to Patients With Cancer
AARON TALLENT
A new ASCO guideline on opioids in managing pain from cancer or cancer treatment in adults provides recommendations on administering them in the midst of interventions to address the public health crisis from their misuse and related deaths across the country.1 “ASCO took wonderful leadership in ...
ASCO Guideline Highlights Newest Breakthroughs in the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
EMILY A. KUHL, PhD
A new ASCO guideline on the management of advanced colorectal cancer summarizes the latest treatments supported by quality data that could expand oncologists’ armamentarium and potentially improve survival outcomes.1 “[Colorectal cancer] remains the second-leading class of cancer deaths among m...
Updated Position Statement on Drug Repository Programs Aims to Increase Access to Treatment
ASCO recently released an updated position statement on drug repository programs. The update shifts ASCO’s position to allow donation of oral cancer drug treatments in an open distribution system—which are drugs that have left the supply chain and have been dispensed to patients. ASCO’s previous po...
Nearly All Oncology Providers Report Prior Authorization Causing Delayed Care, Other Patient Harms
Prior authorization is harming individuals with cancer, according to new survey results from ASCO. The survey found that prior authorization delays necessary care, worsens cancer care outcomes, and diverts clinicians from caring for their patients. Nearly all survey participants reported a patient ...
Uniting on Shared Priorities to Improve Cancer Care: ASCO and ECO Formalize Collaboration With a Memorandum of Understanding
ASCO and the European Cancer Organisation (ECO) are pleased to announce a new collaboration, formalized with a recently signed memorandum of understanding, that will advance their shared aims on cancer control. The two organizations will continue to work together to support the ECO-ASCO Special Netw...
AACR and ASCO Release Joint Policy Statement on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and ASCO recently released a joint policy statement outlining the latest research on the use of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and recommendations for regulating these products to protect public health. The state...
AMA House of Delegates Approves ASCO-Backed Resolutions on Fertility Preservation, American-Manufactured Personal Protective Equipment, and Third-Party Pharmacy Benefit Administrators
From November 11 to 15, delegates from ASCO participated in the 2022 Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD). The AMA HOD is the principal policy-making body of AMA and meets twice a year to discuss pressing issues and establish policies the AMA uses when...
ASCO Publishes Rapid Guideline Update on PARP Inhibitors in Ovarian Cancer
Brandon May
An ASCO guideline rapid update is revising guidance for the use of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor therapy for the management of ovarian cancer to include updated considerations for the use of several different PARP inhibitor therapies based on recent phase III clinical trial data.1 Th...
ASCO Releases Updated Resource-Stratified Guideline for the Secondary Prevention of Cervical Cancer
Brandon May
A new resource-stratified ASCO guideline update provides new evidence-based recommendations for the secondary prevention of cervical cancer in various resource settings.1 In the updated guideline, the screening recommendations cover basic, limited, enhanced, and maximal resource settings. Since ASC...
Study Sheds Light on Need for Optimal Dosing Standards for Patients With Metastatic Cancer
A new study, published recently in JCO Oncology Practice, found that oncologists have different perspectives on how to select starting doses for patients with metastatic cancer.1 The study shared findings from a 2021 international survey of 367 medical oncologists who treat patients with metastatic ...
ASCO Treatment Guidance for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Updated to Include LuPSMA
Carina Storrs, PhD
An updated ASCO guideline recommends lutetium-177–labeled PSMA-617 (LuPSMA), a targeted radioligand therapy, for patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have been treated with one prior line of androgen receptor pathway inh...
ASCO Applauds President Biden’s Leadership in Relaunching the Cancer Moonshot
September 12, 2022 “President John F. Kennedy’s historic speech that inspired our nation and an entire generation of Americans to achieve manned space exploration underscored the courage and commitment it would take to accomplish this then-audacious goal: ‘We choose to go to the moon in this decade...
Future Leaders Selected to Advance Gender Equality Through the Leadership Programme for Women in Oncology
The first 10 participants in the new Leadership Programme for Women in Oncology have been announced. The program, a joint endeavour from ASCO and City Cancer Challenge Foundation (C/Can), seeks to address the specific challenges and barriers faced by women leaders in oncology and strengthen the lead...
SIO-ASCO Guideline Proposes Evidence-Based Approaches to Pain Management Incorporating Integrative Medicine Interventions
Wayne Kuznar
The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) and ASCO have released a guideline that appraises the evidence to support incorporating integrative medicine approaches into managing pain in adults with cancer.1 The guideline builds upon existing ASCO guidelines on pain management, the growing body of res...
Cancer Care and Reproductive Health Resources for the Oncology Community
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, effectively eliminating the constitutional right to abortion and returning the power to regulate reproductive health to individual states. Some states have already taken action to restrict...
ASCO and the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer Announce Innovative Collaboration to Advance Cancer Research in Africa
ASCO and the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) committing the two organizations to collaborate to advance cancer research in Africa. Harnessing the respective programs, leaders, and member networks of both organizations,...
Diversify Cancer Clinical Trials With New Recruitment and Retention Resources
ASCO and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) jointly released two resources to help research sites increase racial and ethnic equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in cancer clinical trials. The Just ASK™ Increasing Diversity in Cancer Clinical Research: An ACCC-ASCO Training Progra...
ASCO Updated Guideline of Biomarkers in Metastatic Breast Cancer Supports PIK3CA, BRCA1/2, PD-L1 Testing
Darcy Lewis
ASCO has issued a new practice guideline update on the use of biomarkers in the management of metastatic breast cancer.1 The updated guideline revisits recommendations from the 2015 guideline and addresses topics that have emerged since then in the move toward personalized medicine in metastatic bre...
Reconciliation Bill Focuses on Health-Care Provisions
Update: On August 7, 2022, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a broad climate, tax, and health-care reconciliation bill, with a vote of 51 to 50. During a review of the IRA, the Senate parliamentarian removed provisions from the bill that would have required drug companies to pay a...
ASCO Endorses President Biden’s Pick of ASCO Past President Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, as Incoming Head of National Cancer Institute
The ASCO Post Staff
Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO, Chief Executive Officer of ASCO, issued the following statement on July 21: ASCO applauds President Biden for his reported decision to appoint ASCO Past President Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, as the new Director of the National Cancer Institute (NC...
Nine Oncology Practices Certified Through ASCO Patient-Centered Cancer Care Certification Pilot
ASCO recently announced that nine outpatient oncology group practices have achieved certification through the new ASCO Patient-Centered Cancer Care Certification pilot based on their adherence to oncology medical home (OMH) standards, a single set of comprehensive, expert-backed standards for patien...
2023 Hospital Outpatient Payment Proposal Does Not Reflect SCOTUS Ruling on 340B Reimbursement
On July 15, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed rule for the 2023 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS). ASCO is assessing the full proposal, but ASCO’s initial analysis is as follows. In June 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that...
New Guideline Updates Address Stage IV Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer With and Without Driver Alterations
Two ASCO guideline updates provide new evidence-based recommendations for the systemic treatment of stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with and without driver alterations.1,2 Among several other updates, these new guidelines add the ALK and ROS1 inhibitor lorlatinib and the PD-L1 immune che...
ASCO Releases First Comprehensive Evidence-Based Guidelines for Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Jessica Nye, PhD
ASCO has released the first comprehensive set of guidelines for the management of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC).1 The guidelines are subdivided into six main sections: diagnosis, the role of cytoreductive nephrectomy, first-line systemic treatment, second- or later-line systemic t...
CancerLinQ and Owkin Collaborate to Use Federated Learning on Real-World Oncology Data to Better Understand Lung Cancer Treatment
ASCO’s CancerLinQ and Owkin recently announced a new research collaboration to use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze real-world oncology data with the aim to understand why some cases of metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are resistant to first-line immunotherapy. Using data from C...
ASCO and WHO to Collaborate on Quality Indicators for Cancer Facilities
In a collaboration announced on June 4, ASCO will work with the World Health Organization (WHO) to measure and improve the quality of cancer care internationally. The goal is to achieve health-related targets of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and WHO Global Action Plan on Non-Communicable Di...
ASCO Endorses New ASTRO Guideline on the Use of Radiation Treatment of Metastatic Brain Cancer
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
ASCO has endorsed the recommendations put forth in a new guideline, developed by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), on the use of radiation therapy for the management of brain metastases.1,2 Although ASTRO—in conjunction with ASCO and the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO)—recently s...
ASCO Guideline Update for Systemic Melanoma Therapy Addresses New Treatment Option for Uveal Melanoma
Mindy Tanzola, PhD
A rapid update to the ASCO guideline on systemic therapy for melanoma adds a new recommendation for the treatment of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.1 The update follows the January 2022 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of tebentafusp-tebn for patients with previously untreat...
AMA House of Delegates Approves ASCO-Backed Resolutions on Ancillary Clinical Trial Costs and ARPA-H Funding
From June 10 to 15, delegates from the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) participated in the 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD). The AMA HOD is the principal policy-making body of AMA and meets twice a year to discuss pressing issues and e...
ASCO Statement on Supreme Court Decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization
On June 27, 2022, ASCO released a statement on the recent ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization. “ASCO is committed to the delivery of medically appropriate, equitable, evidence-based cancer care. For patients of child-bearing age, a cancer diagnosis raises medical considerations ar...
CAR T-Cell Reimbursement, Measuring Health Disparities, Digital Quality in Focus in Comments on 2023 Hospital Inpatient Payment Proposal
ASCO submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) proposed rule. ASCO’s comments address chimeric...
ASCO Guideline Update Aims to Improve Patient Outcomes for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer With Brain Metastases
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
Rapid developments over the past decade in the treatment of patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer may lead to better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients with brain metastases, according to findings incorporated into a new ASCO guideline update.1 “The difference this guid...
