Direct From ASCO
ASCO Updates Guidelines on Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Amy Norton
ASCO has updated its guidelines on the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients newly diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer, underscoring key considerations in selecting patients for treatment and where to go from there.1 Since ASCO’s previous guidelines were published in 2016, there has been ...
New ASCO Guideline Addresses Germline and Somatic Genomic Testing in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
MAXINE LIPNER
Prostate carcinoma is the most common type of cancer among men in the United States, accounting for more than 299,000 estimated new cases and approximately 35,000 new deaths in 2024.1 A new ASCO guideline based on findings from a systematic review indicates that in metastatic cases of prostate cance...
Expanded Treatment Options for Metastatic CRPC: ASCO Guideline Addresses Somatic Genetic Testing, Radiopharmaceuticals
EMILY A. KUHL, PhD
The management of metastatic (CRPC) has rapidly accelerated in the past decade, giving oncologists a wider range of tools to work with and patients new opportunities for improving survival and maintaining quality of life. These significant advancements have prompted ASCO to release a guideline updat...
ASCO Guideline Update Calls for Omission of SLNB in Select Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer
ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline update on the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in early-stage breast cancer.1 The update includes recommendations based on findings from trials released after the published guideline in 2017, including data from nine randomized trials comparin...
ASCO and Medicaid: Advocacy In Action
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is actively engaged in advocacy to protect Medicaid access for millions of Americans. Members can support ASCO’s Medicaid advocacy efforts through the ACT Network. In 2025, ASCO has partnered with other health-care organizations and engaged with lawmakers...
ASCO and Google Cloud Announce AI-Powered Tool That Provides Faster, Interactive Access to ASCO’s Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines
ASCO and Google Cloud have announced a collaboration to launch an artificial intelligence (AI)-based ASCO Guidelines Assistant. Developed with Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform and Gemini models, the tool is poised to transform how oncology professionals access and use critical clinical recommendati...
ASCO Congratulates 2025 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 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting. “The recipients of this year’s Specia...
ASCO Sets Six Guiding Principles for AI in Oncology
ASCO has released “Principles for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Oncology,” to guide the Society’s consideration of all aspects of artificial intelligence (AI). With this manuscript, ASCO joins colleagues across medicine in offering principles that should be applied in development...
Joint Clinical Practice Guideline Addresses Opioid Conversion for Patients With Cancer
Several medical organizations recently released a joint Clinical Practice Guideline to provide recommendations on opioid conversion in adults with cancer.1 ASCO, together with the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC), American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Hos...
Executive Orders and Cancer Care
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is working to understand the extent and scope of several recent executive actions. ASCO recognizes the concern and confusion many are currently experiencing and understands that if there are interruptions in care and research, there can be negative conseq...
ASCO Updates Guideline for Fertility Preservation in People With Cancer
Mindy Tanzola, PhD
ASCO has released an update to the guideline for fertility preservation in people with cancer. The update, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,1 provides recommendations regarding evaluation and counseling for fertility preservation; methods and timing of fertility preservation; a...
New Guideline Supports Transoral Robotic Surgery in the Multidisciplinary Management of Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer
EMILY A. KUHL, PhD
Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) can offer patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) improved survival while minimizing or avoiding late toxicities associated with the standard of care of radiation with cisplatin chemotherapy, according to a recent ASCO guideline.1 “We show in a r...
2.83% Medicare Physician Reimbursement Cut Finalized for 2025; Estimated 4% Cut for Medical Oncology
Late in 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2025 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule adopting changes for Medicare payments under the PFS. CMS also released the 2025 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System final rule, which sets hospital outpatient reim...
Deciphering the Impact of the 2024 Election on Cancer Care
Two weeks after the 2024 election, the Presidency and 119th Congress are coming into focus, with nearly all races called. Republican Donald Trump was elected President, and Republicans regained control of the U.S. Senate (53–47) and maintained control in the House of Representatives (218–212 at pres...
Pediatric Cancer Clinical Trial Research Should Include Social Determinants of Health
ASCO is calling for pediatric clinical trials to prioritize health equity and social determinants of health (SDOH) data in future trials to improve cancer treatment and survivorship in patients. In a recent position statement, ASCO addresses the need to include SDOH data collection and intervention ...
Information-Blocking Proposal Helps Protect Reproductive Health Information, Patient Preferences
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) submitted comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in response to the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability (HTI-2) proposed r...
Katherine Van Loon Named Editor-in-Chief of JCO Global Oncology
Katherine Van Loon, MD, MPH, has been appointed as the next Editor-in-Chief of JCO Global Oncology (JCO GO). JCO GO is an online-only, open-access ASCO journal focusing on cancer research, care, and delivery in low-resource countries and settings. The journal aims to address the challenges faced by...
18 Researchers and Mentors Selected for ASCO’s Inaugural International Clinical Research Scholars Program in Latin America
ASCO has announced the participants and mentors selected for its new International Clinical Research Scholars (ICR) program. Eighteen scholars were selected by the ASCO Latin America Regional Council to take part in this 1-year program that pairs clinical research training with mentorship opportunit...
Physician Wellness and Professional Burnout
According to an ASCO-sponsored study of burnout and career satisfaction among U.S. oncologists, 44.7% of surveyed oncologists reported feeling symptoms of burnout. ASCO offers information, practical advice, and member perspectives on how to prevent and manage burnout and prioritize wellness in your ...
AMA House of Delegates Adopts ASCO-Sponsored Resolutions on Interpretation of Stark Law and Prior Authorization Costs
On September 23, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act of 2024 (H.R. 5526), which would make permanent a waiver put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed Medicare patients to receive medications dispensed by in-office pharmacies b...
Cancer Clinical Trials Continue to Be Out of Reach for Many Patients
Millions of Americans with cancer likely struggle to access some of the most advanced, state-of-the-art treatments being tested in clinical trials for their disease, according to a recent analysis from ASCO. The 2023 State of Cancer Care in America Snapshot and corresponding manuscript found 70% of ...
Cancer Provider Groups Across the Country Urge Congress to Pass Prior Authorization Reform
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), along with 46 state oncology societies, sent a letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership urging Congress to pass the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 8702/S. 4532), which would streamline prior authorization practices within Medicare A...
ASCO Updates Stage III NSCLC Guideline to Include Osimertinib in Wake of LAURA Trial Data
Dave Levitan
ASCO has issued a rapid update to its guideline on the management of stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on the results of the phase III LAURA trial, which was presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting and published simultaneously in The New England Journal of Medicine.1,2 The guidel...
ASCO Presents Ethan Basch, MD, MSc, FASCO, With the Joseph Simone Quality Care Award
ASCO will recognize Ethan Basch, MD, MSc, FASCO, a medical oncologist and Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina, with the Joseph Simone Quality Care Award and Lecture at the 2024 ASCO Quality Care Symposium. This year’s meeting will be held in San Francisco and online on Septe...
ASCO Issues First Guideline Specific to Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
Leah Lawrence
ASCO has released its first clinical practice guideline focused specifically on the management of locally advanced rectal cancer.1 “Rectal cancer, and especially locally advanced rectal cancer, is a complex disease that requires individualized approaches using multimodality therapies to have the be...
New Collaborative Guideline Highlights the Importance of Multidisciplinary Care for Patients With Osteoradionecrosis
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
A joint guideline from the International Society of Oral Oncology–Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer and ASCO seeks to fill a gap in the clinical guidance for patients with head and neck cancers who develop osteoradionecrosis following their head and neck radiation therapy.1 Des...
ASCO Guideline Update Highlights the Importance of Early Integration of Palliative Care for Patients With Cancer
Jennifer Cable, PhD
Growing awareness of the benefits of palliative care in patients with cancer has prompted ASCO to update its recommendations for clinicians, patients, caregivers, and health-care organizations on integrating palliative care in oncology.1 The updated guideline reinforces prior recommendations in the ...
SCOTUS Ruling Upends Country’s Regulatory Framework, Threatens to Complicate and Delay Health-Care Delivery
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has serious concerns about the impact of the Supreme Court’s rulings in Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v Department of Commerce on cancer care. These decisions overturned the “Chevron deference” or “Chevron doctrine,” a legal pri...
Updated ASCO Guidance on Cancer-Related Fatigue Expands Patient Options for Interventions
A new update to the ASCO guideline on managing cancer-related fatigue recommends that health care providers urge their patients to exercise, as well as use cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based programs to help prevent and treat this prevalent symptom.1 It is estimated that between 30% ...
AMA House of Delegates Adopts Record Six ASCO-Led Resolutions
Delegates from the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) participated in the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) on June 7 to 12 in Chicago. ASCO created and was the primary sponsor of six resolutions that the AMA HOD adopted as policy, an Associ...
ASCO Issues New Guidance on Vaccinations for Adults With Cancer
Daniel M. Keller, PhD
A new ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline recommends several vaccinations (eg, seasonal, herpes zoster, human papillomavirus [HPV], and others) for adults with solid or hematologic malignancies because of heightened infection risks from vaccine-preventable illnesses.1 The guideline covers the essential...
ASCO Issues New Guidance on Cannabis and Cannabinoid Use in Adults With Cancer
Many Americans, including patients with cancer, use cannabis and cannabinoids. In response to this reality, ASCO has issued a guideline for clinicians, adults with cancer, caregivers, and researchers on their medical use.1 The recommendations cover all cancer types and address products ranging from ...
Guideline Update Seeks to Aid Clinicians in the Selection of Systemic Treatments for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
An ASCO guideline update offers new recommendations on systemic treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), based on promising findings from several recent randomized controlled trials as well as the approval of new first- and second-line immunotherapy combinations.1 “This guideline in...
ASCO Congratulates 2024 Special Awards Recipients
ASCO
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 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting. The 2024 Special Award Recipients are...
ASCO Issues Updated Guidelines for Stage IV NSCLC With and Without Driver Alterations
ASCO has issued new evidence-based updates to two living guidelines on the treatment of stage IV NSCLC with and without driver alterations.1,2 Updated Recommendations: Stage IV NSCLC With Driver Alterations The most “extensive work” in the updates occurred in the guideline on stage IV NSCLC with d...
New Policy Statement Addresses Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors Influencing Cancer Care, Outcomes
ASCO’s new policy statement highlights the need for formalized efforts to address health-related social needs and outlines ways to address social determinants of health (SDOH) in cancer care. Social determinants are defined as conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, which ma...
America’s Cancer Doctors Demand Action From Congress: Address Drug Shortages
Cancer doctors from across the United States are lending their voices to a new advocacy campaign to end drug shortages. Led by the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), nearly 500 oncology professionals have signed an open letter to Congress and the administration highlighting the severe impact ...
Pamela Kunz, MD, Named Editor-in-Chief of New JCO Oncology Advances
ASCO recently announced the upcoming launch of JCO Oncology Advances (JCO OA), a new open-access and interdisciplinary journal. Pamela Kunz, MD, will serve as the new Editor-in-Chief of this innovative journal, dedicated to accelerating progress in the global fight against cancer by providing a plat...
Rapid Guideline Update Supports Capivasertib for Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
Patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer now have a new medication option that extends survival, according to an ASCO rapid guideline update.1 The update was designed to orient clinicians to outcomes from the CAPItello-291 trial, which led to the U.S. Food and...
ASCO Releases Resource-Stratified Guideline for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Mindy Tanzola, PhD
ASCO has released a new guideline on the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer in resource-constrained settings, where maximal setting–recommended treatments are not available.1 The guideline, designed for clinicians, policymakers, and patients, provides stratified recommendations base...
ASCO Chief Medical Officer Testifies to Congress About Ongoing Cancer Drug Shortage Crisis
On February 6, 2024, Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), testified before the full House Committee on Ways and Means on the crisis of ongoing cancer drug shortages. More than 15 cancer drugs continue to...
ASCO and SSO Publish New Guideline on Germline Testing in Breast Cancer
ASCO in partnership with the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) has released a new guideline addressing recommendations in germline testing in patients with breast cancer.1 The guideline provides oncologists with a framework for how to approach germline testing and recommendations for who should be ...
Rapid Guideline Update on Radiotracers for Determining Radioligand Treatment Eligibility in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Brandon May
ASCO has released a guideline rapid recommendation update addressing radiotracers used for prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron-emission tomography (PET) diagnostic imaging for selecting patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) to receive lutetium-177–label...
ASCO Welcomes New Rule Establishing Electronic Prior Authorization in Federal Health Plans
On January 17, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its rule requiring federal health plans—including Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid plans, and Qualified Health Plans (QHP) on Federally Facilitated Exchanges (FFEs)—to establish an electronic prior authorization process t...
Eric J. Small, MD, FASCO, Elected ASCO President for 2025–2026 Term
The ASCO Post Staff
ASCO has elected Eric J. Small, MD, FASCO, to lead as its President beginning in June 2025. Dr. Small, a long-time ASCO member and volunteer, will take office as President-Elect immediately following the ASCO Annual Business Meeting in Chicago on June 3, 2025. An additional six ASCO members were ele...
2023 ASCO Advocacy Highlights
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) had an immensely impactful year of advocacy work, which is possible only with guidance and passion from our members. In partnership with the ASCO’s Government Relations Committee, five advocacy priorities were identified for the year: Protecting patien...
ASCO and Ontario Health Publish New Recommendations for Systemic Therapy in SCLC
Brandon May
A newly published guideline update from ASCO and Ontario Health provides evidence-based recommendations on the use of systemic therapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC).1 Recommendations cover where novel agents fit in the treatment landscape, the management of disease in older patients with limited...
New Guideline Offers Much-Needed Support in the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumors
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
An ASCO guideline has been developed to inform the use of systemic treatments for metastatic, well-differentiated gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).1 The guideline helps fill a knowledge gap among community oncologists in particular, who typically do not see many of these rare ...
The Progress of Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care Takes Center Stage at Workshop
ASCO and the National Cancer Policy Forum cohosted a workshop on October 5–6, 2023, to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) consensus report, Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis.1 The National Cancer Policy Forum is a convenin...
ASCO Rapid Recommendation Update Cautions Against Triplet Therapy for Metastatic Clear Cell RCC
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
An ASCO Rapid Recommendation Update advises oncologists to avoid the use of triple combination therapy for the management of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC).1 The new guidance, which updates recommendations from the original 2022 guideline, reflects findings from a phase III, double...
