Journal Spotlight
Pembrolizumab Improves Progression-Free Survival vs Chemotherapy in First-Line Treatment of Microsatellite Instability–High Advanced Colorectal Cancer
Matthew Stenger
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Thierry André, MD, of Sorbonne Université and Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris, and colleagues, the second interim analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-177 trial has shown significantly prolonged progression-free survival with pembrolizumab vs fluorour...
Germline-Somatic Interactions in Advanced Urothelial Cancer and Their Role in Disease Progression
Matthew Stenger
In a study reported in Nature Communications, Bishoy M. Faltas, MD, of the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, and colleagues identified common germline-somatic variant interactions in advanced urothelial cancer, with these interacti...
Fan Therapy May Relieve Breathlessness Associated With Advanced Cancers
The ASCO Post Staff
Blowing air from a fan into the face of patients with advanced cancer experiencing breathlessness—and other nonpharmacologic interventions—may offer symptomatic relief, according to new research directed by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators and published in JAMA Oncology.1 In contrast...
What Is the Measure of Minimal Residual Disease in AML?
Jerald P. Radich, MD
Relapse is the primary obstacle to cure in leukemia. The term minimal residual disease (MRD) was coined in the early 1990s to describe finding a disease-specific marker in the context of a morphologic-appearing remission. The technique first used for MRD detection was the Southern blot (!), but the ...
Meta-analysis Shows Superior Disease-Free and Overall Survival With Measurable Residual Disease Negativity in AML
Matthew Stenger
In a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Nicholas J. Short, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues, found that measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity is associated with superior disease-free and overall survival in patients with acut...
ASCO Releases Guideline on Systemic Therapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Leah Lawrence
ASCO has released a new evidence-based clinical practice guideline to assist in clinical decision-making for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.1 “Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma has transitioned from a disease where we had a single approved therapy for patients to one where we now ha...
No Reduced Recurrence Risk With Perioperative Aromatase Inhibitor Use in HR-Positive Breast Cancer
Matthew Stenger
In the UK phase III POETIC trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ian Smith, MD, of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, and colleagues, found that perioperative aromatase inhibitor therapy did not reduce the risk of recurrence in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive e...
Improved Outcomes With Neoadjuvant Paclitaxel Plus Trastuzumab/Lapatinib vs Paclitaxel/Trastuzumab in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Matthew Stenger
In a 7-year follow-up of the phase III CALGB 40601/Alliance trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Aranzazu Fernandez-Martinez, MD, of Lineberger Comprehensive Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and colleagues found that neoadjuvant paclitaxel combined with a dual HER2-...
Continued Progression-Free and Overall Survival Superiority of First-Line Pembrolizumab/Axitinib vs Sunitinib
Matthew Stenger
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Thomas Powles, MD, of Barts Cancer Institute, London, and colleagues, extended follow-up of the phase III KEYNOTE-426 trial shows continued progression-free and overall survival superiority with pembrolizumab/axitinib vs sunitinib alone in first-line treatment ...
The Lung Microbiome May Affect Lung Cancer Pathogenesis and Prognosis
The ASCO Post Staff
Enrichment of the lungs with oral commensal microbes was associated with advanced-stage disease, worse prognosis, and tumor progression in patients with lung cancer, according to results from a study published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.1 “The lung...
Guideline Update Offers New Directions About Trastuzumab Emtansine for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Emily A. Kuhl, PhD
About 10% to 20% of newly diagnosed breast cancers demonstrate overexpression of the HER2 protein.1 Since the introduction of trastuzumab, several new HER2-targeted therapies have been approved for use in the adjuvant and metastatic settings (eg, pertuzumab, lapatinib, and neratinib). However, for s...
Racial Disparities in Treatment of Common Lung Cancer Persist Despite Gains
The ASCO Post Staff
Lung cancer continues to be the most deadly solid cancer in the world, despite the fact that survival rates have been improving over the past decade. However, Black patients have worse outcomes and shorter lifespans after being diagnosed with lung cancer. A study published in the Journal of Surgical...
Addition of Abemaciclib to Endocrine Therapy Improves Invasive Disease–Free Survival in High-Risk Early Breast Cancer
Matthew Stenger
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Stephen R.D. Johnston, MD, PhD, of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, and colleagues, an interim analysis in the phase III monarchE trial has shown that adjuvant abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy significantly improved invasive disease...
First-Line Atezolizumab Improves Overall Survival vs Chemotherapy in Certain Patients With Metastatic NSCLC
Matthew Stenger
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, of Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues, the phase III IMpower110 trial has shown significantly prolonged overall survival with first-line atezolizumab vs platinum-based chemotherapy in metastatic non–small cell lung ca...
Final Efficacy Results From ExteNET Trial of Neratinib in Subgroup of Patients With HR-Positive, HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer
Matthew Stenger
In an analysis from the phase III ExteNET trial reported in Clinical Breast Cancer, Arlene Chan, MD, of the Breast Cancer Research Centre of Western Australia and Curtin University, Perth, and colleagues, found significant improvements in efficacy outcomes with administration of neratinib vs placebo...
Ixazomib Maintenance in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Who Did Not Receive ASCT
Matthew Stenger
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Meletios A. Dimopoulos, MD, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, and colleagues, the phase III TOURMALINE-MM4 trial has shown that postinduction maintenance with ixazomib prolonged progression-free survival vs placebo in pa...
Dasatinib/Blinatumomab Produces High Rates of Molecular Response and Survival in Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive ALL
Matthew Stenger
In an Italian phase II trial (GIMEMA LAL2116) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Robin Foà, MD, of Sapienza University of Rome, and colleagues, found that first-line induction and consolidation treatment with dasatinib and blinatumomab produced a high rates of molecular response as wel...
Darolutamide Improves Overall Survival in Nonmetastatic, Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: ARAMIS Trial
Matthew Stenger
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Karim Fizazi, MD, of the Institut Gustave Roussy, University of Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, and colleagues, the phase III ARAMIS trial has shown significantly prolonged overall survival with darolutamide vs placebo in men with nonmetastatic castrati...
Study Shows Equivalence of Sentinel Node Biopsy vs Neck Node Dissection in Operable Oral or Oropharyngeal Cancer
Matthew Stenger
In the French phase III Senti-MERORL trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Renaud Garrel, MD, PhD, of the University Hospital Center of Montpellier, France, and colleagues, found that sentinel node biopsy was equivalent to neck lymph node dissection in 2-year neck node recurrence-free...
Medicaid Expansion May Be Linked to Lower Mortality Rates for Three Major Types of Cancer
The ASCO Post Staff
In states that have expanded Medicaid availability as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), mortality rates for three major types of cancer are significantly lower than in states that have not expanded Medicaid availability, according to a recent study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute...
No Benefit of Adjuvant Sorafenib in Intermediate- or High-Risk Renal Cell Carcinoma
Matthew Stenger
In a phase III trial (SORCE) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Tim Eisen, FMedSci, FRCP, PhD, of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and colleagues found no disease-free survival benefit with 3 years of sorafenib vs placebo as adjuvant therapy in patients with renal cel...
ASH Releases New Clinical Practice Guidelines on Treatment of Older Adults With Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia
The ASCO Post Staff
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has published new guidelines to help older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and their health-care providers make critical care decisions, including if and how to proceed with cancer treatment and the need for blood transfusions for those in hospice ca...
Addition of Rituximab to Standard Chemotherapy Improves Event-Free and Overall Survival in Children With High-Risk, Mature B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
The ASCO Post Staff
In a European Intergroup for Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma/Children’s Oncology Group phase III trial, reported in TheNew England Journal of Medicine, -Véronique Minard-Colin, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France, and colleagues found that the addition of rituximab ...
Study Results With PET-Directed Therapy for Limited-Stage DLBCL
The ASCO Post Staff
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Daniel O. Persky, MD, of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, and colleagues, the phase II Intergroup National Clinical Trials Network Study S1001 has shown good outcomes with positron-emission tomography (PET)-directed therapy in patien...
No Biochemical Progression-Free Survival Benefit With Adjuvant vs Salvage Radiotherapy After Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer
Matthew Stenger
As reported in The Lancet by Christopher C. Parker, MD, of Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, United Kingdom, and colleagues, initial findings in the phase III RADICALS-RT trial have shown no biochemical progression-free survival benefit with adjuvant radiotherapy vs a policy of salvage rad...
DANUBE Trial Reports No Survival Benefit With First-Line Durvalumab in Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
Matthew Stenger
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Thomas Powles, MD, of Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues, the phase III DANUBE trial showed that durvalumab monotherapy did not prolong overall survival vs standard chemotherapy in previously untreated patients with metastati...
Avelumab Maintenance Therapy Improves Overall Survival in Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
Matthew Stenger
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Thomas Powles, MD, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues, the phase III JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial found that maintenance treatment with avelumab plus best supportive care significantly improved overall survival v...
Selpercatinib Shows Activity in RET Fusion–Positive NSCLC and RET-Altered Thyroid Cancer
Matthew Stenger
As reported inThe New England Journal of Medicine by Alexander Drilon, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues and by Lori J. Wirth, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues, the phase I/II LIBRETTO-001 trial has shown marked activity of the RET kinase ...
Second-Line Pembrolizumab Improves Overall Survival vs Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Esophageal Cancer
Matthew Stenger
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Takashi Kojima, MD, of the National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan, and colleagues, the phase III KEYNOTE-181 trial has shown that second-line pembrolizumab improved overall survival vs the investigator choice of chemotherapy in patient...
Capmatinib Active in Advanced NSCLC With MET Exon 14 Skipping Mutations
Matthew Stenger
As reported inThe New England Journal of Medicine by Jürgen Wolf, MD, of the Center for Integrated Oncology, University Hospital Cologne and University of Cologne, and colleagues, the phase II GEOMETRY mono-1 trial has shown durable responses with the selective MET inhibitor capmatinib in patients w...
ASCO Approves First Joint MSTS/ASTRO/ASCO Guideline on Treatment of Metastatic Carcinoma and Myeloma of the Femur
Jasenka Piljac Žegarac, PhD
On June 20, 2020, ASCO approved the first joint Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS)/American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)/ASCO guideline on the care of patients with metastatic carcinoma and myeloma of the femur.1 Guideline recommendations were based on a systematic review of clinical tri...
Activity of the KRAS G12C Inhibitor Sotorasib in KRAS G12C–Mutant Advanced Solid Tumors
Matthew Stenger
As reported inThe New England Journal of Medicine by David S. Hong, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, and colleagues, a phase I trial (CodeBreak 100) has shown activity of the oral KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib in heavily pretreated patients with KRAS G12C–mutant adv...
Pay-for-Performance Program to Reimburse Oncology Practices for Prescribing Evidence-Based Cancer Drugs
The ASCO Post Staff
A pay-for-performance program that offers enhanced reimbursement to oncology practices for prescribing high-quality, evidence-based cancer drugs increased use of these drugs without significantly changing total spending on care, Penn Medicine researchers reported in a study published in the Journal ...
Recurrence-Free Survival Benefit Maintained With Adjuvant Nivolumab vs Ipilimumab in Stage IIIB–IIIC and IV Melanoma
Matthew Stenger
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, and colleagues, 4-year results of the CheckMate 238 trial show continued benefit of adjuvant nivolumab vs ipilimumab in recurrence-free survival and metastasis-free surviva...
Addition of Nelarabine to Standard Therapy Improves Disease-Free Survival in Newly Diagnosed T-Cell ALL
Matthew Stenger
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Kimberly P. Dunsmore, MD, of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Carilion Clinic, Roanoke, and colleagues, the phase III Children’s Oncology Group AALL0434 trial has shown that the addition of nelarabine to standard therapy improved di...
Rucaparib Produces Durable Responses in Previously Treated Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Matthew Stenger
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Wassim Abida, MD, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, the phase II TRITON2 trial has shown that the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor rucaparib produced durable responses in patients with previously treated me...
Impact of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy Within 5 Weeks of COVID-19 Diagnosis in Patients With Cancer
Matthew Stenger
In a single-institution study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Justin Jee, MD, PhD, of the Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), New York, and colleagues found that receipt of cytotoxic chemotherapy within 35 days of COVID-19 diagnosis in patients with ca...
Addition of Veliparib to Carboplatin/Paclitaxel in BRCA-Mutated Advanced Breast Cancer
Matthew Stenger
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Véronique Diéras, MD, of the Institut Curie, Paris, and Centre Eugène Marquis, Rennes, and colleagues, the phase III BROCADE3 trial has shown a significant improvement in progression-free survival with the addition of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhi...
Retrospective Analysis From the BIG 2-98 Trial of Adjuvant Docetaxel-Based Chemotherapy for Early Breast Cancer
Matthew Stenger
A retrospective analysis from the BIG 2-98 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Christine Desmedt, PhD, of the Laboratory for Translational Breast Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Belgium, and colleagues showed poorer disease-free and overall survival with increa...
City of Hope Scientists Explore Combination Immunotherapy for Solid Tumors
The ASCO Post Staff
City of Hope scientists have combined two immunotherapies—an oncolytic virus and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy—to target solid tumors that are otherwise difficult to treat with CAR T-cell therapy alone, according to a recent study in Science Translational Medicine.1 In preclinical r...
Study Finds Racial Disparities in Management of Colorectal Cancer Spreading to the Liver
The ASCO Post Staff
Colorectal cancer is more prevalent among Black people, a group with the highest rates of death for an illness that is curable if caught early. “The unfortunate reality is that minorities, especially Black people, have a much lower chance of getting life-saving cancer treatment. Health care works wi...
Neratinib in Previously TreatedHER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: Point of View From the NALA Trial
Kimberley T. Lee, MD, MHS, and Cesar A. Santa-Maria, MD, MSCI
Neratinib is an oral pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for two indications. The first is as adjuvant treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer following adjuvant trastuzumab therapy. The second is in combination with capeci...
Abemaciclib/Fulvestrant/Trastuzumab for Patients With Previously Treated HR-Positive, HER2-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer
The ASCO Post Staff
In the phase II monarcHER trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Sara M. Tolaney, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and colleagues, found that the combination of abemaciclib, fulvestrant, and trastuzumab prolonged progression-free survival vs trastuzumab plus standard-of-care chemotherap...
Local Recurrence With Radiation Boost in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: HERA Trial Analysis
The ASCO Post Staff
In a retrospective analysis reported in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics, Joseph Abi Jaoude, MD, of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, and colleagues found that a radiation boost did not reduce the risk of local recurrence among women with HER2-posit...
Cigarette Smoking Associated With Worse Outcomes for Patients With Bladder Cancer After Surgery
The ASCO Post Staff
Patients treated for bladder cancer with a radical cystectomy have worse outcomes if they are smokers, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis by Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). The study appeared in The Journal of Urology.1 “This study is important because w...
Corticosteroids Improve Survival in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19, According to International Trial
The ASCO Post Staff
In a demonstration of global collaboration, clinician-scientists have pooled data from 121 hospitals in 8 countries to find that inexpensive, widely available steroids may improve the odds that very sick patients with COVID-19 will survive the illness. The findings were made through the Randomized E...
Avapritinib Produces High Response Rate in Advanced PDGFRA D842V–Mutant GIST
Matthew Stenger
As reported inThe Lancet Oncology by Michael C. Heinrich, MD, of the VA Portland Health Care System and the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute, and colleagues, the phase I NAVIGATOR trial showed that the PDGFRA and KIT kinase inhibitor avapritinib produced a high respons...
Phase III NALA Trial Meets Primary Endpoint in Previously Treated HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Matthew Stenger
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Cristina Saura, MD, of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, and colleagues, the phase III NALA trial has shown significantly prolonged progression-free survival with the irreversible pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib plus capecita...
Good Outcomes With PET-Directed Therapy for Limited-Stage Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Matthew Stenger
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Daniel O. Persky, MD, of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, and colleagues, the phase II Intergroup National Clinical Trials Network Study S1001 has shown good outcomes with positron-emission tomography (PET)-directed therapy in patien...
Pembrolizumab Produces Durable Responses in Recurrent or Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Matthew Stenger
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Jean-Jacques Grob, MD, PhD, of Aix-Marseille University, France, and colleagues, the first interim analysis of the phase II KEYNOTE-629 trial has shown the achievement of durable responses with pembrolizumab treatment of recurrent or metastatic cut...
