James H. Doroshow, MD, of the National Cancer Institute, describes a new precision medicine initiative called the MATCH trial: Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice. In 2,400 NCI clinical trial sites, 3,000 patients will be screened and their tumors analyzed to determine whether they contain genetic abnormalities for which a targeted drug exists.
Anil D’Cruz, MD, of Tata Memorial Hospital, discusses results from his study that seem to resolve a 50-year-long debate on performing elective neck dissection at the time of primary surgery––a potentially practice-changing finding (Abstract LBA3).
Julie Gralow, MD, of the University of Washington/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and Clifford A. Hudis, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discuss this important SWOG trial and why oral bisphosphonates should be made available in the United States (Abstract 503).
Lee S. Schwartzberg, MD, of The West Clinic, describes a new initiative of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, designed to speed the adoption of immunotherapeutics in the community setting, where 60% of cancer patients are treated.
Clifford A. Hudis, MD, and Andrew D. Seidman, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discuss the use of the decision support system Watson for Oncology and results of the iCanCare study on second opinions (Abstracts 566 and 6508).
John Smyth, MD, of the University of Edinburgh, discusses oncology from an international point of view.
