April 10, 2015 (View All Issues)
No Survival Benefit From Adjuvant Sorafenib or Sunitinib in Kidney Cancer
Adjuvant therapy with sorafenib (Nexavar) or sunitinib (Sutent) failed to make any inroads in improving disease-free survival in patients with locally advanced kidney cancer in the randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, phase III Adjuvant Sorafenib and Sunitinib for Unfavorable Renal...
Clinical Trial Participation: ‘Is It All Worth It?’
Clinical trials have become increasingly complex over the past several years, and unfortunately, this has resulted in the typical scenario described below. We are fortunate that there are so many promising agents available for patients, and we want to encourage their participation in clinical...
Immune Gene Profile Strongly Associated With Benefit of Adjuvant Trastuzumab in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Edith A. Perez, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, and colleagues found that an immune function gene profile was associated with significantly improved relapse-free survival among patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer who...
Understanding the Role of Immune Function in the Treatment of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
The addition of trastuzumab (Herceptin) to adjuvant chemotherapy undoubtedly transformed HER2-positive breast cancer from one of the most deadly subtypes to a highly treatable disease. Randomized phase III trials established adjuvant trastuzumab as standard of care in HER2-positive breast...
Should Oncologists Be Ordering Breast Cancer Gene Panels?
Two oncologic surgeons squared off at the 32nd Miami Breast Cancer Conference to debate whether breast cancer genetic susceptibility panel testing is ready for routine use in the clinic. J. Michael Dixon, MD, Professor of Surgery and Consultant Surgeon at the Edinburgh Breast Unit in the United...
Too Early to Use Genome Sequencing for Breast Cancers in the Clinic
The role of next-generation sequencing (high-throughput technologies that allow DNA and RNA to be analyzed more quickly and inexpensively than earlier techniques) in breast cancer remains unclear and at present is primarily a research tool. Therefore, clinicians should be cautious in using genetic...
ASCO Commends U.S. House of Representatives for Voting to Repeal the SGR, Urges Senate to Pass Legislation
We applaud the House of Representatives for passing legislation that eliminates the Sustainable Growth Rate [SGR] formula and takes a giant leap toward meaningful and urgently needed Medicare physician payment reform. Cancer incidence among Medicare beneficiaries is expected to increase by 67% by...
Androgen-Deprivation Therapy Added to Radiation Therapy Improves Disease Control in Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer
The addition of 6 months of androgen-deprivation therapy to radiation therapy as primary therapy for intermediate-risk prostate cancer improved biochemical control and disease-free survival but did not translate to an improvement in overall survival, in a phase III trial reported at the 2015...
Evidence Mounts for Clinical Utility of AR-V7 in Treatment Selection for Advanced Prostate Cancer
The search is on in prostate cancer to identify predictive and prognostic biologic and genomic markers that go beyond traditional ones. Several groups are working in this area. One marker that has received much attention is a splice abnormality in the androgen receptor (AR) called AR-V7.
Two...
NCCN Publishes New Guidelines for Smoking Cessation
Tobacco-related diseases are the most preventable cause of death worldwide. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2015, nearly 171,000 of the estimated 589,430 cancer deaths in the United States—more than 25%—will be caused by tobacco smoking. Smoking cessation leads to improvement in cancer ...
Cabozantinib Fails to Improve Survival in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Final results of the phase III, randomized double-blind, controlled COMET-1 trial were disappointing. Although the oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib (Cometriq) improved several secondary endpoints compared with prednisone, including bone scan response and progression-free survival, the...
State Oncology Societies Join ASCO’s Call on Congress to Replace SGR Formula
In a show of solidarity, state oncology societies from across the United States joined ASCO in its call on Congress to repeal Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula before the current payment patch expires.
In a letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership, 48 signatories, representing...
Dinutuximab in Pediatric High-Risk Neuroblastoma
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On March 10, 2015, the chimeric monoclonal antibody dinutuximab ...
New Tobacco Atlas Details Scale and Harm of the Tobacco Epidemic
The Tobacco Atlas, fifth edition, its companion mobile app, and website TobaccoAtlas.org, were released by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation at the 16th World Conference on Tobacco or Health held March 17–21, 2015 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The Atlas details the scale...
No Benefit of High- vs Standard-Dose Radiotherapy or Addition of Cetuximab to Chemoradiation in Stage IIIA/IIIB NSCLC
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Jeffrey D. Bradley, MD, of Washington University, and colleagues, the phase III Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0617 trial showed no survival benefit of high- vs standard-dose radiotherapy or addition of cetuximab (Erbitux) to concurrent...
Results of RTOG 0617 Reconsidered
Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0617 was a study initially designed to address an important issue in radiation oncology regarding the treatment of stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Are outcomes improved with high-dose as opposed to standard-dose thoracic radiation therapy? The...
FDA Approves First Biosimilar Product Filgrastim-Sndz
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved filgrastim-sndz (Zarxio), the first biosimilar product approved in the United States.
A biosimilar product is a biologic product that is approved based on a showing that it is highly similar to an already-approved biologic. The biosimilar...
FDA Approves Nivolumab to Treat Metastatic Squamous NSCLC
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) for the treatment of patients with metastatic squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the...
James P. Allison, PhD, Wins 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
James P. Allison, PhD, Chair of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has received the 2015 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in recognition of his work in the field of immunotherapy.
“In immunotherapy, it’s not the tumor but the immune system that is targeted. ...
Breast Cancer Management in Review
Anyone who has attended the major oncology meetings knows that research from clinical trials in breast cancer often dominates the stage, with countless abstracts featuring new and updated results. To help the readers of The ASCO Post stay up to date with the latest discoveries and findings...
EMPEROR Science Award Program
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and PBS LearningMedia announced The EMPEROR Science Award Program. This initiative will encourage students from disadvantaged high schools to pursue careers in science, with a particular emphasis on cancer research, through a year of mentorship with a scientist from a...
Biosimilar Filgrastim-sndz in Filgrastim Indications
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On March 6, 2015, the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor...
Michael H. Levy, MD, PhD, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Michael H. Levy, MD, PhD, Director of the Pain and Palliative Care Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, and one of the founding leaders of the American hospice and palliative care movement, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine...
NCCN Honors Joseph V. Simone, MD, FASCO, and John A. Gentile, Jr, at Group’s 20th Annual Conference
At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 20th Annual Conference held last month in Hollywood, Florida, NCCN honored Joseph V. Simone, MD, FASCO, and John (Jack) A. Gentile, Jr, with the NCCN Board of Producers Award.
Dr. Simone is President of Simone Consulting Company, which advises...
No Overall Survival Difference for Immediate vs Deferred Chemotherapy After Radical Cystectomy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
In the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 30994 trial, a phase III intergroup study reported in The Lancet Oncology,1 Cora N. Sternberg, MD, FACP, Chief of Medical Oncology at San Camillo and Forlanini Hospitals, Rome, and colleagues found no overall survival...
Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Overall Survival in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Still Climbing the Mountain
Muscle-invasive bladder cancer can be a lethal disease despite curative intent local therapy, with 5-year survival that can be as low as 30% based on the extent of T status and/or lymph node involvement. The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and...
Global Oncology Launches Global Cancer Project Map With NCI
Nonprofit Global Oncology, Inc (GO) announced the launch of the Global Cancer Project Map, a novel online resource and virtual information exchange connecting the global cancer community. Developed by Global Oncology in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Global...
Jim Hu, MD, Joins NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College
Jim Hu, MD, has been appointed Director of the LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and recruited as the Ronald Lynch Chair of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He assumed his new role on February 1.
Dr. Hu is an expert in the use ...
Current Progress Against Cancer and What Lies Ahead in the Next Decade
In January, ASCO released its report, Clinical Cancer Advances 2015: An Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer,1 which details research advances over the past decade that have led to longer survival and better quality of life for the more than half-a-million people diagnosed with cancer each...
Researcher Spotlight: Conquering Cancer With Emily Ko, MD, MSCR
One of the best ways to prevent cancer is by finding new, better treatments for conditions that are considered risk factors. That is why Emily Ko, MD, MSCR, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is investigating a new method for...
Stay Up to Date on New Patient Materials From Cancer.Net
Encourage your patients to use social media to stay up to date with the new resources available on Cancer.Net. It is easier than ever for patients to get the latest cancer information on their computer or mobile device. Subscribe to the Cancer.Net Blog at www.cancer.net/blog; connect to...
Conquer Cancer Foundation Grants and Awards Program
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (CCF) is fueling cancer research and pursuing dramatic advances in the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cure of all kinds of cancer.
At critical points for researchers, CCF is there with essential funding to power the next ...
Researchers and Scientists Honored for Improving Cancer Prevention, Treatment, and Patient Care
The ASCO Special Awards recognize the dedication and significant contributions of researchers, patient advocates, and leaders of the global oncology community to enhancing cancer prevention, treatment, and patient care. Among this year’s awardees are an international leader in geriatric oncology...
Worker Safety When Handling Hazardous Drugs Is Focus of Statement by Oncology Societies
ASCO, the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA), and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) issued a joint position statement on improving the safety of health-care workers who handle dangerous drugs and other hazardous materials across various health-care settings.
The statement offers...
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Appoints Chair of Department of Radiation Oncology
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has named Thomas E. Merchant, DO, PhD, as Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Merchant will hold the Baddia J. Rashid Endowed Chair in Radiation Oncology.
“Dr. Merchant is a proven leader in pediatric radiotherapy and will be instrumental in...
The Emerging Role of Radiation Therapy in Gastrointestinal Cancers
The use of radiation therapy in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer has evolved over the past several decades, in a gradual, stepwise fashion. Since most gastrointestinal cancers are diagnosed at a locally advanced stage, coupled with the inherent sensitivity of most parts of the...
Increased Progression-Free Survival With Addition of Carfilzomib to Lenalidomide/Dexamethasone in Relapsed Multiple Myeloma
In a planned interim analysis of the phase III ASPIRE trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, A. Keith Stewart, MB, ChB, of the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, and colleagues found that the addition of the proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib (Kyprolis) to lenalidomide...
The ASPIRE Trial of Carfilzomib in Relapsed Myeloma: A Major Step Forward
Currently in myeloma, there are at least five new agents that are either approved or in the late-stage of development with impending approval. Major questions in the field relate to how we, as clinicians, will use these new agents and where they will fit in the overall treatment schema.
The phase...
FDA Approves Isavuconazonium Sulfate for the Treatment of Invasive Aspergillosis and Invasive Mucormycosis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Astellas’ New Drug Application for the use of isavuconazonium sulfate (Cresemba), the prodrug for isavuconazole, for patients 18 years of age and older in the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and invasive mucormycosis (also known as...
Nivolumab in Metastatic Squamous Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer After Platinum Therapy
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On March 4, 2015, the anti–programmed cell death protein 1...
Why Just Having ‘Good’ Communication Skills Is Not Enough for Talking With Seriously Ill Patients
In the Institute of Medicine’s 2014 report Dying in America,1 the report’s authors found that while frequent clinician-patient conversations about end-of-life care, goals, and preferences are necessary to avoid unwanted treatment, most patients do not have those conversations with their physicians. ...
American Association for Cancer Research Elects New Board of Directors, Nominating Committee Members
The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have elected five members to serve on the AACR board of directors for the 2015–2018 term and four members to serve on the nominating committee for the 2015–2017 term. They will begin their terms at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015, to...
ONS Lifetime Achievement Award
Deborah K. Mayer, PhD, RN, Director of Cancer Survivorship at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has been named the recipient of the 2015 Oncology Nursing Society Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes her contributions as an oncology nurse researcher, mentor, and educator, as ...
Adding Cetuximab to First-Line FOLFIRI Does Not Benefit Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients With RAS Mutations
The phase III CRYSTAL trial showed that the addition of cetuximab (Erbitux) to first-line FOLFIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan) significantly improved overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rates in patients with KRAS codon 12/13 (exon 2) wild-type...
Refining the ‘Right Patient, Right Drug’ Pairing in Cancer Care: RAS Profiling in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In an important post hoc analysis (reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post), Van Cutsem and colleagues have further refined our knowledge of who are the “right” patients with metastatic colorectal cancer to receive treatment with cetuximab (Erbitux).1 This refinement was accomplished through the...
The Ongoing Struggle Against Tobacco: Past Accomplishments, Future Steps
In 1913, 10 doctors and 5 laypersons in New York founded the American Cancer Society (ACS). At that time, a cancer diagnosis was almost always fatal and was rarely discussed in public. The Society’s original charter was to raise awareness about cancer, and although that mission has remained firm,...
Technology’s Double-Edged Sword: One Woman’s Story
Bookmark
Title: Pandora’s DNA: Tracing the Breast Cancer Genes Through History, Science, and One Family Tree
Author: Lizzie Stark
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Publication date: October 2014
Price: $26.95; hardcover, 336 pages
If we wish to learn more about cancer, we must concentrate on the...
2015 Oncology Meetings
APRIL
Melanoma and Cutaneous Malignancies Meeting
April 10-11 • New York, New York
For more information:
www.healio.com/meeting/hemonctodaymelanoma/home?promocode689-8045
Hematologic Malignancies: New Therapies and the Evolving Role of Transplant
April 10-11 • Chicago, Illinois
For more...
A Surgeon Cuts to the Chase
Bookmark
Title: The Cost of Cutting: A Surgeon Reveals the Truth Behind a Multibillion-Dollar Industry
Author: Paul A. Ruggieri, MD
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publication date: September 2014
Price: $16.00; paperback, 320 pages
The woman seated on the exam table was lean and fit and seemed perfectly at...
Shining a Spotlight on Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma
In the winter of 2013, my son, Dmitriy, now 26, had a cough that wouldn’t go away. After several rounds of antibiotics failed to halt the persistent problem, a pulmonologist we consulted ordered a chest x-ray, which showed a large tumor lodged between Dmitriy’s lungs. Although the doctor said the...
Colorectal Cancer Is Significantly Increasing Among Younger Adults and Being Diagnosed at Later Stages
A growing body of literature indicates that the incidence of colorectal cancer is rising among people under age 50, according to Jason A. Zell, DO, MPH. Dr. Zell is the corresponding author of one of the two recent studies finding significant increases in colorectal cancer among adults aged 20 to...
I Refuse to Capitulate to Cancer
Editor’s note: We regret to announce that Paul Kalanithi, MD, passed away on March 9, 2015. Dr. Kalanithi was Chief Resident in Neurological Surgery at Stanford University when he shared his story, reprinted here, with The ASCO Post just over 1 year ago, in March 2014. We extend our deepest...
Health and Economic Burden of Skin Cancer Substantial and Increasing, Highlighting the Value of Prevention Efforts
The average annual number of adults treated for skin cancer, both melanoma and nonmelanoma, in the United States increased from 3.4 million in 2002 to 2006 to 4.9 million in 2007 to 2011 (P < .001), according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
“During this...
Adding Aflibercept to FOLFIRI Resulted in Persistent Improvement in Overall Survival Over Time in Patients With Metastatic Disease
Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer showed a continued and persistent improvement in overall survival over time when they received the VEGF inhibitor aflibercept in addition to FOLFIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil, irinotecan), according to a study reporting on the overall survival benefit and...
Use of Minimally Invasive Colorectal Cancer Surgery Increases at NCCN Centers, but Wide Variation Exists
“Laparoscopic colectomy has been shown to have equivalent oncologic outcomes to open colectomy for the management of colon cancer, but its adoption nationally has been slow,” Heather Yeo, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and colleagues noted in reporting on a study...
Are Physicians Choosing Wisely When Imaging for Distant Metastases in Early-Stage Breast Cancer?
Patients with early-stage breast cancer still undergo imaging for distant metastases despite evidence-based local, national, and international guidelines—and a recommendation from ASCO—to avoid such imaging, according to a retrospective review of staging imaging for distant metastases in patients...
Targeted MR/Ultrasound Fusion–Guided Biopsy Increased Detection of High-Risk Prostate Cancer
Among men undergoing biopsy for suspected prostate cancer, targeted magnetic resonance (MR)/ultrasound fusion–guided biopsy was associated with an increased rate of detection of high-risk prostate cancer and a decreased rate of detection of low-risk prostate cancer than was standard...
Radiotherapy in Good-Prognosis DLBCL
I was disturbed by the article on “Radiotherapy in Good-Prognosis DLBCL” published recently in The ASCO Post.1
As a practicing radiation oncologist for 30 years, I have seen the evolution of radiation techniques (and philosophy) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma progress from regional—or even...
Association of Community Cancer Centers Names Steven L. D’Amato, BSPharm, BCOP, President
Steven L. D’Amato, BSPharm, BCOP, became President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) at its 41st Annual Meeting on March 18, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia. He is Executive Director of New England Cancer Specialists and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Tufts...
Remembering Neurosurgeon and Writer Paul Kalanithi, MD
What initially drew me to read the eloquent essay by Paul Kalanithi, MD, in The New York Times—“How Long Have I Got Left?”—was its provocative title.1 What kept me there was the moving description of his quick transition from healthy physician with a brilliant career in neurosurgery to terminally...
