April 10, 2019 (View All Issues)
Study Finds Pembrolizumab Active in Advanced Non–Clear Cell Kidney Cancer
IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab may prove to be an effective option for patients with advanced non–clear cell renal cell carcinoma, according to results in cohort B of the KEYNOTE-427 trial, presented at the 2019 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.1 Response rates were...
Fine-Tuning an ‘Airport Diagnosis’
HIS HEAD WAS DIFFERENT from those of the other people in line. He bore a matrix of white rows of circular patches on his shaved scalp like a wig. The patches were electrodes, connected by cords to a power supply in a satchel around his shoulder. I was able to make an instant and unfortunate...
Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: All Eyes on These Novel Agents
NEW AGENTS for the treatment of advanced HER2-positive breast cancer should be coming soon to your clinic, according to Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, Director of the Breast Cancer Clinical Research Program and Associate Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of...
Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab Shows Activity in Advanced Urothelial Cancer
THE COMBINATION of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab has demonstrated antitumor activity in patients with advanced urothelial cancer, including patients receiving later-line treatment. Results of a phase Ib/II trial showed an objective response rate of 25% and a median progression-free survival of 5.4...
Anti–TIM-3 Antibody Well Tolerated as Monotherapy and in Combination With Anti–PD-L1 Antibody
INITIAL DATA from the ongoing, multicenter, first-in-human, phase Ia/Ib dose-escalation and -expansion study suggest that an anti–T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain–containing molecule 3 (anti–TIM-3) antibody alone or in combination with immune checkpoint blockade could counter intrinsic ...
Photos From the 2019 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium
Arie S. Belldegrun, MD, FACS (right), receives the Keynote Award before delivering his lecture on “Progress in Cell Therapy: A Three-Decade Personal Journey.” Dr. Belldegrun is Surgical Director of the Genitourinary Oncology Department at the University of California, Los Angeles. The award was...
The Future of Immunotherapy: Building on Checkpoint Blockade
THE EMERGENCE of anticancer agents that block immune checkpoints has transformed the field of oncology, leading to durable responses and improvements in overall survival in melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, head/neck squamous cell carcinoma, urothelial bladder cancer, and non–small cell lung cancer....
Vaccine Plus Trastuzumab in Preventing Recurrence of HER2–Low-Expressing Breast Cancer
IN HIGH-RISK patients with breast cancer and low expression of HER2 (HER2 low), a peptide vaccine targeting HER2, combined with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and given concurrently with trastuzumab, may help to prevent recurrence.
Final analysis of a randomized phase...
Expert Point of View: Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD
THE DISCUSSANT of the abstract was Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, Cancer Center Deputy Director, Chair of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology, and Executive Director of the Center for Immunotherapy, at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York. He emphasized the large number of...
Better Techniques Coming to Breast Cancer Screening
BREAST CANCER SCREENING is no longer “just mammography” but involves a growing list of ever more sophisticated techniques that are improving detection, according to Elizabeth Morris, MD, Professor of Radiology, the Larry Norton Chair, and Chief of the Breast Imaging Service at Memorial Sloan...
Warner K. Huh, MD, New President of Society of Gynecologic Oncology
WARNER K. HUH, MD, began his 1-year term as the 51st President of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) at the conclusion of the Society’s 50th Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer. Dr. Huh will preside over the 2020 SGO Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer scheduled for March 28–31, 2020, in...
Alberto Mantovani Recognized With 2019 Pezcoller Foundation–AACR International Award in Cancer Research
THE PEZCOLLER FOUNDATION–AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for Cancer Research (AACR) International Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research was recently presented to Alberto Mantovani, MD, Professor of Experimental Medicine and Pathophysiology at Humanitas University in Milan, Italy, at the 2019...
Charles L. Sawyers, MD, FAACR, Honored With 2019 AACR Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for Cancer Research (AACR) recently honored Charles L. Sawyers, MD, FAACR, with the AACR Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship at the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
The AACR Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship, now in its 13th year, is awarded to a scientist...
Enzalutamide Plus ADT Extends Progression-Free Survival in Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
Adding enzalutamide to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) significantly prolonged radiographic progression-free survival in men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 61% compared with ADT plus placebo, according to the results of the ...
Nivolumab Combined With Ipilimumab Shows Activity in Prostate Cancer Subsets
In contrast with melanoma, lung cancer, and kidney cancer, immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has been disappointing in prostate cancer thus far. Because of success in treating other tumor types, interest remains high in exploring the effect of immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibition in prostate...
Study Finds Shorter Treatment Course for Rectal Cancer May Actually Improve Outcomes
In patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, the delivery of all radiotherapy and chemotherapy neoadjuvantly—with a shorter course of radiation—may improve the chance of complete response and downstaging over conventional treatment, according to investigators from Washington University, St....
FDA Approves Atezolizumab for Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer
On March 18, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in combination with carboplatin and etoposide for the first-line treatment of adult patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Approval was based on the IMpower133 study (ClinicalTrials.gov ...
FDA Warning: Investigational Use of Venetoclax in Multiple Myeloma
On March 21, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted a safety statement on the investigational use of venetoclax in multiple myeloma.
The statement alerts health-care professionals and patients about the suspension of the BELLINI trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02755597)...
Dana-Farber Launches Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center recently announced the launch of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center in Boston. The Center will provide expert, compassionate, and cutting-edge care to young adult patients with colon and rectal cancer, with a focus on scientific discovery and...
Cigall Kadoch, PhD, Chosen for 2019 Martin and Rose Wachtel Cancer Research Prize
The American Association for the Advancement of Science and Science Translational Medicine announced that Cigall Kadoch, PhD, has been chosen for the 2019 Martin and Rose Wachtel Cancer Research Prize. Dr. Kadoch is Assistant Professor of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute;...
Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Cell Therapy
As part of The ASCO Post’s continued coverage of the 2018 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, here is an update on several studies of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) and cellular therapy, as used in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS),...
VISTA Checkpoint Implicated in Pancreatic Cancer Immunotherapy Resistance
Researchers have identified a new potential immunotherapy target in pancreatic cancer, which so far has been notoriously resistant to treatment with immune checkpoint blockade drugs effective against a variety of other cancers. A research team from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center...
Full Disclosure: What Oncologists Must Tell Patients About Their Experience and Training
Informed consent is an important part of delivering quality cancer care. Traditional ethical and legal rules require clinicians to disclose three types of information: (1) the patient’s diagnosis; (2) the nature of the proposed intervention and its intended benefits, risks, and adverse effects;...
Harborside’s OncologyGo™ Wins 2019 Mobile Star Award for Innovative Mobile Health-Care Application
Harborside, a market-leading medical communications company (and publisher of The ASCO Post), has announced that OncologyGo™, its free, on-demand oncology video mobile app, has been recognized in the 2019 Mobile Star Awards winter program, hosted by MobileVillage.com. Both Harborside and the app...
Opioid Toolkit: Helping Nebraskan Hospitals to Provide Appropriate Pain Management
As the opioid epidemic continues to sweep the United States, providers across Nebraska are facing the challenge of determining the appropriateness of pain treatment options that both meet the needs of the patients and fall within nationally published guidelines.
A recent report published by the...
Human Gene Therapy: Progress and Oversight
The early debate over the social and ethical implications of gene therapy led the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee in 1974. However, the risks of human gene therapies were largely unknown until 1999, when a patient died of a massive immune...
Maitake Mushroom
GUEST EDITOR
Integrative Oncology is guest edited by Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, Laurance S. Rockefeller Chair in Integrative Medicine and Chief of Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended ...
I Was Not Prepared for the Emotional Toll of Cancer
In 1996, an excruciating sore throat sent me first to my primary care physician and then to an ear, nose, and throat specialist, after a suspicious mass was found on the right side of my throat. A biopsy determined that the tumor was squamous cell neck cancer, and additional tests of my neck,...
AACR and Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson Announce Science Grant Recipients
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson (LCI) recently announced the inaugural recipients of the AACR–Johnson & Johnson Lung Cancer Innovation Science Grants. The grants represent a new funding opportunity to support research...
Biologic Age and Elevated Risk of Breast Cancer
Biologic age—a DNA-based estimate of a person’s age—may be associated with the development of breast cancer, according a report published by Jacob K. Kresovich, PhD, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and colleagues in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.1
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Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD, FAACR, Honored With 2019 AACR Margaret Foti Award
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for Cancer Research (AACR) recently recognized Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD, FAACR, with the 13th Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research during the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
Dr. DuBois is Dean of the College of...
Carson Leslie Foundation Joins Forces With ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation to Fight Medulloblastoma
Carson Leslie was a kind, popular, lively teen who loved sports and spending time with his family and friends. He was a devoted student at The Covenant School of Dallas, where he was quarterback on the school’s football team, and he was an active member of Grace Bible Church. He shared a special...
Self-Evaluation App Offers Topic-Specific Information for Learning on the Go
As oncology professionals’ schedules become more demanding, mobile technology is often used to efficiently work on the go. Continued education can be conveniently incorporated into clinicians’ routines with apps such as ASCO eLearning’s newly rebranded Self-Evaluation App, formerly the ASCO MOC...
Help Patients Do More to Cope With Cancer-Related Pain
RELIEVING PAIN is an important part of cancer care, and each patient experiences pain differently. Give your patients the information and tools they need to understand and manage their pain. ASCO Answers offers two helpful products on managing cancer-related pain: a one-page fact sheet or an...
Read the Latest Posts on JOP DAiS
THE JOURNAL of Oncology Practice Discussion and Analysis in Short (JOP DAiS) blog provides health-care professionals with concise, to-the-point pieces about the latest information in cancer care delivery. Visit jopblog.org to read new posts, including “Three Must-see Talks From the ASCO Quality...
ASCO in Action Policy Podcast Features Exclusive Interviews With Top Leadership at FDA, NCI
OVER THE PAST several months, the ASCO in Action Podcast has secured exclusive interviews with high-ranking officials to discuss health policy issues affecting the United States.
In March, the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting...
ASCO Seeks Applicants for Research Grants to Use Data From CancerLinQ Discovery
ASCO recently announced that it is seeking applications for research grants for projects that use data from CancerLinQ Discovery®—an offering of ASCO’s CancerLinQ® initiative—as a source. CancerLinQ Discovery provides curated sets of deidentified data from patients with cancer to academic...
Researcher Supported by ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation Earns Spot in Clinical Cancer Advances 2019 for Lymphoma Trial
THE WORK of nine researchers who have previously received funding from Conquer Cancer is featured in ASCO’s Clinical Cancer Advances 2019. Visit CONQUER.ORG/CCA for more details.
Immunotherapy for Lymphoma
AT THE University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Sattva S. Neelapu, MD,...
