August 25, 2022 (View All Issues)
MOUNTAINEER: Tucatinib Plus Trastuzumab Active in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In the phase II MOUNTAINEER trial, tucatinib in combination with trastuzumab produced durable responses in patients with previously treated HER2-positive metastatic colorectal cancer. The late-breaking data were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) World Congress on...
Is Science Getting Closer to Preventing Multiple Myeloma?
About 3 years ago, researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute launched PROMISE (Predicting Progression of Developing Myeloma in a High-Risk Screen Population; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03689595), a large, ambitious screening study to identify individuals at high risk of developing...
Impact of the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization Ruling on Patients With Cancer
As a nonpartisan organization, the American Cancer Society has an overarching goal to improve the lives of patients with cancer and their families. We believe all individuals should have an equitable opportunity to prevent, find, detect, and survive cancer, irrespective of geography.
The June 24...
Snapshots of Studies of Interest Presented at ASCO 2022
The 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting was filled with important science, engaging data, and several practice-changing abstracts, many of which have been covered in detail on other pages or in earlier issues of The ASCO Post. There were numerous high-impact studies and attendees, whether present at the...
Sequencing Therapies May Improve Overall Survival in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
In the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer, the sequencing of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine with FOLFOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin) resulted in a significant improvement in overall survival at 12 months and in all other efficacy endpoints as compared with the standard ...
Crizotinib in Adult and Pediatric ALK-Positive Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumors
On July 14, 2022, crizotinib was approved for adult and pediatric patients aged ≥ 1 year with unresectable, recurrent, or refractory ALK-positive inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors.1
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on findings in the multicenter studies ADVL0912 (ClinicalTrials.gov...
APHINITY Trial in Patients With HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer: Update at 8 Years
Updated results from the adjuvant APHINITY trial in HER2-positive early breast cancer, now with a median follow-up of 8.4 years, confirmed the benefit of adding pertuzumab to trastuzumab plus chemotherapy in preventing invasive disease recurrences, but as yet no statistically significant overall...
Epcoritamab Under Study in Difficult-to-Treat Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Subcutaneous epcoritamab, a bispecific antibody, has demonstrated deep and durable responses in a large expansion cohort of patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), according to late-breaking data presented during the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2022 Congress in...
Lisocabtagene Maraleucel in Second-Line Treatment of Large B-Cell Lymphoma
On June 24, 2022, lisocabtagene maraleucel was approved for adults with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who have (1) refractory disease to first-line chemoimmunotherapy or relapse within 12 months of first-line chemoimmunotherapy; or (2) refractory disease to first-line chemoimmunotherapy or relapse...
Cardiovascular Mortality and Cancer Mortality Over Time Among Cancer Survivors
In an English retrospective cohort study reported in JACC: Cardio-Oncology, Helen Strongman, PhD, of the Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues found that cardiovascular mortality ultimately exceeded mortality from common...
Biden Administration Announces New Model to Improve Cancer Care for Medicare Patients
On June 27, 2022, the Biden Administration, through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced a new model aimed at improving cancer care for Medicare patients and lowering health-care costs. CMS’ Center for Medicare...
Is Advance Care Planning of Any Value?
An article in The New York Times earlier this year crystallized the dilemma facing health-care providers when they are presented with a patient in a life-threatening situation: Should they rely on advance care directives written years prior to the current medical situation to accurately determine...
New Guideline Updates Address Stage IV Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer With and Without Driver Alterations
Two ASCO guideline updates provide new evidence-based recommendations for the systemic treatment of stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with and without driver alterations.1,2 Among several other updates, these new guidelines add the ALK and ROS1 inhibitor lorlatinib and the PD-L1 immune...
2023 Hospital Outpatient Payment Proposal Does Not Reflect SCOTUS Ruling on 340B Reimbursement
On July 15, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed rule for the 2023 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS). ASCO is assessing the full proposal, but ASCO’s initial analysis is as follows.
In June 2022, the Supreme Court ruled...
Nine Oncology Practices Certified Through ASCO Patient-Centered Cancer Care Certification Pilot
ASCO recently announced that nine outpatient oncology group practices have achieved certification through the new ASCO Patient-Centered Cancer Care Certification pilot based on their adherence to oncology medical home (OMH) standards, a single set of comprehensive, expert-backed standards for...
Azacitidine for Newly Diagnosed Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia
On May 20, 2022, azacitidine for injection was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for pediatric patients with newly diagnosed juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia.1
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on findings in the multicenter AZA-JMML-001 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov...
Tisagenlecleucel for Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
On May 27, 2022, tisagenlecleucel, a CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, was granted accelerated approval for adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy.1
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on the multicenter ELARA...
A Surgical Oncologist From Afghanistan Discusses the Challenges of Delivering Cancer Care in a War-Torn Nation
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology series, Guest Editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Ahmad Bashir Barekzai, MD, FACS, Consultant Surgical Oncologist at Ali Abad Teaching Hospital, an affiliated hospital to Kabul University of Medical Science, Kabul,...
An Early Encounter With Cancer Sets a Path to a Career in Oncology Research
To shed some light on the importance of caring for the whole patient and his or her caregiver, as well as the role of cellular aging and oncogenesis, The ASCO Post recently spoke with Kaumudi Bhawe, PhD, a clinical scientist with Cancer Commons in Mountain View, California. Dr. Bhawe has more...
ASCO Endorses President Biden’s Pick of ASCO Past President Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, as Incoming Head of National Cancer Institute
Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO, Chief Executive Officer of ASCO, issued the following statement on July 21:
ASCO applauds President Biden for his reported decision to appoint ASCO Past President Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, as the new Director of the National Cancer Institute...
An Oncologist and His Patient With Cancer Look at the Intimate Experience of Life and Death
"This e-mail is different from my usual. No smiley faces or funny cartoons, for I have moved on to another location…. My place in the long line of life has suddenly been jumped up to the head of the queue, and now I have a boarding pass,” notes Harry, a patient with end-stage lung cancer who has...
The Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine Appoints New Directors
Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, FASCO, an internationally acclaimed medical oncologist whose innovations in immunotherapy have revolutionized melanoma treatment, has been chosen as the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Wolchok played a pivotal role...
Dong Quai
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on the herb dong...
Surviving Advanced Prostate Cancer Has Made Me a More Empathetic Physician
My diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer 3 years ago was filled with irony. As an interventional radiologist, I have treated hundreds of patients with advanced prostate cancer, and I knew my prognosis wasn’t good. After experiencing some of the common symptoms of the cancer, including voiding...
Study Investigates Rural/Urban Disparities in Hospice Care Among Patients With Hematologic Malignancies
People with blood cancers living in rural areas are less likely to receive end-of-life hospice care compared to those living in metropolitan regions, according to a new study published by Hussaini et al in the journal Blood Advances. In this study, researchers identified significant disparities in...
Varenicline Increases Smoking Cessation Rates for African American Smokers
African Americans have been underrepresented in tobacco treatment research, including the clinical trials that led to the 2006 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of varenicline (Chantix), the leading pharmacologic treatment for smoking cessation. Meanwhile, African Americans suffer higher...
MRI-Guided Ultrasound Focal Therapy May Delay or Avoid Prostatectomy or Radiotherapy in Patients With Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer
MRI-guided focused ultrasound focal therapy produced “a high degree of success” and “a low rate of genitourinary adverse events” when used to treat select patients with intermediate-grade prostate cancer, Behfar Ehdaie, MD, MPH, and colleagues reported in The Lancet Oncology.1 Dr. Ehdaie is...
