August 25, 2023 (View All Issues)
New Challenge in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Optimizing the Sequencing of Treatments
New approaches are offering hope for better outcomes in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, according to Suchita Pakkala, MD, of Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta. She shared her thoughts on using PARP inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates at the 2023 Debates and...
Chemotherapy Shortage Impacts Patients, Physicians, Costs, and Clinical Trials
Grim, grimmer, and grinding are among the terms reported in the press to describe the current chemotherapy shortage.1,2 And, “it is not going away,” Mark J. Ratain, MD, FASCO, Chief Hospital Pharmacologist, University of Chicago Medicine, told The ASCO Post.
“This is a progressive problem like...
The Future Priorities of the National Cancer Institute
Fifty-two years ago, President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act of 1971 into law, which established the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in its current form. At the time, the budget was $1.6 billion. Today, it is $7.8 billion, $4.5 billion less than the amount needed to keep up with...
PHERGain: Adapted-Response Trial Guides Treatment With Dual HER2 Blockade Alone
The phase II PHERGain trial, which employed a response-adapted strategy in the treatment of early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer, has shown promising results for the selective use of HER2 blockade and de-escalation of chemotherapy.1 Nearly all patients assigned to skip chemotherapy prior to...
Study Finds Durvalumab Plus Carboplatin and Paclitaxel Effective, Tolerable in Frail Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
As a first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab plus weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel provided clinically significant efficacy in the phase II FRAIL-IMMUNE (GORTEC 2018-03) trial.1 This regimen may prove to be an effective...
Early-Phase Study Reports Activity of Cabozantinib and Cetuximab Combination in Refractory Head and Neck Cancer
In a phase I study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), New York, the combination of cabozantinib and cetuximab showed antitumor efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer.1
Antoine Desilets, MD, an advanced...
FDA Approves Trifluridine and Tipiracil With Bevacizumab for Previously Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
On August 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved trifluridine and tipiracil (Lonsurf) with bevacizumab for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer previously treated with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, an anti-VEGF biological therapy, and, if ...
MD Anderson Names Christopher Flowers, MD, MSc, FASCO, Division Head of Cancer Medicine
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center recently announced the appointment of Christopher Flowers, MD, MSc, FASCO, a physician-scientist and leader in oncology, as Division Head of Cancer Medicine. This is the largest academic division at MD Anderson, including 13 clinical academic...
Gilteritinib Maintenance Therapy After Transplantation in Patients With FLT3-ITD AML Who Have Measurable Residual Disease
A new therapeutic option is under study for use in a difficult-to-treat subset of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a presentation during the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2023 Hybrid Congress.1
Exploratory results of the phase III MORPHO trial showed a benefit to...
ARTISTRY-7 and ROSELLA: Phase III Trials to Evaluate Novel Agents in Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
Platinum resistance occurs in almost all patients whose ovarian cancer recurs. Single-agent chemotherapies are commonly used in this setting, but outcomes are generally poor, leaving a large unmet need for effective treatment. At the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2023 Annual Meeting on...
Liquid Biopsy Assay Demonstrated Effectiveness in Early Cancer Detection in Asymptomatic Individuals in Vietnam
A Vietnamese prospective study by Hanh Thi-Hue Nguyen, BS, and Le Son Tran, PhD, both of the Medical Genetics Institute and Gene Solutions, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and colleagues, investigating the feasibility and performance of a circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analyzing test in the early...
Noninvasive, Multitarget Stool DNA Methylation Assay Under Study in Early Detection of Multiple Gastrointestinal Cancers
A prospective study in China found that a noninvasive, multitarget stool DNA methylation assay was accurate in the early detection and identification of the tissue of origin of gastrointestinal cancers.1 The study, conducted by Li-Yue Sun, MD, of Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital,...
Rapid Guideline Update Offers Key Evidence-Based Recommendations for Stage III NSCLC Management
A new ASCO guideline rapid update provides updated recommendations for the management of stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These updated recommendations made by the ASCO expert panel cover treatment options for patients with resected disease and specific genetic mutations as well as...
How the Cancer Moonshot Aims to Improve the Quality of Life for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors
Several recent studies have shown an increasingly disturbing trend: the incidence of early-onset cancers—those diagnosed in individuals younger than age 50—is on the rise, and not just in the United States but globally as well. Worldwide, in 2019, there were a reported 1.19 million new cases of...
More on the Complexity of Prior Authorization
We read with interest the recent commentary by S. Monica Soni, MD, and Andrew A. Hertler, MD, FACP, on prior authorization (June 10, 2023, issue of The ASCO Post). The nuances of prior authorization in our health-care landscape are both complex and consequential. Conceived as a safeguard against...
Developing Solutions for Cancer Care Disparities Across Geography
Understanding the complexities of health disparities within cancer care requires an exploration beyond immediate clinical factors. According to Elisa Rodriguez, PhD, MS, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, geography plays a critical role in defining health outcomes in...
