December 10, 2016 (View All Issues)
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act: The Final Rule
It is gratifying to see the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) does listen to public comments regarding new proposals. Since CMS opened the comment period for its Quality Payment Program, which repeals the Sustainable Growth Rate Formula and was proposed to implement the ...
‘Clinically Useful’ Findings for Brentuximab Vedotin in CTCL, Rituximab Maintenance in MCL
Positive studies about brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma1 and rituximab (Rituxan) maintenance therapy in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)2 were reported at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Hematology (ASH).
“These abstracts each focus on approved agents...
Experts Consider the New Immunotherapy Paradigm in Advanced Lung Cancer
One immune checkpoint inhibitor has now moved to the front of the line for treating advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Based on pivotal studies presented at the 2016 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) became a first-line option, and ...
MD Anderson Cancer Center Marks 75 Years of Research to End Cancer
In November, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center celebrated its 75th anniversary with a week-long series of events that raised nearly $15 million to support its efforts in patient care and in the investigation and treatment of cancer. Housed on 16 million square feet in the city of...
FDA Approves Daratumumab in Combination Therapy for Patients With Multiple Myeloma Receiving at Least One Prior Treatment
On November 21, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved daratumumab (Darzalex) in combination with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone or bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior...
Novel Immunotherapy Combinations May Be the Future of Melanoma Treatment
The future treatment of melanoma may rely on combinations of immunotherapy agents beyond the current checkpoint inhibitors, and they are entering clinical trials, according to Jeffrey Weber, MD, PhD, Deputy Director of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University...
City of Hope, Translational Genomics Research Institute Combine to Advance Precision Medicine and Speed Translational Research
City of Hope and Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have announced an alliance to make precision medicine a reality for patients. This alliance enables both institutes to complement each other in their common areas of research and patient care, with City of Hope providing a...
Genetic Link May Explain Outcomes Differences in Multiple Myeloma in African Americans
African Americans are more than twice as likely as their white counterparts to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and twice as likely to die from this form of cancer. Research presented at the 9th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer...
Mutanome-Directed Immunotherapy: Finding the Best Treatment Match
Oncologists may be accustomed to looking for commonalities in patients, but highly personalized therapies are now being developed based on mutational analysis of tumors.
According to data presented at the Cedars-Sinai annual symposium on New Therapeutics in Oncology: The Road to Personalized...
Bad Year for Brain Tumors, but Still Reasons for Hope
Checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies are reshaping the landscape of cancer care across multiple tumor sites, but treatments for brain tumors remain decidedly unchanged. The standard of care for high-grade gliomas in the front-line setting—a combination of surgery and chemoradiation—is the...
NCI Study Affirms There Is No Safe Level of Smoking
People who consistently smoked an average of less than 1 cigarette per day over their lifetime had a 64% higher risk of earlier death than never-smokers, and those who smoked between 1 and 10 cigarettes a day had an 87% higher risk of earlier death than never-smokers, according to a new study from...
New Treatments for Lung Cancer in 2016
With drug approvals for immunotherapy in the first- and second-line settings, breakthroughs in targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, and the rapid evolution of therapies that target anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements, 2016 has been an extraordinary year for lung...
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center Expands Cancer Care and Research Facility at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC
Cancer experts from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center are now embedded in a newly expanded facility within Johns Hopkins Medicine–owned Sibley Memorial Hospital in northwest Washington, DC.
Sibley recently opened the 30,000-square-foot medical oncology facility—part of its new...
Daratumumab in Previously Treated Multiple Myeloma
On November 21, 2016, daratumumab (Darzalex) was approved for use in combination with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone or with bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy.1,2 The drug was...
Randi Kaplan, LMSW, Named Schwartz Center’s 2016 National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year
The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, a national leader in providing compassionate care to patients and caregivers, has named Randi Kaplan, LMSW, Director of the Arthur D. Emil Caregiver Support Center at Montefiore, the National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year. The prestigious...
Cancer Metastasis International Symposium Abstract Award Winners Announced
The Organizing Committee for the 7th International Cancer Metastasis International Symposium has announced the abstract award winners for the meeting. The winners will be presented during the upcoming meeting, “Cancer Metastasis Through the Lymphovascular System: Biology and Treatment,” to be held...
City of Hope’s Ravi Salgia, MD, PhD, Receives 2016 Asclepius Award From the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
City of Hope’s Ravi Salgia, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, has received an accolade that recognizes his decades-long dedication to treating patients with lung cancer and researching new therapies. Dr. Salgia received the 2016 Asclepius Award from...
Concerns About Safety of Generic Oncology Drugs Made in Developing Countries
In an article in The Lancet Oncology, Y. Tony Yang, ScD, of George Mason University, Charles L. Bennett, MD, PhD, MPP, of the University of South Carolina and colleagues from the United States, Europe, and Japan examined clinical, policy, safety, and regulatory considerations for...
The FDA Ensures Quality and Safety of Generic Drugs in the United States
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) generic drug program has substantially increased the availability of affordable, high-quality drugs in the United States. It is arguably the only really effective health-care cost–containment program. The more than 10,000 generic drugs currently ...
Treatment of Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: One Size Does Not Fit All
Despite the routine use of HER2 blockade in early HER2-positive breast cancer, clinicians can always benefit from a refresher on key treatment considerations. Clinical pearls and controversial issues were the topic of a presentation at the 14th Annual School of Breast Oncology at Emory...
What’s New in Antiemesis Therapy
The optimal use of new antiemetics was the subject of a presentation at the 14th Annual School of Breast Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, by Frankie Ann Holmes, MD, Associate Director of Breast Oncology Research at Texas Oncology, Houston. “The science of nausea and vomiting is so...
Make Funding for Cancer Research a Global Priority, Say European and American Organizations
The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) are calling on policymakers and leaders throughout the world to provide robust and sustained funding for cancer research.
The two organizations say there has been a...
University of Hawaii Cancer Center Receives $3 Million R01 NCI Grant for Bladder Cancer Research
Charles Rosser, MD, MBA, FACS, Professor and Director of the Clinical Trials Office and Director of the Clinical and Translational Research Program at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, received a 5-year National Cancer Institute (NCI) R01 grant worth more than $3 million. The grant is for...
Christine Laronga, MD, FACS, Elected President of the Association of Women Surgeons
Christine Laronga, MD, FACS, a surgical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at Moffitt Cancer Center, has been named President of the Association of Women Surgeons. The international organization has more than 1,800 members and represents 21 countries.
“I am thrilled to be in this new...
Noteworthy Antitumor Activity Seen in Phase I Studies of PDGFRα and KIT Mutation Inhibitors
Two studies presented at the 28th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Munich focused on the inhibition of mutations in the KIT and PDGFRα oncogenes. These genes encode receptor tyrosine kinases, and when they are mutated, cell signaling malfunctions, leading to...
Liquid Biopsies Identify Molecular Alterations Driving Drug Resistance in Nearly 80% of Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancers
Liquid biopsy technologies are increasingly being used to detect genetic mutations in tumors, giving clinicians the opportunity to see in real time how a patient’s cancer may or may not be responding to treatment. In a study presented recently at the 28th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular...
Nivolumab in Recurrent or Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
On November 10, 2016, nivolumab (Opdivo) was approved for treatment of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with disease progression on or after platinum-based therapy.1,2
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on the finding of an overall survival...
Disparities of Care: Navigation System Helps Connect Underserved Populations to Cancer Services
Although we’ve seen substantial progress in cancer treatment, screening, diagnosis, and prevention over the past decades, certain underserved populations have not reaped the benefits of many of these advances. Turning research into actionable programs in this area was highlighted by a...
No Progression-Free Survival Difference With Temozolomide vs Radiotherapy in High-Risk Low-Grade Glioma
In a phase III intergroup trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Brigitta G. Baumert, MD, of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), Brussels, and colleagues found no progression-free survival difference between temozolomide chemotherapy and radiotherapy alone in...
Center for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research at UNMC Renamed Dr. James O. Armitage Center for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents voted to rename an area of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in honor of a longtime professor who has made extraordinary contributions to the institution. The Center for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research, established in 2003, was renamed by...
Elizabeth M. Swisher, MD, Finds Juggling Research Projects and Clinical Care Improves Both
Elizabeth M. Swisher, MD, Medical Director of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention Program at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, enjoys developing long-term patient relationships and helping patients who are confronted with cancer and terminal issues. She is particularly interested in the...
Reducing the Risk of Oral Complications During and After Cancer Therapy
According to the National Institutes of Health,1 nearly all patients with head and neck malignancies receiving high-dose radiation therapy; approximately 80% of patients undergoing stem cell transplantation; and about 40% of patients receiving chemotherapy will experience oral complications that...
Fergus J. Couch, PhD, and Max S. Wicha, MD, Recognized for Significant Contributions to Breast Cancer Research at 2016 SABCS
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) honored two renowned researchers for their work in breast cancer at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held December 6–10 in San Antonio, Texas. Fergus J. Couch, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, will receive the 9th Annual AACR...
NCCN Imaging Appropriate Use Criteria Published for 15 Additional Guidelines
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-approved provider-led entity for imaging appropriate use criteria, continues to build its library of these standards and has published NCCN Imaging Appropriate Use Criteria™ for an additional 15 ...
David Tuveson, MD, PhD, Named Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cancer Center
David Tuveson, MD, PhD, will succeed Bruce Stillman, AO, FAA, FRS, as Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cancer Center.
Dr. Tuveson is the Roy J. Zuckerberg Professor of Cancer Research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the Head of the Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Renal Cell Carcinoma
The information contained in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting clinical studies focused on immunotherapy as treatment for renal cell carcinoma. These studies are researching combination chemotherapies; immunotherapies; radiosurgery techniques; stereotactic body...
Reagan-Udall Foundation Announces Appointments of Ellen V. Sigal, PhD, and Richard L. Schilsky, MD
The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an independent nonprofit organization that works to advance regulatory science to help support the scientific mission of the FDA, has elected Ellen V. Sigal, PhD, as its new Chairman, and Richard L. Schilsky, MD, as...
ASH Honors Member of Congress and Former NCI Grants Chief With Service Awards
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) recognized Representative David McKinley (R-WV) and Roy Wu, PhD, former Chief of the Clinical Grants and Contracts Branch for the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), with awards for their outstanding advocacy for...
ASH Launches Digital, Open-Access Journal Blood Advances at 2016 Annual Meeting
Blood has covered experimental and clinical hematologic research as the flagship journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Launched officially on November 29, 2016, the open-access online journal Blood Advances will fill a niche that complements and expands on topics covered in Blood...
A Decade of Impact: Conquer Cancer Foundation/Kidney Cancer Association Young Investigator Awards
The Kidney Cancer Association has supported 12 kidney cancer research projects through the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Award (YIA) program over the past decade. Early seed funding from the Kidney Cancer Association is advancing research, improving...
Conquer Cancer Foundation Researcher Spotlight: Dr. Priscilla Brastianos
Priscilla Brastianos, MD
Director, Central Nervous System Metastasis Program
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
Metastatic brain cancer
People are inspired to pursue careers in cancer research for any number of reasons: They might like the challenging...
Double Your Impact During the Conquer Cancer Foundation Matching Gift Challenge
We have an incredible opportunity for you to make an amazing impact at the Conquer Cancer Foundation!
An anonymous donor is offering a Matching Gift Challenge, which will double the value of every gift we receive by December 31—dollar for dollar—up to $64,000! This amount is enough to fund one...
ASCO’s TAPUR Study Now Has More Than 100 Participants Receiving Treatment Drugs and 25 New Clinical Trial Sites
More than 100 participants are now enrolled on study drug in ASCO’s Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) Study. The trial launched in March 2016 at 37 sites, and in November, it welcomed its newest participating clinical sites: Cancer Treatment Centers of America®,...
Team-Based Cancer Care Explored in Special Series of Journal of Oncology Practice
The Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP) published a special series in its November issue representing the results of a unique project launched in 2014 by ASCO and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to heighten awareness of ways to enhance team-based care in oncology. Concerns about clinician...
Complete the Free PQRS Reporting Available Through QOPI® by December 31 to Avoid a 2% Medicare Reimbursement Cut in 2018
In September 2016, ASCO announced its latest offering to oncology practices: the ability to complete all Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) requirements through the user-friendly Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) platform at no cost. By completing the PQRS module by December 31,...
Tell Your Patients About ASCO’S Award-Winning Cancer.Net Mobile App
Put trusted, oncologist-approved cancer information in the hands of your patients and their caregivers with Cancer.Net Mobile. This award-winning app helps patients plan and manage their cancer care.
The newest version of Cancer.Net Mobile is optimized for the latest iOS versions and offers an...
Mylin A. Torres, MD, to Hold Glenn Family Chair in Breast Cancer Research at Winship Cancer Institute
Mylin A. Torres, MD, Director of the Glenn Family Breast Center at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University (Winship), was selected to hold the Louisa and Rand Glenn Family Chair in Breast Cancer Research. The endowed position was created by the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation to...
AAAS Names Winship’s Dong Moon Shin, MD, as a 2016 Fellow
Dong Moon Shin, MD, the Frances Kelly Blomeyer Distinguished Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Shin is Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology,...
Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, Receives 2016 Paul A. Bunn Jr. Scientific Award
Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, of Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, was recognized by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) with a distinguished award at the 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Herbst accepted the Paul A. Bunn Jr. Scientific...
Precautions in Cancer Rehabilitation Services: Imperative or Impediment in Patient Care?
GUEST EDITOR
Physiatry in Oncology explores the benefits of cancer rehabilitation in oncology practice to screen survivors for physical and cognitive impairments along the care continuum to minimize survivors’ disability and maximize their quality of life. The column is guest edited by Sean...
Statement From the American Association for Cancer Research on the House Passage of the 21st Century Cures Act
From Nancy E. Davidson, MD, President of the AACR and Executive Director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/University of Washington Cancer Consortium, and Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer of the AACR
On behalf of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR),...
Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, Elected to National Academy of Medicine
Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, a physician-researcher who has made significant contributions to the fields of cancer biology, therapy, and epidemiology, was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine during the Academy’s annual meeting. Dr. Gillison is the Jeg Coughlin Chair in Cancer...
Peer-Reviewed Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology Meets Challenges, Succeeds in Developing Country
Launching a new cancer journal is a risky and arduous endeavor, especially for a specialty publication in resource-challenged countries in the developing world. To succeed, a specialty journal must publish articles from established clinical researchers that quickly garner funding and captivate its...
Integrating AYA Oncology Care Into the Worlds of Pediatric and Adult Oncology Care to Improve Cancer Outcomes
GUEST EDITOR
Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology explores the unique physical, psychosocial, social, emotional, sexual, and financial challenges adolescents and young adults with cancer face. The column is guest edited by Brandon M. Hayes-Lattin, MD, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine and...
Approval of Dinutuximab for High-Risk Neuroblastoma: Lessons Learned in Expediting the Development of Pediatric Cancer Drugs
On March 10, 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regular approval to dinutuximab (formerly known as chimeric 14.18 antibody; Unituxin) for use in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and 13-cis-retinoic acid...
Using Art to Humanize Medicine
Among the most widely attended sessions at the 2016 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium in September was the keynote lecture, “Wit, Hex, Vin, Life, Death: Using Wit as a Teaching Tool,” given by Margaret Edson, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning play Wit. Wit tells the story of an...
Palliative Care Improves Quality of Life, Relieves Symptoms
People living with serious illness who receive palliative care have better quality of life and fewer symptoms than those who don’t receive palliative care, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Published by Dio Kavalieratos, PhD,...
Seven MD Anderson Faculty Elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
In recognition of wide-ranging contributions to the fields of cancer prevention; patient care; and basic, translational, and clinical research, seven faculty members from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of...
Matt Ewend, MD, FACS, Named President of the University of North Carolina Physicians
Matt Ewend, MD, FACS, has been named President of the University of North Carolina (UNC) Physicians. In this role, Dr. Ewend will oversee the physician clinical enterprise of UNC Health Care, which includes more than 2,400 physicians and 600 advanced practice providers in 450 practices spanning ...
NCCN Launches Campaign to Eradicate Fatal Vincristine Errors
It is uniformly fatal and impossible to undo. When the chemotherapy drug vincristine is placed in a syringe and injected intrathecally—into the spinal fluid—the patient always dies. And despite safety guidelines and labels, deaths continue to occur.
Now the National Comprehensive Cancer Network®...
UNC Lineberger’s Michael R. Kosorok, PhD, Elected AAAS Fellow
University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member Michael R. Kosorok, PhD, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.
Dr. Kosorok,...
ASCO Releases Criteria for High-Quality Clinical Pathways in Oncology
ASCO recently released its Criteria for High-Quality Clinical Pathways in Oncology, a set of 15 interrelated criteria that provide an overarching framework for assessing pathway programs in the United States. ASCO developed the criteria to guide stakeholders in assessing the quality,...
Friends of Cancer Research Rethinks Traditional Clinical Trials
Ellen V. Sigal, PhD, Chair and Founder of Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) began the annual meeting with a conversation with Douglas R. Lowy, MD, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Acting Director, and Robert M. Califf, MD, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner.
“Cancer research...
William Sellers, MD, Appointed to Faculty at Broad Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School
William Sellers, MD, a widely respected cancer researcher with extensive experience in cancer genomics and therapeutic discovery, is returning to the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School (HMS) as a ...
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Invests $40.3 Million in New Research to Find Cures for Hematologic Malignancies
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has announced it has committed $40.3 million in new research investments to advance the most promising blood cancer science at leading academic and medical centers around the world, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Weill Cornell Medicine; Memorial...
Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, Named Director of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, has been named the new Director of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and will serve as Vice Chancellor for Cancer Programs for Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences at Rutgers University. When he takes on his new roles in early 2017, Dr. Libutti will be the...
Faculty Development in Oncology: Advancing the Field by Optimizing Opportunities for Educators to Learn and Grow
In 2015, Janet Riddle, MD, and her colleagues published an article1 outlining 12 key themes for delineating how fellowship programs in medical education should be developed (See “12 Tips for Developing Successful Fellowship Programs for Medical Educators,” below.)
The ASCO Post talked with Dr....
Team-Based Care in Oncology: National Cancer Institute and ASCO Launch Unique Project
In its November 2016 issue, the Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP) has published a special series that represents the results of a unique project launched in 2014 by ASCO and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to heighten awareness of ways to enhance team-based care in oncology. Concerns about...
Advocacy Group to Fund $1.6 Million in Grants for 8 Early Detection Ovarian Cancer Research Projects
Tina’s Wish, a nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to funding scientific research for the early detection of ovarian cancer, recently announced its eight 2017–2018 individual grant recipients after soliciting proposals nationally for the first time. Researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer...
Profound Answers to Simple Questions
A few years ago, I had the good fortune to join a research team that intended to create a device to help dying children express their wants and needs despite communication challenges. The brain tumor team at SickKids [also known as The Hospital for Sick Children] had cared for several children...
2017 Oncology Meetings
JANUARY 2017
2017 Oncologic Emergency Medicine Conference
January 12-13 • Houston, Texas
For more information:
www.mdanderson.org/education-training/professional-education/cme-conference-management/conferences/oncologic-emergency-medicine-conference.html
Advances in Medical and Surgical...
Valerian
Scientific Names: Valeriana officinalis, Valeriana radix
Common Names: Garden valerian, Indian valerian, Pacific valerian, garden heliotrope
Overview
A perennial flowering plant prevalent in Europe, Asia, and North America, valerian has a long medicinal history as a relaxant. Its potential as...
Overcoming the Physical, Emotional, and Financial Effects of Cancer
Although my diagnosis of stage IIIB melanoma 5 years ago came as a shock, in hindsight, it shouldn’t have been so surprising. I had noticed a small freckle-like lesion on my upper left thigh that had become itchy and occasionally bled, but it didn’t fit the ABCDE (Asymmetry, Border...
NIH Statement on the Death of Former Congressman Melvin R. Laird
“I am greatly saddened by the death of former Congressman Melvin R. Laird, who, over the course of his distinguished career in public service, played a key role in advancing biomedical research and the mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our thoughts are with his family and the...
Cardiac Complications in Patients Receiving Combination Checkpoint Inhibitors Are Rare but Can Be Fatal
Cardiovascular toxicities associated with cancer treatments are not new. What is new, and what has prompted recent articles in The New England Journal of Medicine,1,2 is the explosion of cancer therapies, which has dramatically changed the natural course of many cancers but can lead to...
Expect Questions About Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Cancer Survivors
Reports of rare, but in some cases fatal, cardiac complications when the checkpoint inhibitors ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) are used in combination should be taken seriously but should not scare patients away from potentially life-saving drugs, according to Javid J. Moslehi, MD. Dr....
George A. Komatsoulis, PhD, Joins CancerLinQ LLC as Chief of Bio-Informatics
CancerLinQ LLC has announced that George A. Komatsoulis, PhD, will be its first Chief of Bio-Informatics. This marks another step toward the organization’s goal of making the CancerLinQ® platform the premier system for unlocking patient data from millions of electronic health records, breaking...
Intensity-Modulated vs Three-Dimensional Conformal External-Beam Radiation Therapy in Locally Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
In a secondary analysis from the NRG Oncology RTOG 0617 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Stephen G. Chun, MD, of the Department of Radiation Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues found that use of intensity-modulated vs three-dimensional...
Characteristics of HPV-Driven Nonoropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Head and Neck
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Chakravarthy et al found that human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven tumors accounted for 4.1% of nonoropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. HPV-positive tumors were associated with poorer survival and reduced...
Investigational Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma
The investigational immunotherapeutic IMC-20D7S was found to be well tolerated and somewhat active in patients with advanced melanoma, including one complete response, according to the results of a phase I/Ib trial reported by Danny N. Khalil, MD, PhD, and colleagues in Clinical Cancer Research.
...
Pioneer in Cancer Immunology, Richmond T. Prehn, MD, Dies
Until 1957, the prevailing thought was that since cancers develop in normal patients, they are not recognized as foreign by the immune system. That changed when Richmond T. Prehn, MD, and his laboratory assistant, Joan Main, showed that tumors induced by chemical carcinogens in mice could...
