December 10, 2021 (View All Issues)
DREAMseq Trial: In Advanced Melanoma With BRAF Mutations, Start With Immunotherapy
In the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma containing BRAF mutations, initial treatment with an immunotherapy combination achieved superior overall survival compared with targeted therapy in the phase III DREAMseq trial, also known as the ECOG-ACRIN EA6134 trial. The results were reported ...
Establishing a Health Equity Report Card to Eradicate Disparities in Cancer Care
Although enormous progress over the past 50 years in every aspect of cancer care, including prevention, screening, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and supportive care, has resulted in increases in lives saved—from 3 million in 1971 to 16.9 million in 2019—the burden of...
How Medical Oncology Came to Be
For many, the way things are when you learn about them is assumed to be the way things have always been. For example, antibiotics are wonderful—but if you were practicing medicine when penicillin was discovered, it would have seemed like a miracle. For most of us, there have always been chemical...
To Elect or Forgo Radiation Therapy: An Informed Decision for Patients With Breast Cancer
Advances intreating breast cancer “increasingly create opportunities to consider where radiation therapy might safely be omitted,” Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, told participants at the 2021 Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium.1 “But, I would encourage us,” she continued, “not to assume that women who...
KEYNOTE-355 Final Analysis Reveals Survival Benefit With Pembrolizumab in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
The final overall survival results from the KEYNOTE-355 study showed a statistically significant 27% reduction in the risk of death for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer whose tumors were strongly positive for PD-L1, defined as a combined positive score (CPS) of at least 10 and ...
Phase II Breast Cancer Trial: Large Declines in Ki67 Index Seen With Oral Selective Estrogen Receptor Degrader
In the phase II coopERA Breast Cancer trial, which evaluated two endocrine neoadjuvant therapies in estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer, the oral selective estrogen receptor degrader giredestrant led to a greater reduction in Ki67 level—a measure of cancer cell...
Long-Term Follow-up of monarchE: Benefit of Abemaciclib Plus Endocrine Therapy Maintained in Early High-Risk Breast Cancer
Longer-term follow-up of the global phase III monarchE trial showed an increasing benefit for adding abemaciclib to endocrine therapy in the adjuvant treatment of early high-risk hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, regardless of Ki67 index. The latest findings were reported at a ...
Society for Integrative Oncology Focuses on the Science of Living Well With Cancer
Guest Editor’s Note: With the easing of some COVID-19 restrictions, the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) held its 2021 international conference in a hybrid format. It focused on the science of living well with cancer, challenges in designing integrative oncology research, and the role of...
Applying Research Data to Clinical Practice in Managing Head and Neck Cancer
The 2021 Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University Symposium: Updates in the Management of Head and Neck Cancer explored current paradigms for the multidisciplinary treatment of head and neck cancer.1 Moderated by Nabil F.
Saba, MD, FACP, the Lynne and Howard Halpern Chair in Head and Neck...
Optimizing the Use of Checkpoint Inhibitors in Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer
The management of recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer is complex. Historically, patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with local or regional recurrence were considered for salvage surgery or reirradiation (in high-volume centers or centers of expertise), with an...
LUNGevity Foundation Launches New Online Gateways for Patients With Lung Cancer and Actionable Mutations
LUNGevity Foundation, the nation’s leading lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization, has created a new resource: Lung Cancer Patient Gateways. The first to launch is the KRAS Patient Gateway, which will allow patients with cancer and the KRAS gene mutation to more easily locate resources and...
Survey Shows Disparities in Biomarker Testing Among Underserved Patients With Lung Cancer
Recent advances in cancer genomics and targeted therapies have changed the treatment landscape for lung cancer, but disparities in access to precision medicine remain, according to data presented during the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2021 World Conference on Lung ...
Cleveland Clinic Researcher Receives NIH Director’s Pioneer Award
Michaela Gack, PhD, Scientific Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Florida Research and Innovation Center, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award to support her research toward the development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.
The grant is part of NIH’s High-Risk,...
Radiation Therapy for HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Prospects and Controversies
In the treatment of patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, neither cancer outcomes nor measurable quality of life have yet been shown to differ between surgery- and radiotherapy-based approaches, according to Sue S. Yom, MD, PhD, FASTRO, Professor of ...
Big Data and Vulnerable Populations: Addressing the Gap in Lung Cancer Screening
Recent advances in medical imaging have led to more accurate detection and management of early thoracic diseases such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cardiovascular disease—three of the top four
leading causes of death in the United States....
Low-Dose Computed Tomography: A Window Into Early Lung Disease?
Lung health in adults has traditionally been defined as the absence of disease, but it may be time to rethink this paradigm, according to Ravi Kalhan, MD, MS, Director of the Northwestern Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of ...
Patients With Multiple Myeloma May Lack T-Cell Responses to COVID-19 Vaccination
Patients with multiple myeloma lacking an antibody response to COVID-19 vaccine may also fail to mount a T-cell response, according to research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Concerningly, this scenario was most common among patients actively treated with anti-CD38 and...
Adding Pembrolizumab to Chemotherapy Improves Overall and Progression-Free Survival in First-Line Treatment of Advanced Esophageal Cancer
As reported in The Lancet by Jong-Mu Sun, MD, of Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, and colleagues, an interim analysis in the phase III KEYNOTE-590 trial has shown that the addition of first-line pembrolizumab to chemotherapy resulted in improved overall and progression-free...
Pembrolizumab for Adjuvant Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma
On November 17, 2021, the immunotherapeutic agent pembrolizumab was granted approval for adjuvant treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma at intermediate-high or high risk of recurrence following nephrectomy or nephrectomy and resection of metastatic lesions.1
Supporting Efficacy Data
...
Update on the Incidence of NSCLC: Focus on Need to Implement Widescale Screening
Recent articles in JAMA Oncology focused on lung cancer and screening strategies. Apar Kishor Ganti, MD, MS, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, and colleagues provided updated data on non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) incidence, prevalence, and stage through 2017.1 Sylvia K....
Atezolizumab in Adjuvant Therapy for PD-L1–Positive NSCLC
On October 15, 2021, atezolizumab was approved for adjuvant treatment following resection and platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with stage II to IIIA non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with PD-L1 expression on ≥ 1% of tumor cells, as determined by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
Increased Risk of Early Cardiac Toxicity With Posttransplantation Cyclophosphamide in Allogeneic HSCT
In a French single-center retrospective cohort study reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Rémy Duléry, MD, of Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, and colleagues found that posttransplantation cyclophosphamide was associated with a significantly increased risk of early cardiac toxicity among patients...
FDA Approves Pembrolizumab for Adjuvant Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma
On November 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) at intermediate-high or high risk of disease recurrence following nephrectomy or nephrectomy and resection of metastatic lesions.
...
FDA Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters
On November 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorizations (EUA) for both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines authorizing use of a single booster dose for all individuals aged 18 years and older after completion of primary vaccination with any ...
Jordan’s Queen Rania Presents King Hussein Awards for Cancer Research
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan honored recipients of the 2021 King Hussein Award for Cancer Research during ceremony held on November 14 by the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF). The event was conducted under the patronage of Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al...
Addressing the Global Challenges of Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Nearly 20 million people around the world were diagnosed with cancer in 2020, with 10 million losing their lives to this devastating disease. We highlight here the salient points from our article published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians,1 which describes the major themes and...
ASCO Releases New Guidelines on the Management of Adverse Events in Patients Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and CAR T-Cell Therapy
ASCO has released new recommendations for the management of adverse events related to two immunotherapy modalities with increasing application in cancer care—immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. The recommendations were published as two separate...
COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Medicare, Medicaid Facilities, and Employers of 100 or More Staff Released
On November 4, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an interim final rule requiring COVID-19 vaccination of eligible staff at health-care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)...
Help Test Performance Measures to Advance Oncology Quality of Care
ASCO is currently recruiting practices to participate in measures testing for a variety of efforts, including re-endorsing existing measures by the National Quality Forum (NQF). In addition to ensuring the highest level of quality care for individuals with cancer and advancing the specialty of...
Friends of Cancer Research Releases White Paper on Optimizing Dosing in Oncology Drug Development
During its virtual Annual Meeting 2021 held on November 9 and 10, Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) urged all stakeholders in the cancer community to work together to optimize dosing in oncology drug development to maximize benefit for patients and reduce treatment toxicity, and to abandon the...
The History of Medical Oncology in Europe, 1955–1985
Our goal with this review of the pivotal years of oncology in Europe is to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of the early leaders in the field and to help young investigators learn from the past to better cope with the inevitable challenges of today and tomorrow.
“On ne connaît pas...
Wendy Brewster, MD, PhD, Named Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The university of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has appointed Wendy Brewster, MD, PhD, as Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The newly created position underscores the cancer center’s commitment to identifying and addressing issues and...
Potential Impact of Nurse Navigation Program in Achieving Equitable Care and Outcomes in Patients With Aggressive Large B-Cell Lymphoma
In a single-institution study reported in the journal Cancer, and reviewed in the September 10, 2021, issue of The ASCO Post, Bei Hu, MD, and colleagues from Levine Cancer Institute/Atrium Health found that the use of a dedicated nurse navigation program aided in producing similar patterns of...
Erratum
IN THE NOVEMBER 25, 2021, issue of The ASCO Post, a photo on page 1, in the article, “Shorter Course Radiation Therapy: A New Practice Standard After Prostatectomy,” was incorrectly identified as Mark K. Buyyounouski, MD, MS. We regret the error and apologize to Dr. Buyyounouski for the confusion....
Tara O. Henderson, MD, MPH, to Lead Programs at UChicago Medicine, Chicagoland Children’s Health
Tara O. Henderson, MD, MPH, has been named the new Service Line Chief of Pediatric Cancer and Blood Diseases at the Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance (CCHA), a collaboration between University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital, Advocate Children’s Hospital, and Pediatrics at...
Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, PhD, Re-elected Group Co-Chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
The Principal investigator Committee of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) re-elected Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, PhD, as the Group Co-Chair, a position he has held since the founding of the Group in 2012. Dr. Schnall will serve in this role from 2021 to 2031.
Dr. Schnall co-leads...
Cancer Researcher and Biotech Founder Lewis Cantley, PhD, Joins Dana-Farber
Lewis Cantley, PhD, the cancer researcher best known for his discovery of the PI3K pathway and his groundbreaking work on cancer metabolism, will be joining the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in February 2022.
Dr. Cantley’s move from his current position as Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer...
Mammen Chandy, MD, FRACP, FRACPA: A Pioneer in India’s Bone Marrow Transplantation Services
In this installment of the Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with bone marrow transplant expert Mammen Chandy, MD, FRACP, FRACPA, Director of Tata Medical Center, in Kolkata, India. Dr. Chandy was instrumental in establishing the first sustained bone marrow...
Newer Cancer Therapies Offer Hope but Also May Confer Cardiac Risk
Since many different chemotherapeutic agents have been linked with cardiac adverse events, there is a growing need for strategies for the assessment and mitigation of treatment-induced cardiotoxicity. Moreover, the rapid rise of immunotherapies has added a new dimension to this clinical setting.
...
Asciminib for Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
On October 29, 2021, the oral kinase inhibitor asciminib was granted accelerated approval for adults with Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase previously treated with at least two tyrosine kinase inhibitors and regular approval for adults with...
Abemaciclib With Endocrine Therapy in Adjuvant Treatment of Early Breast Cancer
On October 12, 2021, abemaciclib was approved for use with endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor) for adjuvant treatment of adults with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, node-positive, early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence and a Ki67 score ≥ 20%, as determined by...
FDA Approves Sirolimus Protein-Bound Particles for Rare Sarcoma
On November 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sirolimus protein-bound particles for injectable suspension (albumin-bound; Fyarro) for adult patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa).
AMPECT Trial
...
Three Investigators Named Winners of MSK Cancer Center’s 2021 Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is proud to announce three recipients of this year’s Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research. The prize recognizes a new generation of leaders in cancer research who are making significant contributions to the understanding of cancer or are improving the...
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Honored With 2021 Tara Withington Public Service Award
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) recently congratulated its Chief Executive Officer, Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), on her recognition by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) with its 2021 Tara Withington Public Service Award.
According to the SITC, this award “honors...
Mount Sinai Health System and BronxCare Health System Open Comprehensive Cancer Facility
Mount Sinai Health System, together with BronxCare Health System, recently held a ribbon-cutting to launch BronxCare Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care—a new, state-of-the-art comprehensive cancer facility in the Bronx. The new spacewill allow both health systems to bring their strengths...
ACCC Presents 2021 Annual Awards for Significant Contributions to Oncology Care
The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) presented its 2021 Annual Awards at the its 38th National Oncology Conference, held virtually on November 9–10. The awards honor individuals who have made significant contributions to patient care, the practice of clinical care and research, and...
MSK Inaugurates New Center for Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Announces New Appointments
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) recently acknowledged the commitment of the Edward P. Evans Foundation to inaugurate The Edward P. Evans Center for Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) at MSK. With the grant of $5 million matched by institutional funds, MSK will establish the Edward P....
The History of Medical Oncology in Europe, 1955–1985
In part 1 of this two-part review, we looked at early pioneers in the field of medical oncology in Europe, as well as the development of international cooperative trials and the formation of European oncology societies (see related articles below). In part 2, we explore how the field of medical ...
Last Hug
“Good evening, doc; I wanted to check on you and update you on my mom” read the text message on a late Thursday afternoon. I recognized the sender; it was not uncommon for me to share my cell phone number with patients and their families. Having been a caretaker of my own parents’ medical needs, I...
Early Operation With General Anesthesia
The text and photograph here are excerpted from a four-volume series of books titled Oncology: Tumors & Treatment, A Photographic History, The Anesthesia Era 1845–1875 by Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS, and Elizabeth A. Burns. The photograph appears courtesy of Stanley B. Burns, MD, and The Burns...
Erudition and Assessment on the Longest War in the Modern Era
A little after noon on December 23, 1971, President Richard Nixon entered the White House state dining room. Before 137 esteemed guests from government, science, and industry, he signed the landmark National Cancer Act. It was, in short, a national commitment to conquer cancer. President Nixon...
Reclaiming a Complicated Genius Who Pursued Cancer With Single-Minded Fury
The Nobel Laureate Otto Warburg was regarded as one of the most significant biochemists of the 20th century, whose exhaustive research led to an understanding of cancer that remains significant to this day. Warburg was also one of the most despised figures in his homeland of Nazi Germany. As a...
The High Price of Pain
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from 1999 to 2019, nearly 247,000 people died from overdoses involving prescription opioids in the United States. According to the CDC, the problem can be broken into three waves. The first began with an increase in prescribing...
Update on the Role of Low-Dose Aspirin in Colorectal Cancer Prevention
Updating its 2016 recommendation on the use of aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a draft recommendation statement. It noted the potential harms of daily aspirin, with the most serious being bleeding in the...
Brexucabtagene Autoleucel for Relapsed or Refractory B-Cell Precursor ALL
On October 1, 2021, the CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy brexucabtagene autoleucel was approved for adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).1
The product is available only through a restricted program under a Risk...
Nagi El Saghir, MD, FACP, Receives the Susan Bulkeley Butler Leadership Excellence Award
On October 29, 2021, Nagi El Saghir, MD, FACP, received the 2019 Susan Bulkeley Butler Leadership Excellence Award: Making Strides in Cancer Prevention. Because of pandemic-related delays, the award was presented at the 10th International Breast Cancer and Nutrition (IBCN) meeting, hosted by...
Study Finds Patients Infected With COVID-19 Who Underwent Recent Cancer Treatment Are at Higher Risk of Adverse Outcomes
In a cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Mariana Chavez-MacGregor, MD, MSc, and colleagues found that patients with cancer infected with COVID-19 had poorer outcomes vs patients without cancer if they had received recent cancer treatment. Patients with cancer who had not received recent...
Effect of Geriatric Assessment and Management Recommendations on Adverse Events Related to Cancer Treatment
In a U.S. cluster-randomized trial (GAP70+) reported in The Lancet, Supriya G. Mohile, MD, and colleagues found that geriatric assessment and management recommendations reduced the incidence of grade ≥ 3 toxicity vs usual care among patients aged ≥ 70 years with incurable advanced cancers who were...
Pharmacovigilance Study of Pancytopenia in Patients Receiving PARP Inhibitors
In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Morice et al found that pancytopenia was associated with use of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors for cancer treatment, according to drug adverse event reports in the World Health Organization global pharmacovigilance database...
I’m Living—and Thriving—With Stage IV Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
A diagnosis, in 2020, of stage IV adenocarcinoma non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was found accidentally. I was 55 at the time and in the best physical shape of my life. I had spent the previous year and a half on a diet and exercise regimen that had rendered me 35 pounds lighter and feeling...
The National Cancer Act of 1971
On December 23, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon signed the National Cancer Act into law. At that time, cancer was the nation’s second leading cause of death; only about one of two people diagnosed with cancer survived at least 5 years—compared with two of three people diagnosed with the disease...
