December 25, 2016 (View All Issues)
Benefit of Extended Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy Not Upheld in Multiple Studies Reported in San Antonio
Extended endocrine therapy with an aromatase inhibitor did not improve disease-free survival in patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer enrolled in three studies presented at the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
The results stand in contrast to the phase III National Cancer...
As We Strive for a Cancer Cure, We Must Not Forget the Survivors
Although a cure for cancer remains elusive, there are many promising ideas to eradicate this disease, including the Cancer Moonshot Initiative and an ever-increasing body of cancer research that continually drives innovative treatments in an effort to improve survival and, ultimately, find a...
A Gleason 6 Tumor: Is It Cancer, and Should It Be Treated?
The diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer have long been a source of controversy among the oncology community, the political sector, and patient advocacy groups. Most notably, the decision to biopsy a man’s prostate gland rests largely on his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test...
Reduced-Intensity Chemotherapy Leads to More Relapses in Childhood ALL
Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) considered at standard risk for relapse should continue to receive standard-intensity regimens, according to findings from the international randomized AIEOP-BFM ALL 2000 trial.1
A reduced-intensity treatment for children with ALL...
Expert Point of View: Stephen P. Hunger, MD
Stephen P. Hunger, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Oncology and Director of the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Jeffrey E. Perelman Distinguished Chair in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania,...
Reducing Doses and Stopping Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Gain Favor in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as imatinib, nilotinib (Tasigna), and dasatinib (Sprycel), have revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). A substantial percentage of patients achieve deep and meaningful remissions on these agents. More recently, partly driven by patients’ and ...
Achieving Complete Response Is Key to Improving Survival in Older Patients With AML
The importance of achieving complete response after intensive therapy in older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was confirmed in a follow-up analysis of the E2906 North American Intergroup trial.1 Patients in complete response had superior survival in this landmark analysis. This finding...
Individuals Honored as 2016 MPN Heroes
Eight individuals were honored at the 2016 MPN Heroes celebration held on the eve of the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego. The MPN Hero award is given by Cure magazine in recognition of an individual’s commitment to helping patients with...
Lawrence N. Shulman, MD, FACP, Named Chair of American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer
Lawrence N. Shulman, MD, FACP, Professor of Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine and Deputy Director for Clinical Services of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named the new Chair of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons.
The...
Nancy Thomas, MD, PhD, Named Chair of Dermatology at University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member Nancy Thomas, MD, PhD, has been named Chair of the Department of Dermatology, effective January 1. She assumes the role from Luis Diaz, MD, who is stepping down from the position after serving as Chair for 16 years.
...
Single Autotransplant Not Enhanced by Additional Interventions in Multiple Myeloma
Additional interventions following upfront autologous stem cell transplant in multiple myeloma did not further improve progression-free or overall survival over transplant alone in a multicenter study presented as a late-breaking abstract at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual...
Obinutuzumab Prolongs Disease-Free Survival vs Rituximab in Follicular Lymphoma
Induction and maintenance therapies with obinutuzumab (Gazyva) were superior to rituximab (Rituxan) induction and maintenance in patients with untreated follicular lymphoma, according to results of the phase III GALLIUM study presented at the Plenary Session during the 58th American Society of...
Dose-Adjusted EPOCH-R No Better Than R-CHOP in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Long-awaited results of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)/Alliance 50303 trial were a disappointment to many hematologists/oncologists at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. The study failed to show that dose-adjusted EPOCH-R (etoposide,...
Vadastuximab Talirine Shows Early Promise in Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia
The investigational CD33-directed antibody-drug conjugate vadastuximab talirine yielded high overall and complete response rates when combined with standard “7+3” chemotherapy for patients newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.1 Results from this phase Ib study were presented at...
CPX-351 Improves Survival Post Transplant in Older High-Risk Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Induction therapy with the experimental chemotherapy called CPX-351—a liposomal formulation of cytarabine and daunorubicin—outperformed standard “7+3” cytarabine plus daunorubicin by extending survival in older high-risk patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who subsequently underwent...
Expert Point of View: Armand Keating, MD
“This study shows that a great deal of innovation can come from existing knowledge. The 7+3 regimen has been around since I was an intern,” admitted Armand Keating, MD, of the University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “Using the liposomal...
Gilberto de Lima Lopes, Jr, MD, MBA, FAMS, Named New Editor-in-Chief of ASCO’s Journal of Global Oncology
ASCO announced that Gilberto de Lima Lopes, Jr, MD, MBA, FAMS, will become Editor-in-Chief of the Society’s Journal of Global Oncology (JGO) in early 2017. Dr. Lopes will direct the editorial scope of JGO, an online-only, open-access journal addressing the unique challenges of cancer care and...
Oncology Organizations Applaud Passage of the 21st Century Cures Act
On Tuesday, December 13, President Obama signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act, landmark legislation designed to improve and accelerate the pace of biomedical research in the United States. ASCO Chief Executive Officer Clifford Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO, attended the White House signing...
Fulvestrant Plus Everolimus: New Second-Line Option for Postmenopausal Metastatic Breast Cancer
The addition of everolimus (Afinitor) to fulvestrant (Faslodex) doubled progression-free survival in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer resistant to aromatase inhibitor therapy compared with fulvestrant plus placebo, according to the...
Genomic Landscape of Metastatic Breast Cancer Differs From That of Primary Breast Cancer
Researchers working on whole-exome and transciptome sequencing of endocrine-resistant estrogen receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer have shown that the mutational landscape differs from that of estrogen receptor–positive primary breast cancer, and these differences have the potential to...
BRCA Status Does Not Seem to Affect Survival Outcomes in Young Women With Early Breast Cancer
Young women who carry the BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutation and develop breast cancer seem to have similar survival compared with young women who have BRCA-negative breast cancer. However, women with BRCA-positive triple-negative breast cancer have an 11% survival advantage compared with those with...
Abemaciclib Plus Anastrozole: Promising Signals Reported in Phase II Study of Early Breast Cancer
As neoadjuvant therapy, abemaciclib alone or in combination with anastrozole achieved strong signals of anticancer activity in postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer in the neoMONARCH phase II study.1 Abemaciclib alone or in combination with anastrozole...
Pathologic Complete Response Not Boosted by Addition of Estrogen Deprivation to Chemotherapy and Dual HER2 Blockade
The addition of estrogen deprivation to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and HER2 blockade did not enhance the achievement of pathologic complete responses in women with early-stage breast cancer, according to the results of the NRG Oncology/NSABP B-52 trial reported at the 2016 San Antonio...
Buparlisib Phase III Findings: Glass Half Empty or Half Full?
The pan-phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor buparlisib combined with fulvestrant (Faslodex) prolonged progression-free survival compared with placebo and fulvestrant in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer previously treated with an...
Advancing the Global Impact of Integrative Oncology
The 13th International Conference of the Society of Integrative Oncology (SIO) held in Miami, Florida, in November, drew its largest audience yet, with nearly 400 clinicians, researchers, patients, and patient advocates in integrative oncology care from 25 countries in attendance with...
The Best of SIO
The following five abstracts were chosen as the best submitted studies presented at this year’s International Conference of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO). They represent a diverse group of integrative therapies and interventions in the care of patients with cancer, including an...
Co-occurrence of Cancer and Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults
The prevalence of both cancer and cognitive impairment increases with age.1-3 Based upon Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare studies, it is estimated that 3% to 7% of patients with cancer aged ≥ 65 also suffer from dementia, although the true prevalence of dementia in...
Exploring Practical Strategies for Cancer Care in Low-Resource Settings
One of the featured “Big Debates” at the 2016 World Cancer Congress in Paris addressed this question: Are scarce resources best applied to prevention rather than treatment?
Many experts do not see prevention vs treatment in such stark terms or even as a realistic scenario. It’s a false...
AbbVie and Lurie Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Announce 5-Year Oncology Research Collaborations
The global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie has announced collaborations with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. These 5-year partnerships to advance cancer research and discovery in oncology will focus on...
Nancy G. Hesse, MSN, RN, Named President and CEO of CTCA at Eastern Regional Medical Center
Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), a national network of five cancer hospitals, announced that Nancy G. Hesse, MSN, RN, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its Eastern Regional Medical Center (Eastern) in Philadelphia. Ms. Hesse previously served as Interim...
Richard Gorlick, MD, Joins MD Anderson to Lead Pediatrics
Richard Gorlick, MD, an expert in pediatric oncology and hematology, has joined The University of Texas MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital as the Division Head and Department Chair of Pediatrics.
A pediatric cancer survivor himself, Dr. Gorlick committed his life’s work to helping young...
Women in Oncology: Breaking Down Barriers and Looking to the Future
There has been no better time than the present for women in the field of oncology: Women at all stages of their careers are finding more opportunities and avenues to excel. At the time of the last ASCO workforce survey, women made up 28.4% of the oncologist workforce, and that proportion is rising...
Conquer Cancer Foundation Matching Gift Challenge Offers Chance to Double Your Impact
The Conquer Cancer Foundation has an incredible opportunity for you to make an amazing impact!
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 of our...
ASCO and New Presidential Administration, Congress: Advancing Patient-Focused Cancer Policies
The results of every Presidential election offer both challenges and opportunities for ASCO’s advocacy efforts. ASCO’s mission is to help practices and patients with cancer thrive—in every setting and in every community. Through each administration and Congress, the Society works closely with...
ASCO and ONS Release Updated Chemotherapy Administration Standards to Include Pediatric Oncology Care
ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) have updated their chemotherapy administration safety standards to include pediatric oncology care. The updated standards can be found in the Journal of Oncology Practice.1
In 2009, ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society published the initial set of...
Cancer.Net Resource Helps Patients Manage Cancer Costs
Help your patients manage the financial impact of a cancer diagnosis with Cancer.Net’s Managing the Cost of Cancer Care booklet. This booklet provides information on key financial categories for cancer care; an easy-to-understand explanation of health insurance coverage; information about the...
Addition of Palbociclib to Letrozole in Previously Untreated Advanced Estrogen Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
In the phase III PALOMA-2 trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Richard S. Finn, MD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues found that the addition of palbociclib (Ibrance) to letrozole significantly improved...
Confirmation or Transformation? The Case of Palbociclib in Hormone Receptor–Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
Women with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer are witnessing an unprecedented time of success in the battle against their disease. Just in the past 12 months, a number of prospective, randomized, phase III studies were reported, with positive results indicating the value of...
Study Identifies Factors in Clonal Evolution of Chemotherapy-Resistant Urothelial Carcinoma
In a study reported in Nature Genetics, Bishoy M. Faltas, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, and colleagues identified factors in the clonal evolution of chemotherapy-resistant urothelial carcinoma.1 As stated by the investigators: “Chemotherapy-resistant urothelial carcinoma has no uniformly curative...
Mutational Characteristics of Chemotherapy-Treated Bladder Urothelial Neoplasms
Radical cystectomy with urinary diversion is the standard of care for muscle invasive bladder cancer.1 Meta-analyses of prospective data have shown a 5% overall survival benefit at 5 years for those receiving neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy prior to cystectomy.2,3 We currently know of two...
Updated ASTRO Guideline Expands Pool of Suitable Candidates for Accelerated Partial-Breast Irradiation
On November 17, 2016, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued an updated clinical practice statement for accelerated partial-breast irradiation for early-stage breast cancer. The updated guideline reflects recent evidence that greater numbers of patients may benefit from...
Accelerating Progress in the Treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme
W.K. Alfred Yung, MD, has wanted a career in medicine since he was a high-school student and has spent nearly 4 decades fulfilling that dream, specifically in the research and treatment of one of the deadliest cancers, malignant brain tumor, especially glioblastoma multiforme, the most common...
Weighing the Benefits and Risks of Medical Marijuana
Despite the fact that 28 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to permit the use of cannabis and cannabinoid-based drugs to treat medical conditions, including cancer and symptoms from its treatment, federal law prohibits physicians from prescribing marijuana to their patients, ...
St. Jude Names Ellis J. Neufeld, MD, PhD, Clinical Director, Physician-in-Chief, and Executive Vice President
Ellis J. Neufeld, MD, PhD, has been appointed Clinical Director, Physician-in-Chief, and Executive Vice President of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Dr. Neufeld’s appointment will begin in March 2017. In this role, Dr. Neufeld will oversee the organization’s academic clinical departments...
Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, Elected ASCO President for 2018–2019 Term
Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, a long-time ASCO member and volunteer, has been elected to serve as the President of ASCO for the term beginning in June 2018. She will take office as President-Elect during the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago in June 2017. Additionally, three new members were elected to ...
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
2017 Highlights of ASH in North America
A Lesson From David
The following essay by Jeremy K. Hon, MD, is adapted from The Big Casino: America’s Best Cancer Doctors Share Their Most Powerful Stories, which was coedited by Stan Winokur, MD, and Vincent Coppola and published in May 2014. The book is available on Amazon.com and thebigcasino.org.
As...
American Cancer Society Welcomes Three New Members and Newly Elected Officers to Board of Directors
The American Cancer Society announced the election of three new members—Amit Kumar, PhD, Joseph M. Naylor, and William D. Novelli—to the 2017 American Cancer Society Board of Directors. In addition, the new key officer leadership positions were announced, which include Arnold M....
Study Suggests No Evidence for Screening Mammography Cutoff Age
An analysis of data from nearly 6 million screening mammograms found no evidence for a clear cutoff age to stop breast cancer screening. Screening mammography among women aged 75 years was associated with higher cancer detection and lower recall rates than among younger women in the...
R. Daniel Beauchamp, MD, Receives 2016 Dr. Rodman E. and Thomas G. Sheen Award
R. Daniel Beauchamp, MD, Chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences and the John Clinton Foshee Distinguished Professor of Surgery at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, has been selected to receive the 2016 Dr. Rodman E. and Thomas G. Sheen Award from the New Jersey American College of Surgeons...
Treating the Whole Person
Twenty-five years ago, I was a physically fit woman of 45 in training to run a marathon, which had been a lifelong goal. I was feeling fine and had no hint of the illness that would nearly take my life and has forever changed it. While ramping up to go the 26.2-mile distance, I decided...
Weekly Vinblastine in Chemotherapy-Naive Children With Progressive Low-Grade Glioma
In a phase II Canadian Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium Study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lassaletta et al found that vinblastine monotherapy was associated with response or stable disease in most children with chemotherapy-naive low-grade glioma. Vinblastine monotherapy has shown ...
Colonoscopy Screening in Older Adults
A large population-based observational study by Xabier García-Albéniz, MD, PhD, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and colleagues evaluating the effectiveness and safety of screening colonoscopy for the prevention of colorectal cancer in people aged 70 to 74 and 75 to 79 has found...
Osimertinib Shows Activity in Pretreated EGFR Thr790Met–Positive Advanced NSCLC
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Glenwood Goss, MD, of The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, University of Ottawa, and colleagues found that osimertinib produced a high response rate in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor–pretreated EGFR Thr790Met (T790M)–positive advanced non–small...
Maintenance Olaparib in Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Serous Ovarian Cancer With BRCA Mutation
Maintenance olaparib (Lynparza) appeared to be associated with an overall survival benefit vs placebo in women with platinum-sensitive serous ovarian cancer and BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, according to an updated analysis of a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology by Jonathan A. Ledermann,...
Use of Genetic Testing to Identify Patients With Breast Cancer at High Risk for Venous Thromboembolism
Venous thromboembolism is a serious—and sometimes fatal—complication of cancer and chemotherapy treatment. Since breast cancer is one of the most common cancers, it accounts for a large number of cancer-related cases of venous thromboembolism. Routine thromboprophylaxis, however, is not recommended ...
