February 10, 2016 (View All Issues)
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ASCO Answers: Managing the Cost of Cancer Care explains the various costs associated with cancer treatment, including health-care coverage through the Affordable Care Act. It also provides a list of financial resources available to help offset expenses related to care and tips for organizing...
Two Contenders for Second-Line Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
Options for second-line therapy of advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma are expanding. Updates from the CheckMate 025 and METEOR trials presented at the 2016 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium solidify the value of both nivolumab (Opdivo, an immune checkpoint inhibitor) and cabozantinib...
'Doctor, We Prayed for You'
A 70-year-old female patient underwent a cardiac procedure to repair her mitral valve, and at the same time, she also underwent a coronary artery bypass grafting. She had an uneventful course for the first four postoperative days. On the sixth postoperative day, she started complaining of abdominal ...
Cancer Registries and the Evolving Role of Big Data in Cancer Care
In 1956, the American College of Surgeons encouraged the development of hospital-based registries, but for the most part, these efforts were clumsy, inaccessible card files of data. Today, advanced microcomputer technology has increased the ability to not only collect and cull cancer data but also...
Improved Outcomes in Patients With Germ Cell Testicular Tumors in the Modern Era
Although patients with poor-risk metastatic testicular germ cell tumors continue to have less favorable outcomes, the bar has been raised by contemporary treatment. There is still room for improvement in managing metastatic testicular germ cell tumors, especially in poor-risk patients, but if...
Atezolizumab in Urothelial Cancer: Ushering in a New Standard of Care
Atezolizumab achieved excellent results in a cohort of patients with platinum-resistant urothelial cancer enrolled in a large phase II trial known as IMvigor 210.1 Overall response rates were greatly improved over those with historical controls, and responses were durable. Although expression of...
Expert Point of View: William Y. Kim, MD
Formal discussant of this trial William Y. Kim, MD, of the University of North Carolina’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, commented on the fact that the IMvigor study had a substantial number of patients compared with other phase II trials in bladder cancer. “This trial was not ...
Pembrolizumab Label Updated With New Clinical Trial Information
Late in 2015, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the label for pembrolizumab (Keytruda), a humanized antibody, to include the initial treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.
Previously, pembrolizumab had received accelerated approval in patients with...
New Appointments Within FDA’s Office of Hematology and Oncology Products
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the appointment of an Acting Deputy Office Director and an Associate Director of Clinical Science in its Office of Hematology and Oncology Products (OHOP).
Acting Deputy Office Director
Amy E. McKee, MD, was recently announced as the...
Studies Confirm and Extend the Benefits of Ixazomib in Multiple Myeloma
Patients with multiple myeloma now have access to an all-oral regimen, with the recent approval of the oral proteasome inhibitor ixazomib (Ninlaro) in previously treated patients. New pairings for the drug in relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed patients are being studied, with investigators...
High Pathologic Complete Response Rates Observed With Neoadjuvant Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine
Neoadjuvant treatment with a chemotherapy-free, anti-HER2 regimen yielded high rates of pathologic complete response in patients with HER2-positive, hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer in the phase II WSG-ADAPT HER2+/HR+ (ADAPT) trial presented at the 2015 San Antonio Breast Cancer...
Selected Abstracts From 2015 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
The 2015 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research, the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, and Baylor College of Medicine, was held in December 2015. As has been true for...
Synthetic 2D Mammography May Hold Advantages Over 2D/3D Mammography
In screening for breast cancer, results from a study in the United Kingdom suggest that the use of “synthetic” two-dimensional (2D) mammography, rather than 2D/three-dimensional (3D) combinations, could save radiologists’ time and patients’ exposure to radiation as well as result in many fewer...
Tamoxifen or Anastrozole for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ?
Ductal carcinoma in situ is a relatively benign form of breast cancer (stage 0), yet up to 10% of women with ductal carcinoma in situ will have a recurrence within 10 years. At present, there is no way to identify which women will recur, so standard treatment is lumpectomy plus radiation therapy....
Neoadjuvant HER2 Inhibitor Therapy and Effect of Molecular Heterogeneity on Response in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
In the phase III CALGB 40601 trial, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Lisa A. Carey, MD, of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues, pathologic complete response rate was not significantly increased by adding neoadjuvant trastuzumab (Herceptin) plus lapatinib...
Researcher Spotlight: Conquering Cancer With Dr. Wagle
When it comes to cancer, one of the most frustrating moments for patients and doctors alike is discovering a promising treatment has suddenly stopped working. Generally, this occurs when cancer develops resistance and finds ways to bypass a treatment’s effects. Cancer drug resistance happens more...
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Grant Brings Quality Improvement Program to Practices Supporting Medically Underserved Communities
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO has received a generous grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) in support of a new ASCO initiative, “Improving the Delivery of Cancer Care in Medically Underserved Communities.”
Over an 18-month period, this initiative will bring ASCO’s Quality...
ASCO Names Advance of the Year, Highlights Major Top Research Trends
Research is the bedrock of progress against cancer, and discoveries in cancer biology are moving from bench to bedside faster than ever. No recent advance has been more transformative than the rise of immunotherapy, particularly over the past year, making this treatment strategy ASCO’s Advance of...
ASCO Comments With Fellow Leading Medical Organizations on Proposed Changes to Common Rule
On January 4, ASCO submitted a joint comment letter with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI), and American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on proposed changes to the Common...
Dutch Trial Indicates 6-Year Surveillance Interval Is Sufficient for Many Individuals With Familial Colorectal Cancer
In a Dutch trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Simone D. Hennink, MD, of Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, the Netherlands, and colleagues found that a 6-year colonoscopic surveillance interval is sufficient for many individuals with familial colorectal cancer.1 However,...
Dose-Intensified vs Standard Salvage Radiation for Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer After Prostatectomy
Initial results of a European phase III trial (SAKK 09/10), reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ghadjar et al of the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research, showed little difference in acute toxicity with salvage radiotherapy of 70 vs 64 Gy in patients with biochemical recurrence of...
Comparing Recurrence Risk With Anastrozole vs Tamoxifen in Postmenopausal Women With Ductal Carcinoma in Situ
Two recently reported phase III trials compared adjuvant anastrozole vs tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive ductal carcinoma in situ. As reported in The Lancet by Margolese et al,1 the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-35 trial, performed in...
For Postmenopausal Women With Ductal Carcinoma in Situ: NSABP B-35 and IBIS-II DCIS Trials Offer a Choice of Endocrine Therapy
The past year has produced an embarrassment of riches regarding the value of aromatase inhibitors for women with ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast. The long-awaited NSABP B-35 study matured and was reported by Margolese and colleagues at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting this past summer, followed...
APOS Launches Psychosocial Oncology Institute
The American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) will launch the inaugural Psychosocial Oncology Institute on March 3, 2016, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina in San Diego, California. Instructors for the full-day, interactive institute—leaders in the psychosocial oncology field—will...
Reduced-Intensity Conditioning Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Older Patients With AML in First Remission
In a phase II study (CALGB 100103/Alliance/Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trial Network 0502) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,1 Steven M. Devine, MD, of The Ohio State University, Columbus, et al found that reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell...
Increased Incidence of in Situ and Invasive Melanoma in Denmark
In a study reported in JAMA Dermatology,1 Neel Maria Helvind, MD, of the University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues analyzed the increases in melanoma incidence seen in Denmark between 1985 and 2012. Over that time, the incidence of malignant melanoma doubled to rates...
How Cancer and Its Treatments Affect Cognitive Function
Although chemotherapy is often cited as the main culprit for diminishing cognitive function in patients with cancer, ushering the term “chemobrain” into the vernacular, research by Tim A. Ahles, PhD, and his colleagues is showing that multiple factors may contribute to the condition.1 Using breast...
Defibrotide Under Review for Transplant-Related Complication
A potentially fatal complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may be reversed with the use of a novel drug currently under priority review at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Hepatic veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstruction syndrome is usually a serious complication...
Expert Point of View: Sergio A. Giralt, MD
Sergio A. Giralt, MD, Chief of the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, told The ASCO Post that defibrotide could be helpful in high-risk patients and applauded the investigators for completing the trial to prove it.
“Veno-occlusive...
Looking at the Real-World Effects of Genetic Testing
According to the most recent estimates, 55% to 65% of women who inherit the BRCA1 mutation and about 45% of women who inherit the BRCA2 mutation will develop breast cancer by the time they are 70 years old. There is also a substantial increase in the probability of developing ovarian cancers in...
FDA Approves Ofatumumab for Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in Complete or Partial Response
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ofatumumab (Arzerra), a CD20-directed cytolytic monoclonal antibody, for extended treatment of patients who are in complete or partial response after at least two lines of therapy for recurrent or progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia...
A Pioneering Oncologist’s Roadmap Forward
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Title: The Death of Cancer: After Fifty Years on the Front Lines of Medicine, a Pioneering Oncologist Reveals Why the War on Cancer Is Winnable—and How We Can Get There
Authors: Vincent T. DeVita, Jr, MD, and Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication...
Fear’s Many Deleterious Consequences
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Title: The Fear Cure: Cultivating Courage as Medicine for the Body, Mind, and Soul
Author: Lissa Rankin, MD
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
Publication date: February 23, 2015
Price: $25.99; hardcover, 336 pages
Fear is a healthy survival mechanism, a fight-or-flight response designed...
A Famous French Oncologist’s Gastronomic Advice for Reducing Cancer Risk
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Title: The Anti-cancer Diet: Reduce Cancer Risk Through the Foods You Eat
Authors: David Khayat, MD
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Publication date: April 2015
Price: $26.95; hardcover, 288 pages
In 2002, David Khayat, MD, was in Turkey on holiday with friends when he received a call ...
Expanded Approval of Pembrolizumab in Unresectable or Metastatic Melanoma
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On December 18, 2015, approval of the programmed cell death...
Vice President Joe Biden Discusses Big Data in Cancer Research at World Economic Forum
On January 19, 2016, Vice President Joe Biden discussed big data as one of the “major undertakings” designed to advance the pace of progress in the fight against cancer as part of his new “moonshot” initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos Klosters, Switzerland.
Mr. Biden presided over a...
Selected Abstracts From 2015 ASH Annual Meeting: Part 2
Here are several more abstracts selected from the proceedings of the 2015 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, highlighting therapeutics in acute leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes. For five other top abstracts on therapies for acute leukemias and myelodysplastic ...
2016 Oncology Meetings
FEBRUARY
10th AACR-JCA Joint Conference on Breakthroughs in Cancer Research:
From Biology to Therapeutics
February 16-20 • Maui, Hawaii
For more information:
www.aacr.org
The Biomarker Conference
February 18-20 • San Diego, California
For more information:
Misconstrued Review
I’ve been a member of ASCO for longer than I can remember. I read most breast cancer–related articles in The ASCO Post and find them helpful, particularly the reports of as-yet-unpublished papers from meetings. So, it is with great disappointment that, in the November 10, 2015, issue, I read a...
New AJCC Precision Medicine Guidelines Aimed at Improving Personalized Cancer Treatment Plans for Patients
A committee of national experts, led by a Cleveland Clinic researcher, has established first-of-its-kind guidelines to promote more accurate and individualized cancer predictions, guiding more precise treatment and leading to improved patient survival rates and outcomes. These guidelines were...
James K.V. Willson, MD, Named Chief Scientific Officer of CPRIT
James K.V. Willson, MD, Associate Dean of Oncology Programs and Professor and Director of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center, has been named Chief Scientific Officer of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas...
Certainty
The following essay by William N. Harwin, 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.
My wife ...
Patricia A. Ganz, MD, Awarded Joseph V. Simone Award and Lecture for Excellence in Quality and Safety in the Care of Patients With Cancer
ASCO will honor Patricia A. Ganz, MD, an accomplished medical oncologist and renowned advocate for improving the quality of cancer care from prevention through survivorship, with its first annual Joseph V. Simone Award and Lecture for Excellence in Quality and Safety in the Care of Patients With...
A Brain Tumor Diagnosis Has Taken My Life in New Directions
The first sign that I could have a life-threatening illness was a bout of severe dizziness, which sent me first to a general practitioner for a physical examination and then to an ear specialist for more tests. At just 24 and in excellent health, the sudden onset of dizziness didn’t initially set...
Patient Guides Available Through ASCO University Bookstore
Immunotherapy Expert Crystal Mackall, MD, Joins Stanford Medicine Faculty
Cancer immunotherapy expert Crystal Mackall, MD, joined the Stanford University School of Medicine faculty on January 1 as Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, as well as Associate Director of the Stanford Cancer Institute and Co-Medical Director of the Stanford Laboratory for Cell and Gene...
Lewis C. Cantley, PhD, Wins Israel’s Wolf Prize in Medicine
Lewis C. Cantley, PhD, Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, was named a recipient of the 2016 Wolf Prize in Medicine, considered “Israel’s Nobel Prize.” The Wolf Foundation announced the 2016 winners. The seven winners share $100,000 awards in five...
Hospira Foundation Donates $5 Million to the University of Chicago Medicine
The Hospira Foundation has donated $5 million to the University of Chicago Medicine to create the Hospira Foundation Professorship in Oncology.
The Hospira Foundation Professor will be a key leader in advancing the University of Chicago Medicine’s cancer research objectives, which include...
The Sohn Conference Foundation Unveils The Sohn Precision Medicine Program at Columbia University Medical Center
The Sohn Conference Foundation unveiled The Sohn Precision Medicine Program at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) on January 14, 2016. Funded by a $1.5 million grant provided by The Sohn Conference Foundation over approximately a 3-year period, the Program will provide high-risk pediatric...
Richard ‘Buz’ Cooper, MD, Noted Health Policy Expert, Dies at 79
Addressing disparities of cancer care that result in poorer outcomes among certain populations remains a persistent challenge in the oncology community and in the health-care system at large. It is, to a large degree, a medical story of haves and have-nots. Richard “Buz” Cooper, MD, a preeminent...
Similar Low Incidence of Bowel Symptoms With Hypofractionated vs Conventionally Fractionated Radiotherapy in Localized Prostate Cancer
As reported by Wilkins et al in The Lancet Oncology, 2-year patient-reported outcomes in a UK phase III trial (CHHiP) substudy have shown a similar low incidence of bowel problems among patients with intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer receiving hypofractionated vs conventionally...
No Benefit of Adding Adjuvant and Maintenance Lapatinib to Chemoradiation in High-Risk Patients With Resected Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Harrington et al found that the addition of concurrent adjuvant lapatinib (Tykerb) to chemoradiation therapy and the use of maintenance lapatinib did not improve disease-free or overall survival in high-risk patients with resected...
ASCO Praises President for White House’s Support of ‘Moonshot’ Initiative
On January 28, 2016, ASCO released the following statement by ASCO President Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO:
ASCO applauds President Obama for aligning the Administration’s full support behind Vice President Biden’s “moonshot” initiative to accelerate the discovery of new cancer treatments, as...
Alectinib in ALK-Positive Metastatic NSCLC After Crizotinib
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On December 11, 2015, alectinib (Alecensa) was granted...
ASCO Issues Policy Statement Calling for Improvements to Clinical Pathway Programs in Oncology
ASCO released a new policy statement with recommendations to ensure that clinical pathways in oncology promote—not hinder—the care of patients with cancer. Published by Zon et al in the Journal of Oncology Practice,1 the statement asserted that the way in which these treatment management tools in...
