February 10, 2022 (View All Issues)
Continued Progression-Free Survival Benefit With Carfilzomib/Dexamethasone/Daratumumab vs Carfilzomib/Dexamethasone in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
In an updated analysis of the pivotal phase III CANDOR trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Saad Z. Usmani, MD, of Levine Cancer Institute/Atrium Health, and colleagues found that the addition of daratumumab to carfilzomib and dexamethasone (KdD) continued to show a large progression-free...
In All Candor, What Does CANDOR Bring to the Table in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma?
An updated analysis of the phase III CANDOR study—recently reported by Usmani et al and summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post—confirmed a significant progression-free survival benefit for the combination of daratumumab, carfilzomib, and dexamethasone (KdD) over carfilzomib and dexamethasone...
PALLAS Trial: No Invasive Disease–Free Survival Benefit With Addition of Adjuvant Palbociclib to Endocrine Therapy in Early Breast Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Michael Gnant, MD, of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues, the final analysis of the phase III PALLAS trial has shown no invasive disease–free survival benefit with the addition of adjuvant palbociclib to...
PALLAS Trial in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer: Defining the Role of Adjuvant CDK4/6 Inhibition
Over the past 7 years, the introduction of combined endocrine therapy with cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors resulted in a dramatic improvement in outcomes for patients with metastatic, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. Early attempts to modulate the cell cycle with ...
AMA: CDC Quarantine and Isolation Guidance Is Confusing, Counterproductive
“Nearly 2 years into this pandemic, with Omicron cases surging across the country, the American people should be able to count on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for timely, accurate, clear guidance to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Instead, the...
Pretreatment Cardiovascular Disease and Events in Patients Receiving Curative-Intent Chemoradiation for Esophageal Cancer
In a Danish single-institution study reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Mette Marie A. Søndergaard, MD, of the Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, and colleagues found a high rate of undetected or inadequately treated preexisting cardiovascular disease (CVD) prior to...
Healthy Lifestyle and Development of Cardiovascular Disease or Type 2 Diabetes in Patients With or Without Cancer
In a study reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Yaogang Wang, PhD, of the School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, China, and colleagues found that fulfillment of more components of a healthy lifestyle was associated with a reduced risk of developing cancer in a baseline cancer-free cohort ...
Oncology Drugs With Accelerated Approval: Is It Time for a Reset?
Regulations that are developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must have some shelf-life before revisions are considered. The FDA has several mechanisms to provide patients with more rapid access to medicines. One such pathway is accelerated approval.
Backward Glance at Accelerated...
City of Hope Completes Strategic Acquisition of Cancer Treatment Centers of America
On February 2, 2022, City of Hope announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), a network of oncology hospitals and outpatient care centers across the United States. City of Hope, in Duarte, California, now has expanded its...
Assessing Value in Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatments
The era of precision oncology, in which molecular biomarkers are used to help guide drug delivery, has dovetailed with the emerging issues of value-based care and cost containment. To shed light on these issues and more, The ASCO Post spoke with Hanna K. Sanoff, MD, MPH, Clinical Medical Director...
TOPAZ-1: Overall Survival Prolonged With First-Line Immunotherapy Plus Chemotherapy in Biliary Tract Cancer
For the first time, a phase III study has shown an overall survival benefit for upfront treatment using immunotherapy plus chemotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancer. In the TOPAZ-1 trial, the addition of the anti–PD-L1 agent durvalumab to gemcitabine plus cisplatin significantly improved...
Amit Maity, MD, PhD, to Lead Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and University of Utah Health welcome Amit Maity, MD, PhD. Dr. Maity will serve as Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology for the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. Dr. Maity is a physician-scientist who currently...
Kerryn Reding, PhD, MPH, RN, Daughter of Health-Care Workers, Chooses a Career in Breast Cancer Survivorship
Kerryn Reding, PhD, MPH, RN—whose research focuses on reducing cancer incidence and improving survival, with particular interests in lifestyle interventions and biomarkers of risk—was born in Australia, but her family moved to Iowa when she was a toddler. “Both of my parents were in health care. My ...
HIMALAYA Trial: First-Line Tremelimumab Plus Durvalumab Improves Overall Survival in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Patients with advanced, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma may be gaining another first-line treatment option. In the global phase III HIMALAYA trial, a single priming dose of tremelimumab plus regular-interval durvalumab significantly improved overall survival, according to Ghassan K....
Fixed-Duration Venetoclax Plus Ibrutinib Achieves Deep and Durable MRD Remissions in CLL
Two different trials presented at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition found that fixed-duration treatment with ibrutinib and venetoclax achieved deep and sustained undetectable measurable residual disease (MRD) status when used as first-line therapy for...
Expert Point of View: Joshua Brody, MD
Joshua Brody, MD, Director of the CLL/Lymphoma Immunotherapy Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, who was not involved in these trials, commented: “CLL is an extremely prevalent disease affecting nearly 200,000 patients in the United States. Most patient do not require...
Study Finds Pediatric-Based Treatment Regimen Feasible and Effective in Older Adults With ALL
A pediatric-based protocol has delivered promising preliminary results in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL), according to data presented at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1 Findings from the large, popula
Studies Evaluate Screening for Early Multiple Myeloma
Precursors to multiple myeloma were identified by population screening in two studies reported at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. The prevalence of monoclonal gammopathies was determined in the PROMISE trial using cutting-edge technology in a high-risk ...
MONALEESA Analyses Show Widespread Benefit for Ribociclib in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
Further analyses of the MONALEESA metastatic breast cancer trials have shown that the benefit of ribociclib plus endocrine therapy in the first-line setting extends to most intrinsic molecular subtypes and is consistent across multiple subgroups. The studies were presented at the 2021 San Antonio...
SIOG Annual Conference Explores the Past, Present, and Future of Geriatric Oncology
The 2021 Annual Conference of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) was held on November 4–5. Although participants could not join the conference in person, attendees could still stay informed about the latest developments in geriatric oncology through the virtual platform.
The...
Abatacept for Prophylaxis of Acute Graft-vs-Host Disease
On December 15, 2021, abatacept, a selective T-cell costimulation modulator, was approved for prophylaxis of acute graft-vs-host disease in combination with a calcineurin inhibitor (eg, cyclosporine, tacrolimus) and methotrexate in adults and pediatric patients aged ≥ 2 years undergoing...
KEYNOTE-522: Sensitivity Analyses Confirm Value of Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Updated results from the pivotal KEYNOTE-522 trial have confirmed the benefit of neoadjuvant therapy with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in patients with early triple-negative breast cancer.1 The results were presented at the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium by Peter Schmid, MD, PhD,...
Challenges for Oncologists as They Reach Retirement Age
In 2014, The ASCO Post spoke with Mark J. Clemons, MB BS, BMedSci, MSc, MD, FRCP, FRCPC, of Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, about the retirement challenges faced by many oncologists. With market demand expected to exceed supply of oncologists soon, it is clear retirement is...
Evidence Supports Ovarian Function Suppression Plus Aromatase Inhibitor in Premenopausal Women With Early Breast Cancer
The benefits of ovarian function suppression were sustained long term for premenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, according to updates from SOFT and TEXT, two randomized, controlled trials, presented at the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1
A separate large...
Mindfulness in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients With Cancer
Guest Editor’s Note: Mindfulness has gained immense popularity in recent years. Growing evidence suggests the benefits of mindfulness-based practices, which include concentration meditation and guided imagery, for managing symptoms associated with cancer and its treatments. In this article,...
Datopotamab Deruxtecan Shows Activity in Advanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Datopotamab deruxtecan, an antibody-drug conjugate directed against trophoblast cell surface antigen-2 (Trop-2), is showing promise as a treatment for relapsed or refractory advanced triple-negative breast cancer, according to early findings from the phase I TROPION-PanTumor01 trial presented...
After Two Cancer Diagnoses, I’m Grateful for Another Day
The start of January 2014 was filled with excitement. I was undergoing fertility treatments to have a second child and was living my professional dream. I was a network news anchor and medical news reporter for a national broadcast network. Although I was exhausted from my grueling early morning...
Association of HLA-A*03 With Outcomes of Immune Checkpoint Inhibition for Advanced Cancers
In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Naranbhai et al found that the presence of HLA-A*03 was associated with poorer outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for advanced cancers.
As stated by the investigators, “Predictive biomarkers could allow more precise use of immune ...
Dual Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Elicits Responses in Highly Mutated Breast Cancer
Patients with advanced HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer and high tumor mutational burden achieved responses—often durable—from treatment with the immunotherapy doublet of nivolumab and ipilimumab, according to results of the phase II NIMBUS trial reported at the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer ...
Hematologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Pioneer, Tahir Shamsi, MBBS, MRCPath, FRCPath, Dies at 59
Although bone marrow transplantation is routinely employed in the United States and other wealthy nations, this costly life-saving procedure has struggled to gain a foothold in many low- to moderate-income countries, where resources are triaged to make the best use of precious health-care...
Lymphoma Expert Barbara Pro, MD, Joins Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Barbara Pro, MD, an internationally recognized expert in lymphoma research and care, has been named Clinical Director of the Lymphoma Program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Pro is also Professor of Medicine in ...
Jaye Gardiner, PhD, Receives Inaugural Black in Cancer Postdoctoral Fellowship for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Jaye Gardiner, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has received an inaugural Black in Cancer postdoctoral fellowship, which is funded by Emerald Foundation Inc. Dr. Gardiner will receive $75,000 annually for 3 years, which will fund her research into pancreatic ductal...
Jeffrey M. Farma, MD, FACS, Elected to Leadership Position in the Society of University Surgeons
Jeffrey M. Farma, MD, FACS, Chief of the Division of General Surgery and Co-Director of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been elected a member-at-large for the Society of University Surgeons. According to the society, the member-at-large position is an important...
Jane N. Winter, MD, Begins Term as 2022 ASH President
Jane N. Winter, MD, a highly regarded lymphoma expert, will serve as President of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for a year-long term through December 2022.
Dr. Winter is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer...
Metformin Added to Standard Adjuvant Chemotherapy Fails to Improve Outcomes in Early Breast Cancer
The addition of metformin, a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, to standard adjuvant treatment failed to improve invasive disease–free survival or overall survival for hormone receptor–positive or –negative breast cancer, according to the results of a large landmark trial led by the...
Study Identifies Black Race as Risk Factor for Lymphedema After Axillary Dissection in Women With Breast Cancer
Black women with breast cancer had significantly higher rates of lymphedema after axillary lymph node dissection compared with Hispanic, White, and Asian women in a prospective study of breast cancer–related lymphedema presented at the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). In fact,...
Improved Outcomes With Adjuvant Chemoendocrine vs Endocrine Therapy in Premenopausal Women With Node-Positive Breast Cancer and Recurrence Score ≤ 25
In an interim analysis of a phase III trial (RxPONDER) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS, of Winship Cancer Institute, and colleagues found that the addition of adjuvant chemotherapy to endocrine therapy improved invasive disease–free survival among...
RxPONDER Trial: Another Step in Defining Which Patients With Breast Cancer May Be Spared Adjuvant Cytotoxic Chemotherapy
As reported by Kalinsky et al and summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post, an interim analysis of the phase III RxPONDER trial showed that the addition of adjuvant chemotherapy to endocrine therapy improved invasive disease–free survival among premenopausal—but not postmenopausal—women with...
Cancer on the Global Stage: Incidence and Cancer-Related Mortality in the Russian Federation
The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world, extending from Eastern Europe to Northern Asia and the Pacific Ocean. The population of more than 140 million people is unevenly distributed across the country.1 As a result, Russia has high spatial inequality in terms of accessibility of...
How to Rein in Oncology Costs and Save Physician-Owned Practices
I was honored to contribute a chapter on the cancer care delivery system and how to improve it for the book A New Deal for Cancer: Lessons From a 50 Year War, edited by Abbe R. Gluck and Charles Fuchs, MD, MPH (Public Affairs, 2021). The book chronicles what has been accomplished in the 50 years...
Use of Consolidation Durvalumab and Adjuvant Osimertinib Among Key Recommendations in New ASCO Guideline on Stage III NSCLC Treatment
A new ASCO guideline provides key recommendations for the evaluation and management of stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Recommendations made by the ASCO expert panel cover evaluation and staging of NSCLC, neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies, and the management of unresectable disease.1
...
Guideline Update Highlights the Importance of Shared Decision-Making Regarding the Use of Adjuvant Therapy in Stage II Colon Cancer
ASCO has published updated guidance on the use of adjuvant therapy in the management of stage II colon cancer, providing clinicians with a newer evidence-based framework that can be used in shared decision-making with patients.1
Need for Updated Guidance
“How to approach patients with stage II...
