February 25, 2017 (View All Issues)
CheckMate 142 Update: Prolonged Disease Control With Nivolumab in Deficient Mismatch Repair Colorectal Cancer
With 6 additional months of follow-up since the initial presentation of results, in the phase II CheckMate 142 trial, 74% of heavily pretreated patients with metastatic colorectal microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) cancers are alive after single-agent treatment with nivolumab (Opdivo).1
...
Combating Untreated Cancer-Related Pain
The problem of pain management facing clinicians today is twofold: how to ensure safe and effective treatment for patients with cancer in chronic pain, while avoiding the overuse of opioid medications and the potential for substance use disorder and diversion. According to the American Cancer...
Timing Is Everything
In 1959, my 5-year-old cousin, Kim, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). As an 8-year-old, I didn’t really understand what was happening to him, except that he had to go to the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana, for treatment. The haunting vision of...
‘Watch-and-Wait’ Strategy Does Not Compromise Survival in Selected Patients With Rectal Cancer
A “watch-and-wait” approach to treating rectal cancer patients with complete responses to chemoradiotherapy resulted in a 3-year survival rate of 91%, which is similar to historic survival rates after surgical resection, according to an analysis of the International Watch & Wait...
Novel Bridge to Liver Transplant May Improve Upon Standard of Care
For hepatocellular carcinoma patients awaiting a liver transplant, locoregional treatment as a “bridge” is a standard strategy for reducing tumor progression. The most common approach is transarterial chemoembolization, but a study from a large-volume liver transplant center questions whether it...
Cabozantinib Elicits Responses in Neuroendocrine and Carcinoid Tumors
In a phase II study reported at the 2017 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib (Cometriq) was evaluated in advanced carcinoid and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Radiographic responses to therapy were observed in both tumor subtypes, and...
Twice-Daily Radiation Therapy May Reduce Mortality in Head/Neck Cancer
Treating patients with head and neck cancer with hyperfractionated twice-daily radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy may potentially reduce mortality, according to new research presented by Claire Petit, PhD, and colleagues at the 2017 European Cancer Congress (ECCO).1
The study included...
New Data on Prognostic Factors, Disease Detection, Drug Toxicities, and Treatment Adherence Presented at SABCS
The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) offers state-of-the-art information on all aspects of breast cancer biology, diagnosis, and treatment, drawing an international audience of more than 7,500 physicians, researchers, and other health-care professionals from over 90 countries. Through...
FDA Approves Ibrutinib in Relapsed/Refractory Marginal Zone Lymphoma
On January 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ibrutinib (Imbruvica) for the treatment of patients with marginal zone lymphoma who require systemic therapy and have received at least one prior anti–CD20-based therapy. Accelerated approval was granted for this indication based...
Selected Abstracts From the 2016 ASH Annual Meeting
Here are several abstracts selected from the proceedings of this year’s American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, highlighting newer therapeutics in high-grade, aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs), including newly diagnosed as well as relapsed or refractory...
2017 ASH-AMFDP Scholars to Study Basic Insights in Blood Cancer Development
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announced that Justin Taylor, MD, and Roger Belizaire, MD, PhD, have been selected to participate in the American Society of Hematology–Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (ASH-AMFDP).
Designed to increase the number of underrepresented...
American Skin Association Names David Norris, MD, President
David Norris, MD, Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has become the new President of the American Skin Association (ASA). Dr. Norris will be taking over for Philip Prioleau, MD, who has held the position since 2014. Prior to Dr. Prioleau’s...
Elisabeth Heath, MD, FACP, Appointed Associate Center Director for Translational Sciences at Karmanos
Elisabeth Heath, MD, FACP, of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been appointed Associate Center Director for Transitional Sciences, effective immediately. She will report to Gerold Bepler, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of ...
Combination Immunotherapy for Lung Cancer: The Wave of the Future
Increasing experience with immunotherapy for lung cancer in both the lab and the clinic is helping to refine treatment approaches and point the way forward, according to Naiyer Rizvi, MD, Director of both Thoracic Oncology and Immunotherapeutics at Columbia University Medical Center in...
Edward Garon, MD, Receives $3.2 Million NIH Grant to Study Immunotherapy Responses in Lung Cancer
Edward Garon, MD, a member of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Associate Professor of Hematology and Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, has received a 5-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to...
Durable Responses Reported With Pembrolizumab in Heavily Pretreated Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer
The programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) has shown durable antitumor activity in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that expresses programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), according to an update of the KEYNOTE-028 trial.1
“Median...
Efficacy, Toxicity on a Par for Different Classes of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
The two main classes of immune checkpoint inhibitors used to treat non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have essentially the same efficacy and toxicity profiles, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 trials with a total of 5,899 patients.1
Results showed that about...
New Lung Cancer Staging Manual Set to Modify Clinical Practice
A revised tumor classification based on 70,967 evaluable patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 6,189 patients with small cell lung cancer is now available to lung cancer specialists around the world in the form of the 8th edition of the tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM)...
Three Assays and Several Laboratory-Developed Tests Highly Concordant Across Platforms in PD-L1 Immunohistochemistry Testing for NSCLC
Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression assessed by immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissues is currently the main predictive biomarker for the benefit of anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and anti–PD-L1 agents in patients with non–small cell...
Expert Point of View: Michael Boyer, MD
According to Michael Boyer, MD, a medical oncologist at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Sydney, Australia, the development of testing for programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has been complex. Efforts at harmonization have been made, but most laboratories actually use a single...
Many Cancer Survivors Find Online and Telephone Communication With Health-Care Professionals Beneficial
Researchers from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom, have completed the first-ever systematic review of cancer survivors’ experience of online and telephone telehealth interventions in cancer care, according to a recent study reported by ...
Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of Seamless Drug Development
The traditional three-phase clinical trial process for testing new drugs does not necessarily make sense when it comes to targeted therapies, according to many experts, including regulators, academic researchers, industry chief executive officers, and patient advocates alike. Instead of three...
American Cancer Society Honors William Breitbart, MD, With the Trish Greene Quality of Life Award
William Breitbart, MD, has been honored with the 2017 American Cancer Society Trish Greene Quality of Life Award, a prestigious national honor that recognizes an outstanding individual who dedicates a significant portion of his or her career to research that improves the quality of life for...
Phase II Studies Evaluate New Approaches in Richter Transformation
Despite advances in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the 5% to 10% of patients who develop Richter transformation continue to have poor outcomes. For these patients, median progression-free survival is approximately 6 months, and median overall survival is about 8 months. Phase II...
Expert Point of View: Jose Leis, MD, PhD
Jose Leis, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, commented on the promise of checkpoint inhibitors in Richter transformation. “At Mayo, we have treated more than 30 patients with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade. We do see that chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has low...
$1.8M Grant to Wenwei Hu, PhD, to Aid Exploration of Role of Chronic Stress in Cancer Development
A 5-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute awarded to Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey resident research member Wenwei Hu, PhD, will support research to further elucidate the mechanisms behind the most frequently mutated gene in human tumors—p53. The aim is to explore...
ASCO Submits Comments on NIH Data-Sharing Request for Information
Earlier this year, ASCO submitted comments to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in response to a Request for Information on data-sharing and management (NOT-OD-17-015).
In the comment letter, ASCO expressed support for the NIH’s efforts to develop a framework and strategies for...
Spotlight on Women Who Conquer Cancer
Women Who Conquer Cancer is a group dedicated to advancing cancer research by supporting young women researchers early in their careers through the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Awards. These 1-year grants give promising researchers the boost they need to get started on the...
ASCO Collaborates With Health-Care Provider Organizations on Study of Advanced Practice Providers
For the first time, five health-care provider organizations are partnering to conduct a survey to better understand the specific roles and responsibilities that advanced practice providers have on the cancer care team. The survey is a joint effort by ASCO; the Advanced Practitioner Society for...
An Introduction to Recognizing and Managing Professional Burnout
There’s no getting around it: the practice of oncology can be inherently stressful.
First, there’s the workload: compared to other medical specialists, oncologists see a larger number of patients and spend more time with them in face-to-face interactions. It’s not unusual for oncologists to work...
Help Your Patients Better Understand Immunotherapy
Patients are hearing about immunotherapy in the news, and many want to know more about this treatment option. Hand your patients the ASCO Answers Understanding Immunotherapy Fact Sheet. It provides an overview on this treatment type, information on the different types of immunotherapy and side...
CCF Researcher Spotlight: David M. Waterhouse, MD, MPH
The Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) is excited to partner with David M. Waterhouse, MD, MPH, of Oncology Hematology Care in Cincinnati, Ohio, to increase awareness for the Foundation’s Campaign to Conquer Cancer.
The Conquer Cancer Foundation was proud to support Dr. Waterhouse with a Young...
Tailoring Treatment for Older Adults With Colorectal Cancer
Nearly 60% of colorectal cancer cases are diagnosed in patients ≥ 65 years, with a median age at diagnosis of 68 years,1 but this population makes up only 34% of clinical trial participants.2 In addition, the older adults enrolled on clinical trials are traditionally the most-fit older adults. ...
Update on Fertility Outcomes Among Survivors of Childhood Cancer
“Estimates suggest that by the year 2020, there will be over 500,000 adult survivors of childhood cancer in the United States,” Daniel A. Mulrooney, MD, MS, of the Division of Cancer Survivorship, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, reported at the 10th Oncofertility...
Clinical Trial to Explore Genetic Cancer Test to Offer Safe Thyroid-Preserving Surgery
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists and doctors are embarking on the first-ever clinical trial to determine whether a genetic test they pioneered could successfully spare patients with nonaggressive thyroid cancer from complete removal of their thyroid. Such thyroid-preserving...
Study Finds Children, Parents Overreport Adherence to Leukemia Treatment
New research suggests that young patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)—the most common type of pediatric cancer—and their parents are likely to report to their physician that they took more of their anticancer medication than they actually did.
The study, published by Landier et al in...
Radiotherapy vs Temozolomide in Low-Grade Glioma: The Importance of Molecular Classification
The optimal treatment strategy for low-grade glioma has yet to be established, and practice patterns vary in regard to the timing of treatment, as well as the chosen treatment modality. It was against this backdrop, at a time when the benefits of radiation and chemotherapy remained uncertain...
American Cancer Society Awards Medal of Honor to Three Cancer Researchers
Three outstanding individuals have been honored with the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor Award. The Medal of Honor is awarded to those who have made the most valuable contributions and impact in saving more lives from cancer through basic research, clinical research, and cancer control.
...
Pittsburgh Cancer Center Researchers to Receive 2017 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
One of the most prestigious awards in the field of medicine will be presented to University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine faculty members and University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) researchers Yuan Chang, MD, and Patrick S. Moore, MD.
The duo, whose Chang-Moore Laboratory at the...
Cancer on the Global Stage: Incidence and Cancer-Related Mortality in Bangladesh
The ASCO Post is pleased to present this special focus on the worldwide cancer burden. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of the world.
For the convenience of the reader, each issue will focus on one country from one of the six...
Osimertinib Improves Progression-Free Survival vs Platinum/Pemetrexed in EGFR T790M–Positive NSCLC
In the phase III AURA3 trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Tony S. Mok, MD, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues, osimertinib (Tagrisso) significantly improved progression-free survival vs platinum/pemetrexed (Alimta) among patients with epidermal...
Bright Future for Osimertinib in EGFR T790M–Positive Lung Cancer
The AURA3 study—reported by Mok and colleagues and reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post—confirms the dramatic activity of osimertinib (Tagrisso) in patients with advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and acquired resistance to...
Regorafenib Improves Survival in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progressing on Sorafenib
In the phase III RESORCE trial reported in The Lancet, Jordi Bruix, MD, Head of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Group, University of Barcelona, and colleagues found that regorafenib (Stivarga) improved overall survival vs placebo in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who had...
Regorafenib in Second-Line Setting for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Balancing Benefit With Toxicity
During the past 40 years, hundreds of randomized trials testing treatments for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma have been published.1 Conventional systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy lack survival advantages for these patients.1,2
In 2007, a phase III trial demonstrated survival...
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Joins International Coalition to Improve Cancer Care
A new global initiative that includes founding partner University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was launched on January 17, 2017, at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. It signals a dramatic shift in the way international organizations help country and city leaders...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Gynecologic Cancers
Phase I
Study Title: Phase I Study to Determine the Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Secreting Interferon Beta in Patients With Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Study Type: Phase I/interventional/single-group assignment
Study Sponsor and Collaborators: MD Anderson Cancer Center
Purpose: To find the...
First-Line Ribociclib Prolongs Progression-Free Survival in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
As reported by The ASCO Post from the recent European Society for Medical Oncology Conference, first-line treatment with ribociclib, a selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6), resulted in significantly longer progression-free survival vs placebo in women with...
Results From MONALEESA-2: Are All CDK4/6 Inhibitors Equal?
Hormone receptor–positive breast cancer is the most common subtype of breast cancer, and while endocrine therapy has long been a mainstay of therapy for these patients, treatment resistance ultimately develops. Therefore, better therapeutic approaches are needed. There are some data to...
Harold H. Tara, Jr, MD, Appointed Medical Director of Smilow Care Centers in Connecticut
Harold H. Tara, Jr, MD, has been appointed Medical Director of the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Centers in Trumbull and Fairfield, Connecticut. Dr. Tara’s leadership will ensure that the centers continue to offer patients the best care available, along with the latest treatment options through...
Suresh Ramalingam, MD, Elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation
Suresh Ramalingam, MD, Deputy Director of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and Assistant Dean for Cancer Research at the Emory School of Medicine, has been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
Dr. Ramalingam, who is the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair...
Soy
Scientific Name: Glycine max
Common Names: Soybean, soya, tofu, miso, tempeh
Overview
An annual herb indigenous to East Asia, soy was domesticated more than 3,000 years ago for its pods and edible seeds. It is now the world’s most important legume crop and is grown in diverse climates....
Lisa Lange, ANP-BC, AOCN, of Karmanos Cancer Institute, Promoted to Vice President of Clinical Trials Office
Lisa Lange, ANP-BC, AOCN, of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, has been promoted to Vice President of the Clinical Trials Office. Ms. Lange brings 26 years of experience as a nurse and nurse practitioner, specializing in clinical oncology care and research. She has been with Karmanos for ...
Stephen Gottschalk, MD, Named Chair of BMT and Cell Therapy at St. Jude
Stephen Gottschalk, MD, has been named Chair of the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. In his new position, Dr. Gottschalk will be responsible for management of the Department’s clinical, research, and educational...
Continued Reduction in Cancer Mortality Requires Increasing Healthy Behaviors and Removing Inequities in Care
Many news reports about the latest cancer statistics released by the American Cancer Society (ACS) have focused on the 25% reduction in cancer mortality since 1991. Several reports quoted ACS Chief Medical Officer Otis W. Brawley, MD, FACP, who said in a statement1 announcing the...
Expect Questions About Screening and Potential Overdiagnosis
“The big thing that is going to become more and more of an issue, and that you are going to hear a lot more of this year, and in the next several years, is overdiagnosis,” Otis W. Brawley, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society, told The ASCO Post in an interview following ...
Columbia, NewYork-Presbyterian, and Life Raft Group Form Cancer Research Partnership
Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian, and the Life Raft Group, a patient advocacy organization specializing in advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), announced that they have entered into a collaborative research project to investigate the efficacy of a novel system...
Assessment of Therapeutic Response by Intrinsic Subtype for HER2-Positive Breast Tumors
In an analysis of outcomes in the North Central Cancer Treatment Group/Alliance N9831 trial reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Edith A. Perez, MD, of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, and colleagues found that patients with tumors scored as HER2-enriched or luminal subtype...
Rucaparib in Relapsed Platinum-Sensitive High-Grade Ovarian Cancer
In part 1 of the phase II ARIEL2 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Elizabeth M. Swisher, MD, of the University of Washington, and colleagues found that the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor rucaparib was associated with prolonged progression-free survival among patients with...
Mirvetuximab Soravtansine in Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer
Kathleen N. Moore, MD, of Stephenson Cancer Center, The University of Oklahoma, and colleagues found that mirvetuximab soravtansine (also known as IMGN853)—an antibody-drug conjugate targeting folate receptor alpha (FRα)—is active in FRα-positive platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, according to a...
Circulating Tumor DNA as a Prognostic Marker in Pancreatic Cancer
Translational research in pancreatic adenocarcinoma has been limited by the difficulty of obtaining sufficient quality and quantity tumor tissue from patients. A study by Pietrasz et al assessing the feasibility and prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma has...
First-in-Class Rovalpituzumab Tesirine in Recurrent Small Cell Lung Cancer
In a phase I study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Charles M. Rudin, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues found that rovalpituzumab tesirine, a first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate directed against delta-like protein 3 (DLL3), produced responses in patients with...
Effect of Sorafenib and Hepatitis Status in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
In a meta-analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jackson et al found that overall survival with sorafenib (Nexavar) in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma was significantly improved vs comparator treatments among patients who were both hepatitis B virus (HBV)-negative and hepatitis C...
2017 Oncology Meetings
MARCH
2017 ASCO Oncology Practice Conference
March 2 • Orlando, Florida
For more information:
www.asco.org/meetings/symposia-conferences/asco-oncology-practice-conference
23rd Annual Blood-Brain Barrier Consortium Meeting
March 2-4 • Stevenson, Washington
For more information:
Cancer Has Made Me the Person I Am
My breast cancer diagnosis in 1993, at age 34, came at the happiest moment in my life. I had gotten married just 10 months earlier and was looking forward to the future and children. But instead of celebrating my first wedding anniversary with my husband over a romantic dinner, we were...
Remembering Stephen K. Carter, MD, and His National and International Impact on Early Drug Development
Stephen K. Carter, MD, a renowned oncologist who held a variety of executive positions in the pharmaceutical industry and played a major role in the research and development of many widely used cancer and AIDS drugs, died on November 14, 2016, after a long battle against multiple systems atrophy. ...
SWOG Launches National Immunotherapy Clinical Trial for Rare Cancers
People with rare cancers now have the option of joining a national clinical trial testing leading-edge immunotherapies for a wide variety of tumor types. It’s the first federally funded immunotherapy trial devoted to rare cancers. Despite their name, rare cancers make up more than 20%...
Leader in Cancer Care and Prevention, Charles A. LeMaistre, MD, Dies
In 1978, Charles A. “Mickey” LeMaistre, MD, was named President of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. During his 18-year tenure, MD Anderson became a world leader in outpatient care for cancer patients and the nation’s largest ambulatory treatment and surgery programs in cancers....
