February 25, 2018 (View All Issues)
- Eric Tetzlaff, MSH, PA-C, and Michael Hall, MD, MS, of Fox Chase Cancer ...
- Blank treatment summary and survivorship care form
- List of questions to ...
Combination Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy Appears Safe and Clinically Active in Advanced Solid Tumors
Results from the first and largest prospective trial to determine the safety of multisite ablative stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in combination with anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (anti–PD-1) immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) suggest the combination regimen may improve outcomes...
Laryngeal Preservation: All Patients Need a Voice
Following the publication of two landmark studies in the United States,1,2 laryngeal preservation with combined chemoradiotherapy has become standard practice as opposed to laryngectomy for patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer. The Department of Veterans Affairs Laryngeal Cancer Study...
Releasing Follicular Lymphoma From the Curse of Frankenstein
In the December 10, 2017, issue of The ASCO Post, I authored an article in which I raised the possibility of curing follicular lymphoma without the dreaded chemotherapy. Clearly, no good deed goes unpunished: My good friend and The ASCO Post’s editor Jim Armitage, MD, challenged me to defend that ...
Cabozantinib Improves Survival in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Patients with previously treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma derived a survival benefit from cabozantinib (Cabometyx), in the phase III CELESTIAL trial.1
“Cabozantinib represents a new treatment option for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma after prior systemic anticancer...
Use of Circulating Tumor Cells to Detect Colorectal Cancer and Adenomas
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood had an accuracy of up to 88% in detecting colorectal cancer and 84% in identifying adenomas, in a study from Taiwan presented at the 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium by Wen-Sy Tsai, MD, of Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei.1
...
LAPACT Trial Confirms Efficacy of Nab-Paclitaxel Plus Gemcitabine as Induction Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer
Patients newly diagnosed with locally advanced pancreatic cancer who received induction therapy with nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel (Abraxane) and gemcitabine achieved a time to treatment failure and median progression-free survival that exceeded the protocol-specified target by more...
James P. Allison, PhD, Granted BBVA Foundation Award for Groundbreaking Work in Immunotherapy
The BBVA Foundation awarded its Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Biomedicine category to American immunologist James P. Allison, PhD, whose innovative research has almost single-handedly transformed cancer treatment. His seminal research in immunotherapy has paved the way for the development...
Stand Up To Cancer Awards $11M to Study Immune Response to Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) has announced a “Convergence 2.0” research initiative that awards $11 million to 7 multidisciplinary research teams to investigate immune system response to cancer. The multi-institutional teams were announced at SU2C’s Scientific Summit.
Each team comprises experts in...
Combined Medical and Psychological Approach May Help Couples Reclaim Intimacy After Prostate Cancer Treatment
“To what extent do treatments for prostate cancer impact sexual functioning? To a great extent,” Christian Nelson, PhD, Chief, Psychiatry Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, told participants at the 11th Annual Oncofertility Consortium Conference in Chicago.1 Most men with...
SABCS Highlights Focus on Predicting Residual Tumor Burden, Therapy-Related Arm Morbidity, Lifestyle and Cancer Risk
We have covered many of the important presentations from the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in the pages of The ASCO Post and in our online Evening News. Here are summaries of additional noteworthy studies presented at the meeting. We hope you will find them of interest.
Predicting...
Perioperative Aromatase Inhibitors: No Effect on Recurrence, but Ki67 Level Important
Updated analysis from the United Kingdom’s POETIC trial found no evidence that perioperative aromatase inhibitor therapy slows or prevents time to recurrence of breast cancer. However, the study did show that tumor Ki67 levels after 2 weeks of perioperative aromatase inhibitor therapy are...
Ovarian Function Suppression During and After Chemotherapy Valid for Some Patients With Early Breast Cancer
Temporary ovarian suppression during chemotherapy as a means of preserving ovarian function and fertility in young women with early breast cancer is controversial. An eagerly awaited meta-analysis including individual patient data from five randomized controlled trials found that the use of...
Clinical Hold on BPX-501 Trials in the United States Announced
On January 30, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals announced it has received notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that U.S. studies of BPX-501—an agent being studied to improve outcomes for patients undergoing stem cell transplant who lack a matched donor—have been placed on a clinical hold ...
NCCN Summit Explores Survivorship Issues for Patients and Clinicians
When Yelak Biru was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1995, he and his physicians had one main posttreatment goal: to detect and treat any relapse early and to prolong survival as long as possible with the limited drugs available. Then, in the early 2000s, came newer treatments. Myeloma survival...
Huntsman Cancer Institute to Use National Cancer Institute Grant for Breast Cancer Trial Center
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah has been awarded a $2.4 million 2-year grant from the National Cancer Institute to help continue its research in breast cancer. Alana Welm, PhD, and Bryan Welm, PhD, investigators at Huntsman Cancer Institute, along with Michael Lewis, PhD,...
2018 William L. McGuire Award Nominations Now Being Accepted
Nominations are now being accepted for the William L. McGuire Award and Lectureship. The award is given annually at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in recognition of an investigator whose extraordinary and sustained achievements in translational and/or clinical research have made an impact ...
ASCO Data-Sharing Initiatives Support Innovative Cancer Research
At the heart of every ASCO program—every clinical practice guideline, every policy statement, every scientific meeting—is evidence. What do the data say? Evidence informs decision-making across the spectrum of cancer care, from the question a bench researcher will investigate to the treatment a...
Team Wellness: Reflections From Front-Line Clinical Teams
In May 2017, I started to reflect on my own personal views of wellness and the importance of the team. Since that time, I have been fortunate to speak with members of front-line clinical teams from four different practices:
ASCO in Action’s New Podcast Series Addresses Critical Cancer Policy and Practice Issues
IN JANUARY 2018, ASCO launched the ASCO in Action Podcast, a new podcast series hosted by ASCO Chief Executive Officer Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO. This series features thought leaders and experts in oncology discussing the most pressing policy and practice issues impacting the cancer care...
ASCO Answers Guide to Cancer Survivorship
THIS SURVIVORSHIP resource will inform your patients and their caregivers about the importance of seeking follow-up care, addressing recurrence concerns, and managing long-term and late effects. The guide also includes:
Medical and Radiation Oncologists Now Able to Meet All Federal Reporting Requirements Through QOPI Reporting Registry
ASCO AND the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) have launched their new, joint platform for quality reporting, making it easier for oncologists to comply with federal government reporting requirements in 2018. The new QOPI® Reporting Registry, a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR), ...
Study Findings on Novel Agents in Neoplastic Hematology
HERE IS AN UPDATE on four different studies featured at the 2017 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. Topics focus on advanced systemic mastocytosis, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), amyloidosis, and myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Systemic Mastocytosis
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New Edition of Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice Now Available
THE 7th AND LATEST EDITION of Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice has been published by Elsevier. This authoritative reference in the field of hematology delivers expert scientific content and clinical guidance to enhance problem-solving skills and make optimal use of the newest diagnostic...
World Cancer Day Addresses Global Disparities in Cancer Care
FEBRUARY 4 was World Cancer Day, which raises awareness for the millions of people worldwide facing unequal access to cancer detection, treatment, and care services. Oncology leaders, health-care professionals, and supporters across the world are pushing for urgent action to reduce the rate of...
CancerCare Raises Nearly $665,000 to Support Patients With Cancer Affected by Hurricanes
SINCE SEPTEMBER 2017, the national nonprofit organization CancerCare has raised nearly $665,000 to provide direct financial assistance for people with cancer who have been impacted by hurricanes. The majority of this support has been allocated to people with cancer in Puerto Rico, many of whom are...
Use of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Preventing VTE in Patients With Cancer
THE FIRST TWO randomized trials to directly compare direct oral anticoagulants vs low–molecular-weight heparin for management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with cancer suggest that direct oral anticoagulants may become the new standard of care.1,2 Direct oral anticoagulants appear to...
Does Treatment With Tumor-Treating Fields Plus Temozolomide Influence Quality of Life in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma?
A DETAILED quality-of-life analysis of the phase III EF-14 trial of tumor-treating fields (Optune) in combination with temozolomide for the treatment of newly diagnosed glioblastoma was published by Taphoorn et al in JAMA Oncology.1 This secondary endpoint analysis showed the addition of...
ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline Update: Use of Larynx-Preservation Strategies in the Treatment of Laryngeal Cancer
AS REPORTED in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Arlene A. Forastiere, MD, of The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues, ASCO has issued a clinical practice guideline update on the use of larynx-preservation strategies in the treatment of laryngeal...
Retrospective Analysis Suggests Obesity Associated With Longer Survival for Men With Metastatic Melanoma
OBESE PATIENTS with metastatic melanoma who are treated with targeted or immune therapies live significantly longer than those with a normal body mass index (BMI), according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology of 1,918 patients in 6 independent clinical cohorts.1
This effect—referred to...
Results From Phase III ARROW Study of Once-Weekly Carfilzomib in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
TOPLINE RESULTS of the phase III ARROW trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02412878) were recently announced by Amgen. The study showed carfilzomib (Kyprolis) administered once weekly at 70 mg/m2 with dexamethasone allowed patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma to live 3.6 months ...
Providing Cancer Treatment Without Patient Consent
Law and Ethics in Oncology explores the legal and ethical issues oncologists must be aware of in this era of precision medicine and changing health-care policy, both to protect patients’ rights and to safeguard against potential legal jeopardy.
Increasingly, across the United States, hospitals are ...
Why Palliative Care Isn’t Just for Older Patients With Cancer
It is well established that adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer—defined by the National Cancer Institute as those between the ages of 15 and 39 years—have not reaped a comparable survival benefit as either younger or older adult cancer survivors over the past 4 decades, despite...
FDA Approves Abiraterone Acetate Plus Prednisone for High‑Risk Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
ON FEBRUARY 7, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) tablets in combination with prednisone for metastatic high-risk castration-sensitive prostate cancer.
The FDA initially approved abiraterone acetate with prednisone in 2011 for patients with...
Madhav V. Dhodapkar, MBBS, Named Director of New Center for Cancer Immunology at Winship Cancer Institute
MADHAV V. DHODAPKAR, MBBS, a world-renowned expert in cancer immunology and translational immunotherapy, joined Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University as Director of the new Winship Center for Cancer Immunology. He has been appointed as the Anise McDaniel Brock Chair, Georgia Research...
Human Genome Project Receives Thai Annual Award
THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT has been awarded the 2017 Prince Mahidol Award, a Thai Royal Family annual award for groundbreaking advances in the fields of medicine and public health. The award was received on behalf of the project by Eric Green, MD, PhD, Director of the National Human Genome Research...
New Head of GI Medical Oncology at Perlmutter Cancer Center
PAUL E. OBSERSTEIN, MD, will join New York University (NYU) Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center as Director of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Assistant Director of the institution’s recently established Pancreatic Cancer Center.
Prior to his new post at NYU Langone, Dr....
Priyanka Sharma, MD, Appointed Vice Chair of SWOG Breast Committee
PRIYANKA SHARMA, MD, a breast cancer medical oncologist at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, has been named Vice Chair of SWOG’s Breast Committee.
SWOG, formerly the Southwest Oncology Group, is a global cancer research community that designs and conducts publicly funded clinical trials....
Kathleen M. Schmeler, MD: A Gynecologic Oncology Activist for Underserved Women
Kathleen M. Schmeler, MD, Associate Professor in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, was given the “Heroes in Medicine” award from Physician’s Weekly in May 2016. Her primary work is in cervical cancer...
UCLA Scientists Receive NIH Research Grant to Advance Adoption of Focal Laser Therapy for Prostate Cancer
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (UCLA) researchers Leonard Marks, MD, and Shyam Natarajan, PhD, will lead a $3.1 million research project grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health to advance the adoption of a promising new technology to treat men with prostate cancer. By helping to increase...
Overall Survival With Carfilzomib vs Bortezomib in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
As reported by Meletios A. Dimopoulos, MD, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Alexandra Hospital, and colleagues in The Lancet Oncology, a prespecified interim analysis of the phase III ENDEAVOR trial has shown a significant overall survival benefit for carfilzomib (Kyprolis)...
Guadecitabine in Treatment-Naive Older Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia
The results of a phase II trial have shown high activity of guadecitabine, a next-generation hypomethylating drug, in treatment-naive older patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The findings were reported in The Lancet Oncology by Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson...
USPSTF Recommends Against Screening for Ovarian Cancer in Asymptomatic Women
THE U.S. PREVENTIVE Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently published a final recommendation statement and evidence summary on screening for ovarian cancer. Based on its review of the evidence, the USPSTF recommends against screening for ovarian cancer in women who do not have any signs or symptoms ...
Data Favoring Maintenance Therapy in Older Patients With AML Accumulate
The use of maintenance therapy in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is theoretically sensible, but its clinical value remains uncertain. The phase III HOVON97 randomized study demonstrated that maintenance therapy with the hypomethylating agent azacitidine may improve disease-free...
