January 25, 2015 (View All Issues)
- Nivolumab (Opdivo), a monoclonal antibody, was approved for treatment of metastatic melanoma. Approved December 22, 2014.
- Olaparib (Lynparza), a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, was approved for treatment of BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer. Approved December 19, 2014. ...
Carfilzomib-Based Triplet Yields ‘Unprecedented’ Duration of Remission in Relapsed Myeloma
The phase III global ASPIRE trial documented an “unprecedented” duration of remission in relapsed multiple myeloma patients receiving carfilzomib (Kyprolis) plus a standard-of-care doublet, according to Keith Stewart, MB, ChB, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, who...
What Is a Physician? Call a Spade a Spade
Anyone who has awoken from a decades-long amnestic spell can be forgiven for thinking that physicians cannot do anything right nowadays. Compared with decades ago, when physicians did mostly right, we now seem to be nowhere close to correctness. Nearly every malady that befalls the health-care...
Ovarian Suppression Plus Hormonal Therapy May Be Practice-Changing in Premenopausal Hormone Receptor–Positive Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Results of the large International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG)-coordinated SOFT trial present a convincing argument for the addition of ovarian function suppression to adjuvant hormonal therapy to reduce the risk of tumor recurrence in younger women with hormone receptor–positive early-stage...
Brentuximab Vedotin Added to Standard Therapy for Advanced-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma May Improve Results
Several studies presented at the 2014 ASH Annual Meeting supported the use of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in Hodgkin lymphoma.
The Reed-Sternberg cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma typically express CD30, which is targeted by brentuximab vedotin, an anti-CD30 monoclonal antibody conjugated by...
Post-Transplant Brentuximab Vedotin Improved Progression-Free Survival in Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients
In patients with Hodgkin lymphoma who are at risk for disease progression following autologous stem cell transplantation, early consolidation with brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) post-transplant significantly improved progression-free survival compared with placebo in the phase III AETHERA trial.1...
Nilotinib With Low-Intensity Chemotherapy Useful in Elderly Patients With Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive ALL
The addition of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib (Tasigna) to standard low-intensity chemotherapy improved outcomes in elderly patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and may represent a new approach to this group of patients, who are ...
Neoadjuvant Therapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Impact of Subtype
Among women with triple-negative breast cancer, overall, basal-like and non–basal-like tumors were equally likely to demonstrate a pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, but they responded differently to the addition of carboplatin and bevacizumab (Avastin) to a standard...
Pembrolizumab Holds Promise in Breast Cancer, Early Studies Suggest
Single-agent treatment with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab produced a “signal of activity” and led to some durable responses in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, Rita Nanda, MD, of the University of Chicago, reported at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1
BOLERO-1: Everolimus Plus Trastuzumab/Paclitaxel Misses the Mark in First‑Line HER2-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer
The addition of everolimus (Afinitor) to weekly trastuzumab (Herceptin) plus paclitaxel in the first-line metastatic breast cancer setting did not improve outcomes in the phase III BOLERO-1/TRIO-019 but did provide a “signal” in the hormone receptor–negative subset. The study was reported at the...
FDA Approves Nivolumab for Advanced Melanoma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to nivolumab (Opdivo) for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who no longer respond to other drugs. Nivolumab, a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor, is intended for patients who have been...
FDA Approves Ramucirumab Combination for Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ramucirumab (Cyramza) for use in combination with docetaxel for the treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK mutations ...
FDA Approves Olaparib to Treat BRCA-Mutated Advanced Ovarian Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to olaparib (Lynparza) for women with advanced ovarian cancer with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer, as detected by an FDA-approved test, who have been treated with three...
Tamoxifen Prevention of Breast Cancer Extends More Than 16 Years
The benefits of tamoxifen as primary prevention of breast cancer are well established. The good news is that the benefits live on, with a protective effect that extends up to 22 years. At a median follow-up of 16 years, women treated with 5 years of tamoxifen enjoyed a 29% reduction in the risk of...
Fulvestrant Surpasses Anastrozole in First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Fulvestrant (Faslodex) at a 500-mg dose was superior to anastrozole as first-line therapy for advanced hormone receptor–positive breast cancer in the phase II FIRST study.1 Overall survival and time to disease progression were significantly better with fulvestrant than with the current standard of...
Vitamin D Protects Against Colorectal Cancer by Boosting the Immune System
A study by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has demonstrated that vitamin D can protect some people with colorectal cancer by heightening the immune system’s vigilance against tumor cells.
The research, released earlier this month by the journal Gut, shows a link between vitamin D and ...
Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy: Know the Data When Discussing the Option With Patients
Oncologists need a better understanding of why women choose contralateral prophylactic mastectomies without indication, and they need data to counter their patients’ misperceptions about this treatment choice.
“Many women who choose [contralateral prophylactic mastectomy] are not at increased risk ...
Significant Improvement in Progression-Free Survival Using Sunitinib as Switch Maintenance in Advanced NSCLC
Progression-free survival was significantly improved among patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving sunitinib (Sutent) as switch maintenance compared to placebo, according to results of an Alliance phase III trial (Cancer and Leukemia Group B [CALGB] 3067). The effect of...
‘Clinically Meaningful Improvements’ in Survival for Patients With NSCLC When Veliparib Is Added to Carboplatin and Paclitaxel
Adding veliparib to carboplatin and paclitaxel resulted in “clinically meaningful improvements” in progression-free survival and overall survival among patients with previously untreated metastatic or advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly those with squamous histology. The...
More Than 1.5 Million Cancer Deaths Averted During 2 Decades of Dropping Mortality
The American Cancer Society’s annual cancer statistics report found that a 22% drop in cancer mortality over 2 decades led to the avoidance of more than 1.5 million cancer deaths that would have occurred if peak rates had persisted. And while cancer death rates have declined in every state, the...
Top 10 Lessons Learned So Far About Treating Lung Cancer With Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy agents “really work” in treating lung cancer, but they have unique toxicities, are challenging to combine with other therapies, and questions remain about dose and duration, Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, stated at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. “There are ...
Overdiagnosis May Be Overblown in Lung Cancer Screening
“Overdiagnosis has been overblown” in concerns voiced about lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography, Andrea B. McKee, MD, told participants at the opening session of the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. Dr. McKee is Chair of the Department of Radiation ...
Molecular Pathologists vs the FDA: Proposed Regulation of Laboratory-Developed Tests Sparks Debate
The packed ballroom looked like a plenary session at any big medical research meeting. But on the dais were representatives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the subject was the Agency’s proposed regulation of laboratory-developed tests, and the attendees who lined up to ask questions for...
Colorectal Cancer 2015
Despite advances in detection and treatment, colorectal cancer remains the third deadliest cancer among men and women in the United States. To get a better understanding of the current state of this disease and what lies ahead, The ASCO Post recently spoke with colorectal cancer expert John L....
ASCO and AACR Call for Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and ASCO have outlined steps in a joint statement to guide policymakers as they work to minimize the potential negative consequences of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and other electronic nicotine delivery systems without undermining their...
Treatment Paradigm in Advanced Melanoma Poised for Change… Again
In the treatment of advanced/metastatic melanoma, recent debate has focused on the choice of initial therapy: ipilimumab (Yervoy) or, for patients with BRAF-mutant cancer, a BRAF/MEK inhibitor. This issue is now taking a back seat to the emerging conversation about the positioning of antibodies...
FDA’s Janet Woodcock, MD, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award From the Institute for Safe Medication Practices
Janet Woodcock, MD, Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, has been awarded the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes “an individual who has had a significant career history of making...
Oncologists, Pathologists Partner to Improve Practice and Optimize Patient Care
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) have announced a new partnership to optimize patient care and foster excellence in the practices of pathology and oncology through interprofessional education, advocacy, quality improvement,...
FDA Drug Approvals 2014
Anti–PD-1 Antibody Nivolumab in Previously Treated 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 22, 2014, the anti–PD-1 (programmed cell death...
Rare-Cancer Expert Richard Carvajal, MD, Appointed Director of Experimental Therapeutics
Richard D. Carvajal, MD, has been named Director of the Experimental Therapeutics/Phase I program and melanoma service in medical oncology at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center effective November 1, 2014. Dr. Carvajal, a medical oncologist, has extensive clinical expertise in...
Top 10 Myths About FDA’s Office of Hematology and Oncology Products
INSIDE THE BLACK BOX is an occasional column providing insight into the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its policies and procedures. In this installment, FDA oncologists Gideon Blumenthal, MD, and Tatiana Prowell, MD, discuss 10 common myths about FDA’s Office of Hematology and Oncology ...
Cancer.Net Launches PRE-ACT Patient Clinical Trial Education Program
Clinical trials are the key to driving advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, yet, it is estimated that only about 5% of patients with cancer participate in clinical trials. That is why Cancer.Net, ASCO’s patient-facing educational website, has teamed up with Neal Meropol,...
Latest ASCO-SEP® Edition Includes 20-Point Maintenance of Certification Course
The 4th edition of ASCO-SEP®, ASCO’s self-evaluation program, was released in October and not only includes 21 chapters of up-to-date information on all major cancer types, cancer prevention and more, but now also includes a Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Course in addition to its traditional...
Palliative Care in the Middle East
While some seek peace in the Middle East through political means, others are looking to help patients with cancer find peace through palliative care. This endeavor is bringing oncology professionals together across the region’s national borders and cultural boundaries to implement solutions and...
Save the Date: World Cancer Day 2015
Have you marked your calendar for World Cancer Day? Each year on February 4, World Cancer Day unites people from across the globe in the fight against cancer. The initiative is organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to raise cancer awareness and encourage governments and...
New ASCO Study Aims to Learn From Patient Access to Targeted Cancer Drugs Used Off-Label
ASCO plans to launch a first-ever study that will offer cancer patients access to molecularly targeted cancer drugs and collect “real-world” data on clinical outcomes to help oncologists learn the best uses of these drugs outside of approved indications.
“One of the major challenges to...
Highlights From the 2015 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium
The 2015 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium was held January 15 to 17. Direct your patients to www.cancer.net/blog to read the latest research on the treatment of colorectal cancer, including what it means for patient care. On the Cancer.Net blog, your patients can also listen to a podcast...
Gary Levine, MD, President of National Consortium of Breast Centers, to Lead MemorialCare Health System Breast Centers in Southern California
Gary Levine, MD, a breast radiologist, is joining MemorialCare Health System as Medical Director of MemorialCare Breast Centers in Orange and Los Angeles counties. Dr. Levine, President of the National Consortium of Breast Centers, will partner with physician leadership teams at MemorialCare...
Victor Filadora, MD, MBA, Named Chief of Clinical Services at Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) has named Victor Filadora, MD, MBA, as Chief of Clinical Services. In this new role, Dr. Filadora, an anesthesiologist first appointed to the Institute’s medical staff in 2003, is responsible for managing the comprehensive cancer center’s Ambulatory Services,...
Low-Fat Diet Reduces Mortality in Breast Cancer Subset
The final survival analysis of the landmark Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS) confirmed that a low-fat diet can reduce the risk of dying for a subset of breast cancer patients.1
At the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Rowan T. Chlebowski, MD, PhD, of the Los Angeles Biomedical...
No Benefit for Adjuvant Capecitabine Monotherapy in Elderly Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Adjuvant therapy with capecitabine plus ibandronate failed to improve outcomes vs ibandronate alone in elderly patients with moderate-to-high-risk early-stage breast cancer in the ICE study—the largest study to date conducted in elderly women with breast cancer.1
“Capecitabine is frequently used...
Oncotype DX Ductal Carcinoma in Situ Score Reliably Predicts Tumor Recurrence
Ductal carcinoma in situ, which accounts for 30% of all newly diagnosed breast cancers, does not always evolve into a lesion with metastatic potential. Only a proportion of these cases will progress to invasive breast cancer, but up until recently, it has not been possible to identify reliably...
Nab-Paclitaxel Boosts Pathologic Complete Response in High-Risk Breast Cancer
Nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) achieved superior results compared with conventional solvent-based paclitaxel in patients with early-stage high-risk breast cancer in the large phase III GeparSepto trial from the German Breast Group (GBG).1
The study, presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer...
Ultrasonography Detects Mammographically Occult Invasive Cancers
Mammograms often miss occult breast cancers concealed in dense breasts. Women with dense breasts represent about 40% to 50% of women who undergo mammography screening. In some states and centers in the United States, women with dense breasts are routinely offered ultrasonography following a...
Nivolumab Improves Outcomes vs Dacarbazine in Previously Untreated Advanced Melanoma Without a BRAF Mutation
In a phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Robert and colleagues found that the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) immune-checkpoint–inhibitor antibody nivolumab (Opdivo) significantly increased overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rate...
Survival Benefits of Front-Line Treatment With Nivolumab for Advanced Melanoma Confirmed, Yet Questions Remain
As reported in this issue of The ASCO Post, Robert and colleagues recently published a phase III study comparing the anti–programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibody nivolumab with the standard melanoma chemotherapy dacarbazine in the front-line treatment of patients with advanced BRAF wild-type melanoma.1...
Lanreotide in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
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 16, 2014, lanreotide (Somatuline depot injection)...
Coupling Head and Neck Cancer Screening and Lung Cancer Scans Could Improve Early Detection, Survival
Adding head and neck cancer screenings to recommended lung cancer screenings would likely improve early detection and survival, according to a multidisciplinary team led by scientists affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), a partner with the University of Pittsburgh...
Crizotinib in ROS1-Positive NSCLC: A Next Step Forward
Advances in the molecular characterization of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have led to the identification of molecularly defined distinct subsets of patients who derive benefit from targeted therapies. Currently, two such groups of agents have moved widely into clinical practice: epidermal...
Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO, Elected ASCO President for 2016–2017 Term
Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO, has been elected President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for the term beginning in June 2016. He will take office as President-Elect during the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago in June 2015.
“I’m honored to be elected incoming president of ASCO,...
No Benefit of Adding Lapatinib to Fulvestrant in Hormone Receptor–Positive Advanced Breast Cancer
In a phase III trial (Cancer and Leukemia Group B [CALGB] 40302/Alliance) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and colleagues found that the addition of the dual EGFR-HER2 inhibitor lapatinib (Tykerb) to endocrine...
Complexities of Targeting HER2 in Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancers
The interactions between the estrogen receptor (ER) and HER2 pathways in breast cancers are clearly complex and remain incompletely understood. Historically, cancers that express both ER and HER2 were thought to be intrinsically resistant to endocrine therapy, likely due to HER2 being the dominant...
Appointments and Awards Announced at The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
The Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore recently announced new appointments and awards given to faculty.
New Director of Thoracic Oncology
Julie Brahmer, MD, a medical oncologist with expertise in the use of immunotherapies to treat lung cancer, has been named...
Physical Activity Improves Survival for Men With Localized Prostate Cancer
Among a large group of men with localized prostate cancer, those who engaged in higher levels of physical activity had lower rates of overall mortality and lower rates of prostate cancer-specific mortality, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.1
“Our...
FDA Approves Companion Diagnostic for the Detection of BRCA1/2 Mutations in Ovarian Cancer
The recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of olaparib (Lynparza) occurred concurrently with that of a companion diagnostic, BRACAnalysis CDx. This genetic test is designed to detect the presence of mutations in the BRCA genes in blood samples from patients with ovarian cancer. The BRCA...
Breast Health Global Initiative Tackles Third-World Health Care
Benjamin O. Anderson, MD, is the Director of the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) and surgical oncologist and Director of the Breast Health Clinic at the University of Washington in Seattle. The ASCO Post recently spoke with Dr. Anderson about the conceptual framework of the...
Venetoclax Gaining Ground in Two Types of Leukemia
Venetoclax, formerly known as ABT-199, is moving forward into phase III development in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), based on encouraging data from separate phase Ib and II trials presented at the 56th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society...
Blinatumomab Achieves Complete Molecular Responses in Majority of B-Cell Leukemia Patients
Results from the international phase II BLAST study show that one cycle of blinatumomab (Blincyto) immunotherapy achieved complete minimal residual disease response in 78% of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.1 Complete minimal residual disease response was achieved in 80% of patients...
Victory for Pediatric Regimens in Adolescents and Young Adults With ALL
Long in the works, early results of the U.S. Intergroup C10403 trial clearly showed that treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adolescents and young adults using a pediatric-inspired regimen improves event-free survival and overall survival and should be the backbone for future studies in...
NIH Recruits Three Lasker Clinical Research Scholars
National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected three researchers as new Lasker Clinical Research Scholars as part of a joint initiative with the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation to nurture the next generation of great clinical scientists.
This highly competitive program provides talented...
Two Oncology Leaders Elected Members of ASCO Nominating Committee
ASCO recently announced election of Lisa A. Carey, MD, and Primo N. Lara, Jr, MD, to serve a 3-year term on the ASCO Nominating Committee beginning in 2016 (see pages 101-102 for news on other ASCO elections).
Lisa A. Carey, MD, is Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and...
Cleveland Clinic Piloting ‘Adaptive Therapy’ Approach in Multiple Myeloma
For newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients, Cleveland Clinic specialists believe two drugs may suffice for most patients, bucking the trend toward using triplets for all patients and reserving them for patients with insufficient response to two. They described a pilot study of their “carepath”...
Will Checkpoint Inhibitors Be Winners in Hematologic Cancers, Too?
A “Featured Topic” session during the 56th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition drew a standing-room-only crowd to hear two experts weigh in on checkpoint blockade in hematologic malignancies. While new to hematology, these drugs—the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated...
Study Finds Whole-Genome Sequencing Is Successful in Identifying Patients’ Risk for Inherited Cancers
A study by researchers at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and The Ohio State University in Columbus of whole-genome sequencing on patients found to have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations as well as on those who were not carriers of a BRCA1/2 mutation has found cancer risk of...
Panelists Lambast, Explore the High Cost of Cancer Drugs
At the 2014 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, a symposium on the high cost of cancer drugs proved provocative and a bit testy as panelists presented their various points of view.
‘Medical Darwinian System’
Already known for his outspoken views on the topic is Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD, ...
2015 Oncology Meetings
JANUARY 2015
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 51st Annual Meeting
January 24-28 • San Diego, California
For more information:
www.sts.org/education-meetings/educational-meetings-activities/future-meetings
7th Annual T-cell Lymphoma Forum
January 29-31 • San Francisco, California
For more...
Gardasil 9 Adds Protection Against Cancer Caused by Additional Human Papillomavirus Types
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 10, 2014, Gardasil 9 (human papillomavirus 9-valent ...
Smarter Trial Design Saves Money and Produces Better Drugs
The process of identifying a promising molecule and moving it from the laboratory through the highly complex series of clinical trials necessary to garner U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is a costly scientific gauntlet during which many new agents fail. New trial design,...
City of Hope Celebrates Hope in the 2015 Tournament of Roses Parade
On January 1, 2015 for the 43rd year, cancer research and treatment center City of Hope participated in the 126th Tournament of Roses Parade. In the photo below, the Wolfrank family, including former stem cell recipient Gavin, 9, stands atop City of Hope’s float during its preparation for the...
What It Means to Be Mortal
“I learned a lot of things in medical school, but mortality wasn’t one of them,” writes Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, in his new book on the medicalization of aging and dying, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End (Metropolitan Books, 2014). In the book, Dr. Gawande critiques the American...
‘Mother of Bone Marrow Transplantation’ Dorothy ‘Dottie’ Thomas Dies at 92
Dorothy “Dottie” Thomas, wife and research partner to 1990 Nobel laureate E. Donnall Thomas, MD, died Friday, January 9, at her home near Seattle. She was 92. Dr. Donnall Thomas, Pioneer of the Bone Marrow Transplant and former Director of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer...
Incorporating Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Into Palliative Care
Although cancer rehabilitation has been a part of oncology clinical practice for several decades, it has largely gone unrecognized as an integral part of palliative medicine and survivorship care. Now, the role of physical medicine and rehabilitation in oncology care may increase as patients with...
MD Anderson, UnitedHealthcare Launch New Cancer Care Payment Model
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and UnitedHealthcare have launched a pilot to explore a new cancer care payment model for head and neck cancers that focuses on quality patient care and outcomes. The collaboration is among the first using bundled payments in a large, comprehensive...
Olaparib for BRCA-Mutated Previously Treated Advanced Ovarian Cancer
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 19, 2014, olaparib (Lynparza) was granted accelerated...
Personalized Integrative Cancer Care: Focus of the 11th International Conference of the Society for Integrative Oncology
There were several aspects of the 11th International Conference of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO), held October 26-28, 2014, in Houston, that distinguished it from past years. One major change was that this year’s conference was held in collaboration with The University of Texas MD...
The Best of SIO
The following five abstracts, which include four clinical studies and one basic research study, were named the top abstracts at the 2014 International Conference of the Society for Integrative Oncology.
Therapeutic Effects of Lyophilized Leech Saliva Extract
Hassona MDH, Ammar AE, Gao TY, et al:...
SIO Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Use of Integrative Therapies as Supportive Care in Patients Treated for Breast Cancer
The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) Guidelines Working Group has recently released clinical practice guidelines on the use of integrative therapies as supportive care in patients receiving treatment for breast cancer. The guidelines, reported by Heather Greenlee, ND, PhD, MPH, of Mailman...
The Long and Winding Road to Modern Integrative Oncology
It has been a long road from the blind acceptance of unproven “alternative” remedies for the treatment of cancer to the development of rigorous guidelines for integrative care, which address symptom control. The recently released Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) guidelines applicable to...
CDC Awards Grant to Program for Young Women With Breast Cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Division of Cancer Prevention and Control has awarded a $1.75 million, 5-year grant to the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to increase the awareness of breast cancer among women and enhance the...
Life Is Like Riding a Bicycle
The following essay by Bruce D. Cheson, 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.
The ride...
FDA Approves Denosumab for the Treatment of Hypercalcemia of Malignancy Refractory to Bisphosphonate Therapy
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new indication for denosumab (Xgeva) for the treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy refractory to bisphosphonate therapy. Denosumab was approved and granted Orphan Drug designation by the FDA, which is reserved for drugs that are intended for...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Children and Young Adults With Cancer
The information contained in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting clinical studies of children and young adult cancer survivors. The studies include phase I, I/II, III, observational, and interventional trials investigating genomic profiling to personalize treatment;...
Ovarian Cancer Has Taught Me to Be Fearless
In 2013, I was at the top of my professional game. I was a lead performer in the hit Broadway show Motown: The Musical, playing singing legend Diana Ross, which earned me a Tony Award nomination. Performing eight shows a week is exhausting, but I had no problem meeting the physical demands of the...
Man With Tumor of the Breast, Albumen Print, Paris, 1873
Through the Lens of Oncology History
A Century of Progress
The text and photographs on these pages represent the establishment of oncology as a viable medical specialty during the mid-1800s. The images and captions are excerpted from a four-volume series of books titled Oncology Tumors &...
Electro-Gynecology, Philadelphia, 1883
Through the Lens of Oncology History
A Century of Progress
The text and photographs on these pages represent the establishment of oncology as a viable medical specialty during the mid-1800s. The images and captions are excerpted from a four-volume series of books titled Oncology Tumors &...
Physicians Need to Maintain Flexibility to Deviate From Treatment Guidelines Without Financial Penalties
With the provocative headline, “How Medical Care Is Being Corrupted,” an op-ed piece in The New York Times argued that “financial forces largely hidden from the public are beginning to corrupt care and undermine the bond of trust between doctors and patients.”1 The article warned that insurers,...
AJCC Cancer Staging System Is Most Accurate Measuring Response to Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
When classifying response to chemoradiation among patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual (7th edition) system “is most accurate and should be adopted as the standard,” Attaphorn Trakarnsanga, MD, and colleagues at Memorial...
Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Who Progress After Front-line Treatment May Be Candidates for Novel Noncytotoxic Therapies
Although patients who relapse within 3 years of front-line fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (Rituxan; FCR) therapy have poor survival when treated with conventional salvage regimens, these patients may be candidates for novel noncytotoxic therapies, according to an analysis of extended...
Ten Best-Practice Measures Improve Quality of Care During Perioperative Period for Patients With Glioma
Ten best-practice measures identified by a multidisciplinary team at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, were used to improve the care provided to patients with glioma during the perioperative period. “Using a plan-do-study-act ...
About 25% of Patients Who Undergo Breast-Conservation Surgery for Stage 0 to II Carcinoma Have Subsequent Surgery
“Approximately one-fourth of all patients who undergo initial breast-conservation surgery for breast cancer will have a subsequent operative intervention,” concluded a study published online by JAMA Surgery. “The rate of repeat surgeries varies by patient, tumor, and facility factors,” reported Lee ...
Mammographic Density Is Highly Heritable, Possibly Explaining the Familial Aggregation of Breast Cancer
Using a fully automated method to ascertain volumetric mammographic density, a study conducted by the Karolinska Mammography (KARMA) project for risk prediction of breast cancer in Sweden confirmed the high heritability of mammographic density, although estimates were weaker for absolute than for...
Better Studies Needed to Dispel Confusion Over When to Refer a Patient to Hospice
I read the article on “Private Payer and Academic Center Data Capture Inappropriate Use of End-of Life Care” (The ASCO Post, December 15, 2014, page 11). The data highlight Dr. Deborah Schrag’s notion that there is “ample evidence of overuse of intensive care at the end of life.” However, there is...
ASCO Announces Major Steps in Development of CancerLinQ™
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, CancerLinQ LLC, will use the SAP HANA® platform in the development of ASCO’s CancerLinQ™. CancerLinQ is a groundbreaking health information technology platform that will harness Big Data to deliver...
