January 25, 2020 (View All Issues)
Tucatinib Combination Extends Survival in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer, Including Patients With Brain Metastases
For patients with progressing HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), no single regimen is an established standard of care. More than 50% of these patients will develop brain metastasis, and thus far, treatments...
Practicing Wellness to Reduce Burnout
Numerous wellness strategies are accessible to busy physicians and oncologists, which can be incorporated into their daily routine. Here we discuss such aspects as stress reduction, mindfulness, eating well, sleeping well, and spirituality for the wellness of oncologists. Those who regularly adhere ...
Blinatumomab Outperforms Chemotherapy as Post-Reinduction Consolidation Therapy in Younger Patients With B-Cell ALL
Blinatumomab was superior to standard chemotherapy in children, adolescents, and young adults at the first relapse of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as post-reinduction consolidation therapy prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), according to the results of a late-breaking...
Preliminary Data on Multiantigen-Targeted CAR NK-Cell Therapy for B-Cell Malignancies
A novel off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cell (CAR-NK) product called FT596 may prove to be an active therapy for B-cell malignancies. This agent is designed to overcome several challenges inherent in CAR T-cell therapy, including CD19-antigen escape, which leads to relapse in ...
Breast Cancer Chemoprevention Effect Maintained Long After Stopping Anastrozole Therapy
For postmenopausal women at high risk for developing breast cancer—largely based on family history—anastrozole taken for 5 years maintained a preventive effect for at least an additional 7 years after stopping the drug in the IBIS-II trial, which included nearly 4,000 subjects. Women randomly...
Comparing Options for Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation to Preserve Fertility in Pediatric Patients With Cancer
With the pediatric cancer survival rate exceeding 80%, “we can reasonably suspect that most of these children will survive more than 5 years from their diagnosis and then go on to puberty,” when they may have to deal with the consequences of cancer treatment, according to Rebecca Flyckt, MD,...
Emerging Fertoprotective Therapeutic Options for Female Fertility Preservation
The trend toward delayed childbearing has meant that many women who plan to have children may be childless at the time they are diagnosed with cancer. The number of these women is likely to further increase concurrently with the increase in cancer survivors, making “the focus on fertility...
ESMO Immuno-Oncology 2019: First-Line Immunotherapy Combination for Patients With Advanced NSCLC and Comorbidities or Poor Performance Status
First-line treatment with the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab was safe and provided encouraging overall survival results in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as in patients with NSCLC traditionally not eligible for clinical trials—such as those who had...
ESMO Immuno-Oncology 2019: Sitravatinib/Tislelizumab Shows Antitumor Activity in Ovarian Cancer
Results from a phase Ib study reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Immuno-Oncology Congress 2019 showed manageable safety and encouraging antitumor activity in patients with advanced ovarian cancer treated with the novel combination of sitravatinib and tislelizumab. These...
ESMO Immuno-Oncology 2019: CXCR4 Inhibitor in Combination With Pembrolizumab/Chemotherapy for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
When the CXCR4 inhibitor BL-8040 was combined with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in the second-line setting, the regimen showed promising antitumor activity in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. These findings were...
ADMIRAL Trial: Gilteritinib Improves Overall Survival in Relapsed or Refractory FLT3-Mutated AML
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Alexander E. Perl, MD, of Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues, the phase III ADMIRAL trial showed improved overall survival with the oral FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitor gilteritinib vs salvage...
ADMIRAL Trial: More Than Standard Chemotherapy Needed for FLT3-Mutant Advanced AML
The important ADMIRAL trial, reported by Perl et al in The New England Journal of Medicine1 and reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, shows the efficacy of a specific FLT3 inhibitor in patients with advanced acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and enhances the era of personalized medicine in leukemia.
...
FDA Approves Avapritinib for the Treatment of PDGFRA-Mutated Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor
On January 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved avapritinib (Ayvakit) for the treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) that harbors platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) exon 18 mutation. This approval includes...
FDA Approves PD-1 Inhibitor for BCG-Unresponsive, High-Risk Non–Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive, high-risk, non–muscle invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors who are ineligible for or have...
Brentuximab Vedotin Plus Nivolumab in Hodgkin Lymphoma
The combination of brentuximab vedotin and nivolumab is making headway as first-line therapy for older adults with Hodgkin lymphoma and as salvage therapy for adults with relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin lymphoma, according to separate studies presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting &...
Olaparib as Maintenance Therapy for Germline BRCA-Mutated Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
On December 27, 2019, the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib was approved for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, as detected by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
Selected Abstracts on New Therapies for Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
To complement The ASCO Post’s comprehensive coverage of the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, here are several abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing on novel therapeutic regimens including the monoclonal antibody daratumumab in combination ...
FDA Approves Olaparib for Patients With Germline BRCA-Mutated Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
On December 27, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved olaparib (Lynparza) as a maintenance treatment for adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma as detected by an FDA-approved test whose disease has not ...
FDA Approves Fam-Trastuzumab Deruxtecan-nxki for Patients With Unresectable or Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
On December 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) for patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received two or more prior anti–HER2-based regimens in the metastatic setting.
...
Selected Abstracts on Novel Therapies for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
To complement The ASCO Post’s comprehensive coverage of the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, here are several abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing on novel therapeutic regimens for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). For full details of...
Oral CC-486 Maintenance Therapy Extends Survival in Older Patients With AML
Use of CC-486—an investigational oral form of azacitidine—as maintenance therapy significantly improved overall survival and relapse-free survival in older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who were in remission following induction chemotherapy with or without consolidation ...
Yale Cancer Center Study Suggests New Approaches Needed to Manage Ibrutinib-Related Toxicities in Patients With CLL
New findings by Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital researchers show that, as the use of ibrutinib increases in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), so do the rates of patients who stop taking the drug. The study was presented at the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH)...
Mixed Results With Weekly Nab-paclitaxel, Denosumab in Primary Breast Cancer
A weekly schedule of nab-paclitaxel as part of neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved pathologic complete response compared with nab-paclitaxel given 2 weeks out of every 3 weeks (2/3) in patients with primary breast cancer, with a greater magnitude of benefit in patients with...
FDA Approves Enzalutamide for Patients With Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
On December 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved enzalutamide (Xtandi) for patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer. The FDA previously approved enzalutamide for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer.
ARCHES Trial
Extended Letrozole Boosts Disease-Free Survival in 10-Year Update of NSABP B-42 Trial
“In the 10-year analysis of the NSABP B-42 trial, the effect of extended treatment with 5 years of letrozole on disease-free survival persisted and reached statistical significance. There was no significant improvement in overall survival with letrozole, but letrozole continued to provide a...
Residual Cancer Burden Is Prognostic of Outcomes Across Breast Cancer Subtypes
Residual cancer burden after neoadjuvant chemotherapy can accurately predict disease recurrence and survival across all breast cancer subtypes, according to the findings from a meta-analysis presented at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium by W. Fraser Symmans, MD, Professor and Director...
Partial-Breast Irradiation Favored Over Whole-Breast in Early Breast Cancer
Patients with early breast cancer with small, node-negative tumors can safely be treated with accelerated partial-breast irradiation using intensity-modulated radiotherapy. According to the 10-year median follow-up of the randomized phase III APBI IMRT Florence trial, recurrence rates were low and...
Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, Elected to Lead AACR Immunology Working Group
Chosen for his passion and leadership in immunotherapy research, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Deputy Director Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, was elected as the Cancer Immunology Working Group (CIMM) Chairperson-Elect for 2020–2021. CIMM is a scientific working group within the...
Elizabeth Fox, MD, Named Senior Vice President of Clinical Trials Research at St. Jude
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced recently that Elizabeth Fox, MD, has been named Senior Vice President of Clinical Trials Research. In this role, Dr. Fox will oversee clinical trials research administration and strategy at St. Jude. She will also serve as Associate Director for...
Studies Find Estrogen Alone Protective, Estrogen Plus Progestin Detrimental in Postmenopausal Women
In postmenopausal women without prior breast cancer, estrogen alone reduced the risk of breast cancer, not only during treatment, but for years after estrogen was stopped. It also reduced deaths as a result of breast cancer and deaths after breast cancer from all causes. However, in contrast,...
APHINITY Update Supports Benefit of Pertuzumab-Based Triplet in Early HER2-Positive, Node-Positive Breast Cancer
Six-year follow-up of the APHINITY trial found a modest, but not statistically significant, overall survival benefit for the addition of pertuzumab to chemotherapy plus trastuzumab vs chemotherapy/trastuzumab as adjuvant therapy in patients with early HER2-positive breast cancer. The benefit was...
Taking Action Against Cancer: Celebrating 20 Years of World Cancer Day
February 4, 2020, will mark the 20th anniversary of World Cancer Day, an annual event meant to raise cancer awareness and encourage governments, oncology societies, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and individuals to take action against the global impact of the disease. Formed in...
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to Establish Chen-Huang Center for EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancers
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will create the Chen-Huang Center for EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancers to stimulate research, promote clinical trials, and strengthen the Institute’s capabilities for studying and treating lung cancer. The Chen-Huang Center is being established with a $5 million gift from...
Dolores Hambardzumyan, PhD, MBA, Joins Neurosurgery Faculty at Mount Sinai
Dolores Hambardzumyan, PhD, MBA, has been appointed Senior Faculty in the Department of Neurosurgery and a member of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research focuses on developing novel therapeutic pathways for the treatment of glioblastoma. She is...
Oral Paclitaxel Outperforms Intravenous Formulation in Phase III Trial
In the first reported phase III study of an oral taxane, an investigational oral form of paclitaxel yielded a higher overall response rate and produced less neuropathy than standard intravenous paclitaxel, researchers reported at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1
“Oral paclitaxel...
Yale Cancer Center Launches Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity
Yale Cancer Center has announced the launch of the Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity (CEHE). Building on the commitment of the Yale Cancer Center to patient-centered cancer care, screening, and prevention across the state of Connecticut, the new center is dedicated to ensuring...
American Cancer Society Welcomes Three New Members to the Board of Directors
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has announced three new members to the Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2020. Joining the ACS board are Katie Eccles, Patrick Geraghty, and Oyebode Taiwo, MD, MPH. The ACS Board of Directors consists of 21 members, which include 5 officers (elected...
Patient Access to High-Quality Oncologic Pathology Improves Care
Accurate and timely diagnoses are critical components for developing treatment plans for patients with cancer and also for informing prognosis and assessment of responses. Pathologists are an essential part of the oncology team because they have specialized knowledge that helps inform diagnostic...
Stephanie Lee, MD, MPH, Begins Term as ASH President
Stephanie Lee, MD, MPH, an expert in graft-vs-host disease as well as blood and bone marrow diseases, will serve as President of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for a 1-long term through December 2020. Dr. Lee is a member and Associate Director of the Clinical Research Division at Fred...
Two New Grants to Support Transformative Cancer Research
Two grants for research that could transform cancer therapies have been funded through an innovative partnership between the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and MPM Capital through its management of the UBS Oncology Impact Fund. This unique grant program allows investigators to...
Value-Based and Patient-Centered Cancer Care: Looking at Closing Gaps in Perspectives of Value
Value-based care in oncology—a concept that emphasizes quality over quantity—has evolved over the past 2 decades to become a guiding principle of both public and private payers. The concept was part of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008; informed elements of...
Transplantation Specialist Karen Ballen, MD, Treasures Long-Term Connections With Her Patients
Karen Ballen, MD, an international expert in stem cell transplantation, particularly for patients who have a difficult time finding a donor, was born and reared in the Bronx in a family that encouraged academic and professional pursuits. “My grandfather was an old-fashioned pediatrician who made...
Steven N. Kalkanis, MD, Selected to Lead Henry Ford Medical Group
Following a national search, Henry Ford Health System has selected its own Steven N. Kalkanis, MD, as Chief Executive Officer of the Henry Ford Medical Group. He succeeds William A. Conway, MD, who is stepping down after more than 4 decades with the health system.
Dr. Kalkanis will provide...
CancerCare to Provide Support for Patients With Cancer Impacted by the California Wildfires
As many California residents continue to deal with the aftermath of past wildfires and the advent of new ones, CancerCare is now offering a patient assistance program for both emotional and financial support to patients with cancer affected by the California fires.
As a leading national nonprofit...
Radiation Oncologist Felix Y. Feng, MD, Strives for Balance Between Work and Family Life
In this installment of the Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Felix Y. Feng, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Urology, and Medicine; George and Judy Marcus Distinguished Professor; Vice Chair of Translational Research in the Department of Radiation...
JAVELIN Bladder 100 Study of Avelumab for Urothelial Cancer Meets Primary Endpoint
The phase III JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial met its primary endpoint of overall survival at the planned interim analysis. In this study, patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma whose disease did not progress on induction chemotherapy and who were randomly...
New NCCN Pediatric Cancer Guidelines for B-Cell Lymphomas
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has published new guidelines for treating children, adolescents, and young adults with pediatric aggressive mature B-cell lymphomas, including Burkitt lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. NCCN published the first pediatric NCCN Clinical...
Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium Emphasized Caring for the Whole Patient From Diagnosis to End of Life
The 2019 Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium: Advancing Palliative Research Across the Care Continuum, held this past October in San Francisco, marked the fifth anniversary of its inauguration and its last as a stand-alone ASCO thematic meeting. Since its launch in 2014 as the Palliative Care in...
Impact of the NCI Cell-Line Database: A Testament to Patient Altruism
In an homage to the gracious patients who provided biospecimens and to the dedicated researchers who have tended and studied the derived cell lines, James L. Mulshine, MD, of the Center for Healthy Aging, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University, and colleagues have described the impact of...
Pembrolizumab in KRAS-Mutant and Wild-Type PD-L1–Positive Nonsquamous NSCLC
In an analysis reported in Annals of Oncology, Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that pembrolizumab was active in both KRAS-mutant and wild-type tumors in a subgroup of patients in the KEYNOTE-042 trial with programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive nonsquamous non–small cell lung...
Study Finds African Americans With Cancer Are at Higher Risk for Blood Clots
African Americans appear to be at higher risk for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism than patients with cancer of other races, according to a recent study by Vipul Chitalia, MD, PhD, of Boston University Medical Center, published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology.1 Several studies...
Enzalutamide for Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
On December 16, 2019, enzalutamide (Xtandi) was approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer.1,2
Supporting Efficacy Data
The current approval was based on findings from the phase III double-blind ARCHES trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Tucatinib in Combination Therapy for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Seattle Genetics recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to tucatinib, in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast...
Seven Haircuts
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the Art of Oncology as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
Forbes Magazine Names 2020 Class of 30 Under 30, Including Honorees in Science and Health Care
Forbes magazine released the ninth annual “30 Under 30” list Class of 2020 in December 2019, featuring the newest group of 600 young entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovative individuals who were recognized for their extraordinary accomplishments at early ages. A total of 30 honorees were selected...
Society for Integrative Oncology’s 16th International Conference
The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) hosted its 16th International Conference in New York City, October 19-21, 2019, in partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The conference theme, “Advancing the Science and Art of Integrative Oncology,” focused on deepening the...
The Anesthesia Era: 1845–1875
The text and photograph here are excerpted from a four-volume series of books titled Oncology: Tumors & Treatment, A Photographic History, The Anesthesia Era: 1845–1875 by Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS, and Elizabeth A. Burns. The photograph appears courtesy of Dr. Burns and The Burns Archive. To...
A Caregiver’s Tale of Struggle and Lingering Questions
The role of caregiver in the cancer scenario is complicated by various emotions and circumstances beyond the control of the caregiver and the person with cancer. Caregiver stress occurs when there isn’t the time to do all that’s asked or expected of one. Caregiver stress evolves into burnout when...
A Deeper Understanding of the Miracle of the Human Body
Despite millennia of anatomic and biomedical search and discovery, there are parts and functions of the human body that remain a mystery. For years, medical students were taught that there are 78 organs in the human body. In February 2017, that number was revised, with the announcement of a new...
ASH Honors Member of Congress and Leaders of NIDDK and NCI
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) recognized representative Tom Cole (R–OK); the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Hematology and Training Program Director Terry Bishop, PhD; and National Cancer Institute (NCI) Program Director William Merritt, PhD, ...
Atezolizumab With Chemotherapy for Metastatic Nonsquamous NSCLC Without EGFR/ALK Aberrations
On December 3, 2019, atezolizumab in combination with nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin was approved for first-line treatment of metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumore aberrations.1,2
The approval was based on findings in the open-label phase III...
Fam-trastuzumab Deruxtecan-nxki for Previously Treated Unresectable or Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
On December 20, 2019, the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki was granted accelerated approval in the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received two or more prior anti–HER2-based regimens in the metastatic setting.1,2
...
Enfortumab Vedotin-ejfv for Previously Treated Advanced Urothelial Cancer
On December 18, 2019, the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (PadcevTM) was granted accelerated approval for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have previously received a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or programmed cell...
Fred Hutch Names Thomas J. Lynch, Jr, MD, as New President and Director
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center recently announced that Thomas J. Lynch, Jr, MD, will become the center’s new President and Director. Dr. Lynch, a cancer expert in solid tumor research, precision medicine, and immuno-oncology, will join Fred Hutch on February 1. Dr. Lynch will become the...
Recurrence Risk in Black and White Women With Borderline Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Halei C. Benefield, PhD, and colleagues found that black women with borderline estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer had significantly poorer disease-free interval compared with those with ER-positive disease, irrespective ...
First-Line Atezolizumab Plus Nab-paclitaxel in Advanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Second Overall Survival Interim Analysis
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Peter Schmid, MD, and colleagues, the prespecified second interim analysis of overall survival in the phase III IMpassion130 trial has shown no overall survival benefit with the addition of atezolizumab to nab-paclitaxel as first-line treatment of...
TIVO-3: Third- or Fourth-Line Tivozanib vs Sorafenib in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Brian I. Rini, MD, and colleagues, the phase III TIVO-3 trial has shown a statistically significant increase in progression-free survival with tivozanib vs sorafenib as a third- or fourth-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma.
Study Details
The...
Olaparib for Previously Treated, Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer With DNA Repair Gene Aberrations
In the phase II TOPARP-B trial—reported by Joaquin Mateo, MD, in The Lancet Oncology—investigators found that olaparib showed good activity in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and DNA damage response (DDR) gene aberrations who had received one or two prior taxane regimens.
...
Community Oncology Alliance Elects Officers and New Board Members for 2020
The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) has announced the election of new and re-appointed members to the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The Board and Committee are comprised of volunteer representatives from community oncology, who direct the management of COA by its Executive Director.
...
AACI Marks Milestone With New Member: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) welcomes its newest and 100th member—Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Cancer Center—one of seven National Cancer Institute–designated basic laboratory cancer centers. The CSHL Cancer Center has nine shared resources that facilitate cancer...
Cancer No Longer Scares Me
Cancer was a disease I feared until 3 years ago, when I was diagnosed with gastric cancer. After receiving the diagnosis, I knew I didn’t have any time to indulge in fear; I had to take action if I was going to survive. In hindsight, symptoms of the cancer, including some fatigue and indigestion,...
ACCC Project Focuses on Improving Care of Older Adults With Cancer
To prepare the multidisciplinary cancer care team for the growing prevalence of cancer and comorbidities among our nation’s graying population, the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC)—in collaboration with The Gerontological Society of America and the International Society of Geriatric...
Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute Recognizes New Staff, New Appointments
In a news release issued by Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, the following announcements were made.
Center Adds Clinical Psychologist to Staff
Melissa Walt, PsyD, a clinical psychologist, recently joined the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. She will focus on the psychological...
Innovator and Leader in Radiation Oncology, Eli J. Glatstein, MD, FASCO, Dies
Eli J. Glatstein, MD, FASCO, Morton M. Kligerman Professor, Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, made a significant impact on how different cancers are diagnosed and treated. His research improved how physicians stage and treat cancer,...
Largest Single-Year Drop in Cancer Mortality Ever Reported: 2016–2017
The cancer death rate declined by 29% from 1991 to 2017, including a 2.2% drop from 2016 to 2017—the largest single-year drop in cancer mortality ever reported. These findings were reported in “Cancer Statistics, 2020,” the latest edition of the American Cancer Society’s annual report on cancer...
ASCO Announces Newly Elected Leadership
ASCO has elected Everett E. Vokes, MD, FASCO, a long-time member and volunteer, to serve as its President for the term beginning in June 2021. Dr. Vokes will take office as President-Elect during the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago in June 2020.
Six members were also elected to open positions on...
ASCO Releases Major Update to Payment Reform Model
ASCO released a major update to its Patient-Centered Oncology Payment (PCOP) model, an alternative payment model designed to support transformation in cancer care delivery and reimbursement, while ensuring that patients with cancer have access to high-quality, high-value care.
PCOP addresses an...
Motivating Yourself for Exercise Goals in the New Year
The day after Christmas, I walked into the exercise studio and spent the next hour jogging, rowing, and doing exactly what that morning’s coach instructed the 20 or so participants of the class to do next. The hour passed quickly, and I had little or no time to think about anything other than the ...
Start the New Year Right: Stock Your Practice With Trusted Patient Information Resources From ASCO
ASCO Answers’ award-winning guides, fact sheets, and booklets cover a broad range of important and popular topics in cancer care. ASCO Answers materials provide direct and easy-to-understand information on cancer types, diagnosis, treatment, side effects, and coping with the disease, making them...
Optimizing Metabolic Discoveries
Obesity is a leading cause of cancer, and researchers are working to learn more about the biology behind the body’s metabolism and the promotion of cancer growth.
“While we know that physical activity and a balanced diet are generally healthy, we don’t yet have the data to make personalized...
Ten Oncology Practices in Underserved Communities Receive Funding to Participate in Quality Improvement Programs
Ten oncology practices from rural and urban centers in the United States that primarily treat underserved populations have received grant funding to participate in ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) and Quality Training Program. The grants are supported by the Stavros Niarchos...
