January 25, 2024 (View All Issues)
- Protecting...
Tackling the Challenges of Oncology Workforce Shortages, Increased Patient Demand, and Rising Costs of Care
In May 2023, The ASCO Post launched a new feature, View From the Top: The Future of Cancer Care Delivery, which explores how leaders in oncology are developing strategies to ensure continued innovative oncology care in an ever-changing health-care environment. In this installment, Guest Editor Jame ...
Beyond Lung Cancer: Leveraging Machine Learning Techniques to Understand Other Diseases
Although computed tomography (CT) screening has emerged as an essential tool for the early detection of lung diseases, there is still a broad range of potential improvements to be made. According to recent research, understanding the patterns of onset for earlier prediction of disease may be...
Celebrating Excellence: Matthijs Oudkerk, PhD, MD, MSc, Honored for Contributions to Cancer Prevention and Research
The Prevent Cancer Foundation has honored Matthijs Oudkerk, PhD, MD, MSc, with the prestigious James L. Mulshine, MD, International Leadership Award. Dr. Oudkerk is Professor of Radiology at the University of Groningen and Chief Scientific Officer of the Institute for Diagnostic Accuracy in the...
New Director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Naoto T. Ueno, MD, PhD, FACP, Is Also a Two-Time Cancer Survivor
In this installment of The ASCO Post ’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Naoto T. Ueno, MD, PhD, FACP, Director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Along with his duties leading the cancer center, Dr. Ueno leads translational breast cancer research...
Medical Cannabis: Patterns of Use Among Patients With Cancer
Guest Editor’s Note: Cannabis products are rising in popularity and increasingly used for medical purposes. For appropriate counseling and guidance in an oncology setting, clinicians must understand current cannabis use patterns among patients with cancer. In this article, Nirupa Raghunathan, MD,...
How Being a Member of the President’s National Cancer Advisory Board Is Contributing to High-Quality Oncology Care
This past year, President Joe Biden announced the appointment of six members to the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB; see related article). This board plays a crucial role in advising and assisting the director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in setting the activities of the national...
The High Cost of Oral Agents for Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma
Late in 2023, Richardson et al shared the results of a phase I/II clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03374085). They concluded that the “all-oral combination of mezigdomide plus dexamethasone showed promising efficacy in patients with heavily pretreated multiple myeloma.”1 Mezigdomide ...
Use of Enzalutamide in Nonmetastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer With Biochemical Recurrence
On November 16, 2023, the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide was approved for use in patients with nonmetastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer with biochemical recurrence at high risk for metastasis.1
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on the EMBARK trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ...
My Breast Cancer Experience Has Led Me to Leverage My Expertise in Human-Centered Design to Transform Patient Care
The road to my breast cancer diagnosis in 2018 was long and tortuous. For 3 years leading up to the diagnosis, I had imaging scans and tissue biopsies every 3 months because of suspicious masses in my breasts. The uncertainty was so destabilizing that I was in a constant state of emotional unrest....
George D. Demetri, MD, FASCO, Earns Lifetime Achievement Award in Medicine From Stanford Medicine Alumni Association
George D. Demetri, MD, FASCO, Director of the Sarcoma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, was awarded the J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award in Medicine from the Stanford Medicine Alumni Association (SMAA). Dr. Demetri, an alumnus of the Stanford University School of Medicine,...
PERSEUS: Daratumumab Regimen Significantly Improves Progression-Free Survival in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
The addition of the CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab to a standard regimen for patients with newly diagnosed transplant-eligible multiple myeloma significantly prolonged progression-free survival vs standard treatment in the phase III PERSEUS trial. The study was reported as a late-breaking...
Long-Term Follow-up Supports Postneoadjuvant T-DM1 Over Trastuzumab in Early, High-Risk, HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
At a median follow-up of 8.4 years, adjuvant use of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) continued to improve invasive disease–free survival and overall survival compared with trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer with residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant therapy. These ...
SYMPATICO Trial: Ibrutinib Plus Venetoclax Improves Progression-Free Survival in Relapsed Mantle Cell Lymphoma
The combination of ibrutinib and venetoclax has led to an improved progression-free survival rate in patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), according to findings presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1
Interim analysis...
Canadian Study Shows Myeloma Outcomes in the Real World May Be Worse Than Clinical Trials Suggest
Patients with multiple myeloma treated in the “real world” had worse outcomes than patients who received the same treatment on clinical trials, according to research presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1 In a pooled analysis of clinical trial...
Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer May Gain Multiple Benefits From Exercise as Part of Palliative Care
Although current ASCO guidelines recommend exercise for patients with breast cancer during adjuvant therapy with curative intent, the guidelines state that more study is needed regarding the effects of exercise for patients with metastatic breast cancer. The results of the PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial...
Novel PI3K Inhibitor as Part of Triplet Improves Outcomes in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
The addition of inavolisib to first-line treatment with palbociclib plus fulvestrant more than doubled progression-free survival in patients with recurrent PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, according to a late-breaking primary analysis of the phase III ...
NATALEE Trial: Long-Term Results on Ribociclib Combination Therapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Invasive disease–free survival continued to be significantly improved for patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, early-stage breast cancer who received the CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib plus a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor compared with a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor alone....
Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy Improves Pathologic Complete Response Rates in Subgroup Analysis of KEYNOTE-756
Pembrolizumab added to neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab plus endocrine therapy improved pathologic complete responses in patients with early-stage, high-risk, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to updated results of the phase III...
Integrated Medicine and Collaborative Care: Innovations in Cancer Treatment and Mental Health Care
Recent studies by multidisciplinary teams at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Massachusetts General Hospital are illuminating novel ways to address health-care challenges faced by patients with cancer. The research, presented at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, highlights the...
Undocumented Cost-of-Care Discussions: A Missed Opportunity in Cancer Treatment
A recent study underscored the need for integrating cost-of-care conversations in cancer treatment. Results of the population-based analysis, presented at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium,1 showed that only about 25% of patients with newly diagnosed advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...
ALL in Adults: Trial Updates and Clinical Considerations for Selecting Consolidation Therapy
Although pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have seen a dramatic improvement in long-term survival rates over the past 40 years, from approximately 10% to over 95%, adults aged 29 and older have not experienced the same treatment benefits, with survival rates still below...
International Collaborative Research Efforts in Cardio-Oncology
At the 2023 Global Cardio-Oncology Symposium (GCOS), international experts explored the ongoing collaborative efforts to improve the cardiovascular health of patients being treated for cancer as well as the bidirectional challenges of translating basic research to clinical care.
Focus on Basic and ...
OVHIPEC-1 Trial: Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy Plus Interval Cytoreductive Surgery Improves Survival in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
The final survival analysis of the Dutch-Belgian phase III OVHIPEC-1 trial showed that the addition of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to interval cytoreductive surgery was associated with maintained progression-free and overall survival benefits at 10 years in women with advanced ...
2023 ASCO Advocacy Highlights
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) had an immensely impactful year of advocacy work, which is possible only with guidance and passion from our members. In partnership with the ASCO’s Government Relations Committee, five advocacy priorities were identified for the year:
Eric J. Small, MD, FASCO, Elected ASCO President for 2025–2026 Term
ASCO has elected Eric J. Small, MD, FASCO, to lead as its President beginning in June 2025. Dr. Small, a long-time ASCO member and volunteer, will take office as President-Elect immediately following the ASCO Annual Business Meeting in Chicago on June 3, 2025. An additional six ASCO members were...
Generic Drug Shortages and Essential Cancer Medicines
Decisions regarding the rationing of chemotherapy are commonplace in many countries around the world—including those where patients must pay for chemotherapy out of pocket—and increasingly so in cancer settings that treat both well-off and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients. However, these...
