July 10, 2022 (View All Issues)
Early Transplant With Triplet Therapy May Delay Progression of Myeloma, but Individualized Approach Recommended
In the phase III DETERMINATION trial, progression-free survival was significantly improved with triplet induction therapy and early transplantation in newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma, but overall survival at 5 years was similar to the nontransplant approach.1 The findings were...
First Randomized Chemotherapy Study in Relapsed or Refractory Ewing Sarcoma Reports Modest Gains in Survival With High-Dose Ifosfamide
High-dose ifosfamide extended event-free and overall survival in patients with recurrent or primary refractory Ewing sarcoma compared with other commonly used chemotherapy regimens, according to the results of a randomized trial reported at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting by lead author Martin...
Death and Clinical Trials in the Plague Years
“Everybody knows that pestilences have a way of recurring in the world; yet somehow, we find it hard to believe in ones that crash down on our heads from a blue sky. There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.”
—Albert Camus, The ...
In Metastatic RAS Wild-Type Left-Sided Colorectal Cancer, Panitumumab Proves Superior to Bevacizumab
The preferred targeted therapy for left-sided RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer, in combination with standard chemotherapy, is panitumumab, not bevacizumab, based on a head-to-head comparison in the phase III PARADIGM trial. Panitumumab plus chemotherapy yielded the longest overall...
Chiara Cremolini, MD, PhD, Comments on Findings From the PARADIGM Trial
The invited discussant of PARADIGM, Chiara Cremolini, MD, PhD, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Pisa, Italy, said the findings prospectively confirm the superior benefit of FOLFOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin) paired with panitumumab rather than bevacizumab in RAS...
Rucaparib Maintenance Improves Progression-Free Survival in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Advanced Ovarian Cancer Who Responded to Platinum-Based Therapy
Maintenance therapy with the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor rucaparib led to a significant improvement in progression-free survival compared with placebo in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer who responded to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. The...
Cleveland Clinic Appoints Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, as Chair of Taussig Cancer Institute
Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, is the new Chair of Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. Previously, he served as Consultant in Oncology, Professor of Oncology and Professor of Pharmacology at Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Adjei also...
ASH Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Toolkit
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) recently announced its recognition and appreciation of Pride Month by highlighting the latest addition to the LGBTQIA+ [(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual/agender/ally] section of ASH’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ...
Francesca M. Gany, MD, MS, Receives Excellence in Health Care Award From United Hospital Fund
Francesca M. Gany, MD, MS, Chief of the Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, was awarded a 2022 Excellence in Health Care Award by the United Hospital Fund. The award was established in 2019 to honor extraordinary personal...
Jeffrey M. Rosen, PhD, Honored With 2022 William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award
Jeffrey M. Rosen, PhD, will receive the William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), to be held December 6–10, 2022. The award was established in 1992 to commemorate Dr. McGuire’s significant contributions to breast oncology. Dr. McGuire,...
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and L’Institut Servier, of Gustave Roussy, Sign an Oncology Cooperation Agreement
L’Institut Servier, Gustave Roussy, in Villejuif, France, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, have signed a cooperation agreement to foster exchange and develop bilateral collaboration among researchers from these two renowned oncology centers.
The 2-year agreement includes the organization...
Thomas Stricker, MD, Joins OneOncology as Medical Director for Precision Medicine
OneOncology, headquartered in Nashville, recently appointed Thomas Stricker, MD, as Medical Director for Precision Medicine. Dr. Stricker will work with partner practices to create workflows that reduce physicians’ burden of genomic test ordering and interpretation, allowing more time for...
Chipping Away at Targetable Mutations in NSCLC: Amivantamab in NSCLC With MET Exon 14 Skipping Mutations
Dual targeting with the bispecific antibody amivantamab-vmjw showed antitumor activity and tolerability in patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and MET exon 14 skipping mutations, according to results of the ongoing phase I CHRYSALIS study.1,2 Updated results were presented...
Circulating Tumor DNA–Guided Approach to Treating Stage II Colon Cancer
The use of postoperative circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in stage II colon cancer spared many patients the need for adjuvant chemotherapy without compromising recurrence-free survival, according to the phase II DYNAMIC study.1
“The strategy of using ctDNA results to inform treatment almost halved...
Inspired by the TV Show M*A*S*H, Lori Wilson, MD, FACS, Achieves Many Firsts as a Leader in Oncology
Lori Wilson, MD, FACS, Chief of Surgical Oncology, Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity, and former Program Director of the General Surgical Residency at Howard University Hospital, is the first woman to hold the position of Division Chief as well as the first tenured Professor of...
Raising the Bar: Rethinking the Accelerated Drug Approval Process
Our growing knowledge of the molecular and genomic drivers of cancer has translated into a robust pipeline of promising anticancer agents. However, bringing new drugs from the lab to the patient with cancer can be frustratingly slow. To that end, the accelerated approval system was created by the...
FDA Launches Campaign Aimed at Preventing E-Cigarette Use Among American Indian/Alaska Native Youth
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the launch of the “Next Legends” Youth E-cigarette Prevention Campaign as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect youth from the dangers of tobacco use. The campaign will educate American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, ages ...
ASTRO Welcomes New Vice President of Education and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recently hired Chris Neumann as its new Vice President of Learning and Education, and Kirsta Suggs as its first Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). ASTRO is the world’s largest radiation oncology society, with nearly 10,000 members ...
New Hematology Chief and Director of the Wesley Center for Immunotherapy Named for UH Seidman Cancer Center
A prominent oncologist with an international reputation for cancer research will lead the new Wesley Center for Immunotherapy at University Hospitals (UH) Seidman Cancer Center as well as the Division of Hematology. Koen van Besien, MD, PhD, comes to UH Seidman Cancer Center from New...
Dual-Targeted Therapy Improves Outcomes vs Chemotherapy for Some Pediatric Patients With Low-Grade Glioma
The all-oral combination of dabrafenib plus trametinib—two targeted therapies—significantly improved the overall response rate vs standard-of-care chemotherapy with carboplatin plus vincristine in pediatric patients with BRAF V600 mutation–positive low-grade gliomas. The clinical benefit rate...
Shaping the Future of Cancer Care: The Value of Managing Aggregated Data From Patients’ Online Communities
In 2021, more than 1.9 million people in the United States were estimated to be diagnosed with cancer, and that number continues to increase yearly. Medical research is critical in prolonging survival and improving the quantity and quality of life of patients. Cancer research is one of the most...
Capecitabine Plus Temozolomide vs Temozolomide Alone in Advanced Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
In the updated final analysis of the phase II ECOG-ACRIN E2211 trial, patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors experienced a significant improvement in progression-free survival with capecitabine plus temozolomide over temozolomide alone.1 Although the 5-month difference in overall...
Moffitt Mourns the Loss of Research Giant Robert J. Gillies, PhD
Moffitt Cancer Center and the global research community have lost a great leader, scientist, and collaborator. Robert J. Gillies, PhD, died on June 7 after an extended illness. He was 69 years old. His recruitment in 2008 elevated Moffitt’s scientific stature, and his vision and work over the past...
CAR T-Cell Therapy Gave Me Back a High-Quality Life
A radiologist by training, I knew the minute I saw the results from my chest x-ray that I had multiple myeloma. In 2015, I was semiretired and had just taken up the game of golf. After making a big swing at the ball, I instantly felt pain in my ribs and thought I had either pulled an intercostal...
Mount Sinai Researcher Receives Award From the American Association of Indian Scientists in Cancer Research
Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD, Director of Immunotherapy at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, has received the 2022 Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research award from the American Association of Indian Scientists in Cancer Research (AAISCR). Dr. Bhardwaj is also Medical Director of the Vaccine...
Dabrafenib/Trametinib Combination Receives FDA Approval for BRAF V600E–Mutated Solid Tumors
On June 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for dabrafenib (Tafinlar) plus trametinib (Mekinist) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 6 years and older with unresectable or metastatic solid tumors with a BRAF V600E mutation whose disease...
Germline Variants in Types of Cancer Without Hereditary Testing Guidelines
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, and colleagues found that a substantial proportion of patients with cancer types that lacked hereditary testing guidelines harbored germline pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants.
Study Details
The study included data from ...
Strides Are Being Made in the Treatment of Brain Metastases From Breast Cancer
New drugs for HER2-positive breast cancer are able to overcome some of the obstacles that have made brain metastases challenging to treat, according to Mark Pegram, MD, the Susy Yuan-Huey Hung Professor of Oncology at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, who described the promising ...
Overall Survival in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Phase III Trials and SEER Database Over a 30-Year Period
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Shen et al found that data from both phase III trials and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database indicate significant improvements in overall survival for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer over a 30-year period. Increases...
ASCO Guideline Update Aims to Improve Patient Outcomes for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer With Brain Metastases
Rapid developments over the past decade in the treatment of patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer may lead to better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients with brain metastases, according to findings incorporated into a new ASCO guideline update.1
“The difference this...
ASCO Guideline Update for Systemic Melanoma Therapy Addresses New Treatment Option for Uveal Melanoma
A rapid update to the ASCO guideline on systemic therapy for melanoma adds a new recommendation for the treatment of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.1 The update follows the January 2022 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of tebentafusp-tebn for patients with previously...
ASCO’s CancerLinQ and HealthVerity Collaborate to Accelerate Cancer Research
On June 8, 2022, CancerLinQLLC, a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of ASCO, and HealthVerity, Inc., announced a collaboration that will create the nation’s premier real-world oncology data ecosystem to advance cancer care and research for government and public health agencies. The collaboration...
History of Radiation Oncology in the United States
Part 1 of this two-part report described the beginnings of radiation oncology in the United States, including many of the field’s early pioneers and the rise of associated professional societies. In part 2, we will consider the advances in technology and biology that are the foundation of modern...
Former NCI Director Takes Stock of His Accomplishments and Looks Ahead to the Next Challenge
After nearly 5 years as Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), interrupted by 7 months as Acting Commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, MD, left his position on April 29 to concentrate on his family and contemplate his next career choice....
