July 10, 2024 (View All Issues)
Phase III postMONARCH Trial: Switching to Abemaciclib May Improve Outcomes After Disease Progression
For hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer that has progressed on CDK4/6 inhibition plus endocrine therapy, the CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib plus fulvestrant significantly reduced the risk of further disease progression in the phase III postMONARCH study.1
“The...
Breast Implant–Related Cancers: Should Our Patients Be Concerned?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication,1 which was updated2 on March 22, 2023, informing the public that there have been reports of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and various lymphomas of the breast in the capsule or scar of breast implants. These lymphomas...
Second-Line Therapy With Adagrasib in KRAS G12C–Mutated Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Second-line therapy with the KRAS inhibitor adagrasib modestly improved progression-free survival and objective response rate over docetaxel in previously treated patients with advanced KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the primary analysis of the phase III...
In Gastroesophageal Cancer, ‘Switch’ Maintenance Improves Outcomes Over Chemotherapy Continuation
In patients with advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer and disease control after oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, “switch” maintenance with paclitaxel plus ramucirumab in the phase III ARMANI trial significantly improved both progression-free and overall survival,...
RELATIVITY-048: Triplet Immunotherapy Shows Activity in Untreated Advanced Melanoma
As a first-line treatment of advanced melanoma, the triplet immunotherapy regimen of nivolumab, relatlimab-rmbw, and ipilimumab produced high response rates and promising progression-free and overall survival in the nonrandomized phase I/II RELATIVITY-048 trial, as reported by Paolo Antonio...
MAST Trial: Metformin Does Not Slow Disease Progression of Low-Risk Prostate Cancer
The hypoglycemic agent metformin failed to slow disease progression in men with low-risk localized prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance, according to the results of the randomized, controlled MAST trial reported at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 In addition, the use of metformin was...
ASCO Issues New Guidance on Vaccinations for Adults With Cancer
A new ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline recommends several vaccinations (eg, seasonal, herpes zoster, human papillomavirus [HPV], and others) for adults with solid or hematologic malignancies because of heightened infection risks from vaccine-preventable illnesses.1 The guideline covers the...
AMA House of Delegates Adopts Record Six ASCO-Led Resolutions
Delegates from the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) participated in the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) on June 7 to 12 in Chicago. ASCO created and was the primary sponsor of six resolutions that the AMA HOD adopted as policy, an...
Novel Antibody-Drug Conjugate Extends Survival vs Chemotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
The antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab tirumotecan extended overall survival as well as progression-free survival vs chemotherapy in patients with previously treated triple-negative breast cancer, according to the results of OptiTROP-Breast01, a phase III study presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual...
ASTRO Names New Chief Executive Officer
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) announced that following a nationwide search, Vivek S. Kavadi, MD, MBA, FASTRO, will become Chief Executive Officer of the Society, effective November 1, 2024. Dr. Kavadi will succeed Laura Thevenot, who had already announced her intent to retire...
V. Craig Jordan, PhD, a Founding Father of Targeted Therapy in Cancer, Dies at Age 76
Craig Jordan, CMG, OBE, PhD, DSc, FMedSci, a pioneering scientist whose innovative work in breast cancer research has saved countless lives and will continue to impact the field for generations to come, died on June 9, according to a news release from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer...
Breaking the Silence: Addressing Sexual and Reproductive Health in Cancer Care
For patients with cancer and cancer survivors, sexual dysfunction and reproductive health concerns are often the elephant in the exam room—a significant quality-of-life issue that both patients and clinicians struggle to discuss openly and effectively. At the recent NCCN Policy Summit on Sexual and ...
Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease: Clinical Trial Updates
Chronic graft-vs-host disease, an immune-mediated disorder that follows allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), is characterized by debilitating tissue injury with inflammatory and fibrotic pathology leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Historically, the treatment of...
Having Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Took Away My Fear of Death
On May 30, 2017, 9 days before I turned 19 and soon after I had completed my sophomore year at college, I was diagnosed with aggressive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. But getting to the diagnosis was a tortuous process.
I had been feeling fatigued and losing weight for several weeks prior to the...
Capivasertib With Fulvestrant for Previously Treated Advanced Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
On November 16, 2023, capivasertib (Truqap) was approved for use with fulvestrant for patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer with one or more PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alterations, following disease progression on at least one endocrine-based...
