July 25, 2023 (View All Issues)
In Ovarian Cancer, Neoadjuvant Olaparib Feasible, Appears Effective in Pilot Study Among Patients With BRCA Mutation
Encouraging outcomes were achieved in patients with BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer who received neoadjuvant treatment with olaparib in a feasibility study led by Shannon N. Westin, MD, MPH, Professor in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine at The University of Texas MD...
Two Studies Highlight Benefits in Quality of Life and Symptom Management With Novel Treatments of Advanced Breast Cancer
Recent improvements in overall and progression-free survival for patients with HER2-positive and estrogen receptor–positive breast cancers have not come at the expense of quality of life or symptom management, according to a pair of studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology...
Allison Institute Announces Appointment of Inaugural Members
The James P. Allison Institute at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has announced the appointment of its first members, including pioneering researchers who have made notable contributions to science as well as rising stars on the path toward important breakthroughs. This group will ...
WHO Classification of Tumors of Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Drs. Syed Ali Abutalib and L. Jeffrey Medeiros explore the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue...
Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, MD: From Migrant Farm Worker to Neurosurgeon in Search of a Cure for Brain Cancer
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with neurosurgeon Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, MD, FAANS, FACS, the James C. and Sarah K. Kennedy Dean of Research, Monica Flynn Jacoby Chair of Neurologic Surgery, and William J. and Charles...
Berberine
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on the use of...
Damon Runyon Names Physician-Scientist Awardees
Three scientists who are researching novel approaches to the treatment of cancer have been named the 2023 recipients of the Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award: Nicole M. Cruz, MD; Mounica Vallurupalli, MD; and Nina Weichert-Leahey, MD. The awardees were selected through a highly...
Study of Cancer Metastasis Receives $35 Million Boost at Johns Hopkins Medicine
With a $35 million gift from researcher, philanthropist, and race car driver Theodore Giovanis, FHFMA, MBA, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine will study the biologic roots of the most fatal aspect of cancer: how it metastasizes through the body. The contribution, which is a 15-year commitment,...
ASCO Remembers Former Board of Directors Member and Radiation Oncologist A. William Blackstock, Jr, MD, FASCO
ASCO is deeply saddened by the death of A. William Blackstock, Jr, MD, FASCO, who served on the Society’s Board of Directors from 2018 to 2022. Dr. Blackstock passed away on June 18, 2023, from complications of prostate cancer. He was 60 years old.
“We mourn the passing of a friend and colleague...
SSO Names Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Global Forum of Cancer Surgeons
As a member of the Global Forum of Cancer Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) is pleased to announce that Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FSSO, FRCS, FACS, has been named Chief Executive Officer of the Global Forum of Cancer Surgeons.
Dr. Are holds the title of Jerald L. and Carolynn...
Turning Fear Into Hope
The first sign that pancreatic cancer was stalking my family was in 1982, when my mother was diagnosed with stage IV disease. She was just 54 years old and died several months later. After two more family members in their early 50s were also diagnosed with the cancer, I began to worry that I would...
Association of Alcohol Intake With Risk of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer
In a Korean study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jin et al found that increased alcohol intake may be associated with an increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer.
Study Details
The study involved data from 5,666,576 individuals aged 20 to 49 years from the Korean National...
Addition of Neoadjuvant Nivolumab to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Stage III NSCLC
In the Spanish phase II NADIM II trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Mariano Provencio, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that the addition of nivolumab to platinum-based chemotherapy improved pathologic complete response (pCR) rates among patients with resectable stage IIIA or IIIB...
Addition of Relacorilant to Nab-paclitaxel in Recurrent, Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nicoletta Colombo, MD, and colleagues found that the selective glucocorticoid receptor modulator relacorilant (given on an intermittent schedule) plus nab-paclitaxel showed benefits vs nab-paclitaxel alone in patients with recurrent, ...
Omitting Mediastinal Radiotherapy in Some Patients With Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma After Immunochemotherapy
In the largest prospective study of patients with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, radiation therapy was omitted in complete responders to immunochemotherapy without compromising outcomes. These findings were presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.1
“Mediastinal radiotherapy may be safely...
THOR Trial: Erdafitinib Improves Outcomes vs Chemotherapy in FGFR-Altered Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma
Targeted treatment with the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor erdafitinib significantly improved overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rates compared with investigator’s choice of chemotherapy in patients with advanced urothelial cancers and FGFR2/3...
Roundup of Abstracts on New Therapies for Gastrointestinal Cancers From ASCO 2023
The 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting featured thousands of abstracts. In addition to our in-depth coverage of pivotal research from the meeting, The ASCO Post highlights the following studies of novel therapies for gastrointestinal cancers.
Addition of Anti-TIGIT Agent in Unresectable Liver Cancer
In the ...
CONTINUUM: In Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Cancer, Addition of Sintilimab to Chemoradiotherapy Offers Benefit
The addition of the PD-1 inhibitor sintilimab to standard induction chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy resulted in a significant improvement in 3-year event-free survival, a manageable safety profile, and comparable quality of life in high-risk, locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma vs standard ...
Quarterback Trial: De-escalation of Chemoradiotherapy for Subset of Patients With HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer
De-escalation of chemoradiotherapy after induction chemotherapy yields excellent oncologic outcomes in patients with high-risk oropharyngeal cancer associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Results of the nonrandomized phase II Quarterback trial suggest that this subset of patients may be...
Investigators Evaluate the Effect of Body Mass Index on Outcomes in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
Investigators reported that patients with head and neck cancer who had an overweight body mass index (BMI) may have had better outcomes, longer overall and progression-free survival, and lower rates of locoregional failure than those patients with a normal or obese BMI, according to a recent study...
Current Management of and Future Possibilities for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
“Triple-negative breast cancer remains the most challenging subtype to treat because of its aggressive phenotype and limited treatment options,” stated Erica Michelle Stringer-Reasor, MD, who spoke at an education session on current approaches to treatment and future directions during the 2023 ASCO ...
Congress Sends ASCO-ASTRO–Supported Letter on Cancer Drug Shortages to the HHS and the FDA
As chemotherapy drug shortages continue to delay patient care and alter treatment plans, 70 bipartisan members of Congress sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking for more information on the shortages and for ways...
Glofitamab-gxbm for Select Relapsed or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphomas
On June 15, 2023, the bispecific CD20-directed CD3 T-cell engager glofitamab-gxbm was granted accelerated approval for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)–not otherwise specified or large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) arising from follicular lymphoma after at least two lines of...
ASCO-CAP Guideline Update Confirms Previous Recommendations for HER2 Testing in Breast Cancer
In partnership with the College of American Pathologists (CAP), ASCO has affirmed findings from its 2018 practice guideline on the use of HER2 testing in breast cancer. Notably, the ASCO/CAP expert panel found there is currently no justification for a new designation of HER2 test results for...
Implementation of CLINICAL TREATMENT Act Advances, Increasing Access to Cancer Clinical Trials
After direct advocacy from the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and its members, in December 2019, Congress enacted the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act, which requires all states and territories to cover and reimburse routine costs of care for treating a Medicaid enrollee who is participating in a...
ASCO Blueprint Report Captures Steady Progress Toward Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has released its first-ever Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Blueprint Report, highlighting ASCO’s 2022 advancements in the EDI space.
The report provides information on 22 initiatives that ASCO launched across the mission pillars of research, ...
ASCO Issues Statements on Recent U.S. Supreme Court Rulings on Affirmative Action, LGBTQ+ Rights
ASCO issued a statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision on affirmative action on June 29. A statement from ASCO Chief Executive Officer, Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FASCO, FACP, follows:
“[The] U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action threatens to reverse hard-won gains in diversity...
‘I Want to Kill You’
My patient threatened to kill me. I was in the middle of a busy medical oncology clinic. I was seeing her to discuss test results 1 week after I told her I was concerned that her cancer had returned. As I suspected, the test confirmed recurrent cancer, and this time, it was incurable.
I walked...
Keeping Staff and Patients Safe From Workplace Violence
The statistics are chilling. According to estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in the fields of health care and social services are five times more likely to suffer from a workplace violence injury than workers overall.1 The Bureau statistics show that the rate of injuries...
