June 10, 2018 (View All Issues)
TAILORx: Endocrine Therapy Alone Is Sufficient for Most Patients With ‘Intermediate-Risk’ Breast Cancer
THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED results of the phase III TAILORx study are in—and they indicate that the vast majority of patients with “intermediate-risk” early-stage breast cancer can forgo chemotherapy.
“Our study shows that chemotherapy may be avoided in about 70% of women with hormone...
Adherence to Oral Anticancer Treatment: Priorities in Lymphoma and CLL
ADVANCES IN cancer treatment have been nothing short of breathtaking in recent years. Among the most important has been the advent of effective oral therapies, marking a significant change in the way many patients receive treatment and in the oversight required by the cancer care team. As with...
‘Pearls of Wisdom’ for Leadership and Success in Academic Medicine Gathered Over a 35-Year Career
Dr. Hayes, ASCO President 2016–2017, is Professor of Internal Medicine; Stuart B. Padnos Professor in Breast Cancer; and Clinical Director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor.
AS I COMPLETE my 3-year term as ASCO President, I am...
Immunotherapy Benefits Survival, Improves Safety, vs Platinum-Based Chemotherapy for PD-L1–Expressing NSCLC
IMMUNOTHERAPY WITH pembrolizumab (Keytruda) improved overall survival compared with investigator’s choice of platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the KEYNOTE-042 trial. Median overall survival was improved by 4 to 8...
Expert Point of View: John Heymach, MD, PhD, and Leena Gandhi, MD
“THIS STUDY represents a true milestone in the field of lung cancer. For the first time, the vast majority of patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can receive immunotherapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda),” said ASCO expert John Heymach, MD, PhD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston,...
ASCO Applauds NCI Announcement on Increased Funding for National Clinical Trials Network
ON JUNE 2, ASCO President Bruce E. Johnson, MD, FASCO, released the following statement:
Today at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Norman Sharpless, MD, announced $10 million in new funding for the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). ASCO applauds Dr....
Mobile and Sensor Technology May Lead to Reduced Symptoms of Head and Neck Cancer and Its Treatment
A RANDOMIZED clinical trial evaluating the use of mobile and sensor technology to remotely monitor symptoms in patients receiving radiation therapy for head and neck cancer found that use of this technology reduced the severity of symptoms related to cancer and its treatment compared with usual...
Despite USPSTF Recommendations, Majority of Heavy Smokers Not Screened for Lung Cancer
AN ANALYSIS of 1,800 lung cancer screening sites nationwide found that only 1.9% of more than 7 million eligible current and former heavy smokers were screened for lung cancer in 2016, despite U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and ASCO screening recommendations. Results from this...
Expert Point of View: Bruce Johnson, MD, FASCO
“THIS STUDY makes a strong case that our country needs an effective public service campaign about encouraging lung cancer screening,” said ASCO President Bruce E. Johnson, MD, FASCO, during a press briefing before the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. “Public service campaigns from the 1990s encouraged...
Decision-Analytic Model Finds Upfront, Comprehensive Genetic Testing in Advanced Lung Cancer Is Cost-Efficient
AN ECONOMIC model comparing different types of genetic testing in metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) found using next-generation sequencing to test for all known lung cancer–related gene changes at the time of diagnosis was less costly and faster than sequentially testing one or a...
Geriatric Assessment Improves Communication Between Oncologists and Older Patients
A FEDERALLY FUNDED randomized study demonstrated that use of geriatric assessment in the routine care of older adults with advanced cancer significantly improved doctor-patient communication about age-related concerns as well as patient satisfaction with the communication. The study was presented...
Recurrence Rates After Lumpectomy Significantly Improved in Patients Receiving ‘Modern-Era’ Therapy
A STUDY OF local recurrence rates following lumpectomy has shown significant improvement in patients receiving modern, multimodal therapies, suggesting breast-conserving surgery may be an option for more patients with breast cancer, according to data presented at the 2018 American Society of Breast ...
Studies Challenge Relevance of Genetic Testing Guidelines for Breast Cancer
NEW RESEARCH suggests that current genetic testing guidelines for breast cancer are far too restrictive, excluding nearly half of high-risk patients. According to a pair of studies presented at the 2018 American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) Annual Meeting, women with breast cancer who did not ...
Early Detection and Intervention Reduce Breast Cancer–Related Lymphedema
A NEW STUDY has found that early detection along with a simple intervention can be highly effective in preventing breast cancer–related lymphedema for at-risk women. According to data presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons,1 82% of women identified at an...
Durable Responses Observed With Novel Oncolytic Therapy in Recurrent Glioma
IN A PILOT study of recurrent glioma, 26% of patients treated with the optimal dose of vocimagene amiretroprepvec (aka Toca 511), a novel oncolytic virus therapy, achieved durable, long-term responses and remained alive 3 or more years later. This outcome far exceeded “historical benchmarks” for...
Using Neoadjuvant Therapy to Reduce Early Recurrences, Increase Survival in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer
USE OF THE FOLFIRINOX regimen (fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin) was associated with a 4.9-month improvement in overall survival compared to gemcitabine/ nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) in the neoadjuvant treatment of resectable and borderline-resectable pancreatic head...
Quick Takes From Original Research Presented at the 2018 NCCN Annual Conference
THE QUANTITY of original research presented at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Annual Conference has been growing, and at the 2018 meeting, 121 researchers presented their work. The ASCO Post captured some of the findings for this report.
Blood Markers Correlate With Anti–PD-1...
Clinical Findings Predict Early Treatment Discontinuation in Patients Receiving Immunotherapy for Ovarian Cancer
PRETREATMENT CLINICAL findings may predict early treatment discontinuation in patients with ovarian cancer receiving checkpoint blockade immunotherapy agents. Data presented by MD candidate Julia L. Boland at the 2018 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer revealed that...
Poorer Outcomes Reported With Minimally Invasive Surgery Than Open Approach in Early Cervical Cancer
PATIENTS UNDERGOING minimally invasive radical hysterectomy for early cervical cancer had higher rates of disease recurrence and worse disease-free, progression-free, and overall survival than did women who had the open approach, according to results from the phase III LACC trial, presented by...
Study Evaluates Effect of Restrictive Opioid Protocol After Gynecologic Surgery
THE NUMBER of opioids prescribed after surgery for gynecologic cancer decreased significantly after implementation of an ultra-restrictive opioid prescription protocol, with no apparent negative effect on patient satisfaction or pain, according to research presented by Jaron Mark, MD, and...
Early Evidence of Neoadjuvant PD-1 Blockade in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
A NOVEL APPROACH using two doses of nivolumab (Opdivo) prior to surgery achieved major pathologic responses in 45% of patients with resectable stages I to IIIA non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the results of a small Stand Up 2 Cancer–Cancer Research Institute Dream Team study...
Durable Complete Responses After Discontinuation of Pembrolizumab in Metastatic Melanoma
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, and colleagues, a high proportion of patients with metastatic melanoma achieving a complete response on pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in the phase Ib KEYNOTE-001 trial maintained...
CheckMate 214: Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab Improves Survival vs Sunitinib in Advanced Renal Cell Cancer
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Robert J. Motzer, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, the phase III CheckMate 214 trial has shown an overall survival advantage with nivolumab (Opdivo) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy) vs sunitinib (Sutent) in patients with...
Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Shift in the Treatment Paradigm
For over a decade, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been the standard first-line agents in the management of patients with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.1-3 Historically, phase III trials of first-line VEGF therapies included...
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Follicular Lymphoma
Many patients with follicular lymphoma relapse within 2 years of initial therapy, and for a number of these individuals, hematopoietic cell transplantation is a good treatment option. Transplant, however, both autologous and allogeneic, is vastly underutilized in these patients, according to...
Adolfo Ferrando, MD, PhD, Joins Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Advisory Board
The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation announced that Adolfo Ferrando, MD, PhD, Professor at the Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia University, has joined its scientific advisory board. Dr. Ferrando is also Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology & Cell Biology; Associate Director...
Henry Ford Health System Announces Launch of Pancreatic Cancer Center
The Henry Ford Health System announced the receipt of a $20 million gift (from an individual donor who wishes to remain anonymous) to launch the Henry Ford Pancreatic Cancer Center, which will focus on global collaborations to develop new methods for the early detection of pancreatic cancer....
Biospecimen Core Resource Receives NIH Funding to Further Cancer Research
The Biospecimen Core Resource within The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, has received a new $4.5 million federal contract to accept, process, ensure quality, and distribute tumor derivatives for a number of national cancer research projects. The Biospecimen...
AACR and Cancer Research UK Form Alliance
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in collaboration with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) are launching a new international alliance to stimulate discoveries in cancer research. The two organizations share the vision that significant progress against cancer could be facilitated by...
Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib for Thyroid Cancer, Melanoma With BRAF Mutations
On May 4, 2018, dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) in combination was granted approval for treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic anaplastic thyroid cancer with BRAF V600E mutation and no satisfactory locoregional treatment options.1-3 Dabrafenib is not indicated for ...
Inside Look at Widowers Coping With Grief
BOOKMARK
Title: The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life
Authors: Donald L. Rosenstein, MD, and Justin M. Yopp, PhD
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication Date: January 2018
Price: $28.95; hardcover, 192 pages
Looking back, the cancer advocacy movement took shape in two waves: the...
St. Baldrick’s Foundation and SU2C Support Pediatric Cancer Research
The collaboration between Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and St. Baldrick’s Foundation Pediatric Cancer, launched in 2013, continues to help develop new immunotherapy approaches to high-risk childhood cancers, with the most recent donation of $8 million from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. In addition,...
AAMC Study Examines Career Trends Among MD-PhD Program Graduates
There is a projected decline in the physician-scientist workforce, according to a new study published by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The report, the National MD-PhD Program Outcomes Study, tracks the careers of MD-PhD program graduates over 50 years (1964–2014) and...
Tai Chi for the Treatment of Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors
Underrecognized and inadequately managed, insomnia is a significant burden for many cancer survivors. Often persistent over several years following diagnosis and treatment, sleep problems negatively affect quality of life and elevate the risk of depression and anxiety. In this installment of The...
FDA Approves Biosimilar to Pegfilgrastim to Reduce Risk of Infection During Myelosuppressive Chemotherapy
On June 4, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pegfilgrastim-jmdb (Fulphila) as the first biosimilar to pegfilgrastim (Neulasta) to decrease the chance of infection as suggested by febrile neutropenia in patients with nonmyeloid cancer who are receiving myelosuppressive...
The X-Ray Era: 1901–1915
The text and photographs on this page are excerpted from a four-volume series of books titled Oncology: Tumors & Treatment, A Photographic History, by Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS, and Elizabeth A. Burns. The photos below are from the volume titled “The X-Ray Era: 1901–1915.” The photographs...
Following Guidelines for Healthy Eating and Physical Activity May Improve Survival in Patients Treated for Colon Cancer
Following guidelines for proper nutrition, maintaining a healthy weight, and staying physically active may improve survival among patients treated for colon cancer, according to the results of a study with nearly 1,000 patients followed for a median of 7 years.1 “The study suggests that if...
HPV Vaccine Could Have Prevented My Cancer
In the fall of 2015, I was feeling great. At age 37, I had just completed running my fourth half-marathon and regularly hiked trails near my home in Arlington, Texas, to stay fit in-between races. The only symptom that foretold what was in my future was some light watery discharge I was...
Phase I Study of ERK1/2 Inhibitor in Advanced Solid Tumors
Ulixertinib (BVD-523) is an ERK1/2 kinase inhibitor with potent preclinical activity in BRAF- and RAS-mutant cell lines. Now, a multicenter phase I study investigating its safety and efficacy in the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors has found that ulixertinib has an acceptable...
Does Warfarin Have Anticancer Potential in Persons Older Than Age 50?
A Norwegian population–based cohort study indicated that the use of warfarin was associated with a reduced risk of cancer overall and site-specific cancers among patients aged > 50 years. The findings were reported in JAMA Internal Medicine by Haaland et al. As noted by the investigators,...
Chemoradiation in Elderly Patients With Stage III NSCLC Improves Overall Survival
Elderly patients with stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed improved overall survival when treated with chemoradiation compared with definitive radiation alone, according to findings published by Eric D. Miller, MD, PhD, of The Ohio State University, Columbus, and colleagues in the...
Addition of Pazopanib to Paclitaxel in Persistent or Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
In a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology by Debra L. Richardson, MD, of Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma University Health Science Center, and colleagues, the addition of pazopanib (Votrient) to paclitaxel did not improve progression-free survival among women with persistent or recurrent...
Hearing Loss
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,...
ASTRO Collaborates With ASCO and Conquer Cancer to Support Methods Workshop
For the third year, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is supporting the ASCO/American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Workshop on Methods in Clinical Cancer Research, to take place July 18–August 3, 2018, at Vail Mountain Marriott Resort in Vail, Colorado.
Celebrating...
ASCO to Present Douglas W. Blayney, MD, FASCO, With Joseph V. Simone Award and Lecture
ASCO will recognize Douglas W. Blayney, MD, FASCO, medical oncologist and Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, with the Joseph V. Simone Award and Lecture for Excellence in Quality and Safety in the Care of Patients with Cancer. Dr. Blayney will be presented with the award at the...
Resources to Help You Understand What Right-to-Try Legislation Means for Practices, Patients
WITH CONGRESS having recently passed federal “right-to-try” (RTT) legislation, ASCO has developed a suite of educational resources that will help members understand the impact of this law on cancer care and individuals with cancer. Educational resources include:
Podcast
THE LATEST ASCO in...
Spotlight on Women Who Conquer Cancer
WOMEN WHO CONQUER CANCER is a group dedicated to advancing cancer research by supporting young women researchers early in their careers through Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Awards (YIAs). These 1-year grants give promising researchers the boost they need to get started on...
Share ASCO Answers Fact Sheets With Your Patients
DIRECT, EASY to understand, and in a convenient single-page format, ASCO Answers fact sheets introduce patients and their caregivers to types of cancer and cancer-related topics, including treatments and side effects. Each fact sheet includes an overview of the topic, methods for management and...
John V. Cox Reflects on 10 Years as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Oncology Practice
John V. Cox, DO, FASCO, of the Parkland Hospital and Health System/University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP) since 2008. As a member of the journal’s inaugural Editorial Board, he has seen the publication evolve...
ASCO’s TAPUR Study Website Now Features Updates on Patient Cohort Expansions and Closures
ASCO’S TARGETED Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) Study now provides a full list of patient cohort expansions and closures on its website. Based on treatment responses in stage I, patient cohorts are either expanded to stage II for further study and identification of a signal or...
