New studies highlighting findings that will lead to improvements in the patient experience and identifying potential risks for development of cancers in the future were reported at a press briefing held during the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
“In this era of sophisticated research advances, these studies are a reminder of how we need to be thinking about every aspect of patent care, from managing costs and painful side effects to monitoring patients long after their treatment has ended,” said news briefing moderator Nicholas Vogelzang, MD, Chair of ASCO’s Cancer Communications Committee and Chair and Medical Director, Developmental Therapeutics Committee, US Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada.
“As oncologists, we need to collaborate with our patients and colleagues across the medical field to put this evidence into practice,” Dr. Vogelzang said.
Key Studies
Important findings presented at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meetings include:
- Newer, More Costly Drugs No Better than Standard First-line Therapy for Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer: A phase III randomized trial found weekly administration of either of two newer and significantly more costly agents was not superior to standard weekly dosing of paclitaxel as first-line therapy for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
- Serotonin–Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor Antidepressant Is First Effective Treatment for Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A phase III study found that the antidepressant duloxetine (Cymbalta) is effective in treating painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
- Low Levels of Radiation Therapy Can Increase Risk of Breast Cancer Among Young Women Treated for Childhood Cancer: A study finds that female survivors of childhood cancer treated with radiation to the chest had a high risk of developing breast cancer at a young age, comparable to that of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.
- ASCO Tests New Quality Measures to Encourage Improved Capture of Family Histories and Referral to Genetic Counseling: A study reported findings of the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative pilot that tested new measures to evaluate the practice of family history-taking and referral for genetic counseling and testing in patients with either breast cancer or colorectal cancer.
Watch future issues of The ASCO Post for coverage of these reports and more from the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting. ■
