June 25, 2023 (View All Issues)
INDIGO Trial: IDH Inhibitor Improves Progression-Free Survival in Grade 2 IDH1/2-Mutated Gliomas
The oral IDH1/2 inhibitor vorasidenib significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with grade 2 gliomas expressing IDH1/2 mutations in the phase III INDIGO trial. These results, which were reported by lead author Ingo K. Mellinghoff, MD, FACP, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer...
Prostate Cancer Disparities and the ‘Last Mile’ Problem
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the United States and the second-leading cause of cancer death.1 It also offers a sobering example in the national conversation on racial disparities in cancer care.
Despite a deeper scientific understanding of the disease—as well ...
MIRASOL Trial: First Targeted Therapy for Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer to Improve Survival Outcomes
Mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx, a novel antibody-drug conjugate, significantly improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with platinum-resistant, recurrent ovarian cancers that express high levels of folate receptor–alpha (FR-alpha), according to the results of the phase III...
DIPLOMA Trial: Minimally Invasive Distal Pancreatectomy Noninferior to Open Surgery for Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer
For patients with fully resectable pancreatic cancer, a minimally invasive surgical approach—laparoscopic or robotic—was shown to be comparable to open distal pancreatectomy in the multicenter randomized phase III DIPLOMA trial. These results were presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting and at a...
De-escalation of Surgery Feasible for Selected Patients With Low-Risk, Early-Stage Cervical Cancer
Many patients with early-stage, low-risk cervical cancer may be spared the side effects associated with radical hysterectomy and undergo simple hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection instead, according to results of the international phase III SHAPE study presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual...
FDA Approves Olaparib Plus Abiraterone and Prednisone or Prednisolone for BRCA-Mutated Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
On May 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved olaparib (Lynparza) in combination with abiraterone and prednisone (or prednisolone) for adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, as determined by an...
DUO-O: Benefit Shown for Durvalumab Plus Olaparib in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
In newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer lacking a BRCA mutation, the addition of durvalumab and olaparib to standard therapy significantly improved progression-free survival, in a planned interim analysis of the international phase III DUO-O trial presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting1 and...
Medicaid Expansion Associated With a Reduction in Mortality for Black Patients With Gastrointestinal Malignancies
A study investigating the effect of Medicaid expansion on racial disparities in mortality among patients with gastrointestinal malignancies has found that the initiative was associated with a greater reduction in 2-year mortality rates among Black patients living in states with Medicaid expansion ...
Building a More Equitable Oncology Practice: The Path to Better Patient Outcomes
By embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), oncology practices can work toward better patient outcomes and a more effective health-care system, according to Richard L. Martin III, MD, MPH, Medical Director of Health Equity and Community Engagement at Tennessee Oncology. At the 2023...
Thinking Outside the Box: Embracing Innovation and Collaboration in Oncology
In the ever-evolving landscape of oncology care, embracing innovation and creative problem-solving have become crucial factors for success. At the 2023 Community Oncology Alliance Annual Meeting, a panel discussion tackled the complexities and opportunities associated with implementing value-based...
In Case You Missed It: Brief Highlights From Studies Presented During AACR 2023
Presented here are some highlights of preliminary studies presented at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. These presentations provide signals for the utility of an off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell product in renal cell carcinoma, an...
ASCO Issues Clinical Guidance for Treating Gastrointestinal Cancers Amid Acute Drug Shortages
ASCO has issued new clinical guidance for treating patients with gastrointestinal cancers amid a nationwide shortage of carboplatin and cisplatin. The two chemotherapy agents, in extremely short supply, are essential to treating an array of gastrointestinal cancers—such as esophageal, pancreatic,...
Guideline Update Provides New Testing and Treatment Recommendations for Patients With ER-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer With ESR1 Mutations
Testing for the emergence of ESR1 mutations should be routine at disease recurrence or progression for patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer whose disease is being managed with endocrine therapy, according to an ASCO guideline rapid recommendation...
Retrospective Study Finds Black Patients With Colorectal Cancer Had Fewer Actionable Genomic Mutations Than White Patients
Black individuals have a higher incidence of colorectal cancer than White individuals, and their outcomes are worse. Undoubtedly, reasons for this are multifaceted, but the disparity in outcomes may be partly explained by genomic differences, documented in a large retrospective study presented at...
SWOG S1512 Trial: Pembrolizumab Achieves High Response Rates in Rare Type of Melanoma
The immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab achieved high response rates in patients with unresectable metastatic desmoplastic melanoma, a rare invasive tumor type, according to the results of the phase II SWOG S1512 trial presented at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)...
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Show Promise for People Living With HIV
New research involving people living with HIV treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors has provided valuable insights into the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy in this historically excluded population, according to data published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.1 The real-world data...
Certain Cancers Will Likely Rise Exponentially Because of COVID-19 Screening Delays, Study Predicts
Delays in cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic will likely cause a significant increase in cancer cases that could have been caught earlier with screening. These cases may now be diagnosed at later stages, placing an increased burden on an already-strained health-care system, according to...
Rwanda’s Vision for Increasing Cervical Cancer Prevention One Village at a Time
Cervical cancer is a serious problem in many low- and middle-income countries such as the African country of Rwanda. Although the cervical cancer rate in Rwanda remains more than twice the U.S. rate, there has been improvement in recent years that cancer research organizations can learn from to...
Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbal Formula Suan Zao Ren Tang for Insomnia
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, Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on ...
Ivy Brain Tumor Center Appoints New Chief Medical Officer
Yoshie Umemura, MD, was recently appointed as Chief Medical Officer of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and Chief of Neuro-Oncology and the William and Joan Shapiro Chair of Neuro-Oncology at Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Umemura plans to build on the Ivy Center’s clinical trials program and...
