March 10, 2017 (View All Issues)
FALCON Trial Informs the Evolving Role of Fulvestrant in Advanced Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
Endocrine therapy for breast cancer has evolved over the years. Initial endocrine therapies consisted of ablative procedures (oophorectomy, adrenalectomy, and hypophysectomy). With the availability of pharmaceutical estrogens, progestins, and androgens, ablative procedure utilization begin to...
How Stupid Cancer Is Building a Support Community for AYA Survivors
In 1995, Matthew Zachary, an aspiring concert pianist and composer, was en route to graduate school to study film composition when he lost all fine-motor coordination in his left hand, was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer (medulloblastoma), told he would never play again, and was given 6...
Make Vaccination Great Again
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide. It affects 80% of individuals, with the initial infection usually occurring between the ages of 15 and 24. Persistent infection with oncogenic HPV genotypes, primarily 16 and 18, is the cause of virtually all...
Phase II Trial Evaluates New Gene Therapy for Non–Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer After BCG
A novel approach using intravesical gene therapy showed promising activity in a phase II trial that enrolled patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-refractory or -relapsed nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.1
The rate of high-grade relapse-free survival at 12 months was 35% in patients...
No Benefit From Older Standard-of-Care Drug in Adjuvant Chemotherapy for High-Risk Prostate Cancer, but Newer Trials Feasible
An older trial designed to evaluate the benefits of adjuvant therapy following radical prostatectomy in patients with high-risk prostate cancer showed no difference in overall or disease-free survival between 2 years of androgen-deprivation therapy and 2 years of androgen-deprivation therapy plus...
Update on Overall Survival for Newly Diagnosed Patients With Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Although “treatment advances” and “precision medicine” are today’s buzz words in oncology, they don’t apply equally to all malignancies. For instance, median overall survival for newly diagnosed patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer has not improved much over the past 20 years, according to...
Immunotherapy Combinations Gain Traction in Lung Cancer
Combining immunotherapies with each other or with other agents such as chemotherapy and growth factor inhibitors holds promise for better tapping their benefit in patients with lung cancer, data from several studies suggest. Results show that strategic combinations can achieve higher response...
A Decade of Lessons Learned From EGFR-Targeted Therapy
To summarize the lessons learned from the development of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy, one only has to go back about 10 years, according to Frances A. Shepherd, MD, Scott Taylor Chair in Lung Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor of Medicine at ...
No Improvement in Overall Survival With Addition of Ganetespib to Docetaxel in Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Despite positive results in the phase II GALAXY-1 study, the addition of ganetespib to docetaxel in the phase III GALAXY-2 study did not improve overall survival or progression-free survival in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data presented by Rathi Pillai, ...
Immunotherapy Challenges in Lung Cancer: From Patient Selection to Clinical and Financial Toxicity
Immunotherapy has been a major advance in lung cancer, but it is not without its challenges, according to Sanjay Popat, PhD, FRCP, a consultant medical oncologist and reader in cancer medicine at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK. He reviewed some of the challenges pertaining to the use of...
Immunotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer: ‘The Fourth Modality Has Arrived’
“This is a big deal. This is going to change all of oncology, not just head and neck cancer,”1 Tanguy Seiwert, MD, remarked following a summary by Jeffrey Sosman, MD, on advances in immunotherapy for treating cancer.2 Dr. Sosman, Director of the Melanoma Program and Clinical Director of Cancer...
Honoring the Life of Nancy E. Armitage
The University of Nebraska community mourns the loss of dedicated community leader and volunteer Nancy E. Armitage of Omaha. She died February 27, 2017, from complications associated with pancreatic cancer.
Nancy is remembered for the support and encouragement she offered to others over the...
Can Antiviral Therapy Prevent Liver Cancer in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis?
Chronic viral hepatitis is a major causative factor for hepatocellular carcinoma, but antiviral therapy might reduce the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma by preventing or eliminating chronic hepatitis infections, according to Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, MD, Professor of Internal...
Scientists Tackle Next Set of Immunotherapy Challenges
Cancer immunotherapy is about to get much more complicated. Just as oncologists are becoming familiar with checkpoint inhibitors and their growing indications, they will eventually be challenged with using them in novel combinations and in new tumor types. This will be the fruit that comes from...
Novel Immunotherapy Added to Standard Care Did Not Meet Endpoint in Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer
In the phase II Active8 trial, a novel immunotherapy agent, motolimod, failed to improve outcomes over chemotherapy plus cetuximab (Erbitux) in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. In a post hoc analysis, however, patients with...
Value-Based Approaches to the Rising Costs of Cancer Drugs
It’s no secret that cancer drug costs have skyrocketed out of control, with some treatments costing as much as $100,000 to $200,000 per year and even upward. This has put tremendous strain on the U.S. health-care system, while causing financial toxicity and bankruptcy for many patients. ...
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Inaugural Sjöberg Prize Awarded to James P. Allison, PhD, and Tony Hunter, PhD
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (RSAS) has decided to award the inaugural Sjöberg Prize 2017 to James P. Allison, PhD, Professor and Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Tony Hunter, PhD, American Cancer Society...
Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, and Pasi A. Jänne, MD, PhD, Named Co‑Leaders of SU2C-ACS Dream Team on Lung Cancer
Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and Pasi A. Jänne, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, have been named co-leaders of the Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C)-American Cancer Society (ACS) Lung Cancer Dream Team, joining co-leader Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, of...
Low-Grade Gliomas: Understanding the New Treatment Paradigm
Diffuse infiltrating low-grade gliomas include oligodendrogliomas and astrocytomas and account for about 5% of all primary brain tumors. Treatment strategies for these low-grade gliomas in adults have recently changed, as detailed in a recent review in the Journal of Oncology Practice.1 ...
Ibrutinib in Marginal Zone Lymphoma
On January 19, ibrutinib (Imbruvica) was granted accelerated approved for treatment of patients with marginal zone lymphoma who require systemic therapy and have received at least one prior anti-CD20–based therapy.1
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on overall response rate in a...
Close to Home: Dr. Rick Boulay’s Experience With Cancer Survivorship and Caregiving
Richard ‘Rick’ Boulay, MD
Chief of Gynecologic Oncology
Institution: Lehigh Valley Health Network
Member since: 2016
Three years ago, Richard ‘Rick’ Boulay, MD, Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Lehigh Valley Health Network, walked onto the stage at TEDx Lehigh River and confronted his audience ...
Clinical Practice Committee, State Affiliate Council Support Innovative Clinical Research—And So Can You
ASCO’s Clinical Practice Committee (CPC) and State Affiliate Council (SAC) have a history of supporting the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO (CCF) Young Investigator Award (YIA) program. Individual members of the Clinical Practice Committee and State Affiliate Council, as well as ASCO State...
University of Virginia Cancer Center Joins CancerLinQ® as Participating Practice
CancerLinQ LLC, a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of ASCO, has announced that the University of Virginia Cancer Center has signed an agreement to participate in the CancerLinQ ® platform.
“As CancerLinQ ® continues to rapidly grow, we are thrilled to have the University of Virginia Cancer...
ASCO’s Patient Resources for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Stock your practice with ASCO resources for your patients during March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Visit ASCO’s patient information website, Cancer.Net, for a comprehensive guide to colorectal cancer as well as a shorter, one-page colorectal cancer fact sheet. You will also find specialized ...
Spotlight: ASCO Clinical Affairs
ASCO is working—through research, education, and promotion of the highest quality patient care—toward a world where cancer is prevented or cured, and every survivor is healthy. With the goal of ensuring that all patients receive the high-quality care they expect and deserve, ASCO is committed to...
ASCO Urges Lawmakers to Fund Cancer Research on Capitol Hill
The importance of a strong federal investment in cancer research was front and center at ASCO’s congressional briefing this past month, where the Society presented Clinical Cancer Advances 2017: ASCO’s Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer. In addition to announcing the top cancer advance of the ...
Sandra J. Horning, MD, Received Duane Roth Memorial Award
Sandra J. Horning, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Development for Roche/Genentech, was named the 2017 recipient of the Duane Roth Memorial Award. The award was presented February 16 at the annual Industry/Academia Translational Oncology Symposium at the...
Fox Chase–Temple University Hospital Bone Marrow Transplant Program Awarded FACT Accreditation
The Fox Chase–Temple University Hospital Bone Marrow Transplant Program has received internationally recognized accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
By demonstrating compliance with the FACT-JACIE...
Phase III Trial Shows Improved Progression-Free Survival With Fulvestrant vs Anastrozole in Advanced Breast Cancer
In the international phase III FALCON trial, reported in The Lancet, John F.R. Robertson, MD, of the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, and colleagues found that progression-free survival was improved with intramuscular fulvestrant (Faslodex) vs oral anastrozole in endocrine...
New NCCN Treatment Guides to Help Patients With Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia Make Informed Care Decisions
Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, affects approximately 1,500 to 2,000 people in the United States each year. Although it is not curable, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia is grow slowly, and in many patients, it is manageable as a chronic disease. To that end,...
CAR T-Cell Therapy Emerging in Multiple Myeloma
For patients with multiple myeloma, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is gaining ground in pilot studies. At the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, researchers presented their latest findings for this innovative therapy, which has proven...
IASLC Statement Regarding Philip Morris’ Smoke-Free Future
On February 1, 2017, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) issued the following statement:
According to its own public reports, in 2016 Phillip Morris manufactured 800 billion cigarettes. Thus, [IASLC] views with some skepticism Philip Morris’ recent statement...
Cleveland Clinic Opens New Taussig Cancer Center
The new Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center began welcoming patients on March 6, 2017. The 377,000 square-foot facility houses all outpatient cancer treatment services in one location, with the center’s team of medical and radiation oncologists, surgeons, nurses, genetic counselors, social...
ASCO and NCCN to Collaborate on Guidelines on Management of Immunotherapy Side Effects
ASCO and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) have announced a joint collaboration to publish practical clinical guidance on the management of side effects caused by immunotherapy. This novel collaboration aims to rapidly support improved quality of care for the growing number of...
Building a Multidisciplinary Model of Care for Cancer Survivors
Last year’s inaugural Cancer Survivorship Symposium stressed the importance of bringing together the fields of medical oncology and primary care to ensure a coordinated effort to help patients with cancer transition to long-term survivorship care. Building on that goal, the 2017 Cancer Survivorship ...
Platinum Study Finds High Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Testicular Cancer Survivors
A multicenter study of North American testicular cancer survivors treated with platinum-based chemotherapy has found a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors that doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease.1
According to the results of this trial,...
An Oncologist’s Straightforward Guide for Women With Breast Cancer
If you Google the search term “breast cancer,” about 155,000,000 results will pop up in .83 seconds. Add to that pamphlets, journal articles, and library shelves bending under the weight of books written about breast cancer. That’s a mind-bending amount of information to parse through for the...
Eric D. Tetzlaff, MHS, PA-C, Receives National Recognition as AAPA Distinguished Fellow
Eric D. Tetzlaff, MHS, PA-C, a physician assistant at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been recognized as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). He practices clinical care for patients with gastrointestinal cancers and sarcomas and has been at Fox Chase for...
Cancer Has Aged Me
The news that I had breast cancer came at an especially difficult time in my life and was quite shocking to hear. My father had died of lung cancer just 1 month before my diagnosis, and I was still grieving his death when I suddenly had to confront my own mortality. In retrospect, the...
FDA Approves Lenalidomide as Maintenance Therapy for Patients With Multiple Myeloma Following Autologous Stem Cell Transplant
On February 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the existing indication for lenalidomide (Revlimid) 10-mg capsules to include use for patients with multiple myeloma as maintenance therapy following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
Clinical Trial Findings
The...
Potential Biomarker of Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism in Patients Receiving Anticoagulants
In a biomarker analysis of the CATCH trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Alok A. Khorana, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues found that elevated circulating tissue factor levels were associated with an increased risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism in cancer patients on ...
Germline Cancer Susceptibility Mutations in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Pearlman et al found that 16% of patients with early-onset colorectal cancer had germline cancer susceptibility mutations, with a wide array of such mutations being identified. Heather Hampel, MS, CGC, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center,...
Addition of Cetuximab to Chemoradiotherapy for Anal Carcinoma
In a phase II trial (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group–American College of Radiology Imaging Network Cancer Research Group E3205) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Garg et al found that the addition of cetuximab (Erbitux) to definitive chemoradiotherapy appeared to reduce the rates of...
Pembrolizumab in Locally Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Cancer
As reported by Elizabeth R. Plimack, MD, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health, and colleagues in The Lancet Oncology, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) has shown activity in patients in the locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma cohort included in the phase Ib KEYNOTE-012 trial.
In the...
2017 Oncology Meetings
MARCH
ESMO Symposium on Signaling Pathways in Cancer 2017
March 17-18 • Barcelona, Spain
For more information:
http://esmo.org/Conferences/Signalling-Pathways-2017
17th Multidisciplinary Management of Cancers: A Case-Based Approach
March 17-19 • Napa, California
For more information:
Cervical Cancer Mortality Is Higher and Racial Disparity Wider Than Previously Reported
Cervical cancer mortality rates were significantly higher, particularly among black women, when national data were corrected to exclude women who have had hysterectomies. For black women, the cervical cancer mortality rate rose from 5.7 to 10.1 per 100,000 when corrected for...
Expect Questions About the Cervical Cancer Mortality Study
A widely reported study found that cervical cancer mortality was higher and the racial disparity between black and white women greater than previously reported.1 The study omitted from the mortality estimates those women who had undergone hysterectomies, usually involving removal of the cervix.
...
Scripps Florida Collaboration Awarded $3.3 Million to Develop Next-Generation Breast Cancer Therapies
A pair of scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been awarded up to $3.3 million from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create the next generation of breast cancer treatments for the thousands of patients whose...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Colorectal Cancer
Phase I
Study Title: A Pilot Study of SGI-110 in Combination With an Allogeneic Colon Cancer Cell Vaccine and Cyclophosphamide in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer as Maintenance Therapy
Study Type: Phase I/interventional/parallel assignment
Study Sponsor and Collaborators: Sidney Kimmel...
Pacritinib Reduces Spleen Volume in Myelofibrosis
The investigational drug pacritinib met the primary endpoint of the phase III PERSIST-2 trial in high-risk patients with myelofibrosis and thrombocytopenia. Treatment with the Janus kinase (JAK)1/2 inhibitor pacritinib achieved a significant reduction in spleen volume compared with best available...
