March 10, 2018 (View All Issues)
New Agents for Initial Treatment of Metastatic Prostate Cancer: A New Standard of Care?
FOR DECADES, the status of metastatic prostate cancer trials was not particularly exciting. With an absence of high-impact novel agents, the focus of cancer trial groups was on the improvement of standard care. Well-crafted, large trials of hormonal therapy demonstrated the utility of combined...
Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab Improves Progression-Free Survival in First-Line Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
THE TYROSINE KINASE inhibitor sunitinib (Sutent) has been the mainstay of treatment for first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma for about a decade. The IMmotion151 study reported at the 2018 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium found that the combination of the immune checkpoint inhibitor...
Advancing Cancer Research in Challenging Times
ON OCTOBER 17, 2017, Norman E. Sharpless, MD, became the 15th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), succeeding Harold E. Varmus, MD, who stepped down as Director of the agency in March 2015, and replacing Douglas R. Lowy, MD, who had served as Acting Director for 2 years. The...
Apalutamide, Enzalutamide Improve Metastasis-Free Survival in Nonmetastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer
IN TWO SEPARATE TRIALS presented at the 2018 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, apalutamide and enzalutamide (Xtandi), respectively, reduced the risk of metastasis and prolonged metastasis-free survival in men with high-risk nonmetastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. In the SPARTAN trial,1,2...
Responses Reported With CAR T-Cell Therapy in High-Risk NHL
LISOCABTAGENE MARALEUCEL (Liso-cel; JCAR017), a CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy with defined composition, has shown “potent and durable” responses in poor-prognosis patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in a phase I trial.1 According ...
Combination PARP and PD-1 Inhibition Shows Antitumor Activity in Advanced Malignancies
IN A PHASE I trial of patients with advanced solid tumors, the combination of pamiparib (BGB-290), a selective poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, and tislelizumab (BGB-A317), an agent targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptor, was well tolerated while demonstrating...
Expression of Endogenous Retroviruses May Explain Response to Immune Checkpoint Therapy in Renal Cell Cancer
RESULTS OF a new study suggest that expression of endogenous retroviruses may be associated with activation of immune checkpoint pathways in renal cell cancer.1 According to data presented at the 2018 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium, abnormal expression of endogenous retroviruses may...
Small Study Evaluates Novel Immunotherapeutic in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
IN PATIENTS WITH metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, 1-year survival reached 43% following treatment with a novel immunotherapy—PEGylated human IL-10 (AM0010, pegilodecakin)—plus chemotherapy, in a small study reported at the 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.1
“We saw a very...
Investigational Genomic Tool Identifies Consensus Molecular Subtype of Colon Tumor and May Predict Risk of Recurrence
AN INVESTIGATIONAL TOOL called ColotypeR classifies colon cancers by molecular subtype and creates a subtype-specific risk of recurrence, according to research. Developers of the tool say it will be able to guide treatment decisions.
Colon cancer is highly heterogeneous in prognosis and response...
Small Study Evaluates Treatment Sequencing in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
THE OPTIMAL treatment sequence for two approved agents in metastatic colorectal cancer may be regorafenib (Stivarga) before cetuximab (Erbitux), according to results from the small randomized Japanese REVERCE trial presented at the 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.1
Giving regorafenib...
Yale Law School Hosts Interdisciplinary Conference on Cancer Policy, Politics, and Law
THE SOLOMON CENTER for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School, in collaboration with Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, hosted a major interdisciplinary conference addressing topics at the cutting edge of cancer policy. The 2-day program took place on February 8–9,...
In Unresectable Liver Cancer, Progression-Free Survival Doubled When Sorafenib Added to TACE
SORAFENIB (Nexavar) added to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) doubled the median progression-free survival over TACE alone in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, Japanese investigators reported at the 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.1 The results of the randomized,...
Richard R. Barakat, MD, to Lead Northwell Health Cancer Services and Research
IN A SIGNIFICANT recruitment that involved a nationwide search, Northwell Health has appointed Richard R. Barakat, MD, to lead all of its cancer services and research.
An internationally recognized surgeon and clinical investigator who specializes in robotic and laparoscopic treatments of...
Rutgers Cancer Institute Welcomes New Oncology Leadership
RUTGERS CANCER INSTITUTE of New Jersey at the University Hospital in Newark has named several new oncology leaders, further enhancing the facility’s expertise and ability to deliver National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center services to the greater Essex County region.
...
Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors Often Struggle With Reproductive and Sexual Health Concerns
FOR MANY adolescents and young adults (AYAs), the most distressing and troubling phase of the cancer continuum that began with diagnosis is survivorship, and among the toughest challenges are those involving sexual health and reproduction, Jessica Gorman, PhD, MPH, stated at the 11th Annual...
Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Upper Tract Urothelial Cancer
ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY achieved robust improvements in disease-free survival and metastasis-free survival compared with surveillance in the phase III POUT study of patients with upper tract urothelial cancer.1 Further, there was an early trend toward improved overall survival with adjuvant...
European Study Shows Double Transplant Improves Survival in Myeloma
FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED patients with multiple myeloma considered to be at high risk of disease progression, double autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) significantly prolongs progression-free and overall survival, vs single transplant, according to the phase III EMN02/HO95 study. The findings...
Selected Abstracts From the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
EACH YEAR, The ASCO Post asks Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, Director of the Breast Oncology Program at Taussig Cancer Institute and Co-Director of the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program, to give his picks for the most important research presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer...
No Evidence of Celecoxib Benefit Reported in Patients With Early Breast Cancer
TWO YEARS of treatment with celecoxib had no observed effect on 5-year outcomes of patients with early breast cancer in the large REACT trial presented at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1
“There was no overall benefit observed in disease-free survival or overall survival for...
Osimertinib Improves Progression-Free Survival vs Standard EGFR Inhibitors in EGFR-Mutant NSCLC
AS REPORTED in The New England Journal of Medicine by Jean-Charles Soria, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus and University Paris-Sud, and colleagues, the phase III FLAURA trial has shown a significant progression-free survival benefit with the third-generation epidermal growth factor...
Osimertinib: A New Standard of Care in Initial Treatment of EGFR-Mutant NSCLC
Dr. Ramalingam is Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta.
MUTATIONS IN the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene were discovered in 2004. These mutations, localized most commonly to exon 19 or 21, vary in...
University of Pittsburgh Plans to Create New Immunotherapy Facility
THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH and its corresponding medical center (UPMC) are once again partnering to advance the pace of life-changing innovation in the region and beyond. The University of Pittsburgh and UPMC leaders announced plans to establish the new UPMC Immune Transplant and Therapy Center...
Interventions to Address Sexual Problems in People With Cancer: ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline Adaptation of CCO Guideline
AS REPORTED in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Jeanne Carter, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, ASCO has issued a clinical practice guideline adaptation of the Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) guideline on interventions to address sexual problems in people with...
It Starts With a Discussion: ASCO Guideline on Interventions to Address Sexual Problems in People With Cancer
Dr. Katz is a certified sexuality counselor at CancerCare Manitoba, Canada.
SEXUALITY AND SEXUAL functioning are important to cancer survivors, and considering the significant number of survivors, this is an issue that should not be ignored. In a survey of cancer survivors who had completed...
Bosutinib in Newly Diagnosed Chronic-Phase Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms of action, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On December 19, 2017, bosutinib (Bosulif) was granted...
National Comprehensive Cancer Network Reports New Milestones, Fosters Novel Collaborations
MORE THAN 8 million copies of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) were downloaded in 2017, marking a 16% increase since 2016 and setting a new personal record for the NCCN. Over the past 2 years, free downloads from NCCN.org and the ...
Cabozantinib in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
ON DECEMBER 19, 2017, cabozantinib (Cabometyx) was granted regular approval for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma.1,2 Cabozantinib was initially granted approval in 2016 for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who had received prior antiangiogenic therapy. The...
Legal Duties of Clinicians When Terminally Ill Patients With Cancer or Their Surrogates Insist on ‘Futile’ Treatment
Law and Ethics in Oncology explores the legal and ethical issues oncologists must be aware of in this era of precision medicine and changing health-care policy, both to protect patients’ rights and to safeguard against potential legal jeopardy.
For years, ASCO and other medical societies have...
The 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. Abutalib and Medeiros explore the recently updated World Health Organization (WHO) classification of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue...
Answers to Hematology Expert Review Questions
GUEST EDITORS: Dr. Abutalib is Assistant Director, Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Director, Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Apheresis Service, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Zion, Illinois, Editor-in-Chief, Advances in Cell & Gene Therapy. Dr. Medeiros is Professor...
The Skin Cancer Foundation Announces Office Relocation
The Skin Cancer Foundation, the leading nonprofit organization for public and professional skin cancer education, recently moved to a new office space at 205 Lexington Avenue in midtown Manhattan. The new office will allow the Foundation to grow its staff as it develops new patient support programs ...
Alex Huang, MD, PhD, Receives $450,000 From Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation
Cancer researcher Alex Huang MD, PhD, has received a $450,000 Basic Science grant from the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation to study targeted approaches for effectively eliminating metastatic osteosarcoma. Dr. Huang is Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of...
Bevacizumab in Recurrent Glioblastoma
On December 5, 2017, bevacizumab (Avastin) was granted regular approval for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma in adults.1 Bevacizumab was granted accelerated approval in May 2009 for use in treating patients with glioblastoma who had disease progression on prior therapy.
Supporting Efficacy...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Melanoma
The information contained in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting clinical studies in melanoma. These studies focus on assessing response to checkpoint inhibitors; T-cell immunotherapy; combination therapies; adoptive cell therapy; combination therapy development; and...
Called to Lead: Tara O. Henderson, MD, MPH, Selected for Presidential Leadership Scholars Program
ASCO congratulates pediatric oncologist Tara O. Henderson, MD, MPH, on being selected for the 2018 Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program. This highly competitive and prestigious national program was created to help individuals from many professional backgrounds develop the practical...
Conqueror in Action: Katherine Reeder-Hayes, MD, Takes on Breast Cancer
When a cutting-edge cancer tool becomes available, marginalized populations such as African Americans and older patients often have less access to it than other populations. This is problematic, especially when those with limited access are those who could benefit the most. As a result, public...
ASCO, NCCN Provide Guidance on Understanding and Managing Immunotherapy Side Effects
Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors is the first of a new generation of immunotherapy treatments, revolutionizing treatment for many different types of cancer. By unleashing the body’s immune system to attack cancer, these treatments can send even the most hard-to-treat cancers into...
Second Brazilian Practice Achieves QOPI® Certification
Clinica AMO has become the second practice in Brazil to receive Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) certification through QOPI Certification Program, LLC, and the sixth practice internationally to receive this accreditation.
The practice, located in Salvador, Bahia, on Brazil’s east...
Stay Up to Date on New Patient Materials From Cancer.Net
Encourage your patients to use social media to stay up to date with new resources available on Cancer.Net. It is easier than ever for patients to get the latest cancer information on their computer or mobile device by reading the Cancer.Net Blog (cancer.net/blog), or following Cancer.Net on...
Texas Society of Clinical Oncology Makes Investment in Young Investigators
The Texas Society of Clinical Oncology (TxSCO) is one of the newest supporters of the Conquer Cancer Foundation’s Young Investigator Award (YIA) program. A state affiliate of ASCO, TxSCO currently has more than 600 members who represent a diverse array of oncology health providers in Texas.
“We...
Statement on Biosimilars in Oncology Aims to Educate ASCO Members
Biosimilars have rapidly proliferated in the cancer care landscape, leaving many providers unclear about the full impact these products will have on the care they deliver to patients. “American Society of Clinical Oncology Statement: Biosimilars in Oncology,” published in the Journal of Clinical...
E. John Wherry, PhD, Awarded SU2C Funding to Lead Investigation of Gynecologic Cancer Therapies
E. John Wherry, PhD, a cancer and immunology researcher at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the most highly cited investigators in his field, has been awarded a “Convergence 2.0” research grant by Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) to investigate immune system...
Lutetium Lu-177 Dotatate in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
On January 26, 2018, the radiolabeled somatostatin analog lutetium Lu-177 dotatate (Lutathera) was approved for the treatment of somatostatin receptor–positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, including foregut, midgut, and hindgut neuroendocrine tumors, in adults.1,2
Supporting...
Acupuncture for the Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies commonly used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, reviews the current data on the use of acupuncture...
Study Uses Music Medicine to Reduce Stress in Pediatric Patients
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the Children’s Cancer Association, Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, and Legacy Research Institute, of Portland, Oregon, co-led a study to assess the impact of using live music as medicine on postoperative pediatric patients to reduce pain and...
Proud to Be a Pioneer in CAR T-Cell Therapy
Six years ago, I was 38 years old and, like many young people, took life for granted. I had two young daughters, ages 7 years and 4 months, and a wife I adored. And, except for a nagging pain on the left side of my abdomen, I was blessed with good health. Then, suddenly, the pain became so...
The Challenge of Prognostication in the Era of Immunotherapy
GUEST EDITOR
Addressing the evolving needs of cancer survivors at various stages of their illness and care, Palliative Care in Oncology is guest edited by Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD. Dr. Von Roenn is ASCO’s Vice President of Education, Science, and Professional Development.
Although advances in...
Mentorship From a Past ASCO President and Others Steers a Career to Academic Research
Breast cancer specialist Stacy L. Moulder, MD, was born and reared in Brookhaven, Mississippi, a small town southwest of the state capital of Jackson. “I was always interested in math and science, and I had a wonderful biology teacher in high school. It was when the advanced placement courses...
Fast Food Nation and America’s Sick Diet
BOOKMARK
Title: Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Author: Eric Schlosser
Original Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Original Publication Date: January 2001
Price: $23.95, paperback, 288 pages
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about two-thirds ...
Seeking Beauty From the Inside Out After Cancer Treatment
BOOKMARK
Title: Autobiography of a Face
Author: Lucy Grealy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Original Publication Date: June 1994
Price: $14.95, paperback; 256 pages
We live in a celebrity-obsessed society that is consumed by images of what we perceive as ideal beauty. Numerous studies show...
FDA Approves Abemaciclib as Initial Therapy for Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer
On February 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved abemaciclib (Verzenio) in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as initial endocrine-based therapy for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
MONARCH 3
...
FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation to YS-ON-001 for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
On February 26, Yisheng Biopharma Co., Ltd. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug designation to its lead immuno-oncology candidate, YS-ON-001, for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
YS-ON-001 is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology biologic product...
FDA Accepts NDA, Grants Priority Review for Ivosidenib in Relapsed or Refractory IDH1-Mutated AML
On February 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted a new drug application (NDA) for ivosidenib (AG-120) for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation. The NDA was granted Priority Review...
A River Runs Through the Life of a Leukemia Specialist
GUEST EDITOR
Dr. Abraham is the Director of the Breast Oncology Program at Taussig Cancer Institute, and Professor of Medicine, Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic.
MATT KALAYCIO, MD
Affiliation: Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute
On balancing priorities: “As an oncologist...
Effect of Azithromycin on Airflow Decline–Free Survival After Allogeneic HSCT
The French phase III ALLOZITHRO trial, stopped early due to excessive hematologic relapse in the azithromycin group, showed worse airflow decline–free survival with azithromycin vs placebo after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for hematologic malignancy. The study findings were...
CAR T-Cell Therapy in Refractory B-Cell Lymphomas
As reported at the 2017 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition and in The New England Journal of Medicine, Stephen J. Schuster, MD, of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues found that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell...
The Anesthesia Era: 1845–1875
The text and photograph 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 photo below is from the volume titled “The Anesthesia Era: 1845–1875.” The photograph...
