March 10, 2022 (View All Issues)
Humanitarian Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, Dies at 62
"One of the great advocates for the poorest and sickest of our planet.”
—Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu
“Our mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. By establishing long-term relationships with sister...
Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, Appointed to Senior Post at U.S. Agency for International Development
On December 17, 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, as Assistant Administrator of Global Health Development at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr. Gawande assumed the new role in January 2022.
Dr. Gawande’s role at...
OneOncology Names Davey Daniel, MD, Chief Medical Officer
OneOncology, the national platform for independent community oncology practices, announced that Davey Daniel, MD, has been appointed Chief Medical Officer succeeding Lee Schwartzberg, MD. Dr. Schwartzberg served as the founding member of the platform’s clinical office and will remain a senior...
Monica Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, Joins Prevent Cancer Foundation Board of Directors
Monica Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, was recently elected to the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Board of Directors.Dr. Bertagnolli is the Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery in the Field of Surgical Oncology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Gastrointestinal Cancer and Sarcoma Disease ...
Linda Fleisher, PhD, MPH, Appointed Co-Chair of American Cancer Society’s National Navigation Roundtable
Linda Fleisher, PhD, MPH, Associate Research Professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control research program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, was recently appointed Co-Chair of the American Cancer Society’s National Navigation Roundtable.
Patient navigators act as intermediaries between patients and...
Cancer Physician and Researcher Philip Philip, MD, PhD, to Join Henry Ford Cancer Institute
Medical oncologist Philip A. Philip, MD, PhD, has joined Henry Ford Cancer Institute (HFCI) as Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology and Neuroendocrine Oncology, Medical Director of Research and Clinical Care Integration, and co-leader of the Henry Ford Pancreatic Cancer Center (HFPCC). Dr. Philip...
NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship Welcomes Michelle Mollica, PhD, MPH, RN, OCN, as Senior Advisor
Michelle Mollica, PhD, MPH, RN, OCN, has joined the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Office of Cancer Survivorship as Senior Advisor. In this role, she is responsible for developing, supporting, and promoting research efforts focused on cancer survivorship. Dr. Mollica also holds a secondary...
President’s Cancer Panel Report: Closing Gaps in Cancer Screening for All Americans
Much progress has been made in the past 50 years since the signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971, which included the establishment of the President’s Cancer Panel. Nevertheless, there remain significant opportunities to make improvements across the cancer spectrum, perhaps none more pressing ...
CAR T-Cell Therapy as Second-Line Treatment in Large B-Cell Lymphomas
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”
—Plutarch
About 30% to 40% of patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) experience relapse, and 10% are refractory to the...
Robust and Durable Responses to Pembrolizumab in Patients With Previously Treated MSI-H/dMMR Endometrial Cancer
“Robust and clinically meaningfulantitumor activity,” with durable responses and “encouraging survival outcomes,” were reported among patients with previously treated microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) endometrial tumors who received pembrolizumab in the...
NIPICOL Trial: Promising Outcomes With Shorter Duration of Checkpoint Inhibition in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
The phase II GERCOR NIPICOL study evaluated 1 year of treatment with nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients with chemotherapy-resistant metastatic colorectal cancer whose tumors were microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR). With this shortened treatment duration,...
PARP Inhibitor Plus Abiraterone Benefits Subgroups of Patients With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
The combination of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor niraparib plus abiraterone acetate and prednisone as first-line therapy significantly improved radiographic progression-free survival vs abiraterone and placebo alone in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer...
Neoadjuvant Checkpoint Inhibitor Doublet Yields Complete Responses in Gastroesophageal Cancers
In patients with resectable microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, dual checkpoint inhibition with ipilimumab and nivolumab given as neoadjuvant therapy led to a pathologic complete response rate of 58.6%,...
Massage for Pain Management in the Cancer Population
Guest Editor’s Note: Pain is a debilitating symptom experienced by many patients with cancer that negatively impacts their quality of life. Massage therapy, historically used for relaxation and pain relief, plays an important supportive role in oncology settings. In this installment of The ASCO...
Small Study Reports Neoadjuvant PD-1 Blockade Yields 100% Clinical Complete Response Rate in Locally Advanced Mismatch Repair–Deficient Rectal Cancer
In a small study of patients with locally advanced mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) rectal cancer, treatment with the anti–PD-1 agent dostarlimab-gxly alone led to a clinical complete response rate of 100%. The findings of this study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) were reported...
Emerging Issues Regarding Artificial Intelligence in Cancer Research and Clinical Practice
Artificial intelligence (AI) has captured society’s imagination and generated enthusiasm for its potential to improve our quality of life, especially in the health-care arena. The availability of high-dimensionality data sets along with innovations in high-performance computing and deep-learning...
CancerCare Offers Patients Financial Assistance for Transportation, Pet Care
Financial assistance is available for some individuals with cancer from CancerCare, a nonprofit organization helping people cope with and manage the emotional and practical challenges of cancer.
Financial assistance for transportation to and from treatment is available via CancerCare’s...
Updated Findings on T-DXd in Gastrointestinal Malignancies
Updates of phase II studies evaluating fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in gastrointestinal cancers were presented at the 2022 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, continuing to offer support for the antibody-drug conjugate in these malignancies. In HER2-expressing gastric cancer, T-DXd...
Leukemia Committee of National Cooperative Clinical Trials Group Names New Co-Chairs
A network sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, the Leukemia Committee of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology promotes collaboration between approximately 10,000 cancer specialists across the United States and Canada. The Committee recently announced the results of an international...
Report on COVID-19 Outlines the Pandemic’s Negative Impact on Patient Care and Clinical Research—and the Lessons Learned
Patients with cancer are not only at an increased risk for developing severe COVID-19, but also face cancer treatment delays and interruptions due to the pandemic, potentially worsening cancer outcomes, according to the AACR Report on the Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Research and Patient Care. In...
CMS Expands Coverage of Lung Cancer Screening With Low-Dose CT
On February 10, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a national coverage determination that expands coverage for lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) to improve health outcomes for people with lung cancer. This type of screening is aimed at early...
From a Low-Income Family in Puerto Rico, to a Leadership Role in Oncology for Gerardo Colón-Otero, MD
In this installment of Living a Full Life, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, spoke with Gerardo Colón-Otero, MD, Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Past Chair of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, and Vice Dean at Mayo Clinic Alix School of...
Checkpoint Inhibitors in Esophagogastric Cancer: Updates of Landmark Trials
Updates of landmark trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors as first-line therapy for advanced HER2-negative esophagogastric cancers were presented at the 2022 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. The studies upheld previous findings of an overall survival benefit when these agents are paired...
Cancer in the Arab World: Addressing Challenges to Improve Outcomes
I returned home to the United Arab Emirates in 2017, following my oncology fellowship training and work experience in the United States. I immediately realized that I am now dealing with a considerably different cancer patient population in terms of age of onset, stage at presentation, awareness...
Study Identifies Factors Impacting Adherence to Oral Medications for Metastatic Breast Cancer
A recent study published by Conley et al in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment aimed to evaluate factors that influence the ability of people with metastatic breast cancer to adhere to their prescribed regimen of oral anticancer medication.1 Researchers found that multiple factors affected...
Pyrotinib and Capecitabine in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer With Brain Metastases
In the Chinese phase II PERMEATE trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Yan et al found that the combination of the pan-HER receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor pyrotinib plus capecitabine produced high intracranial response rates in women with HER2-positive breast cancer and brain metastases,...
Association of Breast Cancer Subtypes With Pathogenic Germline Variants in Nine Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, researchers from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium found that pathogenic germline variants in nine breast cancer susceptibility genes were associated with different breast cancer subtypes, although most were also associated with triple-negative disease.
...
Reduction in Elective Radiotherapy Dose and Field in Definitive Chemoradiotherapy for HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Carcinoma
In a single-center retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, C. Jillian Tsai, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that a systematic approach of reducing radiotherapy dose and target volume to elective treatment regions was associated with a high rate of locoregional control in patients with...
Grieving the Loss of Sexual Intimacy as a Result of Cancer and Its Treatment
About 5 years ago, I began experiencing some digestive issues that I initially blamed on the stress from coping with my mother’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. But after 2 weeks of unrelenting symptoms, including abdominal pain, a change in my bowel habits, and rectal bleeding, I saw my primary...
American Cancer Society Reports Breast Cancer Is Now the Leading Cause of Cancer Mortality in Black Women
Breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer mortality among Black women as of 2019. This news is one of the key findings in Cancer Statistics for African American/Black People 2022, published recently in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and its consumer-friendly...
Laura Bukavina, MD, MPH, Wins ASCO Genitourinary Conquer Cancer Merit Award for Microbiome Research in Bladder Cancer
Laura Bukavina, MD, MPH, a Urologic oncology fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been awarded the ASCO Genitourinary Conquer Cancer Merit Award. She presented the winning abstract, which characterizes the gut microbiome of patients with bladder cancer, at the 2022 ASCO Genitourinary (GU) Cancers ...
Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, Confirmed as FDA Commissioner
On February 15, the Senate voted 50 to 46 to confirm Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Dr. Califf was previously the Commissioner of the FDA from February 2016 to January 2017. He also served as the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Medical...
Noninvasive Diagnosis of CNS Lymphoma Possible Through ctDNA
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is readily detectable in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma and is a strong prognostic biomarker for outcomes, a team of researchers from Germany and Stanford University reported at the 2021 American Society of...
Combinations Advance the Power of Pembrolizumab in Hodgkin Lymphoma
Pembrolizumab monotherapy is an established treatment strategy for relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma. In combination with chemotherapy, the checkpoint inhibitor is also showing value in the front-line setting and further boosting outcomes in the relapsed setting, according to...
Memorial Sloan Kettering President and Chief Executive Officer, Craig B. Thompson, MD, to Step Down
Craig B. Thompson, MD, announced his intention to step down as President and Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and has asked the Boards of Trustees and Governing Trustees to begin a search for his successor. Dr. Thompson will continue in his role until the...
CHIP Mutations ‘Surprisingly’ Associated With Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
The presence of clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, or CHIP, increases the risk of developing a myeloid malignancy and also cardiovascular disease—which are well-established findings—but it may also protect against developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to findings reported at the...
Iberia Romina Sosa, MD, PhD, Appointed New Chief of Division of Hematology at Fox Chase
Iberia Romina Sosa, MD, PhD, Associate Professor at Fox Chase Cancer Center, was recently appointed as the new Chief of the Division of Hematology in the Department of Hematology/Oncology.
“I feel truly privileged to have been offered this role and to have the opportunity to work with such a...
Margaret von Mehren, MD, Appointed New Vice Chair of Department of Hematology/Oncology at Fox Chase
Margaret von Mehren, MD, Chief of the Division of Sarcoma Medical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, was recently appointed the new Vice Chair of the Department of Hematology/Oncology.
“It is an honor to serve the Department of Hematology and Oncology, which I have been a member of since 1993,...
ABC Sixth International Consensus Conference Updates Guidelines for Advanced Breast Cancer
New recommendations for treating advanced breast cancer, coming from a panel of experts at the Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC) Sixth International Consensus Conference (ABC6), were recently published.1 The report highlights advances that have resulted in robust improvements in overall survival for...
Clinical Trials Underway for T-DXd in Breast Cancer
The current standard of care for the neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer consists of trastuzumab plus pertuzumab and polychemotherapy. But some patients, particularly those with locally advanced or inflammatory disease, still relapse and die. Furthermore, multiagent...
T-DXd Shows Activity in HER2-Low, HER2-Undetectable Breast Cancer
The antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) has led to practice changes in previously treated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Most notably, in the DESTINY-Breast03 trial, treatment with T-DXd produced a doubling in 12-month progression-free survival vs...
Lenvatinib/Pembrolizumab Improves Progression-Free and Overall Survival vs Chemotherapy in Previously Treated Advanced Endometrial Cancer
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Vicky Makker, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, the phase III Study 309/KEYNOTE-775 trial has shown prolonged progression-free and overall survival with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab vs physician’s choice of...
Time for a Radical Change in the Treatment of Endometrial Cancer: KEYNOTE-775 and Beyond
I had the privilege of sitting in a meeting on the treatment of endometrial cancer as a junior investigator in January 2015 where a representative from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was present. The topic of the meeting was on how to design the next endometrial cancer trials. I remember...
The Road to a Career in Breast Oncology Took Several Twists and Turns for Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, FACP
Breast cancer specialist Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, FACP, grew up in the East Bay area of Northern California, the youngest of five children. “My mother was a traditional stay-at-home mom, and my father was a probation officer. I come from a long line of artists; my great-grandfather on my mother’s side...
Project Confirm: An Initiative to Promote Transparency of the Accelerated Approval Program for Oncology Indications
OCE Insights is an occasional column developed for The ASCO Post by members of the Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this installment, Gautam U. Mehta, MD, Neurosurgical Oncologist and Clinical Reviewer, Division of Oncology 2; Fatima Rizvi,...
Managing Long-Term Toxicity From Pelvic Radiation Therapy
Advances over the past 3 decades in improvements in cancer prevention and screening strategies and more effective diagnostics and therapies in cancer care have led to unprecedented declines in death rates from all cancers, including prostate, gynecologic, and colorectal/anal cancers. The fastest...
Importing Oncology Trials From China, or Other Single Foreign Countries, for Consideration of U.S. Regulatory Approvals
In a commentary published recently in The Lancet Oncology,1 Harpreet Singh, MD, and Richard Pazdur, MD, both of the Oncology Center of Excellence at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), warned against the increasing number of oncology drug development programs based wholly or predominantly...
The Virtues of Ruth: Gratitude, Advocacy, and Service
I still remember having to sit down with her three siblings on that afternoon. It was drizzling, cloudy, and cool—Mother Nature in agreement with the heaviness of what had just taken place. I held them tight. I knew the words I would utter next would change their lives forever. I paused for 10...
ASCO and Ontario Health Provide Updated Recommendations on Using Adjuvant Bone-Modifying Treatments in Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer
An update to a joint guideline from Cancer Care Ontario (now a division of Ontario Health) and ASCO provides revised recommendations for the use of adjuvant bone-modifying agents for patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer, with the overarching goal of improving relapse and survival rates.1,2
New ASCO Report Clarifies Potential Value and Utility of Biosimilars in Oncology
A new report from an ASCO expert panel that addresses unanswered questions about biosimilars—licensed biologic products that are largely analogous to products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—found that they may represent an affordable and effective alternative for cancer...
PREVENT Pandemics Act Would Improve Public Health in the United States
ASCO sent comments to leadership of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) regarding the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act). This legislation aims to improve the nation’s public health and...
2023 ACA Proposal Aims to Advance Health Equity and Improve Access to Health-Care Coverage
ASCO submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2023 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters proposed rule. The rule includes proposed changes to standards for issuers and marketplaces and reinstates many...
