March 25, 2021 (View All Issues)
Lenvatinib/Pembrolizumab Combination Improves Outcomes vs Sunitinib in Renal Cell Carcinoma
The combination of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab was superior to sunitinib for progression-free and overall survival as well as other key endpoints in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC), according to results of the phase III CLEAR trial presented at the 2021 Genitourinary ...
Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes: Putting the Pieces Together
With the widespread use of multigene panels for germline genetic testing, understanding the cancer risks associated with pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (ie, mutations) has become increasingly necessary. To identify which genes are breast cancer susceptibility genes, population studies...
Physician-Patient Relationship: Sacred and Sacrosanct
There are many relationships we build at work in our entire lifetime. Some are good, a few are not, and many are somewhere in between. But of all the relationships we are fortunate enough to build, there is no relationship more valuable and gratifying than the one between a physician and a patient.
...
No Benefit Found for Everolimus Plus Adjuvant Hormone Therapy in High-Risk Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Everolimus plus hormone therapy improves outcomes in the advanced disease setting but apparently not in the adjuvant setting, according to the results of the UNIRAD trial, presented as a part of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Plenary program.1
“In the UNIRAD study, after ...
Overcoming Gender Disparity in Evaluating Sexual Health Following a Cancer Diagnosis
The results from a recent study showcase the disturbing prevalence of sexual dysfunction as a treatment side effect of cancer and gender disparity in how the problem is addressed by physicians.1 The study, conducted by James Taylor, MD, MPH, Chief Resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology at ...
Hematologic Cancers Increase Risk of COVID-19–Related Death vs Solid Tumors
Patients with cancer are at an increased risk of death due to COVID-19 compared with the general population. And hematologic cancers carry an even greater risk than solid tumors, according to a comprehensive meta-analysis from the Reboot: COVID-Cancer Project presented at the 2021 AACR Virtual...
Older Breast Cancer Survivors May Consider Discontinuing Screening Mammography in the Setting of Limited Life Expectancy
Newly issued mammography screening guidelines for breast cancer survivors aged 75 and older recommend discontinuing routine mammography for those with a life expectancy of less than 5 years and considering discontinuation of routine screening for those with a life expectancy between 5 and 10 years. ...
Female Breast Cancer Surpasses Lung Cancer as the Most Commonly Diagnosed Cancer Worldwide
Cancer ranks as a leading cause of death in every country in the world, and, for the first time, female breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer, overtaking lung cancer, according to a collaborative report from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the International Agency for Research...
Repurposing Available Drugs for COVID-19: An Ongoing Initiative
As of this writing, no drugs have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of COVID-19, although several have received emergency use authorization and many others are being used off-label during the pandemic. In addition to searching for novel therapies, David...
Evidence-Based Strategy for Improving Access to Colorectal Cancer Screening for Diverse Populations
A novel strategy of combining a drive-by flu vaccination clinic with an opportunity for participants to use a take-home fecal immunochemical test (FIT) increased access to colorectal screening among Black Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results related to access to colorectal cancer...
Study Reports Little Benefit to Adding Pembrolizumab to Neoadjuvant Therapy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
The addition of pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (ie, total neoadjuvant therapy) failed to improve a rectal cancer–specific surrogate for survival in patients with locally advanced disease in the phase II NRG-GI002 trial.1
As reported at the 2021 Gastrointestinal Cancers...
ITACA Trial: No Survival Benefit for Tailoring Adjuvant Chemotherapy in NSCLC
Tailoring adjuvant chemotherapy based on the expression of two molecular markers did not lead to a survival advantage in patients with completely resected stage II to III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the phase III ITACA trial. This result was presented during the virtual edition of the...
Next Up in NSCLC: Antibody-Drug Conjugates
Antibody-drug conjugates directed against HER2, HER3, and trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2) are showing encouraging antitumor activity in advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to research presented during the virtual edition of the International Association for the Study...
Challenges in Managing Hodgkin Lymphoma: Focus on Use of Brentuximab Vedotin
“I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.”
—Marie Curie
To complement The ASCO Post’s continued comprehensive coverage of the 2020 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, here are two abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing...
U.S. Population–Based Study of Prevalence of and Risk Associated With Breast Cancer–Predisposition Genes
In a U.S. population–based, case-control study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Chunling Hu, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues identified the prevalence of and breast cancer risk associated with germline pathogenic variants in established and...
Updated Recommendations on the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma–Related Bone Disease From the Bone Working Group of the International Myeloma Working Group
In a policy review reported in The Lancet Oncology, Terpos et al presented updated recommendations from the Bone Working Group of the International Myeloma Working Group on the treatment of multiple myeloma–related bone disease.
The recommendations cover: bisphosphonate use/dosing and management...
Association of BRAF V600–Mutant ctDNA With Outcomes in Patients With Advanced Melanoma Receiving Dabrafenib or Dabrafenib/Trametinib
In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Syeda et al found that higher BRAF V600–mutant cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels prior to and during treatment with dabrafenib or dabrafenib/trametinib were associated with poorer outcomes among patients with advanced melanoma.
Study Details
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MRI-Targeted Biopsy vs Systematic Transrectal Ultrasonography Biopsy for Detection of Disease in Men at Risk for Prostate Cancer
In a Canadian phase III trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Klotz et al found that multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with targeted biopsy was noninferior to systematic 12-core transrectal ultrasonography biopsy in detecting International Society of Urological Pathology grade group 2...
FDA Approves Cemiplimab-rwlc for Patients With NSCLC and High PD-L1 Expression
On February 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo) for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression (tumor proportion score [TPS] > 50%) as determined by an FDA-approved...
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Axicabtagene Ciloleucel for Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
On March 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) for adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
ZUMA-5
Approval in follicular lymphoma was based on a...
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Melphalan Flufenamide for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
On February 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to melphalan flufenamide (Pepaxto) in combination with dexamethasone for adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least four prior lines of therapy and whose disease is...
Nivolumab Plus Cabozantinib as First-Line Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
On January 22, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the combination of nivolumab and cabozantinib as first-line treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.1-3
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on the findings of the phase III, open-label CheckMate 9ER...
Cancer Control in Egypt: Investing in Health
Egypt is a country of 1,010,408 km2 located on the northeast corner of Africa with a population exceeding 100 million. In 2018, there were about 134,632 new cancer cases and 89,042 cancer-related deaths in Egypt. Liver and breast cancers are the most common tumors in terms of incidence and...
Groundbreaking Cancer Researcher Brian J. Druker, MD, Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
For this installment of the Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, spoke with physician-scientist Brian J. Druker, MD, Director of the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland. In 2009, Dr. Druker won the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research ...
Lydia Pace, MD, MPH: A Primary Care Physician on the Front Lines of Oncology, Both Nationally and Globally
Lydia Pace, MD, MPH, was inspired to a become a doctor by her grandfather, a general surgeon in New York City, who spoke effulgently of his career in medicine, and by her mother, a social worker who was equally passionate about her profession. A primary care physician, Dr. Pace developed an...
International Perspectives on Integrative Medicine for Cancer Prevention and Management
Guest Editor’s Note: Although many cancer centers recognize the value of integrative therapies in oncologic care, cancer prevention, its treatment, and survivorship care continue to pose a challenge in many low- and middle-income countries. In this article, Alejandro Salicrup, PhD, highlights the...
I Want to Live Long and I Want to Live Well
I’m a person who doesn’t like uncertainty. I’m also a worrier. So, when my hand kept going to the same spot on the upper part of my left breast near my chest wall, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right, which persisted even after a routine mammography failed to find any...
ASCO Publishes Guideline Endorsement of ASTRO Guideline for Radiation Therapy in SCLC
An ASCO Expert Panel has endorsed an American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) guideline on radiation therapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC), stating the recommendations in the ASTRO guideline “are clear, thorough, and based upon the most relevant scientific evidence” available.1
...
Cancer Cell Therapy Pioneer Carl June, MD, Named 2021 Dan David Prize Laureate
International cancer cell therapy pioneer Carl June, MD, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center, has...
Roswell Park, Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation Team Up to Fight Cancer in Native and Rural Communities
Roswell Park comprehensive Cancer Center and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation announced a $3.3 million program to address the cancer burden in rural areas and Native Nations across New York State, with an emphasis on the Western New York region.
The grant from the Bristol Myers Squibb...
Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Appoints New Deputy Director
Cancer researcher Alan Tackett, PhD, has been named Deputy Director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute (Cancer Institute) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Dr. Tackett, who is noted for his research in cancer biomarker discovery, is Professor in the UAMS...
Patrick Delaney Named New Executive Director of NCCN Foundation
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has announced the appointment of Patrick Delaney as incoming Executive Director for the NCCN Foundation. Mr. Delaney has previously held leadership roles with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, American Red Cross, and American Cancer Society. ...
Gynecologic Oncology Leader Named at New Jersey’s Only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) have named James K. Aikins, Jr, MD, FACOG, FACS, Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and Chief of Gynecologic Oncology Services at RWJUH. He will also serve as Program Director for the...
Sachin Apte, MD, MS, MBA, Joins Huntsman Cancer Institute as Chief Clinical Officer
Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and University of Utah (U of U) Health announced the appointment of Sachin Apte, MD, MS, MBA, as Chief Clinical Officer of HCI and Physician-in-Chief of the cancer hospital. “Dr. Apte will lead HCI’s clinical efforts at a time when we are poised to dramatically...
Sara Schottenstein Foundation, Dedicated to Gastric Cancer, Announces Launch
A science-focused organization dedicated to ending gastric cancer, the Sara Schottenstein Foundation recently announced its launch and its new website, http://www.saraschottensteinfoundation.org. Founded by Jeff Schottenstein, MBA, a wealth management professional in San Francisco, the Sara...
SGO and FWC Issue Joint Statement on the Elimination of HPV
United in their commitment to eliminate human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancer, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) and the Foundation for Women’s Cancer (FWC) recently endorsed a series of vaccine recommendations. HPV vaccines are among the most effective vaccines available worldwide,...
Prevent Cancer Foundation Awards Nine New Research Grants
The Prevent Cancer Foundation has announced funding for nine scientists who are researching cancer prevention and early detection. Each scientist is being awarded $100,000 for 2 years. Areas of focus include the pancreas, esophagus, liver, lungs, skin, prostate, colon-rectum, and blood/bone marrow.
...
American Cancer Society Announces New Diversity in Cancer Research Program
The American Cancer Society recently launched the Diversity in Cancer Research program, a permanent umbrella that will support the American Cancer Society’s effort to foster a more diverse scientific workforce community. This has been made possible through an endowment contribution from Elizabeth...
Leading Health and Cancer Advocacy Groups Unite to Reduce Racial Disparities in Cancer Care
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) recently presented new ideas for overcoming inequality in oncology. The recommendations—developed by a group of 17 national experts, representing...
Hans Clevers, MD, PhD, FAACR, Recognized With 2021 Pezcoller Foundation–AACR International Award
The Pezcoller Foundation–American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) International Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research will be presented to Hans Clevers, MD, PhD, FAACR, at the virtual AACR Annual Meeting 2021, to be held April 10–15 and May 17–21.
Dr. Clevers, who is...
Ravi Bellamkonda, PhD, Named Provost of Emory University
Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves, PhD, recently announced the appointment of biomedical scientist Ravi Bellamkonda, PhD, as the university’s next Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective July 1, 2021.
Dr. Bellamkonda returns to Emory after serving as Dean of ...
Memorial Sloan Kettering Establishes Tow Center for Developmental Oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) recently announced the establishment of The Tow Center for Developmental Oncology (TCDO). The new institution will bring together the unique expertise of researchers and physicians from across MSK and empower them to pursue translational research...
ASTRO Recommendation on COVID-19 Vaccination for Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has compiled a selection of resources for radiation oncology professionals. The resources were developed by clinical teams and based on the best available information at the time they were posted. Physicians and their patients must make the...
USPSTF Issues Final Recommendation Statement on Screening for Lung Cancer
Today, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published a final recommendation statement on screening for lung cancer in people who do not have signs or symptoms. Based on the evidence, the USPSTF recommends yearly screening using a low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan for people aged...
Health-Care Policy Expert Sybil R. Green, JD, RPh, MHA, Brings Wealth of Experience as ASCO’s First Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Sybil R. Green, JD, RPh, MHA, has been named Diversity and Inclusion Officer by ASCO. A health-care policy expert with experience in both corporate and nonprofit organizations, Ms. Green will guide ASCO’s internal and external initiatives aimed at achieving the Society’s equity, diversity, and...
Oncology Clinician Well-Being Roadmap Provides 5-Year Plan to Address Provider Burnout
ASCO recently released the ASCO Oncology Clinician Well-Being Task Force Roadmap. The document outlines a 5-year plan to improve the quality of cancer care by enhancing the well-being of oncology clinicians and sustainability of oncology practices.
The roadmap’s specific goals include promoting...
Actions Early in Biden Administration Mirror ASCO Road to Recovery Report
ASCO’s Road to Recovery Report: Learning from the COVID-19 Experience to Improve Clinical Research and Cancer Care, among other recommendations, calls for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a special enrollment period on the federal health insurance exchange,...
Eleven Oncology Practices Receive Quality Certification From the Association for Clinical Oncology
The Association for Clinical Oncology congratulates the 11 practices that prioritized the quality of care they provide by achieving the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) Certification in the second half of 2020.
These practices have shown that they are committed to providing the...
