March 25, 2023 (View All Issues)
Walks on a Beach With an Inspiring Grandfather Led to a Career in Cancer Research and Drug Development for Vivek Subbiah, MD
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Vivek Subbiah, MD, Center Clinical Medical Director of the Clinical Center for Targeted Therapy, Cancer Medicine Division, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.
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Zanubrutinib Improves Progression-Free Survival vs Ibrutinib in Relapsed or Refractory CLL or SLL
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Jennifer R. Brown, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University, and colleagues, the phase III ALPINE trial has shown significantly better progression-free survival with zanubrutinib, a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK)...
A Pioneering Oncologist, a Pilot, and a Choral Singer, Among Other Things
“There is and always has been, more to me than medicine. Ever since the university, I have loved flying. Ever since school, I have adored choral singing,” writes John F. Smyth, MD, in his memoir Taming the Beast: Memoirs of a Pioneering Cancer Physician. Dr. Smyth is Emeritus Professor of Medical...
Cleveland Clinic Opens New Cancer Center in Abu Dhabi
Cleveland Clinic has announced the opening of a new state-of-the-art cancer facility, named the Fatima bint Mubarak Center, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
“[This] marks the next step in fulfilling our mission to provide compassionate, complex care in the United Arab Emirates [UAE)]” said Tom...
Rangaswamy Govindarajan, MD, Named Chief of UAMS Hematology and Oncology Division
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) recently announced the appointment of Rangaswamy Govindarajan, MD, as Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Dr. Govindarajan, who is also Professor in the division, will lead...
Three MD Anderson Researchers Elected AAAS Fellows
Three researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for their notable contributions to the field of cancer research. This distinction is one of the highest honors in the scientific research...
Northwell Health Names Richard D. Carvajal, MD, to Lead Medical Oncology Programs
Northwell Health has appointed Richard D. Carvajal, MD, a clinician and researcher in melanoma and early-phase drug development, as Deputy Physician-in-Chief and Director of Medical Oncology at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. He also was named the R. J. Zuckerberg Chair in Medical Oncology....
Early Exposure to Health-Care Inequities Sets the Stage for a Leadership Role in Global Oncology for Satish Gopal, MD, MPH
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology series, guest editor, Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Satish Gopal, MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Global Health at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). In this role, he oversees the development of initiatives and...
ACCC Releases Advocacy Agenda at 49th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit
The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) represents members nationwide from all care delivery settings. ACCC’s 49th Annual Meeting & Cancer Business Summit was held March 8–10, 2023, in Washington, DC, where the society released its advocacy agenda for 2023.
Areas of Focus
ACCC...
Adjuvant Accelerated Partial-Breast Irradiation vs Whole-Breast Irradiation in Early Breast Cancer: 10 Year Outcomes of Phase III Study
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Vratislav Strnad, MD, PhD, of University Hospital Erlangen and Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen, Germany, and colleagues, 10-year outcomes in a phase III GEC-ESTRO (Groupe Européen de Curiethérapie and European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) trial ...
The Will to Go On
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the Art of Oncology as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
Carl H. June, MD, FAACR, to Be Honored With 2023 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research
The American Associationfor Cancer Research (AACR) will award Carl H. June, MD, FAACR, Fellow of the AACR Academy, with the 2023 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research during the 2023 AACR Annual Meeting, April 14–19 in Orlando, Florida.
Dr. June is the Richard W. Vague Professor...
Use of Low-Dose Naltrexone
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,...
I Haven’t Known a Life Without von Hippel-Lindau Disease
Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease has been with me since I was 5 years old, when a benign tumor was found on the optic nerve of my left eye, leaving me blind in that eye. But I didn’t get an official diagnosis of the disease until 2011, when I was 20. By then, it was like a light switch had turned...
First-Line Pembrolizumab in Older Patients With dMMR Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Saberzadeh-Ardestani et al found that first-line pembrolizumab was associated with clinically significant prolongation of survival outcomes in mostly older patients with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer....
Savolitinib and Durvalumab in Metastatic Papillary Renal Cancer
In the phase II CALYPSO study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Suárez et al found that the combination of the MET inhibitor savolitinib and the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab did not reach the confirmed response rate endpoint in patients with metastatic papillary renal cancer but showed...
Axicabtagene Ciloleucel in Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma: 5-Year Results of the ZUMA-1 Trial
As reported in the journal Blood by Sattva S. Neelapu, MD, and colleagues, 5-year outcomes from the the phase II ZUMA-1 trial showed that axicabtagene ciloleucel was associated with maintained response in one-third of patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma. The estimated 5-year overall...
Neoadjuvant Plus Adjuvant vs Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Advanced Melanoma
In the phase II SWOG Cancer Research Network S1801 trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Sapna P. Patel, MD, and colleagues found that neoadjuvant plus adjuvant pembrolizumab significantly improved event-free survival vs adjuvant pembrolizumab alone in patients with stage IIIB to...
Dinutuximab Beta and Interleukin-2 After Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With Relapsed Neuroblastoma
In a phase I/II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Flaadt et al found that treatment with the anti-GD2 antibody dinutuximab beta plus low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) following haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) is feasible in patients with relapsed high-risk...
Michael Taylor, MD, PhD, Appointed Director at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine
Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine recently named Michael Taylor, MD, PhD, molecular biologist and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Scholar, as Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Program at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of...
TALAPRO-2: Talazoparib Plus Enzalutamide Extends Radiographic Progression–Free Survival in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
The addition of the poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor talazoparib to the androgen receptor signaling inhibitor enzalutamide achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in radiographic progression–free survival compared with placebo plus enzalutamide as...
Colorectal Cancer Rates Are Rising in Younger Adults, Shifting to More Advanced Disease Across All Ages
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the United States. However, it ranks second in cancer-related deaths overall and is the leading cause of cancer...
FORMULA-509: Intensified Postoperative Regimen May Be of Benefit in Subset of High-Risk Prostate Cancer
The addition of abiraterone acetate and apalutamide to standard of care gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist for 6 months and radiation therapy failed to improve progression-free survival and metastasis-free survival after prostatectomy compared to bicalutamide plus a GnRH agonist and...
CheckMate 274: Continued Disease-Free Survival Benefits With Adjuvant Nivolumab in High-Risk Urothelial Carcinoma
With longer-term follow-up, adjuvant nivolumab continued to demonstrate improved disease-free survival, non–urothelial tract recurrence–free survival, and distant metastasis–free survival vs placebo in patients with muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma at high risk of recurrence after surgery,...
Sacituzumab Govitecan-hziy Achieves Response After Disease Progression on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor in Metastatic Urothelial Cancer
Treatment with the antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan-hziy achieved an objective response rate of 32% in platinum-ineligible patients with metastatic urothelial cancer who experienced disease progression on an immune checkpoint inhibitor, according to the primary analysis of the...
Rucaparib vs Physician’s Choice of Single-Agent Therapy in BRCA-Mutated Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Karim Fizazi, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy Institute, Paris-Saclay University, and colleagues, the phase III TRITON3 trial has shown significantly improved progression-free survival with rucaparib vs physician-selected single-agent therapy in the...
KEYNOTE-859 Interim Analysis: Overall Survival Benefit for First-Line Pembrolizumab in Advanced Gastric Cancer
Results of the interim analysis of KEYNOTE-859 are in, and they confirm the overall survival benefit of first-line immunotherapy plus chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer.1 Pembrolizumab plus a fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing doublet provided a statistically significant improvement in...
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Among U.S. Patients With Cancer
In an analysis reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Cenjing Zhu, MPhil, of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale University, and colleagues found that Black patients with cancer in the United States were at increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality...
Association of Baseline and Subsequent Cardiovascular Health Metrics to Risk for Incident Cancers
In an analysis from the French GAZEL study reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Thomas Van Sloten, MD, PhD, of the Université Paris Cité, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, and colleagues found that better cardiovascular health (CVH) scores at baseline and improvement in ...
When Can You Stop Lenalidomide Maintenance in Myeloma?
A study aimed at determining the optimal duration of lenalidomide maintenance after autologous stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma has not answered that question, per se, but has yielded some hints that may inform future clinical trials. The follow-up analysis of the UK NCRI Myeloma XI...
Regular Approval for Dostarlimab-gxly in dMMR Recurrent or Advanced Endometrial Cancer
On February 9, 2023, dostarlimab-gxly was granted regular approval for adults with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer, as determined by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved test, whose disease has progressed on or following a prior platinum-containing...
Studies of Novel Therapeutic Approaches Highlighted During Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month at Dana-Farber
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women of all ages in the United States and is on track to be the leading cause of cancer death in adults younger than 50 by 2030. The alarming rise of colorectal cancer in people younger than age 50 prompted the U.S. Preventive...
10 Facts About Colorectal Cancer From the Colorectal Cancer Alliance
March is widely recognized worldwide as Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. Several advocacy groups and professional organizations recognize Colorectal Cancer Awareness month by promoting screening for eligible individuals and working to increase awareness. Here, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, an...
Pirtobrutinib for Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma
On January 27, 2023, pirtobrutinib was granted accelerated approval for treatment of relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma after at least two lines of systemic therapy, including a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor.1 Pirtobrutinib is a noncovalent inhibitor of BTK.
Supporting Efficacy ...
Idecabtagene Vicleucel vs Standard Regimens in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Paula Rodriguez-Otero, MD, PhD, of Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and colleagues, an interim analysis of the phase III KarMMa-3 trial has shown superior progression-free survival with the B-cell maturation antigen–directed...
Sotorasib Improves Progression-Free Survival vs Docetaxel in Previously Treated Advanced NSCLC With KRAS G12C Mutation
As reported in The Lancet by Adrianus Johannes de Langen, MD, PhD, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, and colleagues, the phase III CodeBreaK200 trial has shown a small but significant improvement in progression-free survival with sotorasib vs docetaxel in previously treated advanced...
DESTINY-Breast03: T-DXd Improves Overall Survival vs T-DM1 in Previously Treated HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
As reported in The Lancet by Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues, updated results of the phase III DESTINY-Breast03 trial showed significantly improved overall survival with...
ASCO Updates Guideline on Sacituzumab Govitecan-hziy in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer
ASCO has released a rapid recommendation update to the guideline on chemotherapy and targeted therapy for endocrine-pretreated or hormone receptor–negative metastatic breast cancer, addressing the use of sacituzumab govitecan-hziy in patients with endocrine-resistant, hormone receptor–positive,...
Three Models Testing Ways to Lower Drug Costs Outlined in Health and Human Services Report
On February 14, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) selected three models aiming to address high prescription drug costs for testing by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)....
2024 ACA Proposal Aims to Reduce Health-Care Coverage Gaps
ASCO submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2024 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters proposed rule. ASCO’s comments support proposals aimed at reducing or eliminating gaps in health-care coverage, and ...
Eight Oncology Health Systems Participating in Efforts to Improve Vaccination Rates Among High-Risk Adults
ASCO is working with eight oncology health systems to develop, test, and measure strategies to improve immunization rates as part of an initiative with the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) to improve vaccination rates among high-risk adults. Through this project, known as Specialty...
ASCO Celebrates the Cancer Moonshot on Its Relaunch Anniversary
“Dedicated to making a world of difference in cancer care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and its affiliated organization, the American Association of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), laud the goals, progress, and continued potential of the Cancer Moonshot initiative. Having the full support of ...
It Is Time to Close the Gap in Cancer Care
Cancer is a leading cause of death in every country worldwide.1 In 2020, almost 10 million people died of cancer, a number that is expected to rise to 16.3 million by 2040.2 In addition, cancer incidence continues to grow, driven by an aging and growing population and changes in the prevalence and...
