May 10, 2019 (View All Issues)
Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Associated With Improved Outcomes in Patients With Locally Advanced Melanoma
ACCORDING TO DATA from a small prospective study presented at the 2019 Society of Surgical Oncology Annual Cancer Symposium,1 neoadjuvant immunotherapy significantly prolonged relapse-free survival vs adjuvant immunotherapy in patients with stage III or oligometastatic stage IV melanoma intended...
Front-Line Therapy in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: Developing a New Standard
THE FRONT-LINE systemic treatment landscape for metastatic renal cell carcinoma has undergone tremendous movement over the past several years. A better understanding of the current management paradigm for therapy-naive patients warrants a reflection of historic landmark clinical trials that have...
Harnessing the Power of Twitter for Clinical Trial Enrollment and Success
CLINICAL TRIALS are vital for advancing cancer care for our patients. Each trial represents an unanswered problem for which researchers are committed to solving. Designing, funding, recruiting, and completing a trial are tremendous undertakings for each researcher, physician, patient, and...
Osimertinib Plus Savolitinib in Advanced NSCLC Driven by MET Resistance
THE ADDITION of the MET inhibitor savolitinib to the EGFR inhibitor osimertinib led to activity in patients with MET-amplified, EGFR-mutated non–small lung cancer (NSCLC) with acquired resistance to previous therapies, according to interim results from two expansion cohorts of a phase Ib clinical...
Dual-Immunotherapy Approach Shows Efficacy in High-Grade Neuroendocrine Tumors
COMBINING TWO established immunotherapy agents achieved tumor shrinkage in rare, aggressive, extrapancreatic high-grade neuroendocrine tumors, according to the results of SWOG S1609, a phase II clinical basket trial also known as DART (Dual Anti– CLTA-4 and Anti–PD-1 Blockade in Rare Tumors). The...
Umbralisib: Potential Option for Relapsed or Refractory Marginal Zone Lymphoma
UMBRALISIB—an investigational PI3K-delta inhibitor—produced impressive results as monotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma, according to an interim analysis of the phase II UNITY-NHL trial presented at the 2019 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual ...
AACR Study Presentations Include New Data in Breast and Prostate Cancers, Sarcoma, and High-Risk Individuals
THE 2019 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting was held March 29 to April 3 in Atlanta. In addition to our regular coverage of news stories from the meeting, here are some brief highlights of additional noteworthy studies.
Stage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Surgery or...
Pembrolizumab as Third-Line Option for Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer
USE OF the anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (anti–PD-1) checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab after two or more prior lines of therapy led to responses in patients with advanced small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in a pooled analysis of two clinical trials: phase Ib KEYNOTE-028 and phase II...
Emil J Freireich, MD, FAACR, Honored With AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research
THE AMERICAN Association for Cancer Research (AACR) recognized Emil J Freireich, MD, FAACR, with the 2019 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research at the opening ceremony of this year’s AACR Annual Meeting.
Dr. Freireich was honored for his work in establishing combination...
Postprogression Treatment of Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer: Future Approaches
AT THE 2019 Miami Breast Cancer Conference, William J. Gradishar, MD, FASCO, presented a vision of the future in the treatment of advanced hormone receptor–positive breast cancer.1 The refinement of disease subsets, the development of agents targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, the use of novel...
FDA Advances Policy Changes to Modernize Mammography Services
ON MARCH 27, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced important new steps to modernize breast cancer screening and help empower patients with more information when they are considering important decisions regarding their breast health care.
For the first time in more than 20...
Study Finds Immune Enrichment Improves Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer With Activated but Not Normal Stroma
ALTHOUGH IMMUNOTHERAPIES have had limited success in pancreatic cancer to date, findings from a molecular analysis of the tumor microenvironment suggest that certain subtypes may be more responsive to treatment. According to data presented at the 2019 Society of Surgical Oncology Annual Cancer...
CDC Issues Clarification on Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
ASCO, the American Society of Hematology (ASH), and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) recently acknowledged receipt of a key clarification1 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on prescribing opioids to manage pain from certain conditions. The clarification...
OneOncology Announces Lee Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, as Chief Medical Officer
OneOncology, the national partnership of community oncologists, has announced that Lee Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, has been named Chief Medical Officer. The Chief Medical Officer position provides a link between OneOncology and its physician partners, demonstrating the shared, foundational commitment ...
Mark E. Thompson, MD, Named Medical Director for Public Policy at Community Oncology Alliance
The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) recently announced that Mark E. Thompson, MD, has been appointed to the newly created staff position of Medical Director for Public Policy. Dr. Thompson will chair the COA Government Affairs and Policy Committee, a standing committee that guides official...
Local Consolidative Therapy Linked to Survival Benefit in Oligometastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
A retrospective analysis of nearly 200 patients treated with local consolidative therapy for oligometastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has found improved overall survival associated with aggressive consolidation.1 According to data presented at the 2019 Multidisciplinary Thoracic Cancers...
The WHO Classification of Tumors of Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues
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...
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Erdafitinib for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
On April 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to erdafitinib (Balversa) for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with susceptible FGFR3 or FGFR2 genetic alterations that has progressed during or following platinum-containing...
FDA Oncology Center of Excellence Issues Annual Report
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) has issued its 2018 Annual Report,1 including updates on regulatory reviews and initiatives, OCE programs, guidances, and more.
The OCE is tasked with clinical medical oncology reviews, irrespective of whether the...
First-Line Combination Treatments Improve Outcomes vs Sunitinib in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
Two recently reported phase III trials have shown the benefits of combination therapy vs sunitinib in the first-line treatment in advanced renal cell carcinoma. As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Brian I. Rini, MD, of Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, and colleagues, the ...
Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP, Named 2019–2020 ACCC President
Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP, was named 2019–2020 President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) during its 45th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit on March 22, 2019. Dr. McBride is the Clinical Coordinator of Hematology/Oncology at The University of Arizona...
How Hepatitis C Virus Screening May Improve Survival in Patients With Cancer
In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that all people born between 1945 and 1965 undergo one-time screening for the hepatitis C virus (HCV), because the rates of HCV infection are markedly higher for baby...
Cigall Kadoch, PhD, Chosen for 2019 Martin and Rose Wachtel Cancer Research Prize
The American Association for the Advancement of Science and Science Translational Medicine announced that Cigall Kadoch, PhD, has been chosen for the 2019 Martin and Rose Wachtel Cancer Research Prize. Dr. Kadoch is Assistant Professor of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute;...
Physician Identity and Physician Wellness Are Inextricably Linked
Imagine a 70-year-old patient who is scheduled for a pancreaticoduodenectomy. On the morning of surgery, the patient is checked in at the front desk by the “data-entry provider.” The patient is taken to the preoperative area, where the appropriate formalities are completed by multiple “bedside-care ...
The Skin Cancer Foundation Awards $125,000 in Research Grants
The Skin Cancer Foundation hosted its member reception on March 1 during the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting. As part of the reception, the Foundation announced the winners of its annual research grant awards, collectively totaling $125,000.
David Polsky, MD, Chair of The Skin ...
Nobel Laureate and Pioneer in Molecular Biology, Sydney Brenner, MSc, MBBCh, DPhil, Dies at 92
Sydney Brenner, MSc, MBBCh, DPhil, died on April 6, 2019, at age 92, according to The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore, where Dr. Brenner had served as a Senior Fellow. Dr. Brenner was conferred the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2002 for his pioneering...
Robert O. Hickman, MD, Inventor of the Hickman Catheter, Dies at 92
Robert O. Hickman, MD, a pediatric nephrologist and inventor of a catheter that revolutionized care for patients with cancer, died on April 4, 2019. He was 92.
Dr. Hickman was born on September 27, 1926, in Monticello, Utah. He served in the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1940s and married Lucy Jean...
Hematologist Francesco Lo Coco, MD, Dies in Rome at 63
Hematologist Francesco Lo Coco, MD, known for his research accomplishments in both acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), died in Rome on March 3, 2019. He was 63.
After graduating from the Medical School in Pisa, he moved to La Sapienza University of Rome in 1981....
Hope and Fear Are Two Constants in the Lives of Patients With Cancer
A year and a half ago, when I was 33, the thought of having a life-threatening disease was unimaginable. In hindsight, the weight loss I began experiencing in the fall of 2017 should have raised concern because I’ve always had to be mindful of my diet if I wanted to lose weight. But denial can be a ...
Risk of Cardiomyopathy in Childhood Cancer Survivors
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Eric J. Chow, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that daunorubicin was associated with decreased cardiomyopathy risk vs doxorubicin among pediatric cancer survivors, with epirubicin being approximately isoequivalent to doxorubicin. Risk associated with the...
Adjuvant Capecitabine After Resection for Biliary Tract Cancer
In the phase III BILCAP trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, John N. Primrose, FMedSci, and colleagues found evidence that adjuvant capecitabine may improve overall survival vs observation following surgery for patients with resected biliary tract cancer.
The open-label study included 447...
Psychosocial Care Is a Critical Component of Value-Based Oncology
The ongoing dialogue regarding health-care payment reform that attempts to incentivize high-value care by linking reimbursement to quality rather than quantity has largely ignored the ultimate consumer/buyer—the patient. Yet, in the minds of clinicians, policymakers, and the public at large,...
Conquer Cancer and Swim Across America: Making Waves to Fight Cancer
ASCO and ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation have a new partner in supporting innovative cancer research. For over 30 years, Swim Across America (SAA) has been hosting charity swims, with the proceeds being granted to fund high-risk, high-reward cancer research. SAA is among the newest organizations...
Enhance Your 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting Experience at Podcast Listening Station
THE ASCO ANNUAL Meeting is 5 bustling days of cutting-edge research presentations, educational sessions, and networking events. To enhance conference takeaways and connect attendees more closely with content from the 2019 Annual Meeting, ASCO will host a podcast listening station onsite at...
ASCO Launches FY 2020 Advocacy Campaign for Federally Funded Cancer Research
ASCO HAS KICKED OFF its Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 advocacy campaign in support of increased funding for federal cancer research. ASCO is urging Congress to provide $41.6 billion to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—a $2.5 billion increase from FY 2019— and $6.5 billion to the National Cancer...
Conquer Cancer Podcast Series Goes Unscripted With Doctors, Patients, and Caregivers
NOT EVERY ONCOLOGIST grows up dreaming of becoming a doctor.
In the Your Stories podcast episode “The Forest Ranger in a White Coat,” once-reluctant physician Stuart Spigel, MD, shares how becoming a patient changed his approach to practicing medicine with his son and fellow oncologist David...
Third Brazilian Practice Achieves QOPI® Certification
ACREDITAR ONCOLOGY has become the 3rd practice in Brazil to receive Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) certification through the QOPI Certification Program, LLC, and the 10th practice internationally to receive this accreditation.
The practice, located in Brasília’s Federal District,...
For Your Patients: New ASCO Answers Fact Sheet on Immunotherapy Side Effects
IMMUNOTHERAPY IS changing the way that cancer is being treated, but the understanding of the side effects of these treatments is still a developing field. The ASCO Answers “Side Effects of Immunotherapy” fact sheet helps patients learn about which side effects may arise from treatment with...
