May 25, 2018 (View All Issues)
- Join the discussion: Use #ASCO18 on Twitter and Instagram to follow and participate in the Annual Meeting conversation in real time. During last year’s Annual Meeting, more than 17,000 health-care professionals, researchers, news outlets, patients, advocates, and other participants sent more than ...
- Isaiah J. Fidler, DVM, PhD, FAACR, AACR President (1984-1985), Fellow of the AACR Academy and ...
For Adjuvant Trastuzumab, 6 Months Is Noninferior to 12 Months
The noninferiority phase III Persephone trial could shake up the standard of care for adjuvant trastuzumab (Herceptin), showing that patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer derived as much benefit from 6 months of trastuzumab as 12 months, according to research from the United Kingdom ...
ASCO’s Incoming President Sets Her Goals for the Next Year
With all the advances in oncology care over the past decade, the most important contribution to high-quality care remains the personal connection between oncologist and patient, said Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, ASCO President-Elect, who will take the reins as ASCO’s 55th President...
Serving as ASCO President Is One of the Best Jobs in the World
The opportunity to serve as ASCO President is the greatest honor of my professional career. It has been a pleasure and a highly rewarding experience to interact with our members and members of ASCO’s Board, executive leadership, and professional staff during my tenure. The year has allowed me to...
Upfront Use of Nelarabine Plus Chemotherapy Improves Disease-Free Survival in T-Cell Malignancies
Upfront use of nelarabine plus standard Children’s Oncology Group–augmented Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (aBFM) chemotherapy boosted survival rates in children and young adults with newly diagnosed T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-LL), according to the...
Endocrine Therapy: An Important Treatment Limited by Major Challenges
“Endocrine therapy remains the most effective and least toxic treatment for breast cancer, but we have many problems to solve. And there will have to be many different solutions,” according to George W. Sledge, MD, FASCO, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Oncology at Stanford...
FDA Expands Tisagenlecleucel Approval to Include Relapsed or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma
On May 1, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) for adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, high grade...
Surgery After Checkpoint Blockade for Selected Patients With Metastatic Melanoma
“In the era of improved systemic therapy, checkpoint blockade for metastatic melanoma and the ability to surgically resect all disease after treatment are associated with survival of 75%, better than what has been previously reported,” Danielle M. Bello, MD, said in summarizing study results during ...
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®): 2018 Guidelines Updates
In 1996, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) covering 8 tumor types. Guidelines are now published for more than 60 tumor types and topics. Some of the key updates were presented at NCCN’s 23rd...
Curbing Financial Toxicity: What Might Work, and What Won’t Work
To stem the rising tide of financial toxicity in cancer care, creative physician reimbursement strategies, by themselves, will not work, according to a thought leader in the field who advocated for elimination of the federal mandate against price negotiation, curbing the power of monopolies, and...
The Pharmacist’s Role in Educating the Health-Care Team About Adverse Effects of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Named by ASCO as Advance of the Year for both 2016 and 2017,1 and with more than 10 U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved indications—and more on the way—it’s safe to say the era of cancer immunotherapy is upon us. To prepare, physicians must understand not only which patients will benefit,...
First Selective RET Inhibitor Shows Efficacy in Multiple Cancers
A first-in-human study provides proof of concept that a novel oral agent targeted to RET genetic alterations is safe and active in RET-driven cancers. The agent, called BLU-667, achieved durable disease control in patients with lung and thyroid cancers harboring the RET oncogene, according to the...
New Data on ALK Inhibitors and CAR T-Cell Therapies
The 2018 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting was abuzz with more than 22,000 attendees from around the world who came to Chicago to hear the latest in basic science and clinical trial results. Here we present summaries of a few of the highlights from the AACR meeting...
Ultrahypofractionated Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer Appears Safe and Effective
Radiotherapy given in high doses over a shorter period of time is safe and effective for patients with prostate cancer, according to research from a phase III trial presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) 37 Conference.1
The treatment—called ultrahypofractionated...
Here’s How ASCO Is Joining With Other Organizations to Reduce Obesity and Cancer Rates
GUEST EDITOR
Prevention in Oncology is guest edited by Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, Chair of ASCO’s Energy Balance Working Group and a member of ASCO’s Cancer Survivorship and Cancer Prevention Committees. Dr. Ligibel is Director of the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies at...
Robert M. Arnold, MD, Receives 2018 Association of Specialty Professors Award
Robert M. Arnold, MD, a researcher and physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), has been recently recognized by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine for his efforts to train clinicians to have difficult end-of-life conversations.
Dr. Arnold accepted the 2018 Eric...
ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline: Management of Immune-Related Adverse Events From Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Julie R. Brahmer, MD, of Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, and colleagues, ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline on management of immune-related adverse events in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.1 Immune...
ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline on Managing Immune-Related Adverse Events: Next Big Step for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
The publication of the ASCO clinical practice guideline for the management of immune therapy–related adverse events—reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post—represents an important next step in the incorporation of checkpoint blocking antibodies as standard cancer treatment modalities.1 The U.S....
Both Patients and Clinicians Face Challenges in Recognizing and Reporting Immune-Related Adverse Events
The publication of ASCO’s toxicity management guidelines for immune checkpoint antibodies by Brahmer and colleagues,1 reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, has been long awaited, considering more than 15 distinct indications have been granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)....
FDA Approves Daratumumab/VMP Combination for Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
On May 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) approved daratumumab (Darzalex) in combination with bortezomib (Velcade), a proteasome inhibitor; melphalan, an alkylating agent; and prednisone—VMP—for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for...
FDA Approves First Epoetin Alfa Biosimilar for the Treatment of Anemia
On May 15, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved epoetin alfa-epbx (Retacrit) as a biosimilar to epoetin alfa (Epogen/-Procrit) for the treatment of anemia caused by chronic kidney disease, chemotherapy, or use of zidovudine in patients with HIV infection. The biosimilar is...
Weighing the Cost and Value of CAR T-Cell Therapy
This past year’s approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of two chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies heralded a new era in both effective cancer treatments and the most expensive cancer drugs ever. Tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) was initially approved for the treatment of...
Treatment Centers Authorized to Administer CAR T-Cell Therapy
The following medical facilities are certified, as of March 2020, to administer the U. S. Food and Drug Administration-approved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy: axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta or “A”) for eligible patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah or ...
Tisagenlecleucel for Adults With Relapsed or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma
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 May 1, 2018, tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah), a...
New Leadership Joins Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone and Perlmutter Cancer Center
Elizabeth A. Raetz, MD, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and Primary Children’s Hospital, and Theodore P. Nicolaides, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, have joined Hassenfeld Children’s...
Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, to Lead Lilly Immuno-Oncology
Eli Lilly and Company recently announced that Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, a thoracic oncologist with a focus on immunotherapy and early drug development, will join Lilly Oncology in June 2018 to lead an immuno-oncology medical development. Dr. Gandhi is currently Director of Thoracic Medical Oncology...
Susan G. Komen Announces New Advisors, Scholars in Breast Cancer
Susan G. Komen recently announced new advisory roles for 12 leaders in breast cancer. These women and men will join an esteemed group of breast cancer researchers, clinicians, and advocates who help guide the organization’s education and advocacy work, public health efforts, and research programs.
...
Brentuximab Vedotin in Previously Untreated Stage III or IV Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
On March 20, 2018, brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) was approved for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated stage III or IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma in combination with chemotherapy.1,2
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on the findings of the open-label phase III...
MRI-Targeted vs Standard Biopsy in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: The PRECISION Trial
In the international PRECISION trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Veeru Kasivisvanathan, MRCS, of University College London, and colleagues found that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-targeted biopsy resulted in a significantly higher rate of diagnosis of clinically...
Role of MRI in Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer: ‘Practice-Affirming’ Results From The PRECISION Trial
Simultaneously presented at the 2018 European Association of Urology meeting and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the PRECISION trial will go down as a landmark study for solidifying the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in prostate cancer diagnosis.1 This trial provides ...
Baylor/St. Luke’s Medical Center Establishes Annual Oncology Lecture
Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Centerhas established the Philip Salem Annual Oncology Lecture in honor of Philip A. Salem, MD, a physician, researcher, educator, and international statesman in cancer medicine; Director Emeritus of Cancer Research at Baylor/St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston; and ...
A Commitment to Innovation, Gender Equality, and Family Legacy Inspire Endowed Young Investigator Award Gifts for ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation
Individuals, foundations, and corporations continue to fuel the brightest minds in cancer research through lifetime investments in the Conquer Cancer Grants & Awards program. The roster of endowed Young Investigator Awards (YIA) grew by three in 2018, with awards gifted by Thomas G. Roberts,...
Four Reasons to Use Social Media at the ASCO Annual Meeting
Register Now for the ASCO Research Community Forum 2018 Annual Meeting
Register now to join research colleagues from across the United States at the ASCO Research Community Forum Annual Meeting. The meeting offers physician researchers and research staff from a variety of programs a unique platform to collaborate and develop solutions to common challenges with...
What to Download and Where to Shop, Dine, and Network at #ASCO18
Network
The Conquer Cancer Donor Lounge! (S401)
Enjoy light refreshments, computer access, and a quiet place to network with friends and colleagues. Not a donor? Not a problem! Stop by the Donor Lounge between 8:30 AM–5:00 PM or visit CONQUER.ORG/ASCO to make your gift.
Shop
Pick up a copy of...
Enhance Your Annual Meeting Experience With Attendee Resources
More than 39,000 oncology professionals will gather in Chicago for the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. The theme for this year’s meeting, selected by 2017–2018 ASCO President Bruce E. Johnson, MD, FASCO, sets an exciting tone for the presentation of advances in the field of cancer care. Delivering...
New Updates to Common Rule for Researchers
THIS PAST January, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), along with more than a dozen other federal agencies, finalized updates to the Common Rule, which protects human participants in biomedical research. This marked the first time that the Common Rule has been updated in nearly 3...
Submit Your Application Today for the Alexandria Quality Training Program Session
Applications for the session of ASCO’s Quality Training Program (QTP) being held at ASCO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, are being accepted now. The deadline for submission is June 4, but applicants are encouraged to submit early to prepare for Session 1. Once applicants are accepted, they...
Help Your Patients Catch Up on the Latest Research From the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting
The Cancer.Net Blog (available at Cancer.Net/Blog) features daily posts covering research highlighted at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting where patients and caregivers can learn what this research means for their care and treatment. The Cancer.Net Blog also offers continuing coverage from the ASCO...
Fox Chase Cancer Center Announces 2018 Award Recipients for Translational Clinical Protocol Development
Fox Chase Cancer Center recently announced the awardees of the 2018 translational clinical protocol development based on basic and preclinical research results. Translational research disease groups were created with a multidisciplinary group of clinical and research-based faculty, with a focus on...
Update on ATLAS Trial of Axitinib for RCC Recurrence Risk
Pfizer recently announced that the independent data monitoring committee for the phase III ATLAS trial, which is evaluating axitinib (Inlyta) as adjuvant therapy for patients at high risk of recurrent renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after nephrectomy, recommended stopping the trial at a planned interim...
Adding Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy to Cytoreductive Surgery Improves Outcomes in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
In a Dutch/Belgian phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Willemien J. van Driel, MD, PhD, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and colleagues, the addition of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (aka HIPEC) to interval cytoreductive surgery following neoadjuvant ...
How a Recent Study Heats up the Debate Over Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Newly Diagnosed Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Based on pharmacokinetic and preclinical data, there appears to be a biologic advantage to the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy in treating some malignancies confined to the abdomen. Since most ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers present and recur in the peritoneal...
Once-Weekly vs Every-3-Week Cisplatin Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer
In an Indian phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vanita Noronha, MD, of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, and colleagues found that curative-intent adjuvant chemoradiation with cisplatin at 100 mg/m2 every 3 weeks produced better locoregional control vs cisplatin at 30...
Targeted Sequencing Detection of Molecular Minimal Residual Disease and Prognosis in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
In a study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Mojca Jongen-Lavrencic, MD, PhD, of Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, and colleagues found that molecular minimal residual disease identified by next-generation sequencing during complete remission was associated with an increased risk of...
Molecular Minimal Residual Disease Detection Shows Further Promise in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Extended next-generation sequencing genomic profiling in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has revealed remarkable heterogeneity and molecular complexity of the disease and provided critical insights into the genetic mechanisms underpinning of preleukemic and leukemic pathogenesis.1,2 Despite...
St. Jude Cloud, Largest Public Repository of Pediatric Cancer Genomics Data, Launched for Researchers Worldwide
On April 12, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital launched the St. Jude Cloud, an online data-sharing and collaboration platform that provides researchers access to the world’s largest public repository of pediatric cancer genomics data. Developed as a partnership among St. Jude, DNAnexus, and...
Closing the Gap in Oncology Care for Adolescents and Young Adults
During her presentation “Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship: What Do We Still Need to Know?” at the 2017 Cancer Survivorship Symposium: Advancing Care and Research, Emily S. Tonorezos, MD, MPH, a general internist in the Adult Long-Term Follow-Up Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer...
New International Translations of NCCN Guidelines for Patients
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has published a newly translated Italian version of the NCCN Guidelines for Patients® for stomach cancer, funded by No Stomach for Cancer. Over the past year, the NCCN Foundation also worked with the Kidney Cancer Association to translate patient...
ACCP Statement on Organ-Impaired Patients in Oncology Trials
The American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP) recently published a Policy Statement reviewing ways in which clinical pharmacology can and should make an effort to include organ-impaired patients in oncology trials. The announcement identifies key discussions needed among industry,...
Florida Cancer Centers Awarded $1.36 Million to Minimize Disparities in Pancreatic Cancer
The Florida Department of Health’s James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program has granted Moffitt Cancer Center, the University of Florida Health Cancer Center, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami, and numerous collaborating centers with $1.36 million to...
Supporting Patients During and After Cancer Treatment: Evidence-Informed Approach to Lifestyle and Behavior Change
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, Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, and Alison Jefferies, BA, MEd, summarize research...
Treating Insomnia in Cancer Survivors
A Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute–supported randomized clinical trial of cancer survivors showed that 8 weeks of either acupuncture or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) decreased the severity of insomnia among cancer survivors, though improvements were greatest among...
Focus on the Tennessee Oncology Practice Society
The Tennessee Oncology Practice Society (TOPS) is among the oldest and one of many politically active ASCO State Affiliates. Founded in 1990, the organization has since been a voice for Tennessee’s diverse community of oncology professionals, advocating for patient access to the best available care ...
For James Allison, PhD, Perseverance and Hard Science Are Paramount in Cancer Research
For this installment in the Living a Full Life series of articles, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, interviewed immunology pioneer James Allison, PhD, Chair of the Department of Immunology, the Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology, Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer...
Logistics of CAR T-Cell Therapy in Real-World Practice
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah)1 and axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta),2 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has moved into real-world practice, offering new potentially curative options for incurable hematologic malignancies. Its ...
Stand Up To Cancer Launches Research Team to Detect Precursor Conditions of Multiple Myeloma
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) announced a $10 million award to a Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team focused on revolutionizing the treatment of multiple myeloma through the early detection of precursor conditions.
In the hope of developing therapies to prevent myeloma in high-risk populations, the project...
Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline
As reported by Hedy L. Kindler, MD, of the University of Chicago, and colleagues in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline on the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.1 The guideline was based on a systematic literature search and expert panel...
Visible Ink Celebrates 10 Years of Live Patient Performances
On April 16, 2018, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York hosted the annual Visible Ink live performances at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. The evening marked the 10th anniversary of the ongoing one-on-one writing program for patients undergoing cancer treatment at MSK.
...
Antoni Ribas, MD, Recognized for Research in Cancer Immunology
Antoni Ribas, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the University of California Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been awarded the sixth American Association of Cancer Research–Cancer Research Institute Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology.
The...
Cancer Support Community Welcomes Kevin Stein, PhD, FAPOS, as Executive Director of Research and Training Institute
The Cancer Support Community recently announced the addition of Kevin Stein, PhD, FAPOS, as Executive Director of its Research and Training Institute. Dr. Stein is Associate Professor in the Behavioral Sciences and Health Education Department of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory...
Stage IV Lung Cancer Did Not Stop Me From Climbing Mera Peak
A veteran mountain climber and skier, I’ve been healthy for most of my 61 years, so it was especially shocking to experience a bout of shortness of breath during a moderately intense mountain bike ride with my wife, Jan, in the spring of 2014. A never-smoker, I was used to climbing up high mountain ...
American Cancer Society Awards New Research and Training Grants
THE AMERICAN CANCER Society has approved funding for 110 grants totaling $47,624,000 to researchers and health professionals across 72 institutions nationwide in the first of 2 grant cycles for 2018. Of these grants, 101 are new and 9 are renewals of previous grants.
Two individuals have been...
ACS and MRA Fund Research on Adverse Effects of Immunotherapy
THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY (ACS) and the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) recently selected a group of scientists to receive newly established research grants to investigate the adverse effects associated with checkpoint inhibitor cancer treatments. The grants are funded by MRA and ACS under a...
AACR Honors Recipients of 2018 Scientific Achievement Awards and Lectureships
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for Cancer Research (AACR) honors the following cancer researchers and clinicians who were recognized for their scientific achievements during the AACR Annual Meeting 2018:
Roger Lo, MD, PhD, Receives American Skin Association Award for Skin Cancer Research
THE AMERICAN SKIN ASSOCIATION (ASA) recently announced Roger Lo, MD, PhD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California (UCLA), as the recipient of the Abby S. and Howard P. Milstein Innovation Award for Melanoma/Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Research.
The award is available ...
Hormonal Contraception and Breast Cancer Risk
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Lina S. Mørch, PhD, of the University of Copenhagen, and colleagues, a Danish study has shown that the risk of breast cancer is increased in hormonal contraception users vs nonusers, with the absolute increase in risk being small.
The study...
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Prognosis in Breast Cancer Subtypes
In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology by Denkert and colleagues, increased levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in women receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy were associated with improved prognosis in HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancers but poorer outcome in luminal...
Number of Metastatic Lymph Nodes and Survival in Hypopharyngeal/Laryngeal Cancer
A study using National Cancer Database data has shown that the number of metastatic nodes is a primary independent factor associated with an increased mortality risk in patients with hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers. The study was reported in JAMA Oncology by Allen S. Ho, MD, of the Samuel...
Risk of Recurrence in Stage III Colon Cancer According to RAS- and BRAF-Mutation Status
In a study in the PETACC-8 trial population reported in JAMA Oncology, Julien Taieb, MD, PhD, of the Université Paris Descartes, and colleagues found that the risk of recurrence in patients with stage III colon cancer differed for the primary tumor location according to RAS- and BRAF-mutation...
ASCO Launches Its Education Scholars Program
Education is such an integral part of ASCO’s strategic plan to reduce the burden of cancer for all patients, it is incorporated into the Society’s mission statement to “conquer cancer through research, education, and promotion of the highest patient care.” In 2017, ASCO’s Board of Directors voted...
