May 25, 2019 (View All Issues)
- Join the discussion: Use #ASCO19 on Twitter and Instagram to follow and participate in conversations about the ASCO Annual Meeting in real time. During last year’s ASCO Annual Meeting, more than 17,000 health-care professionals, researchers, news outlets, patients, and advocates sent more than...
Evidence Builds for Treating Smoldering Myeloma
In patients with intermediate- to high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma, treatment with single-agent lenalidomide, vs observation, led to a 72% reduction in the risk of disease progression at 3 years.1 Results of the phase III E3A06 study were presented at a press briefing in advance of the 2019...
Incoming ASCO President Sets His Sights on Conquering Cancer
For more than 3 decades, Howard A. “Skip” Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO, has dedicated his medical career to researching the development of chemotherapies for breast cancer, including ado-trastuzumab emtansine, everolimus, and gemcitabine. In addition, he is credited with changing the standard of...
Marking a Year of Learning From ASCO Members
This past year, I have traveled thousands of miles across the United States meeting with ASCO members and their patients, focusing on members who care for patients in particularly challenging settings. While I am not surprised by the extraordinary work our members are doing in every region of the ...
Study Finds Less Chemotherapy Noninferior to More in Frail and Elderly Patients With Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer
A large randomized trial has found that frail and elderly patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancer may be safely and successfully treated with dose-reduced chemotherapy. In the GO2 phase III trial, low doses of oxaliplatin/capecitabine performed similarly to intermediate and high doses of the ...
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: 2019 Updates
In 1996, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), covering eight tumor types. NCCN Guidelines are now published for more than 70 tumor types and topics. Some of the key updates for 2019 were presented...
ASCO Clinical Opinion Recommends Germline Testing for All Patients With Pancreatic Cancer
The recently released ASCO Clinical Practice Provisional Clinical Opinion on Evaluating Susceptibility to Pancreatic Cancer highlights the importance of emerging data indicating a relatively high rate of germline mutations in pancreatic cancer.1 Recent studies have demonstrated that up to 1 in 10 ...
Study Shows Rucaparib Active as Maintenance Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer
The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor rucaparib holds promise as maintenance therapy for advanced, platinum-sensitive, BRCA- or PALB2-mutated pancreatic cancer, according to an interim analysis of an ongoing phase II clinical trial presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American...
Evidence Mounts for Tumor Mutational Burden as Biomarker of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Benefit in NSCLC
The search for biomarkers to identify patients who are likely to respond to immunotherapy continues. According to biomarker tissue and blood analysis of patients enrolled in the phase III MYSTIC trial, high tumor mutational burden in both tissue and blood identified patients with non–small cell...
FDA Approves T-DM1 for HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer
On May 3, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; Kadcyla) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer who have residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant taxane- and trastuzumab-based treatment.
Patients should be...
FDA Approves Avelumab/Axitinib Combination for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
On May 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved avelumab (Bavencio) in combination with axitinib (Inlyta) for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This is the first FDA approval for an anti–programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy as...
Adjuvant Trastuzumab Emtansine vs Standard Trastuzumab in Residual HER2-Positive Breast Cancer After Neoadjuvant Therapy
In the phase III KATHERINE trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine,1Gunter von Minckwitz, MD, of the German Breast Group, Neu-Isenburg, and colleagues found that adjuvant treatment with the antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) improved invasive disease–free survival...
Trastuzumab Emtansine in Treatment of Residual Breast Cancer After Neoadjuvant Therapy: Who Will Benefit?
The discovery of trastuzumab has been revolutionary in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, both in the metastatic and early-stage settings.1-6 This cannot be disputed. In the early-stage setting, the addition of trastuzumab to standard chemotherapy has led to a 50% gain in...
Susan G. Komen Welcomes Five Leaders to New Research Advisory Roles
Susan G. Komen recently announced new organizational advisory roles for five breast cancer oncologists. The new appointees will join the group of breast cancer researchers, clinicians, and advocates who help guide the organization’s work, particularly through the organization’s $988 million...
Locoregional Recurrence After Mastectomy for DCIS More Common Among Younger Women, Study Finds
Young age appears to be a risk factor for locoregional recurrence after mastectomy for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with or without microinvasion, according to data presented at the 2019 Society of Surgical Oncology Annual Cancer Symposium.1
The retrospective analysis of more than 3,000 cases...
Study Finds Timing of Therapy Does Not Influence Outcomes in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
The sequencing of trastuzumab administration with chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting seems to have no effect on outcomes for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, according to data presented at the 2019 Society of Surgical Oncology Annual Cancer Symposium.1
The results of a phase III...
Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents Recommended for Some Patients With Cancer and Anemia
ASCO and the American Society of Hematology (ASH) have released an update to existing guidelines for use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents to manage anemia in patients with cancer.1
“The current update aims to increase awareness of recent developments regarding the use of...
ASCO Guideline Recommends Shorter-Course Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Some Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer
In a clinical practice guideline released April 15, an ASCO Expert Panel outlined the latest recommendations for the duration of adjuvant chemotherapy with a fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin for patients with completely resected stage III colon cancer.1 New recommendations were based on the results ...
T-Cell Therapy for EBV-Associated Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder With CNS Involvement
An “off-the-shelf” allogeneic T-cell product, tabelecleucel, may effectively treat patients who develop Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder with central nervous system (CNS) involvement, researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center reported at...
IMPACT Study, Aimed at Increasing Diversity Among Clinical Trial Participants, Launches
The University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has launched a study to determine how financial assistance for costs associated with clinical trial participation might increase enrollment, particularly among low-income patients and racial and ethnic minorities. The...
Mary Beckerle, PhD, and Martin McMahon, PhD, Appointed to National Scientific Leadership Roles
Mary Beckerle, PhD, Chief Executive Officer at Huntsman Cancer Institute and Professor of Biology and Oncological Sciences, University of Utah, and Martin McMahon, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Senior Director of Pre-Clinical Translation and Professor of Dermatology, have been appointed to...
Enhance Your ASCO Annual Meeting Experience With Attendee Resources
A must-attend event in cancer care, the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting will bring thousands of oncology professionals from around the world to Chicago. The theme for this year’s meeting, selected by 2018–2019 ASCO President Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, sets an exciting tone for the...
Access ASCO’s Quality Programs to Accelerate Quality Care Delivery in Your Practice
Improve the care your practice provides by participating in ASCO’s wide array of quality improvement programs.
ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) is an oncologist-led, practice-based quality assessment program designed to promote excellence in cancer care by helping practices...
Two Prominent Lung Cancer Organizations Join Forces to Launch GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer
Two of the nation’s leading lung cancer organizations—the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) and the Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA)—announced in April their merger to form the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer. The new organization, which has offices in Washington, DC, and the San Francisco ...
Researchers Supported by Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, Earn Spot in Clinical Cancer Advances 2019
The work of nine researchers who have previously received funding from Conquer Cancer is featured in ASCO’s Clinical Cancer Advances 2019. Visit CONQUER.ORG/CCA for more details.
In two separate trials, Conquer Cancer–supported investigators produced research results that improved treatment for...
Four Reasons to Use Social Media at the ASCO Annual Meeting
Help Your Patients Catch Up on the Latest Research From the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting With Cancer.Net
The Cancer.Net blog (accessible at cancer.net/blog) features daily posts covering research highlighted at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting. 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 Annual...
ASCO Announces New Task Force to Address Rural Cancer Care Gap
ASCO recently announced a new task force aimed at reducing disparities and improving outcomes for patients and survivors of cancer who live in rural communities. The new Rural Cancer Care Task Force will identify opportunities to close the rural cancer care gap and implement strategies to improve...
Members of Congress Express Support for Cancer Policy Priorities During Capitol Hill Event
ASCO and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) hosted a reception on Capitol Hill for Members of Congress and their staff to underscore the two organizations’ shared policy priorities to improve research and cancer care delivery for patients and survivors.
During the...
Targeted Brachytherapy May Improve Outcomes in Recurrent Brain Tumors
For recurrent, previously irradiated brain tumors, innovative treatment with surgically targeted brachytherapy yielded good local control and overall survival, as compared to historic controls, neurosurgeons reported at the 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological...
Introducing CancerLinQ® 2.0 and a New Era in Precision Oncology
In just 5 years since its launch in 2014, CancerLinQ®, ASCO’s big-data, rapid-learning, health information technology platform, has grown from 37 vanguard oncology practices to 58 participating practices in 2016 to 100 diverse oncology practices nationwide this year. CancerLinQ...
Prolonged Exposure to Ibrutinib May Increase Effectiveness of CAR T-Cell Therapy in Patients With CLL
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has shown remarkable efficacy in the treatment of certain hematologic malignancies, including several types of large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved...
2019 NCCN Posters Explore Next-Generation Sequencing, Cancer Burden vs Funding, Cardiac Monitoring, and Scalp Cooling
Posters presented at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Annual Conference continue to grow in number and in quality. The ASCO Post presents a few that we found interesting at the recent 2019 meeting.
Next-Generation Sequencing Not Always Helpful in Practice
The value of...
City of Hope Announces Faculty Awards
Over the past year, in recognition of their research and dedication to treating patients with cancer, several physician-scientists from City of Hope received awards, fellowships, and honor society inductions. These recipients listed below are experts in a variety of cancers and treatments, ranging...
AUGMENT Trial: Addition of Lenalidomide to Rituximab in Relapsed or Refractory Indolent Lymphoma
In the phase III AUGMENT trial, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, John P. Leonard, MD, of Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and colleagues found that the addition of lenalidomide to rituximab significantly prolonged progression-free survival...
Gareth Morgan, MD, PhD, and Faith Davies, MD, Join New Center for Blood Cancers at NYU Langone Health
Hematology experts Gareth Morgan, MD, PhD, and Faith Davies, MD, have joined the Center for Blood Cancers at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center and will lead its multiple myeloma program.
About Dr. Morgan
Dr. Morgan, the Center’s Director of Multiple Myeloma Research, previously served ...
Jonas Bergh, MD, PhD, FRCP, Receives First ESMO Breast Cancer Award
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) announced recently that Jonas Bergh, MD, PhD, FRCP, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, has been awarded the newly established 2019 ESMO Breast Cancer Award at the inaugural ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2019. The ESMO Breast Cancer Award...
Dana-Farber Opens New Center for Patients With Lynch Syndrome
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute recently announced the opening of the first Lynch Syndrome Center dedicated to providing genetic counseling and testing for those at risk for the syndrome and delivering a new model of coordinated care for those living with the disease.
A common and underdiagnosed...
Combination Immunotherapy With Lenalidomide Plus Rituximab in Indolent NHL: Time to Replace Rituximab Monotherapy?
With increasing knowledge on the key role of the tumor microenvironment in lymphomagenesis, treatments for indolent B-cell lymphoma, especially follicular lymphoma, are mechanistically moving toward a more immunomodulatory approach. Chemotherapy-free regimens are an attractive alternative to...
FDA Approves First-Line Ivosidenib for IDH1-Mutated AML
On May 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded its approval of ivosidenib (Tibsovo) to include newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a susceptible IDH1 mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test, in patients who are at least 75 years old or who have comorbidities that ...
Baylor Scott & White Health Names New Chief of Oncology, Ronan Kelly, MBBCh, MD, MBA
Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health-care system in Texas, recently named Ronan Kelly, MBBCh, MD, MBA, Chief of Oncology for the organization’s North Texas medical centers. Dr. Kelly’s leadership will span Baylor University Medical Center—the System’s North Texas...
AIM at Melanoma Foundation Opens First Melanoma Tissue Bank in the United States
The AIM at Melanoma Foundation recently announced the grand opening of the first branch of the International Melanoma Tissue Bank Consortium (IMTBC) at the Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). The Pittsburgh site is the first of six global locations of the...
FDA Expands Pembrolizumab Indication for NSCLC in First-Line Setting
On April 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the first-line treatment of patients with stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation, or those with metastatic NSCLC....
FDA Approves Chemotherapy-Free Regimen, Venetoclax Plus Obinutuzumab, as First-Line Treatment for CLL/SLL
On May 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved venetoclax (Venclexta) in combination with obinutuzumab (Gazyva) for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).
Approval was based on the CLL14...
Erdafitinib for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
On April 12, 2019, erdafitinib was granted accelerated approval for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with susceptible fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) or FGFR2 genetic alterations, when the disease has progressed during or following platinum-containing...
NCCN Roundtable Tackles Issues With Innovative Immunotherapies
Immunotherapies are radically changing outcomes, but while helping patients, they are creating complexities surrounding their cost. At the 2019 Annual Conference of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a roundtable of experts, including clinicians and payers, discussed how chimeric...
Lisa Kachnic, MD, Joins Columbia University as Chair of Radiation Oncology
Lisa Kachnic, MD, has been named Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Chief of the Radiation Oncology Service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She will also serve as Associate...
Anjali Mishra, PhD, and Nitin Chakravarti, PhD, Join Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health
The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center–Jefferson Health (SKCC) recently welcomed Anjali Mishra, PhD, and Nitin Chakravarti, PhD, to its team of researchers focused on hematologic cancers. Both Drs. Mishra and Chakravarti are Assistant Professors in the Department of Medical Oncology.
Dr. Mishra is a...
Charles G. Mullighan, MBBS (Hons), MSc, MD, Named St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center Deputy Director
The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center has appointed Charles G. Mullighan, MBBS (Hons), MSc, MD, as its new Deputy Director. In this new position, Dr. Mullighan will help guide precision medicine and preclinical strategic research initiatives for the Center, which is...
New Radiation Options for Localized Prostate Cancer May Improve Patient Outcomes
External-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is a standard treatment option for men with localized prostate cancer and confers long-term prostate cancer control outcomes equal to radical prostatectomy. Technologic advances in imaging and computing during the past 20 years have led to a number of...
How Cancer Affects Adolescents and Young Adults
The statistics are alarming: according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), about 70,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are diagnosed with cancer each year1—a recent report by the University of California put that figure at 87,000.2 Although overall cancer survival rates continue to improve ...
Teen Cancer America Announces New Advisory Council
Teen Cancer America (TCA), the national nonprofit organization founded by rock artists Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, recently announced appointments to its newly formed Advisory Council. Based in Los Angeles, TCA develops specialized facilities as well as treatment- and age-specific...
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and WHO Join Forces to Improve Childhood Cancer Survival Worldwide
A report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) based on data from more than 100 cancer registries in 68 countries shows that from 2001 to 2010, the occurrence of childhood cancer worldwide was 13% more common than in the 1980s.1 In addition, the report’s findings showcase stark...
ASH President Comments on Medicare Proposal for CAR T-Cell Therapy
Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed to improve the reimbursement currently given to hospitals that provide chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to patients with blood cancer as part of the Fiscal Year 2020 Inpatient Prospective Payment System...
AACR Honors Elaine Fuchs, PhD, With 2019 AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has awarded the 59th AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award to Elaine Fuchs, PhD. The award was presented during the AACR Annual Meeting 2019. Dr. Fuchs delivered her award lecture, “Stem Cells in Wound Repair, Inflammation, and Cancer,” at the Georgia ...
Pat A. Basu, MD, MBA, Named President and Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Pat A. Basu, MD, MBA, has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Treatment Centers of America Global, Inc., which includes the existing Comprehensive Cancer Care Network of Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) hospitals and outpatient care centers, as well as new...
Margo Shoup, MD, FACS, Appointed Network Chair of Nuvance Health Cancer Service Line
Margo Shoup, MD, FACS, has been appointed Network Chair of the Cancer Service Line for the new health system formed by Health Quest and Western Connecticut Health Network (WCHN), to be called Nuvance Health. Dr. Shoup will provide strategic and clinical leadership for all aspects of Nuvance...
Uniting the Global Cancer Community to Reduce Deaths From Noncommunicable Diseases
It has been well documented that noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, now pose the greatest health threat to people living in low- and middle-income countries, surpassing infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of death and disability.1...
NIH Selects Three Oncology Investigators as Lasker Clinical Research Scholars
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected eight scientists as Lasker Clinical Research Scholars as part of a joint initiative with the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation to foster the next generation of clinical scientists.
This program provides early-stage researchers with the...
Measuring the Burden of Global Cancer as a Tool for Policymakers
The Global Burden of Disease Study was initiated in 1990, commissioned by the World Bank. At that time, the study was conducted mainly by researchers at Harvard and the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then the study has gone through many iterations to its present structure, which is a...
Ghanaian Oncologist Yehoda M. Martei, MD, Seeks Ways to Improve Outcomes in the Developing World
Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women globally. Due to a lack of early interventions, most women in low- and middle-income countries have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis, conferring a grim prognosis. Yehoda M. Martei, MD, of the Department of Medicine,...
Francoise Mornex, MD, PhD, Named First Female Recipient of Heine H. Hansen Award
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) recently awarded the 2019 Heine H. Hansen Award to Francoise Mornex, MD, PhD. The award was presented at the 2019 European Lung Cancer Congress.
Dr. Mornex is Professor of...
Capsaicin
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, Shelly Latte-Naor, MD, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, explore the use of...
Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening Among HIV-Infected Women in Tanzania
Population screening programs and the advent of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination have made cervical cancer largely a preventable disease. Despite these advances, cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death for women in low- and middle-income countries.
A recent study identified ...
Otis W. Brawley, MD, MACP, FASCO: Doctor, Policy Advocate, Writer, and Champion of the Underserved
In this installment of Living a Full Life, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Otis W. Brawley, MD, MACP, FASCO, a global leader in cancer research and health disparities. Dr. Brawley, who served as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer for the American Cancer Society (ACS) and...
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Receives 2019 Women of Inspiration and Influence Award
Women Business Leaders (WBL), of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation, recently recognized American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), with the 2019 Women of Inspiration and Influence award. Dr. Foti is among 11 senior executive women...
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Appoints Caryn Lerman, PhD, as Director
Caryn Lerman, PhD, has been appointed Director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, also serving as Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Lerman was the John H. Glick Professor for Cancer Research and Vice Dean for Strategic Initiatives in...
Miami Cancer Institute Opens Multidisciplinary Skin Cancer Clinic
Miami Cancer Institute has announced the opening of its Multidisciplinary Skin Cancer Clinic, along with the region’s first three-dimensional (3D), whole-body, photo-imaging system, designed to improve the accuracy of diagnosing melanoma and other skin cancers.
This system is reportedly 1 of 12...
Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH, Receives 2019 AACR–Waun Ki Hong Award
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) recently awarded Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH, with the 2019 AACR–Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research during the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting. Dr. Chan is recognized for his work on the molecular...
Debating the Role of Opioids in the Management of Chronic Cancer Pain
Despite the increasing public awareness of the danger of the overuse of prescription opioids, drug overdose deaths continue to rise in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from 1999 to 2017, nearly 400,000 people died of an overdose involving...
City of Hope Awarded $7.5 Million for Research in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma
CITY OF HOPE recently received $7.5 million in grant awards to study the rare blood cancer cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded two grants valued at $6.3 million over 5 years to City of Hope’s Steven Rosen, MD, and Christiane Querfeld, MD, PhD, so they can develop...
Pancreatic Cancer Collective Funds Two Research Teams Using AI to Identify High-Risk Populations
THE PANCREATIC Cancer Collective, which is the strategic partnership of the Lustgarten Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), recently announced that it has awarded $1 million grants to each of 2 projects that are using artificial intelligence (AI) computational approaches to identify high-risk...
NCCN Recognizes Five Individuals for Achievements in Cancer Care
THE NATIONAL Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has announced the recipients of a series of awards honoring individuals whose contributions have fueled progress in improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care over the past year. They are Timothy J....
FDA Approves Ramucirumab for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
ON MAY 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ramucirumab (Cyramza) as a single agent for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who have an alpha fetoprotein (AFP) level ≥ 400 ng/mL and have been previously treated with sorafenib.
REACH-2 Trial
APPROVAL WAS based on the REACH-2...
Rookie
His steps generated a low rumble that propagated through the floor like a tsunami, flowed up through my desk, and ended as tiny waves visible through the clear plastic of my water bottle. His custom Lucchese ostrich boots made a distinctive clicking sound as they rhythmically struck the tile floor, ...
AACR Inaugurated New Leadership at 2019 Annual Meeting
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) inaugurated Elaine R. Mardis, PhD, as President for 2019–2020 during the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting. Dr. Mardis holds the Nationwide Foundation Endowed Chair in Genomic Medicine and is Co–Executive Director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at ...
Lifestyle Modifications and Screening of Patients at High Risk Can Reduce Deaths From Pancreatic Cancer
After disclosing that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer, Alex Trebek, longtime host of the popular television game show Jeopardy!, vowed that he would beat the disease despite the low associated survival rate. His statement has brought pancreatic cancer back into the public...
An Insider’s Account of the Nobel Prize–Winning Race to Uncover the Secret of the Ribosome
Situated in the nucleus of the human cell is DNA, the secret of life discovered by the Nobel Prize laureates Drs. Watson and Crick. More recently, another scientist, Venki Ramakrishnan, PhD, won a Nobel Prize for his work in uncovering another secret within the human cell: the structure of the...
Unlocking the Secrets of the Immune System, Story by Story
The story of immunotherapy is one of the most interesting and provocative in medical history. William B. Coley, MD, first harnessed the immune system against cancer in the late 19th century by injecting mixtures of live and inactivated bacteria into patients’ tumors. For various reasons,...
AYA Survivors Should Be Allowed to Participate in Adult Clinical Trials
When strangers ask me how many children I have, I’m not quite sure how to respond. Do I still have four children even though one has died? A year and a half after my son Brent’s death, at the age of 18, from complications of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), I’m still struggling with knowing the...
ACP Issues Guidance for Breast Screening in Average-Risk Women
AVERAGE-RISK women between the ages of 50 and 74 who have no symptoms of breast cancer should undergo breast cancer screening with mammography every other year, the American College of Physicians (ACP) has recommended in a new evidence-based guidance statement published by Qaseem et al in Annals of ...
Fulvestrant/Anastrozole in Metastatic Breast Cancer
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Rita S. Mehta, MD, and colleagues, the final overall survival results of the phase III SWOG S0226 trial show that the addition of first-line fulvestrant to anastrozole was associated with improved overall survival in postmenopausal women with...
Triplet Chemotherapy in Unresectable Locally Advanced or Metastatic Biliary Tract Cancers
In a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Rachna T. Shroff, MD, and colleagues found that the addition of nab-paclitaxel to standard gemcitabine and cisplatin resulted in promising outcomes in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancers.
The study...
Emily Whitehead, Early Recipient of CAR T-Cell Therapy for ALL, Celebrates 7 Years Cancer-Free
Among the success stories in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children and young adults is the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. The field of cellular immunotherapy was still in its infancy in 2012 when Emily Whitehead, then 7, became the first...
