November 10, 2015 (View All Issues)
Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Gains Ground for Treatment of Stage III Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy appears to be preferable to three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiation therapy as part of treatment for patients with locally advanced (stage III) non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Compared with 3D conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy...
Is Health Care in the United States a Basic Human Right or an Entitlement?
Mercy Killers is a one-man show that details the consequences of a medical health-care catastrophe (breast cancer) in a family.1 This disturbing fictional account is actually a daily event in cancer centers: losing insurance for technicalities, losing a home because of an inability to pay the...
Debate Over Physician-Assisted Suicide Continues, State by State
In 1997, after surviving a storm of high-court legal challenges, Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act went into effect, making Oregon the first American state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The Supreme Court ruled that there was no right to assisted suicide in the Constitution but implied that...
Dexamethasone to Preempt Radiation-Induced Pain
Bone is a common site of metastasis for prostate, breast, and lung cancers, and palliative radiotherapy is often used to treat these metastases. Although it is an effective therapy, severe pain flare following radiation occurs in about one-third of patients. It usually resolves within 10 days, but...
Cooperative Group Study Finds Radiation May Benefit Patients With Atypical Meningiomas
Management of the vast majority of meningiomas is straightforward, but treatment of atypical meningiomas has been controversial. Should radiation be part of therapy or not has been the question. The first analysis of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0539 suggested that patients will have...
FDA Approves Trabectedin for Advanced Liposarcoma and Leiomyosarcoma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the novel chemotherapy drug trabectedin (Yondelis) for the treatment of specific soft-tissue sarcomas—liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma—that are unresectable or metastatic. Trabectedin is a novel marine antineoplastic alkaloid with a unique mechanism ...
FDA Approves Liposomal Irinotecan for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved irinotecan liposome injection (Onivyde), in combination with fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin, to treat patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who have been previously treated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy.
The effectiveness of...
Meta-analysis Evaluates Benefit of Docetaxel and Bisphosphonates in Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
The results of a meta-analysis conducted in the United Kingdom may guide clinicians in the use of docetaxel and bisphosphonates in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.1
Claire L. Vale, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University...
Update on Clinical Trials in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Despite the proliferation of new drugs to treat prostate cancer, further progress is proving somewhat elusive, according to three trials presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress.
One study had positive results with orteronel maintenance therapy in patients with metastatic...
Survival Benefit in Metastatic Melanoma Grows Larger in COMBI-v Update
Combined BRAF and MEK inhibition was superior to BRAF inhibition alone in unresectable metastatic melanoma, according to the updated survival analysis of the large randomized COMBI-v trial.1 These findings were reported at the 2015 European Cancer Congress recently held in Vienna, Austria.
...
PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors Show Promise in Additional Tumor Types
While inhibitors of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or its ligand (PD-L1) are becoming established in melanoma, non–small cell lung cancer, and renal cell carcinoma, their efficacy is also being evaluated in numerous other tumor types, with promising results, according to studies presented...
FDA Approves Ipilimumab in Adjuvant Treatment of Stage III Melanoma
On October 28, 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the monoclonal antibody ipilimumab (Yervoy) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with cutaneous melanoma with pathologic involvement of regional lymph nodes of more than 1 mm who have undergone complete resection, including ...
Primary vs Metastatic Breast Cancer: The Genetic Landscape Varies
Breast tumors that recur appear to have a different genetic profile than those that do not, and they often demonstrate targetable mutations, according to the largest study of genetic sequencing of breast cancer tissue to date.1 This finding was presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress.
“We...
Combined EGFR and VEGF Inhibition Ameliorates the Impact of the EGFR T790M Mutation in NSCLC
Treatment with erlotinib and bevacizumab (Avastin) may help overcome the poor prognosis associated with T790M mutations present at diagnosis in advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the results of the phase II BELIEF trial.1
At the 2015 European Cancer Congress, Rolf A. Stahel, ...
Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS, Named Chair of Surgery at Geisel School of Medicine and Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS, the William W. Coon Professor of Surgical Oncology and Associate Chair of Clinical Affairs at the University of Michigan Health System, has been named Chair of Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Senior Vice President of the...
Antibody-Drug Conjugate Makes Strong Showing in Small Cell Lung Cancer
The antibody-drug conjugate rovalpituzumab tesirine has shown strong clinical activity as second- and third-line treatment for small cell lung cancer in a phase I/Ib multicenter study,1 especially in the subset with high expression of the delta-like protein 3 (DLL3), which the drug targets. This...
Functional Subtyping With 80-Gene Assay Identifies Distinct Triple-Positive Subtypes in Breast Cancer Patients
Molecular categorization of tumors with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has become a critical component in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, improving outcomes by assigning the most appropriate therapy to specific tumor pathways. According to a...
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Names Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD, Clinical Director of the Cancer Center and Chief of Hematology-Oncology
Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD, an oncologist whose work in experimental cancer therapy and tumor model development has led to key advances in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, has been named Director of the Leon V. & Marilyn L. Rosenberg Clinical Cancer Center and Chief of the Division of...
NYU Langone Appoints Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, as Chair of Radiation Oncology
Renowned clinician-scientist Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, has been named Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at NYU Langone Medical Center. His appointment is effective February 1, 2016.
Dr. Kimmelman joins the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone following a distinguished ...
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship Honors Richard Pazdur, MD, and Ellen Goodman
On October 21 in Washington, DC, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) hosted a reception to honor Richard Pazdur, MD, and Ellen Goodman. NCCS Chief Executive Officer, Shelly Fuld Nasso, welcomed attendees to the special awards reception.
NCCS Public Service Leadership Award
The...
Ovarian Cancer Trialists Forming Work Group to Standardize Definition of Pathologic Complete Response
Ovarian cancer clinical trialists are forming a working group to develop a standard definition of pathologic complete response in ovarian cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Such agreement within the field potentially would enable the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider...
Study Finds Quality of Physician Recommendation to Parents Key to Encourage/Discourage HPV Vaccination of Adolescents
A nationwide online survey of 776 pediatricians and family physicians assessing the quality of their human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine recommendations to parents has found that approximately 27% of respondents said they do not strongly endorse HPV vaccination; further, 26% and 39% of respondents...
NCCN Unveils Graphic Evidence Blocks to Guide Decision-Making
Treatment decision-making for oncologists and their patients may become simpler through the use of graphic NCCN Evidence Blocks™, which were unveiled at the NCCN 10th Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies™ sponsored by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN¨). The first of the NCCN...
End-of-Life Clinical Decisions Still Need Conversations About Improving Care
In 2014, the Institute of Medicine report Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life called for more conversations about improving care for those who are dying. Improving the care of the imminently dying is an important issue in the oncology...
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Names Marc Hurlbert, PhD, as Chief Mission Officer
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) announced that it has appointed Marc Hurlbert, PhD, as its new Chief Mission Officer (CMO). Formerly the Executive Director of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, Dr. Hurlbert succeeds Margaret (Peg) Mastrianni, who will retire in January 2016 after serving...
Nancy A. Speck, PhD, Named Chair, Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine/University of Pennsylvania
Nancy A. Speck, PhD, has been named Chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also the Associate Director of Penn’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Co-Leader of the Hematologic Malignancies Program at...
Victoria Seewaldt, MD, Joins City of Hope
Breast cancer and ovarian cancer specialist, Victoria L. Seewaldt, MD, has joined City of Hope as the Ruth Ziegler Chair in Population Sciences. Dr. Seewaldt, who is a specialist in developing risk models for aggressive cancers, will also serve as the Associate Director of the Comprehensive Cancer...
Maciej Lesniak, MD, Named Chair of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern
Maciej (Matt) Lesniak, MD, has been named the Michael J. Marchese Professor and Chair of the Departments of Neurological Surgery at Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Prior to joining Northwestern, Dr. Lesniak was a Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology, and...
ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline Update: Recommendations for the Use of White Blood Cell Growth Factors
ASCO has issued a clinical practice guideline update on use of hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors, as reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Thomas J. Smith, MD, FACP, FASCO, FAAHMP, and colleagues.1 This update to the ASCO 2006 guideline was based on a systematic review of...
ASCO Recommendations for Use of White Blood Cell Growth Factors: What Remains the Same and What Has Been Modified
Neutropenic complications remain the main dose-limiting toxicity of cancer chemotherapy treatment and are associated with considerable morbidity, mortality, and costs.1 Although patients who have experienced a prior neutropenic event are at increased risk of subsequent events, several studies have...
ASH Elects New Leadership to Its Executive Committee
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has announced the election of three new members to its Executive Committee, the governing body of the organization, for terms beginning after the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting, taking place December 5–8 in Orlando.
Alexis A. Thompson, MD, MPH, will serve a 1-year ...
Improved Overall Survival With Neoadjuvant Plus Adjuvant Bevacizumab in Early HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
The phase III National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-40 (NRG Oncology) trial showed that the addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) to docetaxel + anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy improved pathologic complete response rate, the primary endpoint, in patients with early...
Survival and Bevacizumab in Early Breast Cancer: Time to Reconsider?
In metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer, several trials have shown that the addition of the anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (Avastin) to different chemotherapy regimens significantly improved response rates and progression-free survival by various...
UCLA and VA Launch Program to Enhance Cancer Care for Veterans
A new collaboration between the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System will provide access to the latest therapeutic cancer clinical trials and state-of-the-art care for men and women who have served in the armed forces.
The ...
Why Melanoma Rates Are Increasing in Adolescents and Young Adults, Especially Among Females
The incidence of melanoma among children, adolescents, and young adults has reached epidemic proportions, increasing more than 250% over the past 4 decades, with young females at highest risk for the deadly cancer, according to a study1 by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo,...
Lewis Cantley, PhD, Receives 2015 AACI Distinguished Scientist Award
The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) presented the AACI Distinguished Scientist Award to Lewis Cantley, PhD, on October 26, during the 2015 AACI/Cancer Center Administrators Forum Annual Meeting, in Washington, DC.
A cell biologist and biochemist who serves as The Margaret and...
Geriatric Oncology in Europe: A Commitment to Improving Cancer Care for Older Patients
In Europe, the field of geriatric oncology has a long history of development, and its organization and implementation continue to improve every day. This would not have happened without the strong commitment of national authorities to health policies, a critical success factor.
Four Missions
In...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Lung Cancer
The information contained in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting clinical studies for patients with lung cancer. The trials are investigating DNA, RNA, and protein changes contributing to carcinogenesis; new prevention strategies; combination therapies; radiation,...
Telotristat Etiprate Added to Standard Therapy for Carcinoid Syndrome Shows Clinical Benefit in Patients With Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
The investigational drug telotristat etiprate was shown to have clinical benefit when added to somatostatin analog therapy for carcinoid syndrome not adequately controlled by long-acting somatostatin analog therapy, the current standard of care, in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors....
Martine Extermann, MD, PhD, Recognized for Her Work in Geriatric Oncology at Assembly in Basel, Switzerland
Martine Extermann, MD, PhD, senior member of Moffitt’s Senior Adult Oncology Program, has been honored with the Geriatric Oncology Lifetime Achievement Award, originally known as the “Preis geriatrische Onkologie für das Lebenswerk 2015,” at this year’s German, Austrian, and Swiss Congress of the...
Peter A. Kanetsky, PhD, MPH, Named Next President of ASPO
Peter A. Kanetsky, PhD, MPH, Chair and Program Leader of Cancer Epidemiology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, has been elected as the new president for the American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO). He will serve as President-Elect before taking the post in March 2017.
ASPO is a...
LUNGevity Foundation and Celgene Collaborate to Create Resource for Lung Cancer Caregivers
The LUNGevity Foundation and the biopharmaceutical company Celgene have joined forces to launch a new resource for caregivers of people diagnosed with lung cancer. The program, “Your Journey Together,” is a support tool focusing on the specific needs of this group and includes a series of videos,...
Cancer on the Global Stage: Incidence and Cancer‑Related Mortality in Algeria
The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this special focus on the worldwide cancer burden. In this issue, we feature a close look at the cancer incidence and mortality rates in Algeria. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of the world. For the ...
ASCO Calls for Comprehensive Payment Reform to Address Issue of Site Neutrality
ASCO recently called for comprehensive physician payment reform to support the full scope of services required by patients with cancer, rather than jeopardizing patient outcomes by reducing the available resources in a particular cancer care setting in an effort to achieve “site neutrality” in...
Inotuzumab Ozogamicin Receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Pfizer recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to the company’s investigational antibody-drug conjugate inotuzumab ozogamicin for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The FDA’s decision was based on the results of the phase III ...
Management of Aromatase Inhibitor–Induced Musculoskeletal Symptoms: A Physiatric Approach
Aromatase inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence in hormone receptor–positive patients, but medication compliance can be limited by uncomfortable side effects, including musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. Musculoskeletal symptoms have been reported ...
Nivolumab in Metastatic NSCLC After Platinum Therapy
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On October 9, 2015, the anti–programmed cell death protein 1...
The Future of ASCO: President-Elect Candidates Share Their Vision
S. Gail Eckhardt, MD, FASCO, is a tenured Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she also holds the Stapp Harlow Chair in Cancer Research. She has been a faculty member at the institution since 1999 and was Division Head of Medical Oncology from 2006–2014. Currently, she...
Tell Your Patients About ASCO’S Award-Winning Cancer.Net Mobile App
Cancer.Net Mobile app offers your patients and their caregivers trusted, oncologist-approved cancer information and the tools and resources they need to help plan and manage cancer care.
The newest version of Cancer.Net Mobile is optimized for the latest iOS versions, and offers an all-new visual...
A Message from W. Charles Penley, MD, FASCO
Dear Friends:
This is the time of year when I often receive cards from patients celebrating their holiday season. Most cards include photos of my patients on vacation or alongside their growing families, conquering cancer in the simplest and most perfect way—with happiness and hope. I am grateful...
New Study Indicates Key Differences Between Trial Enrollees and Patients Receiving Treatments
A new article published in the Journal of Oncology Practice evaluates differences between the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell cancer who participated in clinical trials vs those who received the same therapy in routine clinical practice.
Nearly 40% of patients in the real-world...
Congress Passes Continuing Resolution, Research Funding Dips Slightly
On September 30, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution that will fund the government at current levels through December 11. Funding for both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) dipped slightly as part of a 0.21% cut to all nondefense discretionary...
ASCO Announces Candidates for 2016 Election
Seventeen distinguished ASCO members have been selected by the ASCO Nominating Committee as candidates for open leadership positions within the Society. They include the office of President-Elect, four seats on the Society’s Board of Directors, and three seats on the ASCO Nominating Committee.
Be a Voice in The Campaign to Conquer Cancer
We'll provide the resources. You provide the voice. The Campaign to Conquer Cancer is raising $150 million to support a world free from the fear of cancer. Our potential to raise money increases with every new person who learns about our work. We need the most trusted leaders in the oncology...
A Pandemic’s Story of Tragedy and Success
Bookmark
Title: AIDS Between Science and Politics
Author: Peter Piot
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication date: May 2015
Price: $29.95; hardcover, 216 pages
AIDS is a global phenomenon that recognizes neither national boundaries nor social strata. The AIDS pandemic was one of...
A Chemist Exposes Dangerous Chemicals
Bookmark
Title: Pick Your Poison: How Our Mad Dash to Chemical Utopia Is Making Lab Rats of Us All
Author: Monona Rossol
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Publication date: October 2015
Price: E-book, 210 pages
Monona Rossol is a chemist and “industrial hygienist” who is a frequent...
NCI Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences Names Kathy J. Helzlsouer, MD, MHS, Associate Director
Kathy J. Helzlsouer, MD, MHS, has been named Associate Director and Chief Medical Officer in NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences. She will direct the Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, which includes the Office of the Associate Director, Clinical and Translational...
2015 Oncology Meetings
NOVEMBER
Best of ASTRO
November 13-14 • San Diego, California
For more information:
www.astro.org/Meetings-and-Events/2015-Best-of-ASTRO/Index.aspx
Questions: Primary Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of the Central Nervous System
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an occasional feature that includes a case report detailing a particular hematologic condition followed by questions. Answers to each question appear here with expert commentary.
In the October 25 issue of The ASCO Post, part 1 of a...
Answers: Primary Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of the Central Nervous System
Question 1: What is next best step in the management of this patient?
Correct Answer: C. Ophthalmoscopy/slit lamp examination.
Expert Perspective
Ophthalmic involvement should be sought by noninvasive procedures such as slit lamp examination and ophthalmoscopy and abnormal findings must be...
A Cancer Diagnosis Can Lead to Significant Loss of Working Hours, Income
A new analysis indicates that when American adults are diagnosed with cancer, they experience significant decreases in the probability of working, in the number of hours they work, and correspondingly, in their incomes. Such negative impacts of a cancer diagnosis are particularly pronounced among...
NCI Names Thomas Kensler, PhD, Outstanding Investigator
Thomas Kensler, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and Co-Leader for the Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), was awarded a $6.3 million Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This new...
Equanimity
The following essay by S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, is adapted from The Big Casino: America’s Best Cancer Doctors Share Their Most Powerful Stories, which was coedited by Stan Winokur, MD, and Vincent Coppola and published in May 2014. The book is available on
Amazon.com and thebigcasino.org.
It...
Frances Giles, MB, MD, FRCPI, FRCPath, Appointed Chief of Hematology/Oncology at Northwestern
Francis Giles, MB, MD, FRCPI, FRCPath, has been appointed Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Northwestern. In his new role, he will continue to advance the division’s clinical, research, and academic pursuits.
Dr. Giles joined the faculty of the Division...
Shadowed by Cancer
Although genetic testing has not turned up any inherited mutations that might explain the number of cancers that have plagued my immediate family, over the past 15 years, I have lost my father, aunt, and sister to the disease. In 2001, my husband, Wayne, died of acute promyelocytic leukemia, and...
ASCO Endorses ASTRO Guideline on Postoperative Radiation Therapy for Endometrial Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Larissa A. Meyer, MD, MPH, and colleagues, ASCO has endorsed the recently published American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) guideline on postoperative radiation therapy for endometrial cancer.1 The ASCO clinical practice guideline...
ASCO-Endorsed ASTRO Guidelines: Searching for Consensus on Radiotherapy for Endometrial Cancer
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer, but there has been little consensus about the appropriate indications for adjuvant therapy. One reason for the lack of consensus is the absence of randomized studies in endometrial cancer that report an overall survival benefit. This may be...
Tamoxifen Use and Access to Fertility-Preservation Options Among Premenopausal Women With Breast Cancer
A multivariable analysis of clinical factors associated with tamoxifen use among premenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer showed that fertility preservation was a significant factor and “the only predictor of both noninitiation and early cessation” of tamoxifen. “Among...
Multiple Copies of TP53 Tumor-Suppressor Gene Potentially Related to Lower-Than-Expected Cancer Rate in Elephants
A lower-than-expected rate of cancer among elephants could be potentially related to multiple copies of TP53, “a crucial tumor suppressor gene mutated in the majority of human cancers,” according to a study published online by The Journal of the American Medical Association. “Compared with human...
National Academy of Medicine Elects New Members
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly the Institute of Medicine, announced the election of 70 regular members and 10 international members during its Annual Meeting October 19. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and...
ASH Honors Aaron J. Marcus, MD, Posthumously With Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will recognize the late Aaron J. Marcus, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College and the Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System with the 2015 Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology. Dr. Marcus, who passed away in May 2015,...
FDA Approves First Oncolytic Viral Therapy in the United States
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the biologics license application for talimogene laherparepvec (Imlygic), a genetically modified oncolytic viral therapy indicated for the local treatment of unresectable cutaneous, subcutaneous, and nodal lesions in patients with melanoma...
