November 10, 2019 (View All Issues)
- The Covering Life-Saving Investigations Needed in Cancer and...
- An overview of anxiety and depression
- How ...
Third-Line Cabazitaxel Improves Outcomes in Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Third-line treatment with cabazitaxel extended progression-free survival and overall survival in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in the CARD trial. These results provide the first evidence from a randomized phase III trial for a survival benefit with third-line therapy, and ...
The Oncology Care Model and Quality of Care: Defining, Measuring, and Implementing New Approaches to Cancer Care
The Oncology Care Model was instituted in 2016 by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation as a move away from the fee-for-service payment model and toward value-based care. It has sparked discussion ever since. How should quality be defined? Whose and what values should it reflect? How...
Management of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Call for Action
Advances in systemic therapy and supportive care, as well as ongoing improvements in surgical techniques, have led to improved survival for many patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. We have observed increased survival with FOLFIRINOX (leucovorin, fluorouracil, irinotecan,...
Early Lung Cancer Detection Followed by Minimally Invasive Surgery Saves Lives
Lung cancer remains the number one cancer killer, leading to about 150,000 deaths per year in the United States and accounting for approximately 25% of all cancer deaths in the nation. Early detection has improved survival in other malignancies such as breast, colon, and cervical cancers, but...
Barry Paul Sleckman, MD, PhD, to Lead O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
Barry Paul Sleckman, MD, PhD, a well-known cancer researcher who focuses on understanding how DNA double-strand breaks are generated and repaired—a key topic for cancer and immune system development and function—has been named Director of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University...
Scientific Session on Breast Cancer Explores Studies on Partial-Breast Irradiation, Chemoradiotherapy
Women with early-stage breast cancer treated with lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy rated the cosmetic results for whole-breast and partial-breast irradiation to be equivalent, according to a new analysis of results from the phase III NRG Oncology/NSABP B39-RTOG 0413 clinical trial. Results...
Omitting Radiation From Treatment for Early-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma Increases Risk of Recurrence
Two presentations at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting offered more evidence that omitting radiation therapy leads to higher rates of recurrence for patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma.1,2 Both studies involve work by the German Hodgkin Study Group among...
ASTRO and ACR Update Practice Parameters for Radiation Therapies
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) recently released seven updated practice parameters for medical providers who use radiation therapy to treat patients with cancer. The updated practice parameters synthesize the clinical best practices...
Targeted Therapy Moves Into Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer With Strong Showing by Olaparib and Rucaparib
Treatment with olaparib delayed disease progression, and early survival data suggest a positive trend in favor of olaparib compared with newer hormonal agents in men with pretreated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and homologous recombinant repair genetic alterations—specifically...
IMvigor130 Trial: Atezolizumab Plus Chemotherapy for Metastatic Urothelial Cancer
Treatment with atezolizumab plus chemotherapy extended progression-free survival by 1.9 months vs chemotherapy alone in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer, according to the early results of the IMvigor130 trial, which were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)...
Abemaciclib Benefits Patients With HER2-Positive Breast Cancer in monarcHER Trial
Inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) are associated with a robust benefit in patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, but now the monarcHER trial has confirmed their benefit in the HER2-positive population. The new findings were reported at the...
Continuous Therapy for Multiple Myeloma Offers Survival Advantage, but Questions Remain
The number of approved agents in multiple myeloma has skyrocketed in recent years, leading to significant improvements in survival, but questions remain regarding the optimal duration of treatment. Although traditionally limited to a fixed number of cycles due to accumulating toxicity, novel agents ...
Personalized Treatment Approaches on the Horizon for Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Despite the spate of recent drug approvals in blood cancer, it’s been more than 13 years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a bone marrow disorder characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis. Nevertheless, data from a...
Cleveland Clinic Names Halle Moore, MD, Director of Breast Medical Oncology, Adds New Staff Physicians
Halle Moore, MD, has been named Director of Breast Medical Oncology and Co-Director for the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program at Cleveland Clinic. She will start her role in January 2020.
Dr. Moore joined Cleveland Clinic in 1999 and specializes in the medical management of breast cancer. Her...
Venetoclax for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia or Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
On May 15, 2019, venetoclax was approved for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).1,2
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on findings from the open-label phase III CLL14 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov...
Machine-Learning Model May Predict Unplanned Hospitalizations After Radiation Therapy for Gastrointestinal Cancer
Unplanned hospitalizations may be common among patients with cancer, but they diminish quality of care while racking up high costs for patients and the health-care system alike. According to data presented at the 2019 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, however, a new predictive model may help providers...
Fedratinib: Back From Development Limbo for the Treatment of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
In September 2019, Dr. Claire Harrison and colleagues, myself among them, presented two new analyses regarding the use of the JAK2 and FLT3 inhibitor fedratinib in myelofibrosis at the Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Annual Meeting, with resulting publication in Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma...
Stephen Hahn, MD, to Be Nominated FDA Commissioner
In a press release issued by the White House today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intention to nominate Stephen Hahn, MD, FASTRO, to be the Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Hahn has been Chief Medical Executive at The University of...
FDA Approves Pegfilgrastim Biosimilar
On November 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a biosimilar to pegfilgrastim, pegfilgrastim-bmez (Ziextenzo).
Pegfilgrastim-bmez is indicated to decrease the incidence of infection, as manifested by febrile neutropenia, in patients with nonmyeloid malignancies receiving...
How Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential Increases the Risk of Heart Disease and Blood Cancers as People Age
Although stem cells throughout the body acquire genetic mutations over time, usually these alterations do not affect how the stem cells function or cause disease. However, recent research in clonal hematopoiesis and aging has found an association between clonal expansion of hematopoietic cells with ...
FDA Approves Niraparib for Patients With Homologous Recombination Deficiency–Positive Advanced Ovarian Cancer
On October 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved niraparib (Zejula) for patients with advanced ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer treated with three or more prior chemotherapy regimens and whose cancer is associated with homologous recombination...
Veliparib Plus Chemotherapy Meets Primary Endpoint in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
As first-line treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer, the addition of veliparib during induction followed by veliparib maintenance therapy significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death in the phase III VELIA/GOG-3005 trial reported at the European Society for Medical...
FDA Approves Label Expansion for Single-Dose Regimen of Intravenous Aprepitant for Patients Receiving Moderately Emetogenic Chemotherapy
On October 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for aprepitant (Cinvanti) injectable emulsion for intravenous (IV) use. The sNDA requested FDA approval to expand the recommended dosage to include the 130-mg single-dose regimen for...
Update to FDA Prescribing Information for Romiplostim for Adults With Immune Thrombocytopenia
On October 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) for romiplostim (Nplate) to include new data in its U.S. prescribing information showing sustained platelet responses in adults with immune thrombocytopenia. The updated...
PRIMA Trial Reports Benefit With Niraparib Across Ovarian Cancer Subsets
In women with advanced ovarian cancer responding to first-line chemotherapy, maintenance therapy with the PARP inhibitor niraparib significantly reduced the risk of disease progression by 38% overall and by 60% in women with BRCA mutations. Even patients without a homologous recombination...
PAOLA-1 Trial: Front-Line Olaparib/Bevacizumab Maintenance Benefits Women With Advanced Ovarian Cancer
In women with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer, front-line maintenance therapy with olaparib plus bevacizumab reduced the risk of disease progression by 41% overall and by 69% in the subset of patients with BRCA-mutated disease, vs bevacizumab and placebo, in the phase III PAOLA-1/ENGOT-ov25 trial...
Expert Point of View: Ana Oaknin, MD, PhD
“The main goal in ovarian cancer is to avoid relapse after first-line therapy because otherwise, the probability of cure is quite low,” said European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) discussant of the PAOLA-1 trial, Ana Oaknin, MD, PhD, of the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona....
UNC Health Care Introduces New Blood Research Center
The University of North Carolina (UNC) Department of Medicine recently announced the formation of the new UNC Blood Research Center, administratively housed within the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Nigel Key, MD, the Harold R. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Pathology and...
ACCC Honors Seven Cancer Programs With Innovator Awards
ACCC Honors Seven Cancer Programs With Innovator Awards
The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) honored the recipients of 2019 ACCC Innovator Awards at the ACCC 36th National Oncology Conference, October 30–November 1 in Orlando, Florida, where this year’s honorees shared innovative...
Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH, Named Chief Academic Officer at Partners HealthCare
Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH, was named Chief Academic Officer at Partners HealthCare, starting November 11, 2019. Dr. Thadhani most recently served as Vice Dean of Research and Graduate Research Education at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Prior to that, he served as Associate Director of...
An Early Love of Nature’s Biodiversity Leads to a Career in Cancer Research for Lisa Coussens, PhD
Founded in 1887, the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) is located in Portland, Oregon, and is home to the cutting-edge Coussens Lab, which focuses on the role of immune cells and their mediators as critical regulators of cancer development. The lab’s eponymous Director, Lisa Coussens, PhD, ...
LEAD Conference Awards 2019 Woman Oncologist of the Year
Claire Verschraegen, MD, was named the 2019 Woman Oncologist of the Year, and Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, received the 2019 Rising Star award at the first-ever Leadership Empowerment and Development: Enriching Experiences for Women in Hematology and Oncology (LEAD) Conference, hosted by Bio Ascend....
CheckMate 214: Nivolumab/Ipilimumab vs Sunitinib in First-Line Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Robert J. Motzer, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues, extended follow-up of the phase III CheckMate 214 trial has shown maintained survival benefit of first-line nivolumab/ipilimumab vs sunitinib among patients with...
Immunotherapy Combinations Redefine Outcomes for Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
The treatment landscape for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma has changed drastically over the past several years with the introduction of many new therapeutic options for patients. The revolution began with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of nivolumab and ipilimumab...
ASTRO Honors 2019 Gold Medalists, Honorary Member, and Other Award Recipients
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recognized the recipients of its 2019 Gold Medal awards and other high-profile honors at the 2019ASTRO Annual Meeting.
Gold Medalists and Honorary Member
Walter J. Curran, Jr, MD;Silvia C. Formenti, MD, FASTRO; and Thomas R. Mackie, PhD, were...
Targeted Methylation Sequencing Assay May Provide New Tool for Cancer Detection Across Stages and Tissues of Origin
A study by Geoffrey R. Oxnard, MD, and colleagues using bisulfite sequencing of plasma cell-free DNA to identify methylomic signatures for multicancer detection and tissue-of-origin determination found the assay achieved accurate detection of multiple cancers across stages and tissue-of-origin...
Deep Learning Assists in Detection of Lung Nodule Locations, Characteristics
A computer-aided diagnosis system using deep-learning analysis to detect lung lesion locations and quantitatively characterize the lesions on computed tomography (CT) images offered a fast and convenient approach for assisting radiologists in the diagnosis of lung nodule pathologies. These findings ...
The Role of Oncologists in Helping Cancer Survivors to Quit Smoking
Several oncology organizations have created guidelines for oncology specialists to help patients with cancer to quit smoking. ASCO has far-reaching goals aimed at tobacco reduction, including cessation tools and other resources. To shed light on the current work in this area, The ASCO Post spoke...
Race Reporting and Representation in Clinical Trials Leading to Cancer Drug Approvals
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology,1Jonathan M. Loree, MD, of BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and colleagues found that race and race subgroup analyses were frequently not included in reported trials supporting U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oncology drug approvals...
Daratumumab Combination Therapy for Patients With Multiple Myeloma Who Are Eligible for Transplantation
On September 26, 2019, daratumu-mab (Darzalex) was approved in combination with bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone for the treatment of multiple myeloma in newly diagnosed adult patients eligible for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).1,2
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was...
Thomas J. Smith, MD, Honored With ASCO’s Palliative and Supportive Care in Oncology Endowed Award and Lecture
ASCO recognized Thomas J. Smith, MD, FACP, FASCO, FAAHPM, a leader in the field of oncology palliative care, with its Walther Cancer Foundation Palliative and Supportive Care in Oncology Endowed Award and Lecture. Dr. Smith accepted his award and delivered a keynote address at the 2019 Supportive ...
How Patients Add Life to Their Days
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the Art of Oncology as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
Pioneering Breast Surgeon and NSABP Chair, Bernard Fisher, MD, Dies at 101
American physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn coined the term “paradigm shift” to connote a fundamental change in the basic concepts and practices of a standard scientific discipline. They are few and far between. To convince the entrenched oncologic surgery community in the 1960s and 1970s that...
ASCO Presidents Through the Years: Past, Present, and Future
2020–2021: Lori J. Pierce, MD, FASTRO
2019–2020: Howard “Skip” Burris, III, MD, FACP
2018–2019: Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD
2017–2018: Bruce E. Johnson, MD
2016–2017: Daniel F. Hayes, MD
2015–2016: Julie Vose, MD, MBA
2014–2015: Peter P. Yu, MD
2013–2014: Clifford A. Hudis, MD
2012–2013:...
FDA Awards Research Grants for the Study of Rare Cancers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently awarded 12 new clinical trial research grants totaling more than $15 million over the next 4 years, many of them focusing on cancer. Also, the FDA awarded two new research grants for natural history studies in rare diseases, totaling more than...
Kazuaki Takabe, MD, PhD, FACS, Delivered Keynote on Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer at JSCO Meeting
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Chief of Breast Surgery, Kazuaki Takabe, MD, PhD, FACS, delivered the keynote address on immunotherapy for breast cancer at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Clinical Oncology (JSCO) in Fukuoka. During the meeting, Dr. Takabe also led a...
Robert Winn, MD, Named Director of VCU Massey Cancer Center
Robert Winn, MD, has been named Director of Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center (VCU). An expert in lung cancer and community-based health care, Dr. Winn will start at VCU in December.
Dr. Winn comes to VCU from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he has served as...
Remembering Craig Alguire
It is with great sadness that we report Craig Alguire, MD, 42, died on October 11, 2019, at his home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Diagnosed with grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme in 2015, Dr. Alguire chronicled the effects the cancer was having on his life in his Patient’s Corner column, published in...
AACR Project GENIE Begins 5-Year Collaborative Research Project With $36 Million in New Funding
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) initiative known as AACR Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE) is launching a 5-year, $36 million research collaboration with a coalition of nine biopharmaceutical companies. The goal of the project is to obtain clinical ...
Acute Toxicity With Intensity-Modulated Fractionated Radiotherapy vs Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer
In an analysis from the phase III PACE-B trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Nicholas van As, MD, and colleagues found that shortened treatment courses with stereotactic body radiotherapy did not increase gastrointestinal or genitourinary acute toxicity vs intensity-modulated fractionated...
Apalutamide Treatment for Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer and Health-Related Quality of Life
In an analysis of the phase III TITAN trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Neeraj Agarwal, MD, and colleagues found that that treatment with apalatuamide was associated with preserved health-related quality of life, including pain and fatigue outcomes, in patients with metastatic...
Nivolumab vs Taxane Therapy in Refractory Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Ken Kato, MD, and colleagues, the phase III ATTRACTION-3 trial conducted in predominantly Asian patients has shown a survival benefit with nivolumab vs paclitaxel or docetaxel in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who were refractory to ...
Cancer.Net: Physician-Generated Content for Patients With Cancer Worldwide
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a disorienting moment for our patients who are then faced with making difficult decisions regarding their treatment. In order to improve shared decision-making and to increase patient involvement in their care, it is essential to provide patients and their families...
Make a Holiday Gift to Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation
Help fund breakthrough cancer research on behalf of someone you love this holiday season. Make a gift in honor or in memory of a loved one, and then send an e-card or mailed notification of your tribute.
For many families, this time of year is marked by worry or grief rather than joy. With your...
Advocates Urge Action on Cancer Care Access at ASCO Advocacy Summit
At the 2019 ASCO Advocacy Summit, ASCO members from 35 states held more than 160 Congressional meetings, urging members of Congress to take action to advance policy priorities that improve patient access to cancer care, including:
New JCO CCI Article Discusses Difficulties in Gathering Real-World Evidence
A new JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics (JCO CCI) article highlights the challenges in—and need for—obtaining real-world evidence for assessing the effectiveness of precision medicine on areas such as survival, quality of life, cost, and health disparities. The paper, titled “Clinical Molecular...
Your Stories: Behind the Breakthroughs
On a Saturday morning, a wife wakes to telling signs that her husband is not well. Before Sunday, a devasting diagnosis comes that a young father has a 1% chance of surviving. The search is on for a life-extending treatment.
Erin Miller, who lost her husband, Mike, and Erin’s sister, Dana...
New ASCO Answers Fact Sheet on Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression can cause distress and suffering that make it harder to cope with cancer treatment. Help your patients recognize and record their symptoms by giving them the ASCO Answers Anxiety and Depression fact sheet. This handout includes:
