November 15, 2011 (View All Issues)
Aflibercept Improves Overall Survival in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
The novel fusion protein aflibercept added to standard chemotherapy led to an overall survival benefit in a global phase III trial of second-line metastatic colorectal cancer, reported at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress in Stockholm.1
“Adding aflibercept to FOLFIRI [leucovorin, ...
Important Lessons for Oncology from the Front Lines of the AIDS Pandemic
On June 5, 1981, the CDC issued a warning about a rare type of pneumonia discovered among a small group of young gay men in Los Angeles, later determined to be AIDS-related, ushering in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Early on, AIDS-related malignancies brought the oncology community into this formidable...
Chemotherapy Drug Shortages: A Preventable Human Disaster
The issue of chemotherapy drug shortages continues with no end in sight. Many heartfelt human interest stories have been told on television, in newspapers, and even to Congress, but the bottom line is that little, if any, action has been taken.
Uniquely American Problem
News of the generic...
Novel HDAC Inhibitor May Restore Estrogen Sensitivity in Breast Cancer
The addition of the investigational histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor entinostat significantly delayed breast cancer progression and showed a trend for a survival benefit in the phase II ENCORE 301 study. The study was conducted in women with advanced estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer...
NCCN Meeting Addresses Issues in Hematologic Malignancies
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 6th Annual Congress on Hematologic Malignancies, held recently in New York, included reviews of the management of hematologic diseases as well as discussions of outstanding issues in the field. The following is a synopsis of some of the important...
Fewer Rectal Side Effects with IMRT than with 3D-CRT for Prostate Cancer
The use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is associated with fewer acute and late toxic effects than is three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) in men with localized prostate cancer, according to preliminary analysis of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0126...
Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy May Extend Survival for Patients with Esophagogastric Junction Adenocarcinoma
Several American and European clinical trials have yielded mixed results on the survival advantage of preoperative chemoradiotherapy for patients with locally advanced esophagogastric junction adenonocarcinoma. However, a distinguished panel at the 2011 ASTRO Annual Meeting did agree that surgery...
Despite Challenges, Combined-modality Therapy Warranted for Locally Recurrent Colorectal Cancer
Encouraging outcomes have been achieved with a combined-modality treatment approach for patients with locally recurrent colorectal cancer in both curative and palliative settings, although room for improvement remains. During a session presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology...
Predictive Biomarker for Bevacizumab: Are We Getting Closer?
The need to identify a biomarker to guide treatment with bevacizumab (Avastin) is abundantly clear, and studies presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress suggest this goal may be in sight.
“Finding predictive biomarkers is a challenge, but there are candidates,” said Eric...
NCCN Guidelines® for Lung Cancer Screening Now Available
The new NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening primarily refer to non–small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer, and recommend helical low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for select patients at high risk for the disease.
In addition to outlining the appropriate use...
Sunitinib and Everolimus: New Indications in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
With In the Clinic, The ASCO Post 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.
Sunitinib
Indication—The oral kinase...
Global Trials: Do Benefits Outweigh Pitfalls?
Global clinical trials have many advantages and are essential in many disease settings, but there are also challenges that confront global industry-sponsored research, said Sandra Horning, MD, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Development in Hematology/Oncology for Genentech (Table...
Oncology’s Only Benchmark Report, National Practice Benchmark, Is Now a Yearly JOP Supplement
Would it surprise you to learn that 40% of your peers in oncology who responded to a survey last year have a certified electronic medical record system in place? Or that 86% of them are in physician-owned practices? Or that the average number of full-time equivalent hematology/oncology physicians...
ASCO Journal Apps Now Available for iPad and iPhone
Users of the market-leading mobile devices have been able to access optimized versions of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) and Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP) websites since the spring of 2011. Now, iPad and iPhone users can download free JCO and JOP apps from the iTunes store.
Smooth and ...
ASCO in Action Online: Your Source for Policy News and Information
The recently enhanced ASCO in Action site ascoaction.asco.org is a one-stop source for the latest policy news related to quality cancer care and research. Whether it is information about legislation that affects cancer patients or oncology practices, easy links to ASCO’s recent policy positions,...
Help Your Patients Understand Lung Cancer
Did you know that November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month? For an introduction to lung cancer, direct your patients to the fact sheet ASCO Answers: Lung Cancer at www.cancer.net/factsheets. For more detailed information, your patients can read the Cancer.Net Guide to Lung Cancer at...
Hypofractionated Radiotherapy Effectively Controls High-risk Prostate Cancer
The use of hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) appears to be a reasonable option for men with intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer,1 reported Alan Pollack, MD, Chairman of Radiation Oncology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami and lead...
Tamoxifen vs Surgery Study Shows Older Patients with Breast Cancer Can Achieve a ‘Personal Cure’
A truly final review—when all the patients in the trial have died and the cause of death is known for each—of a randomized trial comparing tamoxifen to surgery in patients over the age of 70 with operable breast cancer found no differences in the survival rates or deaths attributable to breast...
FDA Approves Molecular Test to Detect HPV
Gen-Probe recently announced that the FDA has approved its APTIMA HPV assay, an amplified nucleic acid test that detects high-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) that are associated with cervical cancer and precancerous lesions. The test has been approved to run on Gen-Probe’s fully...
VGX-100 Investigational New Drug Application Approved
The Australian biotechnology company Circadian Technologies announced that its subsidiary, Vegenics Pty Ltd, has received approval for its investigational new drug (IND) application from the FDA to initiate clinical trials of VGX-100. The first phase I trial will study VGX-100 in patients with a...
Test for AML Prognosis Cleared by FDA
Abbott announced today it has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for a new in vitro diagnostic test to aid in determining the prognosis of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) Abbott’s Vysis EGR1 FISH Probe Kit, the third Abbott fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay approved or...
Biosimilars in Cancer Treatment: What Should the Oncology Community Expect?
Alternative versions of biologic agents, ie, “biosimilars,” will presumably be getting the green light by the FDA, giving oncologists more choices for treatments that come at lower costs to patients and society.
The FDA plans to issue its guidance on biosimilars by the end of this year, paving the ...
American Society of Hematology Recognizes Christoph Klein, MD, PhD, with William Dameshek Prize
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will honor Christoph Klein, MD, PhD, of Children’s Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, with the 2011 William Dameshek Prize, at the upcoming Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Dr. Klein is being recognized by ASH for his many...
Investigators Unlocking the Mysteries of Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute have documented the molecular activity through which the Merkel cell polyomavirus contributes to 80% of cases of Merkel cell carcinoma—a finding that holds promise for future therapies. The researchers are now working on testing more than ...
Chemotherapy Generally Safe in Pregnancy
The diagnosis of cancer in a pregnant woman causes concerns for both the mother and her unborn child. But studies suggest that most chemotherapy regimens can be delivered with reasonable safety after the first trimester. Cancer is diagnosed in about 1 per 1,000 to 2,000 pregnancies, mostly breast...
Geriatric Oncology, a Much Needed Discipline for Future Cancer Care
The U.S. health-care system, with its rapidly aging population, faces a multitude of difficult clinical and financial challenges in caring for its burgeoning population of older patients with cancer. Moreover, age-related social and medical issues among older patients need to be addressed by a...
FDA Approves Cetuximab to Treat Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer
On November 7, the FDA approved cetuximab (Erbitux) in combination with platinum-based therapy plus fluorouracil (5-FU) for the first-line treatment of patients with recurrent locoregional disease and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The approval was based primarily on...
A Conversation with Judith Redwing Keyssar, RN
The number of patients seeking hospice and palliative care has grown significantly since 1974, when the NCI funded the first hospice facility in Branford, Connecticut. Nevertheless, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, 85% of Americans still die in hospitals or nursing homes....
Improved Survival with Concurrent Chemotherapy plus Radiotherapy for Patients with Stage III Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Five-year survival was statistically significantly higher for patients with stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received concurrent rather than sequential cisplatin-based chemotherapy combined with thoracic radiotherapy, according to the phase III Radiation Therapy Oncology Group...
‘Breakthrough’ Approach to Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma via Inhibition of Hedgehog Pathway
The first-in-class Hedgehog pathway inhibitor vismodegib appears to be a successful treatment for advanced basal cell carcinoma, a disfiguring and debilitating disease, according to a pivotal multicenter nonrandomized trial presented as a Best Abstract at a Presidential Session during the recent...
Fighting to Get Back Control
I’ve had raging hormones since I was 18, when I was diagnosed with a benign pituitary adenoma. The tumor caused unpredictable menstrual cycles that remained constant throughout my life, even after it had been successfully treated. So 2 years ago, when I turned 40 and started having sudden bouts of...
Researchers Explore Reasons for Higher Risk of Triple-negative Breast Cancer in Underserved African-American Women
Triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease, has a bad reputation, and among socioeconomically disadvantaged black women, that reputation is especially well deserved.
In fact, according to Lisa A. Newman, MD, Director of the Breast Care Center, University of...
A Conversation with Craig B. Thompson, MD
In November 2010, Craig B. Thompson, MD, was named President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York, succeeding Harold Varmus, MD, who is now Director of the NCI. A cancer clinician and researcher, before coming to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Dr. Thompson was Director of...
Challenging Perceptions about Treatment Options for Younger Women with Early-stage Breast Cancer
In the News focuses on media reports that your patients may have questions about at their next visit. This continuing column will provide summaries of articles in the popular press that may prompt such questions, as well as comments from colleagues in the field.
“There is a perception out there...
Adjuvant Trastuzumab in Nonanthracycline Regimen Studied
One of four large, randomized trials to evaluate adjuvant trastuzumab (Herceptin) in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer—and the only study to include a nonanthracycline chemotherapy regimen—found that regimen had similar efficacy to anthracycline-containing regimens, but with lower rates of...
MRI Helps Predict Survival Outcomes in Patients with Rectal Cancer
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer to predict survival outcomes for good and poor responders and offer patients additional treatment options before definitive surgery, according to a study conducted at 11 specialist colorectal cancer units in...
Should Age at Initial Screening Colonoscopy Be Younger for Men?
A study to investigate the most appropriate age for initial screening colonoscopy to improve detection of adenomas, advanced adenomas, and colorectal cancer, and lower colorectal cancer mortality found that the most appropriate age might be different for men and women.
“In our study, analysis of...
Oxaliplatin Improved Overall Survival in Patients under 70
The addition of oxaliplatin to fluorouracil (5-FU) plus leucovorin improved overall survival in patients younger than 70 years old participating in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) C-07 trial. Patients eligible for the trial had either stage II or III colon cancer and ...
Low-level Expression of ESR1 Tied to Tamoxifen Resistance
Data from a retrospective analysis of two pivotal breast cancer studies suggest that the low-level expression of the estrogen receptor (ER) gene ESR1 “is a determinant of tamoxifen resistance in ER-positive breast cancer,” reported researchers in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“We performed...
Fewer False-positives, Small Increased Risk of Late Diagnosis with Biennial Mammography
Screening mammography every other year reduced false-positive recalls by about one-third compared to annual screening, but was associated with a small increase in the probability of late-stage cancer diagnosis, according to a study funded by the NCI and published in Annals of Internal Medicine. To...
Alternative Treatment for Advanced Ovarian Cancer Reduces Neurotoxicity and Alopecia
A randomized phase III clinical trial found that carboplatin/pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil) was not superior in prolonging progression compared to the standard carboplatin/paclitaxel as first-line therapy of patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The carboplatin/liposomal doxorubicin...
Rates of Surgery and Survival Increasing for Early-stage Cancers
Surgery is increasingly being used to treat patients with early-stage laryngeal cancer in the United States, and chemotherapy in combination with radiation therapy is being used increasingly to treat patients in an advanced stage of the disease, according to a report in the October issue of...
ASCO Supports the United Nations Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases
In September, government leaders from around the world as well as representatives from civil society, the private sector and academia gathered at the United Nations in New York for the first-ever summit on the growing economic and human crisis posed by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), especially in ...
FDA Commissioner Announces Decision on Bevacizumab
On November 18, FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, said she is revoking the agency’s approval of the breast cancer indication for bevacizumab (Avastin) after concluding that the drug has not been shown to be safe and effective for that use.
Bevacizumab will still remain on the market as an...
