November 15, 2014 (View All Issues)
IMPRESS Trial: Lung Cancer Progression on First-Line Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Indicates the Drug Should Be Stopped
The IMPRESS trial found no benefit for continuing treatment with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EFGR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib (Iressa, discontinued in the United States) plus chemotherapy vs chemotherapy alone in patients with EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who...
The Next-to-Last Frontier in Managing Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
The treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) represents one of the major triumphs in the field of hematologic malignancies. With either the vitamin A derivative all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) combined with anthracycline-based chemotherapy or ATRA plus arsenic trioxide (Trisenox),...
Striving for Quality, Not Quantity, of Life
Advances in science and medicine have led to humans living longer than at any other time in history. According to a new report1 on mortality from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, life expectancy in the United States is at an all-time high of...
Why I Think Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel Is Wrong About Aging
The image of aging that Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, expresses in his essay, “Why I Hope to Die at 75,” in the October issue of The Atlantic,1 is bleak indeed and one that has contributed mightily to the negative views of aging imbedded in our society. But I refute his description of growing older as...
Overutilization a Key Target in Efforts to Control Health-Care Costs
Overutilization of health-care interventions has become a prime target of efforts to rein in health-care costs. Overtreatment of cancer patients is associated with a number of common harms to the patient—not just financial harm to the health-care system. At the recent ASCO Quality Care Symposium in ...
Choosing Wildly: A Patient’s Perspective on Overtreatment and Quality Care
Over the past decade, there has been growing concern in the oncology community about overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancers that prove to be indolent and nonlethal, resulting in unnecessary and sometimes harmful procedures. At this year’s ASCO Quality Care Symposium in Boston, this important...
The ‘Silver Oncologic Tsunami’: Rise in Elderly Cancer Patients Brings New Challenges to Oncology Workforce
The “graying of America” poses increasing challenges for the cancer community in terms of rising numbers of cases of cancer and costs associated with geriatric care. The scope of this problem and potential solutions were explored by Andrew E. Chapman, DO, FACP, at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium in ...
Financial Toxicity Potentially Harmful Treatment‑Related Effect
It turns out that in addition to treatment-related toxicity, cancer patients commonly experience “financial toxicity,” a phrase that is increasingly coming into parlance in the cancer community. Patients should be assessed for financial toxicity as early as possible following diagnosis so that they ...
Studies Address Impact of Social Factors on Cancer Treatment Disparities
New studies reported at ASCO’s 2014 Quality Care Symposium provided insight on the role social factors play in cancer treatment disparities, as well as effective approaches to improving the quality of care.
“The research presented [here] highlights how the conditions facing people living with...
HHS Secretary Announces $840 Million Initiative to Improve Care, Lower Costs
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell has announced an initiative that will fund successful applicants who work directly with medical providers to rethink and redesign their practices, moving from systems driven by quantity of care to ones focused on patients’ health outcomes, and...
Targeted Agents Making Inroads Against Sarcoma
Targeted agents have started to make inroads in sarcoma therapies, and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the poster child for this success,” Mark Agulnik, MD, stated in summarizing progress in GIST and other sarcomas at the Best of ASCO meeting in Chicago. Dr. Agulnik is Associate Professor, ...
Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC Offers Test to Predict Possibility of Breast Cancer Recurrence
Magee-Womens Hospital of University of Pittsburgh is offering its patients the FDA-cleared breast cancer test assessing a woman’s risk of cancer recurrence by providing a risk category and numerical score. The hospital is the first in the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia) to offer...
Past Drug Failures Help Create Cancer’s Next Successes
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has released a new report, “Researching Cancer Medicines: Setbacks and Stepping Stones,” which highlights the number of investigational cancer medicines that did not succeed in clinical trials and how these so-called failures are a...
For Selected Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, Taking a Break From Combination Chemotherapy Might Be Appropriate and Appreciated
Two phase III studies presented at the Best of ASCO meeting in Chicago shed more light on the role of maintenance therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer undergoing first-line treatment with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. The two studies compared maintenance therapy with bevacizumab...
ASCO Endorses AUA/ASTRO Guideline on Adjuvant and Salvage Radiotherapy After Prostatectomy
ASCO has issued an endorsement of the American Urological Association (AUA)/American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) guideline on the use of adjuvant and salvage radiotherapy after prostatectomy, which was based on a systematic review of medical literature. The ASCO endorsement was published ...
Targeted Therapies in Indolent Lymphoma: Challenging the Current Paradigm
The use of targeted therapies in indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a burgeoning area. New targeted therapies directed at the cell surface, intracellular pathways, and the microenvironment are being studied for relapsed indolent NHL. These treatments, if validated in large randomized trials,...
Noteworthy Abstracts From the Breast Cancer Symposium Include Studies of Novel Therapies and of the Impact of Disease Subtypes on Outcomes
More than 150 oral and poster presentations were featured at the 2014 Breast Cancer Symposium, held September 4–6 in San Francisco. The multidisciplinary meeting is sponsored by ASCO, the American Society of Breast Disease, American Society of Breast Surgeons, American Society for Radiation...
Young Adults With Cancer: Unique Issues Highlight Importance of Patient-Centered Care
Suleika Jaouad, a journalist, was 22 and had just gotten her first chance to cover a major news story—the revolution underway in Tunisia—when she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome that had evolved into acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Months into her treatment, she began to write again, but ...
Tackling the Complexity of Cancer: Finding Common Ground on Value and Progress
To kick off the second national Turning the Tide Against Cancer conference, sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research, Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC), and Feinstein Kean Healthcare, Edward Abrahams, PhD, President of PMC, noted that U.S. health-care costs are unsustainable...
The Ohio State and Moffitt Collaborate on ORIEN: Using Big Data to Accelerate Trials With a Cancer Research ‘Expressway’
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and Moffitt Cancer Center have joined forces to create the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN), the largest collaboration of its kind designed to accelerate discoveries in cancer research. Members of this alliance of cancer...
FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation Pembrolizumab in Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Pembrolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks the interaction between PD-1 and its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2. By binding to the PD-1 receptor and blocking the interaction with the receptor ligands, pembrolizumab releases the PD-1 pathway–mediated inhibition of the immune response,...
FDA Approves Labeling With Abuse-Deterrent Features for Extended-Release Opioid Analgesic
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved new labeling for morphine sulfate and naltrexone hydrochloride extended-release capsules. The drug, marketed as Embeda, is an opioid analgesic used to treat pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and ...
All-RAS Testing in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Just the First Step
Now that clinicians know to “think beyond KRAS” in metastatic colorectal cancer—and test for all RAS mutations, not just those in exon 2—it seems this is still not sufficient for selecting the best drugs. At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2014 Congress in Madrid, a proffered paper ...
European Studies Explore Maintenance Strategies for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2014 Congress in Madrid added insight regarding maintenance therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer, an area lacking a clear recommended strategy following first-line regimens.
Two phase III trials found benefit for bevacizumab...
Phase III Study Confirms Regorafenib’s Survival Benefit in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
The phase III CONCUR trial1 of regorafenib (Stivarga) monotherapy in Asian patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer confirmed the overall survival benefit seen in the previous CORRECT trial,2 and in a planned subgroup analysis, suggesting the benefit is substantial in patients ...
Oral Rivaroxaban Has Efficacy Similar to Enoxaparin Plus Vitamin K Antagonist in Preventing Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism
In a subgroup analysis of the pooled results of the EINSTEIN-DVT and EINSTEIN-PE trials reported at the 2014 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2014 Congress and published recently in The Lancet Haematology, Martin H. Prins, MD, of Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht,...
QUASAR2 Final Analysis: Bevacizumab Still of No Value in Adjuvant Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
The final analysis of the international phase III QUASAR2 trial confirmed the lack of benefit for bevacizumab (Avastin) as part of the adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer. “There is no role for bevacizumab in combination with capecitabine as adjuvant treatment for colorectal cancer,” said...
Clinically Relevant Survival Benefit Seen for Everolimus in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
Final results from the RADIANT-3 trial showed a 6-month difference in overall survival favoring everolimus (Afinitor) plus best supportive care over placebo plus best supportive care in patients with well-differentiated advanced and progressive pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.1 Although the...
Genomic Score Predicts Aggressiveness of Prostate Cancer in Biopsy Specimens
A prospectively designed study establishes the17-gene Oncotype DX prostate cancer test as a robust and independent predictor of the aggressiveness of prostate cancer based on a patient’s diagnostic specimen. Tumor aggressiveness, as measured by the test’s Genomic Prostate Score, was similar in...
Pazopanib Improves Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Pretreated GIST
Patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) can achieve remission on tyrosine kinase inhibitors, but almost all of them eventually develop resistance to these agents. The PAZOGIST trial results suggest that pazopanib (Votrient)—a broad-spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor—may be an effective ...
Single-Agent Carfilzomib, Compared to Corticosteroids Plus Cyclophosphamide, Fails to Improve Survival in Myeloma
Carfilzomib (Kyprolis), as a single agent, failed to improve survival in relapsed and refractory myeloma patients, as compared with a corticosteroid and optional cyclophosphamide, in the phase III FOCUS trial, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2014 Congress in Madrid.1
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Emerging Drugs Effectively Tackle Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Mutations
For advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), targeting of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and the ALK abnormality has become an established strategy. Later-generation drugs in these categories are now showing efficacy in trials, including for the treatment of...
Postoperative Radiation Therapy Improves Overall Survival for Patients With Resected Pathologic N2 Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Patients who received postoperative radiation therapy lived an average of 4 months longer when compared to the patients who had the same disease site, tumor histology, and treatment criteria and who did not receive postoperative radiotherapy, according to research presented at the 2014 Chicago...
Moving Forward With Biomarkers in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
The effort to identify new biomarkers for response and outcomes in lung cancer is advancing, according to studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2014 Congress in Madrid. Immunohistochemical expression of folate receptor for vintafolide and thymidylate synthase for...
Studies Evaluate Maintenance Bevacizumab in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Although bevacizumab (Avastin) may no longer be an active player in metastatic breast cancer, phase III studies presented at this year’s European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress reignited interest in the drug as part of maintenance therapy.
The TANIA trial met its primary endpoint,...
Adding Sorafenib to Capecitabine Fails to Improve Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Breast Cancer
In patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, the addition of sorafenib (Nexavar), a broad-spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor, to capecitabine did not improve progression-free or overall survival in the phase III RESILIENCE trial. The findings were presented at the European Society ...
Patient-Reported Data Indicate that Radiation Therapy Does Not Increase Risk of Lymphedema in Patients With Node-Negative Breast Cancer
A secondary analysis of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-32 trial1 indicates that radiation therapy does not increase the incidence of lymphedema in patients with node-negative breast cancer, according to research presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s...
Interviews With Candidates for 2015-2016 ASCO President-Elect
The ASCO Nominating Committee has selected Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO, and Patrick J. Loehrer, Sr, MD, FASCO, as candidates for the position of 2015-2016 President-Elect (2016-2017 President). In the abridged interviews below, the candidates discuss their vision for the Society and their leadership ...
Clinical Trials Participation Awards Recognize Community-Based Practice Dedicated to Research
Since 2003, the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO has recognized more than 100 high-quality, community-based clinical research sites through the Clinical Trial Participation Award (CTPA). The program has been generously supported by the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups for the past decade.
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ASCO Submits Comments to NIH on Data Standards in Biomedical Science
ASCO has submitted comments to the National Institutes of Health regarding the role of data standards in biomedical science. The comments were in response to a Request for Information from the National Cancer Institute, Input on Information Resources for Data-Related Standards Widely Used in...
Help Your Patients Learn How to Navigate Common Challenges
ASCO’s latest video series, Navigating Challenges: Perspectives from Survivors and Doctors, available at www.cancer.net/navigatingchallenges, offers information for people newly diagnosed with cancer who are facing real-world barriers to high-quality cancer care. In the four featured videos, health ...
ASCO Members Reflect on ‘Lessons From Chernobyl’
As part of ASCO’s 50th anniversary, the Society has published a weekly series on special moments in its history. In this edition of The ASCO Post, we revisit a unique time when ASCO’s history intersected with major world events. To read the entire series, visit the “News and Views” page on
A Gift for Your List: A Donation to Help Conquer Cancer
Whether it’s the approaching end of the tax year or simply the altruism of the season, many donors prefer to make charitable gifts in November and December.
This year, those donors who have a passion for conquering cancer have an added incentive to consider a tax deductible year-end gift to the...
David G. Nathan, MD, Wins Lifetime Impact Award at Boston Children’s Hospital Innovation Summit
David G. Nathan, MD, President Emeritus of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Physician-in-Chief Emeritus of Boston Children’s Hospital, was recently honored as the inaugural recipient of the Boston Children’s Hospital Lifetime Impact Award at the Hospital’s second Annual Global Pediatric Innovation...
ASTRO Initiatives Aimed at Practice Improvement
At the opening press conference of the 56th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), 2014 President Bruce G. Haffty, MD, FASTRO, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Associate Director at the...
Incidence of Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults Expected to Rise
While the incidence of colorectal cancer in people 50 years or older has declined, the incidence among people 20 to 49 years has increased, according to a report published online recently by JAMA Surgery.1 From 1998 through 2006, the incidence of colorectal cancer declined 3% per year in men and...
Continuous Lenalidomide/Dexamethasone Improves Progression-Free Survival in Transplant-Ineligible Patients With Myeloma
In the phase III FIRST trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Lotfi Benboubker, MD, Service d’Hématologie et Thérapie Cellulaire, Hôpital Bretonneau, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire (CHRU), Tours, France, and colleagues found that continuous lenalidomide (Revlimid) plus...
Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma With Lenalidomide Plus Low-Dose Dexamethasone
The FIRST trial—reported by Benboubker and colleagues in The New England Journal of Medicine and summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post (page 93)—is a landmark study.1 It is one of the largest randomized trials in multiple myeloma ever conducted. More importantly, it is a well-designed trial...
Study Finds Significant Increase in Bilateral Mastectomy for Unilateral Breast Cancer Despite Lack of Survival Benefit
In an observational cohort study reported in JAMA, Allison W. Kurian, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Medicine and of Health Research and Policy at Stanford University School of Medicine, and colleagues assessed use of and mortality after bilateral mastectomy, breast-conserving surgery plus...
Complexity of the Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Decision
The powerful and important study by Kurian et al,1 reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, adds vital information to the discussion regarding use of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy among patients with unilateral breast cancer in the United States.2,3 Based upon data from the California...
Pazopanib Maintenance Improves Progression-Free Survival in Ovarian Cancer
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Andreas du Bois, MD, PhD, Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at Kliniken Essen-Mitte in Essen, Germany, and colleagues found that maintenance therapy with the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and platelet-derived...
Maintenance Therapy in Ovarian Cancer: What’s at Stake?
Maintenance therapy in ovarian cancer refers to a cohort of women achieving response to initial adjuvant chemotherapy who then go on to additional therapy in the hopes of extending time to recurrence or inducing a lasting remission. The concept is not new and retains its scientific and clinical...
U.S. Skin Cancer Costs Rise From 2002 Through 2011
The costs associated with skin cancer increased five times as fast as treatments for other cancers between 2002 and 2011, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study published online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.1
The average annual cost for skin cancer...
Bortezomib in Previously Untreated Mantle Cell Lymphoma
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, 2014, bortezomib (Velcade) was granted approval...
Top 10 Myths About FDA’s Office of Hematology and Oncology Products
INSIDE THE BLACK BOX is an occasional column providing insight into the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its policies and procedures. In this installment, FDA oncologists Gideon Blumenthal, MD, and Tatiana Prowell, MD, discuss 10 common myths about FDA’s Office of Hematology and Oncology ...
FDA Approves Ramucirumab in Combination With Paclitaxel for Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ramucirumab (Cyramza) for use in combination with paclitaxel for the treatment of patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.
Ramucirumab was approved in April 2014 as a single agent for the treatment of...
Study Sheds Light on Factors That May Contribute to Pancreatic Cancer
New research that provides a better understanding of pancreatic cancer may help identify individuals at increased risk. The findings were recently published early online in Cancer.1
Pancreatic cancer is usually detected at a very late stage and has a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%....
ACCC to Develop Comprehensive Program on Immuno-Oncology for Community‐Based Providers
The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) has been provided with a contribution to develop a comprehensive program in immuno-oncology for community-based providers. The funding, provided by Bristol-Myers Squibb, will enable ACCC to establish the Institute for Clinical Immuno‐Oncology to...
Fixed-Combination Netupitant/Palonosetron for Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
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 10, 2014, oral fixed-combination netupitant and...
Pancreatic Cancer in 2014
Adenocarcinoma of the pancreas is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. This year, about 46,000 people in this country will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and more than 39,000 will die of the disease. The ASCO Post recently spoke with Margaret A....
Ipilimumab/Sargramostim Improves Overall Survival vs Ipilimumab Alone in Patients With Advanced Metastatic Melanoma
A randomized clinical trial of patients with advanced metastatic melanoma treated with ipilimumab (Yervoy), an immune checkpoint inhibitor, in combination with sargramostim (Leukine), an immune stimulant, vs ipilimumab alone, has found a 1-year survival rate of 68.9% vs 52.9% in the ipilimumab-only ...
NIH Awards Aim to Improve Understanding of Cell Pathways, Development of New Therapies
Building on a successful 3-year pilot project, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded more than $64 million to six individuals at five research institutions to create a database of human cellular responses—the Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures (LINCS)....
Addressing Patients’ Sexual Dysfunction Throughout Survivorship
Studies show that all cancers and related treatments have the potential to affect sexuality and sexual function. Surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, bone marrow transplantation, and radiation therapy can physically impact sexual health in myriad ways, including vaginal dryness, dyspareunia,...
Vigorous Exercise Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Adult Survivors of Childhood Hodgkin Lymphoma
In a report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,1 Lee W. Jones, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues found that vigorous exercise reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events in adult survivors of childhood Hodgkin...
Impact of High-Dose Melphalan/Autologous Stem Cell Transplant and Lenalidomide Maintenance in Myeloma Patients ≤ Age 65
In a phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Antonio Palumbo, MD, Chief of the Myeloma Unit at the University of Turin, Italy, and colleagues found that high-dose melphalan plus autologous stem cell transplantation improved progression-free survival and overall survival...
High-Dose Melphalan, Early Stem Cell Transplant, and Lenalidomide Maintenance in Myeloma: One Size Still Does Not Fit All
In an important recent study by Dr. Antonio Palumbo and colleagues,1 reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post (page 128), 273 patients aged ≤ 65 years were randomly assigned to early transplant or consolidation therapy using MPR (melphalan, prednisone, and lenalidomide [Revlimid]) after successful...
Initiative Aims to Accelerate Development of Targeted Therapies for Multiple Myeloma
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) has announced an initiative designed to accelerate the evaluation of new investigational therapies for multiple myeloma. The MMRF, in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), pharmaceutical,...
Long-Term Overall Survival Benefit Seen With Trastuzumab Added to Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Early-Stage HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Earlier planned joint analyses of outcomes in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-31 trial and the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) N9831 trial showed that adding trastuzumab (Herceptin) to adjuvant chemotherapy improved disease-free survival and overall...
Joint Analysis Further Confirms Well-Established Standard of Care in Early Breast Cancer
This analysis demonstrates excellent news related to the long-term benefit of adding 1 year of trastuzumab (Herceptin) starting with the paclitaxel portion of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with resected HER2-positive breast cancer. The study reflects the fact that excellent science in...
New Chief of Oncology Named by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recently announced the selection of Stephen P. Hunger, MD, a nationally prominent specialist in children’s cancer, as its new Chief of the Division of Oncology and the Director of the Center for Childhood Cancer Research. Dr. Hunger assumed his new position...
Dying in America: Ensuring High-Quality Care at the End of Life
In September, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life. The report argues that the U.S. health-care system subjects patients to too many—and often futile—interventions near the end of life, often ...
Dartmouth Study Finds Lung Cancer Screening With Low-Dose CT Could Be Cost-Effective
Dartmouth researchers say lung cancer computed tomographic (CT) screening in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) meets a commonly accepted standard for cost-effectiveness as reported recently in The New England Journal of Medicine.1 The screening test uses annual low-dose CT scans to spot lung ...
Expert Panels Offer Five Proposals to Address Challenges in Regulating, Implementing Next-Generation Sequencing
At the third annual Blueprint for Drug/Diagnostic Co-Development forum, cohosted by Friends of Cancer Research in Washington, DC, and the Alexandria Center for Life Science in New York, two panels tackled considerations in simultaneous development of drugs and companion diagnostics.
Friends of...
Old Woman With Eye Tumor, circa 1878
This is a rare photograph of an older patient with a primary ocular tumor. These tumors are uncommon in old age so most photographs of retinoblastoma or rhabdomyosarcoma featured children. As a rule, there was no attempt to surgically remove these tumors and the children were only given supportive...
Radiation Treatment for Facial Cancer, Boston, 1903
Diseases and cancers of the face were so visible and disfiguring that they were usually brought to the attention of a physician in their early stages. The effect and success produced by Finsen’s light therapy on lupus, eczema, psoriasis, other skin diseases and even infections, such as...
X-Ray of Metastatic Carcinoma of the Lungs, Washington, DC, 1924
One hundred years ago, primary lung cancer was considered a rarity, with only a few hundred cases acknowledged in the world literature. Until the middle of the 1920s, medical textbooks by noted authors continued to label the disease “rare,” although metastatic lung disease was recognized and...
Expert Panel Explores Cost, Value, and Patient-Centered Care in Cancer Treatment
In assessing a cancer treatment, cost and value are two key factors. So how, the moderator asked, do they enter into your everyday decisions?
Tanisha Carino, PhD, Executive Vice President of Avalere Health, was speaking to a clinical oncologist, a patient advocate, a pharma executive, and a health ...
Two Phase III Trials Show Benefit With BRAF/MEK Inhibitor Combination vs BRAF Inhibitor Alone in Advanced Melanoma
Two phase III trials have shown that the strategy of adding MEK inhibitor therapy to BRAF inhibitor therapy significantly improves progression-free survival in previously untreated patients with advanced BRAF-mutant melanoma.1,2 Overall survival benefit is also suggested by interim analysis in both ...
BRAF/MEK Inhibition in BRAF-Mutant Advanced Melanoma
Preliminary evidence of efficacy for BRAF inhibitors as monotherapy in advanced melanoma first emerged in 2009.1 Phase II and III trials rapidly ensued for vemurafenib (Zelboraf) and dabrafenib (Tafinlar), leading to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2011. As a result of melanoma...
Study Shows Integrative Medicine Can Relieve Pain and Anxiety for Cancer Inpatients
Researchers at The Penny George Institute for Health and Healing in Minneapolis have found that integrative medicine therapies can decrease pain and anxiety for hospitalized cancer patients. Their findings were published recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs.1
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Adding VEGFR2 Inhibitor Ramucirumab to Paclitaxel Increases Overall Survival as Second-Line Treatment for Advanced Gastric Cancer
In the phase III RAINBOW trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Hansjochen Wilke, MD, Director of Medical Oncology/Hematology at Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Essen, Germany, and colleagues found that adding the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) inhibitor ramucirumab (Cyramza) to...
The RAINBOW Trial: Dawn of a New Era in Upper Gastrointestinal Malignancies
As reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post (page 155), the RAINBOW trial is an international phase III study demonstrating improved overall survival with ramucirumab (Cyramza) plus paclitaxel as second-line therapy for patients with advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma over...
Half of Premature Colorectal Cancer Deaths Due to Socioeconomic Inequality
Half of all premature deaths from colorectal cancer (described as deaths in people ages 25 to 64) in the United States are linked to ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic inequalities, and therefore could be prevented according to a new study by American Cancer Society researchers. The report,...
Kinase-Activating Alterations Identified in Most Cases of Philadelphia Chromosome–Like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia May Be Targetable With Available Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors
In a study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Kathryn G. Roberts, PhD, of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and colleagues performed detailed genomic analysis of patients with Philadelphia chromosome–like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and identified kinase-activating...
From the Genome to the Bedside: New Treatment Options for Children and Young Adults With Philadelphia Chromosome–Like ALL
The outcome for adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is inferior to that in children, and the outcome for children with ALL who experience relapse is dismal. Therefore, new therapeutic options are urgently needed to improve survival rates for this high-risk ALL...
NIH Awards More Than $30 Million to Enhance Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the award of more than $30 million in fiscal year 2014 funds to develop new approaches that engage researchers, including those from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical sciences, and prepare them to thrive in the NIH-funded workforce. These...
ASCO Endorses Guideline for Molecular Testing for Selecting Lung Cancer Patients for EGFR and ALK Inhibitor Treatment
ASCO has endorsed the recently developed joint College of American Pathologists (CAP), International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), and Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) guideline on molecular testing for selection of patients with lung cancer for EGFR and ALK inhibitor...
ASCO Endorses CAP/IASLC/AMP Guidelines for Molecular Testing of Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Personalized medicine is an established treatment concept for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and molecular characterization of tumors is crucial for choice of (first-line) therapy. As of right now, we have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs for two...
Lilly Oncology On Canvas Art Competition Names 2014 Winners
The 10th anniversary of the Lilly Oncology On Canvas Art Competition was celebrated with the presentation of awards and display of winning entries on October 23 in New York’s Grand Central Terminal. The competition, which is presented by Lilly Oncology and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship ...
Tina Lundgren Elected Chairman of the Ronald McDonald House New York Board of Directors
Ronald McDonald House® New York announced that Tina Lundgren has been elected to serve as Chairman of its Board of Directors. Mrs. Lundgren will succeed Stanley B. Shopkorn, Managing Director of Hilltop Park Associates LLC, who has served as chairman since 2006. Mrs. Lundgren will serve a 3-year...
Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy Plus Stereotactic Radiosurgery Improves Survival in Better-Prognosis Patients With Brain Metastases
In a secondary analysis utilizing the graded prognostic assessment—an improved diagnosis-specific index—patients with one to three brain metastases had no survival advantage when treated with whole-brain radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery, compared with whole-brain radiotherapy alone,...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Colon or Rectal Cancer
The information contained in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting clinical studies of people with colon or rectal cancer in the newly diagnosed and metastatic settings. The studies include phase I, Ib, II, observational, and interventional trials investigating new drug...
Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance Report Finds Research for the Disease Is Underfunded, Details Gaps in Patient Services
In October, the newly formed Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance (MBCA) released its report, Changing the Landscape for People Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer, which details some disturbing findings. Following a yearlong analysis of 224 clinical trials, 2,281 funded research projects in...
Institute of Medicine Elects 70 New Members, 10 Foreign Associates
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has announced the names of 70 new members and 10 foreign associates during its 44th Annual Meeting held in October. Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated...
Why Physician-Scientists Are Indispensable to Cancer Research
This is an exciting time for cancer research. We are beginning to see breakthroughs for patients with advanced melanoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, lung cancer, and many other forms of cancer. Even so, cancer is projected to increase by about 45% and to become the leading cause of death in America ...
Acupuncture Treatment for Cancer Pain and Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves inserting and manipulating filiform needles into specific points of the body to achieve a therapeutic effect. According to traditional Chinese medicine, disruptions in the flow of “vital energy” (qi) throughout the body are the...
Breast Cancer Researcher to Lead Radiation Oncology at IU School of Medicine
Richard C. Zellars, MD, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has been named Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, pending approval by the Indiana Univerity trustees. He will begin his new duties in January.
A breast cancer...
Martine Extermann, MD, PhD, Honored at the International Society of Geriatric Oncology’s Annual Meeting in Portugal
Martine Extermann, MD, PhD, Senior Member of the Senior Adult Oncology and Health Outcomes & Behavior Programs at Moffitt Cancer Center, was the recipient of the 2014 Paul Calabresi Award. Named after the first president of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG), the award...
A Father and Son’s Journey Through Medicine
BOOKMARK
Title: The Good Doctor: A Father, a Son, and the Evolution of Medical Ethics
Author: Barron H. Lerner, MD
Publisher: Beacon Press
Publication date: May 13, 2014
Price: $25.95; hardcover, 240 pages
One morning in 1996, an infectious disease specialist was making rounds when he and his team ...
A Candidly Humorous Approach to the Cancer Journey
BOOKMARK
Title: Shrinkage: Manhood, Marriage, and the Tumor That Tried to Kill Me
Author: Bryan Bishop
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Publication date: April 29, 2014
Price: $25.99; hardcover, 336 pages
At 30 years old, Bryan Bishop was having the time of his life. Known to millions of radio fans...
2014 Oncology Meetings
NOVEMBER
EORTC-NCI-AACR International Symposium on
Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics
November 18-21 • Barcelona, Spain
For more information:
www.aacr.org
ESMO Symposium on Immuno-Oncology
November 21-22 • Geneva, Switzerland
For more information:
New James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, Opening in December 2014
In December 2014, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute will open the doors of a new 1.1 million square foot, 21-floor freestanding cancer hospital—making Columbus, Ohio, home to the third largest cancer hospital in the United ...
The Power of Laughter
The following essay by Julie Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, is adapted from The Big Casino: America’s Best Cancer Doctors Share Their Most Powerful Stories (May 2014), coedited by Stan Winokur, MD, and Vincent Coppola. The book is available on Amazon.com and thebigcasino.org.
When I met Cindy, she was...
Ramucirumab in Combination With Paclitaxel in Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma
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 November 5, 2014, ramucirumab (Cyramza) was approved for use ...
Printed NCCN Guidelines for Patients Now Available Through Amazon.com
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), with the support of the NCCN Foundation, recently announced the availability of printed versions of the NCCN Guidelines for Patients for order on Amazon.com for the following cancer types: Breast (Stages 0–IV), Colon, and Pancreatic Cancers;...
Impressive Survival Data for Women With HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Increase First-Line Use of Pertuzumab/Trastuzumab
"Impressive,” “outstanding,” and “unprecedented” are among the terms used to describe the 56.5-month overall survival for women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer receiving first-line treatment with pertuzumab (Perjeta) in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and docetaxel in the...
RNA-Binding Protein Destabilizes Transcripts of Novel Metastasis Suppressor Genes in Breast Cancer
In a study reported in Nature, Goodarzi and colleagues attempted to identify post-transcriptional modulators of mRNA stability in breast cancer via whole-genome transcript stability measurements in poorly and highly metastatic isogenic human breast cancers. They identified a family of structural...
Potential Roles for Metformin and Everolimus in Obese Women With ER-Positive Breast Cancer
Obesity increases the risk of breast cancer death in postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, although underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In studies reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Fuentes-Mattei and colleagues identified an association...
Peripheral Nerve Schwann Cells Migrate to Pancreas and Colon Cancer Cells Before Invasion
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Demir and colleagues used novel three-dimensional migration and Schwann cell outgrowth assays to monitor the timing and specificity of Schwann cell migration and cancer invasion toward peripheral neurons through digital...
DNA Double-Strand Break Repair Genes and Oxidative Damage in Brain Metastasis of Breast Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Woditschka and colleagues identified a role for the DNA repair genes BARD1 and RAD51 and oxidative damage in brain metastases in breast cancer. The two genes were implicated in expression profiling of 23 matched resected brain...
Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Protein Promotes Breast Cancer Recurrence by Potentiating c-MET Signaling
Breast cancer mortality is primarily due to tumor recurrence. In a study reported in Cancer Discovery, Feng and colleagues found that the suppressor of cytokine signaling protein SPSB1 is spontaneously upregulated in mammary tumor recurrence and is both necessary and sufficient to promote tumor...
Sonic Hedgehog Factor GLI1 Induces Resistance to Cytarabine and Ribavirin in AML via Glucuronidation
Responses to cytarabine-based therapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are often of short duration. Ribavirin has been used to inhibit the eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF4E) and has produced responses, including remissions, in AML, but relapse invariably occurs.
As reported in Nature, ...
Effect of Micro-RNA on M2 Macrophages and Murine Glioblastoma
Monocyte-derived glioma-associated macrophages are the largest infiltrating immune cell population in glioblastomas and act to facilitate gliomagenesis. In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Xu and colleagues assessed the effect of microRNA (miR)-142-3p on...
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Plus Two Anti-HER2 Agents Optimal for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
For women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, combining two anti-HER2 agents with chemotherapy is the most effective treatment modality in the neoadjuvant setting, according to a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The...
The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded to John O’Keefe, PhD, and Jointly to May-Britt Moser, PhD, and Edvard I. Moser, PhD
The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded with one half to John O’Keefe, PhD, of University College London, and the second half jointly awarded to May-Britt Moser, PhD, and Edvard I. Moser, PhD, of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, for their...
More on Chemotherapy Costs
I took exception to a number of the comments made by Rena Conti, PhD, in The ASCO Post (“Health-Care Reform Is Changing the Oncology Landscape,” October 15, 2014, page 1).
I realize that The ASCO Post is not a peer-reviewed and indexed publication, but as an ASCO member, I also recognize that the...
Dr. Conti Replies
Dr. Watson states that my assertion that physicians gain profit from the administration of chemotherapy in private practice is “absurd.”
Recent reports from the Oncology Circle practices [a data-sharing collaborative of best-in-class oncology practices from across the country] suggest that current ...
