November 25, 2021 (View All Issues)
Shorter-Course Radiation Therapy: A New Practice Standard After Prostatectomy?
Hypofractionated radiotherapy to the prostate bed proved to be noninferior to conventionally fractionated radiotherapy after prostatectomy regarding gastrointestinal and genitourinary side effects, according to the results of the phase III NRG Oncology GU003 trial, presented at the 2021 American...
From Cancer Survivor to Citizen Astronaut
When I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma of my left femur nearly 20 years ago, I remember telling my parents that I didn’t want to die. The diagnosis was terrifying because all the people I knew who had cancer had passed away, and I thought this cancer would kill me, too. That evening, my dad went...
Durable Responses in Metastatic NSCLC: Are We Getting Closer to a Cure?
In the United States, the incidence-based mortality related to non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has decreased by approximately 3% each year since 2008 in men; during the same period, the mortality in women decreased by 2% to 4% annually.1 Although multiple factors are likely responsible for the...
No Survival Benefit but Improved Secondary Endpoints With Radiotherapy Plus Androgen Suppression in Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer
Both dose-escalated radiation therapy and short-course androgen-deprivation therapy have been shown to improve outcomes in intermediate-risk prostate cancer, but it is not clear whether giving both modalities upfront to newly diagnosed patients is of benefit. The phase III RTOG 0815 study presented ...
Accelerated Radiation Therapies Move Forward in Early Breast Cancer
Two studies reported at the 2021 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting provide evidence in support of the use of accelerated radiation therapies as safe alternatives to standard radiotherapy options following breast-conserving surgery.
The phase III MC1635 trial showed ...
De-escalation of Radiation Therapy for HPV-Positive, Intermediate-Risk Oropharyngeal Cancer
De-escalated adjuvant radiotherapy appears to be safe in patients with surgically resectable, human papillomavirus (HPV)--positive oropharyngeal cancers, particularly in patients without extranodal extension or pN2 disease by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition. These findings...
Can SBRT to Selected Sites of Limited Progression or Oligoprogression Extend Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Lung Cancer but Not Breast Cancer?
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) lengthens progression-free survival for patients with advanced lung cancer who have oligoprogression (ie, tumors that have not been fully responsive to systemic chemotherapy or immunotherapy), according to an interim analysis of the CURB oligoprogression...
Use of Genomic Classifier Score May Help to Personalize Therapy for Men With High-Risk Prostate Cancer
A 22-genomic classifier (the Decipher score) was able to predict the course of disease in men with high-risk prostate cancer, according to a patient-level meta-analysis of three randomized clinical trials presented at the 2021 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.1 Use of...
Optimizing Adjuvant Therapy for Women With Estrogen Receptor–Positive, Node-Positive Breast Cancer
“Nodal status remains the single most important prognostic marker in outcomes for women with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. For that reason, it makes sense to think about optimizing adjuvant therapy, including endocrine treatments, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy,”...
Newer Agents on the Horizon for Refractory or Relapsed DLBCL
Although treating patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains challenging, some newer therapies on the horizon offer promise, including bispecific antibodies, anti-CD47 antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy,...
Numerous Regimens Proposed for Relapsed or Refractory Myeloma
Although patients with multiple myeloma can respond to initial treatment, once a patient has had three or four different types of therapy, and the disease is deemed relapsed or refractory, treatment becomes more complicated. This is related to both clinical characteristics, as patients may develop...
Novel Therapies Under Study in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Newly identified genetic abnormalities in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), as well as therapies that can target some of those abnormalities, are now available as the landscape for treatment continues to evolve. During the 2021 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Annual Congress: Hematologic...
Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy With or Without Bevacizumab in First-Line Treatment of Advanced Cervical Cancer
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms of action, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
On October 13, 2021, pembrolizumab in combination with...
FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use in Children Aged 5 Through 11 Years
On October 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 to include children aged 5 through 11 years. The authorization was based on the FDA’s thorough and transparent evaluation of the data that...
In Case You Missed It: Brief Highlights From ESMO Congress 2021
The ASCO Post has published a wealth of practice-changing studies and news about other advances presented during the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2021. In addition to the biggest news from this international meeting, here are several summaries of interesting study findings...
For Liver Metastases, Transarterial Radioembolization With Yttrium-90 Plus Chemotherapy May Delay Disease Progression
In the international phase III EPOCH trial, patients with colorectal liver metastases who experienced disease progression on first-line therapy derived significant benefit from treatment with transarterial yttrium Y-90 radioembolization in combination with systemic chemotherapy, according to Mary...
T-DXd Makes Inroads in the Treatment of HER2-Mutant NSCLC
Previously treated patients with HER2-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) achieved encouraging response rates and duration of response to the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in the phase II DESTINY-Lung01 trial. These results were reported at the European...
CheckMate 743 Supports Survival Benefit of Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Updated results from the phase III CheckMate 743 trial support the durable and superior benefits of immunotherapy with nivolumab plus ipilimumab over chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.1
In the most recent updated analysis of the...
UKLS Trial Meta-analysis Confirms Mortality Reduction With Low-Dose CT Screening for Lung Cancer
Low-dose lung cancer screening by computed tomography (CT) is associated with a 16% relative reduction in lung cancer mortality over no lung cancer screening of high-risk individuals, based on a meta-analysis conducted by investigators with the United Kingdom Lung Cancer Screening (UKLS) trial.1
...
Addition of Ipatasertib to Abiraterone Plus Prednisolone Improves Radiographic Progression–Free Survival in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer With PTEN Loss
In a phase III trial (IPATential150) reported in The Lancet, Christopher Sweeney, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and colleagues, found that the addition of the AKT inhibitor ipatasertib to abiraterone and prednisolone produced a significant improvement in radiographic progression-free...
Taking Akt-ion Against Prostate Cancer?
Inhibition of the androgen receptor pathway (AR) with novel hormonal therapies such as abiraterone acetate has greatly improved outcomes for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in recent years. However, through numerous mechanisms, tumors ultimately develop resistance...
High-Risk Multiple Myeloma: Combination Regimens and CAR T-Cell Therapy
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
—Mark Twain
To complement The ASCO Post’s extensive coverage of the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, here are several abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing on novel treatments under study in high-risk multiple myeloma. For...
KEYNOTE-564 Trial: Adjuvant Pembrolizumab Improves Disease-Free Survival in High-Risk Renal Cell Carcinoma
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Toni K. Choueiri, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and colleagues, an interim analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-564 trial has showed improved disease-free survival with adjuvant pembrolizumab vs placebo after nephrectomy in high-risk...
Adjuvant Immunotherapy: The Next Chapter in Advancements in Renal Cell Carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma is a common malignancy among men and women in the United States.1 The incidence continues to increase with the ever-increasing use of contemporary medical imaging. Although many patients who present with localized disease are cured with definitive surgery, some patients develop ...
MD Anderson and the Rare Cancer Research Foundation Announce Collaboration
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Rare Cancer Research Foundation have launched a collaboration designed to accelerate the development of new treatments for rare cancers by empowering all patients in the United States to contribute tumor samples directly to MD Anderson for...
No Disease-Free Survival Difference With Longer Anastrozole Treatment After Endocrine Therapy in HR-Positive Breast Cancer
In an Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group phase III trial (ABCSG-16/SALSA) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Michael Gnant, MD, of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues found no difference in disease-free survival with 2 vs 5...
Achieving Equity in Cancer Care for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer
Although cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYAs), defined by the National Cancer Institute as those between the ages of 15 and 39, is relatively rare—in 2020 nearly 90,000 AYAs were diagnosed with cancer and about 9,300 died of the disease1—and 5-year relative survival rates are high, between ...
Duration of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer: How Much of a Good Thing Is Too Much?
Estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer is the most common type of breast cancer, diagnosed in more than 2.3 million women around the world each year, including more than 200,000 in the United States alone. Adjuvant endocrine therapy is a mainstay of treatment for these millions of women and is a...
Purdue Center for Cancer Research Receives $1.5 Million for Endowed Professorship
The Henry E. Haller Jr. Foundation and the Walther Cancer Foundation together will donate a total of $1.5 million to the Purdue Center for Cancer Research and the College of Science in Cancer Biology in West Layfayette, Indiana. A donation of $750,000 from the Henry E. Haller Jr. Foundation was...
MSK Appoints Saad Z. Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, Chief of Myeloma Service
Physician leader and clinical and translational investigator Saad Z. Usmani, MD, MBA, FACP, recently joined Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) as Chief of Myeloma Service. He was also appointed Professor at the Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
Dr....
Craig Sauter, MD, Joins Cleveland Clinic
Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, Chairman of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, recently announced the appointment of Craig Sauter, MD, as the new Director of Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the Cleveland...
Northwell Names Fidel Valea, MD, to Leadership Roles in Gynecologic Oncology
Fidel Valea, MD, recently announced his appointment as System Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at Northwell Health and Director of Gynecologic Oncology at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. He will see patients in New Hyde Park, New York, and Manhattan.
In his role as System Chief of Gynecologic...
COVID-19 Resources for People With Cancer
ASCO has compiled a number of resources to help people with cancer navigate COVID-19.
Coronavirus and COVID-19: What People With Cancer Need to Know
Cases of COVID-19 have arisen all over the world. Here’s what people with cancer and cancer survivors need to know about the disease. Available at
Mortality Risk in Patients With Cancer and SARS–CoV-2 Higher Among Older Patients With B-Cell Malignancies and Those Who Previously or Currently Smoke
A recent study published in JCO Oncology Practice found that patients with certain cancers have a higher mortality risk than those with other cancer types if they have contracted the novel coronavirus (SARS–CoV-2).1 Specifically, older patients with B-cell malignancies who acquire SARS–CoV-2 who...
Five Percent Overall Medicare Reimbursement Cut Estimated for Medical Oncology in 2022
On November 2, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Quality Payment Program (QPP) final rule. Although ASCO will analyze the rule in greater detail in the coming days, initial highlights from the rule are outlined...
The Role of Spirituality in Palliative Care
National surveys consistently show that spirituality and religion are important components in the lives of most Americans, with more than 90% of adults expressing a belief in God and more than 70% identifying religion as one of the most important influences in their lives.1 Studies also show that...
The Promise and the Challenge: Experts and Innovators Explore the Impact of New Technologies in Cancer Care
Artificial intelligence, digital therapeutics, telehealth, biometric monitoring: the terms alone are enough to suggest that cancer care is entering a new age, one characterized by tools and practices based on technologic innovation. To explore the impact of these new tools, the National...
Maintenance Daratumumab Prolongs Progression-Free Survival in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Philippe Moreau, MD, of the University Hospital Hôtel-Dieu, Nantes, and colleagues, an interim analysis of part 2 of the phase III CASSIOPEIA trial has showed significantly prolonged progression-free survival with maintenance daratumumab vs observation...
Maintenance Daratumumab After Initial Therapy for Transplant-Eligible Multiple Myeloma: More Questions Than Answers From CASSIOPEIA Part 2
Bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (VTd) is an acceptable, effective standard-of-care induction treatment in Europe for patients with newly diagnosed myeloma who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplantation. CASSIOPEIA is a two-part, open-label, randomized, phase III trial in...
Choosing Wisely, Researchers Look at Access to Essential Cancer Drugs on a Global Scale
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases occurred worldwide in 2020, resulting in almost 10 million deaths. The IARC projects a 50% rise in global cancer incidence and mortality by 2040. To help control this looming crisis,...
FDA Approves Asciminib for Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive CML
On October 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the kinase inhibitor asciminib (Scemblix) for patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase who have been previously treated with two or more tyrosine...
Passionate About Surgical Oncology, Masakazu Toi, MD, PhD, Is a Leader in Japanese Clinical Trials
In this installment of the Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, spoke with Masakazu Toi, MD, PhD, a clinical breast cancer expert who is keen on research that translates basic science into clinical study. He is involved in various innovative research projects on the development ...
Shiitake Mushroom
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on shiitake mushroom ...
American Cancer Society and Flatiron Health Announce Recipients of Real-World Data Impact Award
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and Flatiron Health recently presented the 2021 Real-World Data Impact Awards, which will support research into health disparities among patients with advanced pancreatic and breast cancers.
This year marks the third year of the joint grant-making program, under...
Possible Impact of Nurse Navigation Program in Achieving Equitable Care and Outcomes in Minority vs White Patients
In a single-institution study reported in Cancer, Bei Hu, MD, of the Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders, Levine Cancer Institute/Atrium Health in Charlotte, and colleagues found that use of a dedicated nurse navigation program contributed to redressing the recognized inequities...
Eric P. Winer, MD, FASCO, to Lead Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital
After an extensive national search, Yale School of Medicine and Yale New Haven Health have announced that Eric P. Winer, MD, FASCO, will be the next Director of Yale Cancer Center and Physician-in-Chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven, effective February 1, 2022. Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA,...
New Breast Cancer Survivorship Program Launched by USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
There are currently more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States, and 3 out of 10 women with invasive breast cancer will develop metastases. However, if some breast cancer cells remain after treatment, the amount is often too small to be detected by mammograms or...
Risk-Reducing Medications for Breast Cancer Are Becoming Safer and More Tolerable
Risk-reducing medications for breast cancer may be effective for many women, and recently reported and ongoing trials have led to improvements in their tolerability and safety, Seema A. Khan, MD, reported at the 2021 Annual Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium (virtual).1 Dr. Khan is Professor of...
SARC Appoints Jonathan Fletcher, MD, to New Role of Chief Scientific Officer
Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration (SARC) recently announced the appointment of Jonathan Fletcher, MD, as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). This is a new role at the nonprofit cancer research organization, a leader in collaborative discovery, translational research, and clinical...
Addition of Liposomal Irinotecan to Fluorouracil and Leucovorin as Second-Line Treatment for Metastatic Biliary Tract Cancer
In a Korean phase IIb trial (NIFTY) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Yoo et al found that the addition of liposomal irinotecan to fluorouracil/leucovorin improved progression-free survival as a second-line treatment for patients with metastatic biliary tract cancer whose disease had progressed on...
Is Cabozantinib Active in Treating Brain Metastases From Renal Cell Carcinoma?
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Hirsch et al found that cabozantinib showed substantial activity in treating brain metastases in patients with renal cell carcinoma.
As stated by the investigators, “Patients with brain metastases from renal cell carcinoma have been...
