October 15, 2012 (View All Issues)
Breast Cancer Symposium Features Surgical Data, Updated Results from BOLERO-2, and Other Important News
The annual Breast Cancer Symposium, held September 13 to 15 in San Francisco, is jointly sponsored by ASCO, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Society of Breast Disease, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the National Consortium of Breast Cancers, and the Society of...
Despite Progress, Chemotherapy Drug Shortages Still Vex the Oncology Community
During the first week of November 2011, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing the FDA to take steps to help resolve the drug shortages that were affecting patient care across the country. The oncology community was hit especially hard; many of the drug shortfalls were generic...
On Mentoring: Looking Back with Gratitude and Paying It Forward
Upon graduation from medical school, doctors are given a gift that lasts a lifetime—the gift of respect. That respect needs to be re-earned every day, but it is accompanied by other rewards that come with caring for people: the ability to gain another’s trust, to reverse illness that alters the...
Regorafenib Approved for Advanced Colorectal Cancer
The FDA recently approved regorafenib (Stivarga) to treat patients with metastatic colorectal cancer that has progressed after treatment.
Regorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor that blocks several enzymes that promote cancer growth. The drug was reviewed under the FDA’s priority review program...
Developments in Hematologic Cancers Include New Considerations in Treating Challenging Leukemias and Multiple Myelomas
Speakers at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 7th Annual Congress on Hematologic Malignancies reviewed the current standard of care for various hematologic cancers and explored new concepts in treatment. Below are highlights from presentations on chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML),...
NCCN Appoints Dr. Robert Carlson as Chief Executive Officer
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has appointed Robert W. Carlson, MD, a leading expert in the field of breast medical oncology, as Chief Executive Officer.
“Dr. Carlson is highly regarded in the oncology community, and NCCN is extremely pleased to appoint him as CEO. Over the last...
Viral Infection and Liver Cancer: A Global Health Crisis
It is estimated that at least 15% of all cancers worldwide can be attributed to infectious etiologies, mostly viral infections. At this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting, an intriguing session on virally induced cancers provided critical clues that could be of real practical value in advancing our battle...
Noncolorectal GI Cancer Evidence Incorporated into Guidelines
The noncolorectal gastrointestinal cancer studies selected for this year’s Best of ASCO meetings include some whose results are being folded into practice guidelines or are good candidates for incorporation, according to Alexandria T. Phan, MD, Associate Professor at The University of Texas MD...
Anthracycline Use Steadily Declining in Early Breast Cancer Population
Anthracycline use in early-stage breast cancer has been steadily declining, especially for patients with stage I/II or HER2-positive disease, according to an analysis of patients treated at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine.1
Treatment Alternatives
Lead author...
Novel Device May Eliminate Need for Re-excision after Lumpectomy
A novel device employed during breast surgery reduces the need for re-excision due to positive margins. This lessens patient anxiety, lowers treatment costs, and helps preserve the cosmetic appearance of the breast, according to a large prospective study reported at the 2012 Breast Cancer...
21-gene Recurrence Score Predicts Outcomes of Node-positive, ER-positive Patients after Adjuvant Chemoendocrine Therapy
The 21-gene recurrence score (obtained with Oncotype DX) can help identify patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, node-positive breast cancer who do not respond well to adjuvant chemoendocrine therapy, according to a retrospective analysis of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel...
Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Not Linked to Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Contradicting what some previous investigations have found, a study from The US Oncology Network found that adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer does not increase the risk of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes (AML/MDS), at least within the first 3 years of treatment.1 The...
Successful Use of Cytoreduction and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy May Hinge on Prior Experience
A review of 60 consecutive patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis who underwent cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)—sometimes called “hot chemotherapy”—found 0% mortality and 33% morbidity, with “a significant reduction of grade III/IV morbidity,...
Progress, Slow but Sure, Seen for Current Lung Cancer Therapies
This year, we have some abstracts that help move things forward in lung cancer, maybe at a little bit slower pace than in previous years. But there are important points that we can learn from some of these abstracts,” commented Karen L. Reckamp, MD, of the City of Hope, who presented findings on...
In DCIS, Radiotherapy Benefits ‘Good Risk’ Patients
Radiation therapy will improve outcomes for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), even if they are considered at low risk for recurrence, according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9804 trial.1 But the follow-up time is short, and the findings still leave some wiggle room,...
Neuropathy Not Predictive of Outcomes with Adjuvant Taxane Therapy in Breast Cancer
Neuropathy is a common and potentially disabling adverse effect of taxane therapy, particularly weekly paclitaxel. A number of recent studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms that appear to increase risk of grade 2 to 4 neuropathy in patients with breast cancer who receive taxanes....
Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Cancer
Cancer therapy, including radiation and chemotherapy, can be harmful to multiple organ systems. The central nervous system (CNS) has generally been considered less vulnerable to the toxic effects of cancer therapy. However, the use of more aggressive treatment modalities combined with prolonged...
Radiation to the Skin and Later Risk of Basal Cell Carcinoma Studied
The likelihood of developing basal cell carcinoma was approximately 40 times higher among participants of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) who received a dose of 35 Gy or more to the skin from radiation therapy than survivors who were not treated with radiation, according to a study...
Pediatric Pathologist Sidney Farber, MD: The ‘Father of Modern Chemotherapy’ and Cofounder of the Jimmy Fund
In June 3, 1948, The New England Journal of Medicine published a study by Sidney Farber, MD, showing that a synthetic compound, 4-aminopteroylglutamic acid (aminopterin), could induce remissions in seriously ill children with acute leukemia.1 Although the study was small—just 16 children—10 showed...
Kinase Inhibitors Compared in First-line Treatment of CML
Bosutinib (Bosulif) is an oral dual Src/Abl kinase inhibitor that is active against many Bcr-Abl mutations associated with imatinib (Gleevec) resistance and that has reduced activity against nonspecific molecular targets associated with toxicities reported for other second-generation kinase...
Bosutinib in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Patients with Resistance or Intolerance of Prior Therapy
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs.
Indication
In September 4, 2012, bosutinib (Bosulif) was approved ...
Investigators’ Perseverance Pays Off in Treating Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma
The theme of this year’s key abstracts on central nervous system tumors is that “perseverance and analysis of long-term outcomes lead to practice-changing results and important insights,” according to Eric L. Chang, MD, of the USC Norris Cancer Hospital and Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, who ...
ASCO Achieves Highest Level of Accreditation for Continuing Medical Education Program
In July, ASCO was awarded “Accreditation with Commendation” (the highest level achievable) by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). Fewer than 25% of continuing medical education (CME) providers carry the “Commendation” status distinction, which signifies an...
CancerLinQ Addressing Institute of Medicine Core Recommendations for ‘Learning Health System’
ASCO is applauding new Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations for establishing a “learning health system” in the United States, and is calling upon other medical specialties to join in achieving this vision of high-quality, high-value medical care. ASCO’s recently launched multiphased...
Stay Up to Date on New Patient Materials from Cancer.Net
Encourage your patients to use social media to stay up to date with the new resources available on Cancer.Net, such as the latest booklet on tobacco discussed on page 57. It is easier than ever for patients to get the latest cancer information on their computer or mobile device by subscribing to...
New ASCO Tobacco Cessation Practice Resources Will Offer Help for Providers as Well as Patients
It is well recognized that tobacco use increases the risk of several kinds of cancer. However, it is less well recognized that quitting tobacco remains important once an individual has been diagnosed with cancer, a common misconception held by oncologists and patients alike. Patients with cancer...
Conquer Cancer Foundation Honors Oncology Professionals for High-quality Research in Breast Cancer
More than 15 leading young oncology professionals were honored this year by the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) with 2012 Breast Cancer Symposium Merit Awards for their work in breast cancer research. These trainees submitted high-quality abstracts...
Hormonal Therapy with Enzalutamide Increases Survival in Castrate-resistant Prostate Cancer after Chemotherapy
The androgen receptor–signaling inhibitor enzalutamide (Xtandi) is reported to differ from conventional antiandrogen agents in that it inhibits androgen receptor nuclear translocation, DNA binding, and coactivator recruitment, has a greater affinity for the androgen receptor, and induces tumor...
Enzalutamide for Metastatic Castrate-resistant Prostate Cancer
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.
Indication
In August 31, enzalutamide (Xtandi) was approved for...
Pivotal Trials in Head and Neck Cancers Yield Mixed Results
The latest research in head and neck cancer reported at this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting presents a mixed picture, according to George R. Blumenschein, Jr, MD, Associate Professor at The Unviersity of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, who presented the data at the Best of ASCO San Diego...
Childhood Radiation Increases Breast Cancer Risk
The risk of developing breast cancer after receiving radiotherapy to the chest as a child are as high as those for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, according to review of 1,268 cancer survivors and 4,570 female first-degree relatives of participants in the Women’s Environmental Cancer and Radiation...
New Drug Application Submitted for Regorafenib to Treat GIST
Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals recently announced that Bayer HealthCare has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA for the oral multikinase inhibitor regorafenib for the treatment of metastatic and/or unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) in patients whose...
FDA Approves New Treatment for Severe Neutropenia
The FDA recently approved Sicor Biotech’s tbo-filgrastim (Neutroval) to reduce the time certain patients receiving chemotherapy experience severe neutropenia.
The new drug is a short-acting recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) agent. It is marketed as Tevagrastim in Europe,...
FDA Approves First Ultrasound Imaging System for Dense Breast Tissue
The FDA approved somo-v Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS), the first ultrasound device for use in combination with a standard mammography in women with dense breast tissue who have a negative mammogram and no symptoms of breast cancer.
The National Cancer Institute estimates that about...
FDA Approves Production of Imaging Agent to Detect Prostate Cancer
The FDA approved the production and use of Choline C 11 Injection, a positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging agent used to help detect recurrent prostate cancer.
Choline C 11 Injection is administered intravenously to produce an image that helps to locate specific body sites for follow-up...
For Advanced Sarcomas, New Agents Prolong Remission but Not Survival
“We are beginning to understand the molecular biology underlying a portion of the 80 or so subtypes of sarcomas, and we hope this will lead to subtype-specific treatments,” said William D. Tap, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, at the Best of ASCO Boston meeting.
“And in...
Prone Position during Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer Is Associated with Reduced Irradiation to Lung and Heart
Preliminary data on prone positioning during whole-breast radiotherapy following breast-preservation surgery “suggest that radiation exposure to the heart and lung can be reduced compared with supine positioning with similar efficacy,” according to a research letter in the Journal of the American...
The Language of Cancer
For more than a year, Don S. Dizon, MD, FACP, has been blogging at ASCO Connection (connection.asco.org) about such diverse topics as cancer survivorship, the redesign of clinical studies based on patients’ molecular characteristics, and the power of laughter. Last May, Dr. Dizon tackled the impact ...
States Aim to Increase Male Breast Cancer Awareness
Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey and Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts recently proclaiming October 21 through October 27 as Male Breast Cancer Awareness Week in their respective states. With this proclamation, New Jersey and Massachusetts become the third and fourth states to recognize...
New Studies Explore Exposure to Cancer-causing Agents
Key studies on cancer epidemiology and prevention delivered both reassuring and not-so-reassuring findings on exposure to agents believed to be cancer-promoting. Kala Visvanathan, MD, MHS, of The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Baltimore,...
Tweeting at ASCO Annual Meetings Can Enhance the Experience
Tweeting at concerts or plays may earn you scornful looks or even stern warnings from ushers, but tweeting at the ASCO Annual Meeting may enhance the meeting experience for you and others. In a study comparing trends in Twitter use by physicians during the 2010 and 2011 ASCO Annual Meetings, some...
American Psychosocial Oncology Society Provides Helpline for Counseling Services
The American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) offers a toll-free national Helpline as a resource to help people with cancer and their caregivers find counseling services in their own communities.
Patients with cancer, caregivers, and advocacy organizations may obtain referrals for local...
Cancer Memoir Provides Inspiration for Those with Terminal Illness and Their Caregivers
“It almost always begins in darkness, my memory’s trip back to China where Terrence and I meet.” So begins Amanda Bennett’s moving new memoir, The Cost of Hope, the story of an intensely devoted marriage, cruelly shortened by the cancer that killed her husband. The word “darkness” in Ms. Bennett’s...
Antioxidant Supplementation in Patients with Cancer: Is It Safe and Effective?
Antioxidant supplements are widely used by healthy individuals as a preventive measure against cancer and heart disease and by patients with cancer to promote healing and prevent recurrence. Studies suggest that dietary supplements are used by up to 81% of cancer survivors, and that 14% to 32%...
How to Recognize and Manage Vandetanib-induced Photosensitivity
Vandetanib (Caprelsa) is an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, and rearranged during transfection (RET) tyrosine kinase receptors. It has been approved by regulatory agencies for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic medullary thyroid...
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Appoints José Baselga, MD, PhD, New Physician-in-Chief
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center announced that José Baselga, MD, PhD, has been named Physician-in-Chief of Memorial Hospital. Currently, Dr. Baselga is Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Associate Director of the MGH Cancer Center.
Lisa Carey, MD, Named Division Chief of Hematology-Oncology, UNC School of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief of the N.C. Cancer Hospital
Nationally recognized clinical researcher and physician Lisa A. Carey, MD, has been appointed Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief of the N.C. Cancer Hospital.
Dr. Carey, a member of the UNC faculty for more...
Levine Cancer Institute Opens New Research and Administrative Headquarters
Carolinas HealthCare System's Levine Cancer Institute recently announced the opening of its research and administrative headquarters on the campus of CHS's Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The development of the Institute and the building was made possible by a $20 million...
Einstein-Montefiore Scientists Awarded NCI Grants to Study ‘Provocative Questions’ in Cancer Research
Two research teams at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital for Einstein, have each been awarded grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as part of their “Provocative Questions” program. The innovative effort is...
Starting Over after Cancer Treatment
When bloody discharge started oozing from the nipple on my left breast, I knew instinctively that it was serious. Although I was just 43, having lost two aunts to breast cancer, I knew my family history increased my risk for developing the disease. So when I saw my gynecologist for an exam, I was...
Link Found between Aspirin and Reduced Risk of Death Due to Prostate 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.
Over the past few weeks, Stanley L. ...
Radiotherapy Not Helpful in Early-stage Parotid Acinic Cell Cancer
Adjuvant radiotherapy for patients with parotid acinic cell carcinoma “does not confer a therapeutic advantage in low-grade and early-stage tumors if resection is complete,” but the benefit for patients with higher-grade or higher-stage disease is uncertain because there were few of these patients...
2012 Is ‘Banner Year’ for Research on Symptom Management
The year 2012 was “a banner year for symptom management,” according to Debra L. Barton, RN, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, who presented data on patient and survivor care at the Best of ASCO San Diego meeting. “I have been doing symptom management for about 20 years, and it seems...
Paclitaxel Poliglumex Gets Orphan Drug Designation for Glioblastoma Multiforme
Cell Therapeutics, Inc, recently announced that paclitaxel poliglumex (OPAXIO) has been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. Orphan designation was granted based on preliminary activity seen from phase II results of paclitaxel poliglumex when...
Anthracycline/Trastuzumab Treatment Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy
A population-based, retrospective cohort study of 12,500 women diagnosed with incident, invasive breast cancer found that anthracycline and trastuzumab (Herceptin) were associated with increased risk of heart failure and/or cardiomyopathy. “Compared with women who received no chemotherapy, our...
Reduced Disease Progression in Patients with Continued Gemcitabine Maintenance or Erlotinib Switch Maintenance
A phase III study showed that progression-free survival was significantly prolonged with continuation maintenance with gemcitabine or switch maintenance with erlotinib (Tarceva) compared with observation in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received first-line treatment...
Long-term Survivors of Hodgkin Lymphoma May Have Increased Risk of Neurocognitive Impairment
A “new finding” that long-term survivors of childhood Hodgkin lymphoma may be at risk for neurocognitive impairment and central nervous system (CNS) pathology arose from a study among 62 patients treated with either high-dose (≥ 30 Gy) thoracic radiation or lower-dose (< 30 Gy) thoracic...
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Individualism in Clinical Decision-making
I found a statement by Dr. Peter Bach in the August 15, 2012, issue of The ASCO Post (in the article, “As Conflicting Guidelines Evolve, Experts Continue to Debate the Merits of Cancer Screening”) very troubling. To wit:
There’s a cognitive dissonance between the practice of evidence-based...
2012-2013 Oncology Meetings Calendar
October 2012
14th Biennial Meeting of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society
October 13-16 • Vancouver, Canada
For more information:
www2.kenes.com/igcs2012/Pages/home.aspx
13th World Congress of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus
October 15-17 • Venice, Italy
For more...
On Mentoring: Looking Back with Gratitude and Paying It Forward
Upon graduation from medical school, doctors are given a gift that lasts a lifetime—the gift of respect. That respect needs to be re-earned every day, but it is accompanied by other rewards that come with caring for people: the ability to gain another’s trust, to reverse illness that alters the...
