September 1, 2014 (View All Issues)
- Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men, behind skin cancer, and it affects one in seven men in his...
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy an Effective Option for Early-Stage Lung Cancer Patients
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is safe and effective in early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as it confers local control in 90% or more patients with T1 disease, according to Roy Decker, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at Yale Cancer...
My Priorities for the Year Ahead
I am honored and privileged to lead ASCO during its 51st year, a year that promises to bring both challenges and opportunities to our members and our patients. As the theme for my Presidential term, I’ve chosen Illumination and Innovation: Transforming Data Into Learning, because we are positioned...
Oncology Practice: What Are the Factors Driving Change?
Clinical practice changes in response to new medical evidence, but not always immediately or all at once. So what else determines whether and how quickly practice changes in response to evidence, for instance, that a widely used drug is effective only in patients with a certain biomarker?
In a new ...
International Group Updates Recommendations on Managing Lymphoma
An international multidisciplinary group of experts has updated their recommendations for staging and treatment response assessment in patients with Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Bruce D. Cheson, MD, Professor of Medicine, Deputy Chief of Hematology-Oncology, and Head of Hematology at the...
Jury Still Out on Interim PET for Response-Adapted Therapy in Hodgkin Lymphoma
Interim positron-emission tomography (PET) scans provide good prognostic information in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, but more research is needed to determine whether patients benefit when the findings are used to alter treatment, according to Oliver Press, MD, PhD, Professor at the University of ...
Study Estimates Risk of Premature Menopause After Treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma
Previous research has suggested that women with Hodgkin lymphoma who receive certain types of chemotherapy or radiotherapy are at increased risk of future infertility, but there was insufficient information to provide patients with detailed advice. In a study published in the Journal of the...
Targeting KRAS Mutations in Lung Cancer: No Longer Impossible
The KRAS mutation has long been considered “undruggable,” but new approaches in drug development may change this. The end result could be effective new treatment options for KRAS-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to David R. Gandara, MD, who described the emerging findings at...
September Is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
In recognition of September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, David A. Fishman, MD, Director of the Mount Sinai Ovarian Cancer Risk Assessment Program and Professor and Fellowship Director in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine at...
Treating Multiple Myeloma in 2014
The field of multiple myeloma is rapidly changing, and the shifts that are occurring impact the management of these patients, from initial diagnosis through multiple relapses. At the 9th Annual New Orleans Summer Cancer Meeting, Sergio A. Giralt, MD, Chief of the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant...
Quest for Targeted Therapeutic ‘Cocktails’ Hits Roadblocks
The use of cutting-edge technology and bioinformatics to inform clinical decision-making in oncology is still a ways off, according to Mark Pegram, MD, the Susy Yuan-Huey Hung Professor of Oncology and Director of the Stanford Breast Oncology Program, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. At...
Emerging Approaches in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
With the emergence of molecular diagnostics and new therapeutics, the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is entering a new era. Hugo F. Fernandez, MD, Associate Chief of Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, spoke with The ASCO Post about how he...
Charles LeMaistre, MD, and Hans Mark, PhD, Named Chancellors Emeritus by the University of Texas System Board of Regents
Two former Chancellors, Charles LeMaistre, MD, and Hans Mark, PhD, were recently given the honorific title Chancellors Emeritus by the University of Texas System Board of Regents.
“Charles LeMaistre and Hans Mark were visionary chancellors who expanded the UT System into new directions that...
Understanding the Impact of Results From CALGB/ SWOG 80405 and Other New Data in Colorectal Cancer
The Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)/Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) 80405 trial, presented during the Plenary Session at this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting, demonstrated that cetuximab (Erbitux) and bevacizumab (Avastin) confer similar benefits as first-line treatment with chemotherapy for KRAS...
Systematic Model Identifies Factors Associated With Adherence in Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial
Healthy men participating in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial who actively participate in all steps of the clinical trial are most likely to undergo an end-of-study biopsy, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.1 The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial...
FDA Approves First Noninvasive DNA Screening Test for Colorectal Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cologuard, the first stool-based colorectal screening test that detects the presence of red blood cells and DNA mutations that may indicate the presence of certain kinds of abnormal growths that may be cancers such as colon cancer or...
FDA Grants Fast Track Designation to Novel JAK2 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Myelofibrosis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation to pacritinib for the treatment of intermediate- and high-risk myelofibrosis, including patients with disease-related thrombocytopenia on other JAK2 therapy or patients who are intolerant to or whose symptoms are suboptimally...
FDA Approves Bevacizumab for Aggressive and Late-Stage Cervical Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the antiangiogenic agent bevacizumab (Avastin) for the treatment of persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer. The new indication is approved for use in combination with paclitaxel and cisplatin or paclitaxel and topotecan. The FDA ...
FDA Approves Bortezomib Retreatment in Patients With Multiple Myeloma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved bortezomib (Velcade) for the retreatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who had previously responded to bortezomib therapy and relapsed at least 6 months following completion of prior bortezomib treatment. The labeling update includes...
Bortezomib Retreatment in Multiple Myeloma
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 August 8, 2014, the approved use of bortezomib (Velcade) in...
Advances in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant for Pediatric AML Reduce Toxicity and Expand Access, but Relapse Remains a Problem
Advances in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have resulted in less toxic pretransplant conditioning regimens and expanded access to transplantation, but post-treatment leukemic relapse remains a big problem. The progress and continuing...
Protocol Modifications Decrease Toxicity, Increase Event-Free Survival in Children With Down Syndrome Treated for ALL
Protocol modifications to address increased risk of toxicity and excess early mortality among children with Down syndrome being treated for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) proved safe for patients with Down syndrome, and these patients had event-free survival similar to those without Down ...
Best Way to Treat Mediastinal Lymphomas Is Still Unclear
A variety of treatment options used today can achieve good outcomes in patients with mediastinal lymphomas, according to James O. Armitage, MD, the Joe Shapiro Professor of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. He discussed some of the current evidence helping to refine...
The Role of Integrated Palliative Care in Radiation Oncology
Three years ago, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, launched a Supportive and Palliative Radiation Oncology (SPRO) program to integrate generalist palliative oncology services, including the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual aspects of care, into radiation...
Palbociclib Expanded Access Program Open to Eligible Breast Cancer Patients
Pfizer Inc announced that the company has initiated a multicenter, open-label expanded access program in the United States for the investigational oral CDK 4/6 inhibitor, palbociclib. Through the program, palbociclib is being made available for use in combination with letrozole for postmenopausal...
A Conversation With Lidia Schapira, MD, the New JCO Art of Oncology Editor
The popular Art of Oncology (AOO) section of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) brings a human perspective to the art and science of practicing oncology. Lidia Schapira, MD, FASCO, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, became the Art of Oncology...
#WeConquerCancer: Creative Fundraisers From Committed Conquerors
Conquer Cancer Foundation donors are a consistently creative bunch when it comes to encouraging others to help conquer cancer: Tyler invited his friends and family to a charity spin class; elementary school students in Malibu, California, sold bracelets in honor of their principal; Steve competed...
ASCO Experts Discuss the Latest Advances in Breast Cancer Care
The 2014 Breast Cancer Symposium will take place September 4 to 6. Direct your patients to
www.cancer.net/blog to listen to ASCO Experts explain some of the research announced prior to the meeting and discuss what this research means for patient care. They can also read a summary of the research...
A World Free From the Fear of Cancer—Is It Possible?
By every definition, ASCO’s 50th Annual Meeting was a huge success. The halls were buzzing as nearly 35,000 attendees shared excitement about cancer research.
This was a banner year for federally funded clinical trials—all four of the abstracts selected for ASCO’s Plenary Session were backed by...
ASCO Offers Input on 21st Century Cures PCAST White Paper
ASCO submitted a letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee responding to the committee’s second white paper on its 21st Century Cures Initiative, 21st Century Cures: An Update on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) 2012 Report on Propelling Innovation.
...
Registration Open for the Community Research Forum Annual Meeting
Registration is open for the ASCO Community Research Forum Annual Meeting, September 28 to 29, 2014, at ASCO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Join fellow community-based researchers to discuss barriers and develop solutions to common challenges faced in the community research setting.
This...
ASCO Launches the ASCO in Action Beat
ASCO has launched the ASCO in Action Beat, an e-newsletter specifically focused on the latest news and updates related to cancer policy from ASCO in Action. The ASCO in Action Beat provides a snapshot of the most significant news and updates in cancer policy, ASCO’s ongoing advocacy efforts, and...
Bevacizumab in Persistent, Recurrent, or Metastatic Cervical 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.
On August 14, 2014, bevacizumab (Avastin) was approved for the...
Lung Screening–Detected Abnormalities Other Than Cancer Result in Smoking Cessation: National Lung Screening Trial Analysis
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Martin C. Tammemägi, PhD, of Brock University, Ontario, and colleagues assessed smoking cessation rates among participants undergoing chest x-ray or computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer in the National Lung Screening ...
AACI Members Elect New Leadership, Members to Board of Directors
The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) has announced the election of Stanton L. Gerson, MD, as Vice-President/President-Elect for a 6-year term, effective in October 2014. Dr. Gerson is the Asa and Patricia Shiverick- Jane Shiverick (Tripp) Professor of Hematological Oncology,...
Leaders in Health Disparities Honored
The W. Montague Cobb/National Medical Association (NMA) Health Institute (Cobb Institute) was established by the National Medical Association to develop, evaluate, and implement strategies to promote wellness and eliminate health disparities and racism in medicine. The Institute recently celebrated ...
Phase III Trial of Figitumumab Plus Chemotherapy in Advanced NSCLC Stopped Early for Futility and Increased Harm
In the first phase III trial assessing the combination of an insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) inhibitor with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced nonadenocarcinoma non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the addition of the fully human immunoglobulin G2 monoclonal antibody...
Failure of IGF-1R Inhibitor Figitumumab in Advanced Nonadenocarcinoma Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
The vast majority of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients present with advanced disease, and many will develop metastases after primary curative therapy. Until recently, despite its low efficacy, chemotherapy remained the only treatment modality in metastatic NSCLC. Within the past decade,...
Program Offers Unique Intervention for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
If Anand P. Jillella, MD, has his way, no future patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) will experience a delay in treatment or lack for an expert consult—and few, if any, will die of this condition.
Mortality from APL is much higher than most oncologists think, especially during the...
ASTRO Awards $35,500 in Individual Grants to 43 Researchers
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has selected 43 recipients to receive a total of $35,500 for the 2014 Annual Meeting Abstract Awards. The awardees will be recognized at ASTRO’s 56th Annual Meeting. ASTRO’s 56th Annual Meeting, takes place San Francisco’s Moscone Center,...
Identifying Impending Death Helps Patients and Caregivers
Significant weight loss, cachexia, and being bedbound signal that a cancer patient is dying. However, identifying the specific signs that give physicians the ability to predict death is not well described in the literature. To better understand why predicting death is an important part of the care...
A New Book Explores an Old Subject: Aging
Title: Lighter as We Go: Virtues, Character Strengths, and Aging
Authors: Mindy Greenstein, PhD, and Jimmie Holland, MD
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: September 2014
Price: $27.95; Hardcover, 320 pages
Death is the universal experience shared by Earth’s 7 billion or so...
How Pharmaceutical Companies Are Partnering With Patient Advocates to Ensure Access to Oncology Care
Thomas P. Sellers, MPA, has been a tireless advocate for patients’ rights for more than 20 years. A 15-year prostate cancer survivor and only child, Mr. Sellers said it was his mother’s death from lung cancer when she was 51, followed by the death of his father from glioblastoma multiforme that led ...
Ongoing Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Kidney Cancer
The information in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting clinical studies for patients with kidney cancer. The list includes a pilot study and observational, randomized, and nonrandomized phase II and phase III studies evaluating new therapies, combination therapies,...
Gynecologic Cancer Care: Collaboration With Resource-Challenged Ethiopia
Over the past 40 years, largely because of universal Pap screening, cervical cancer deaths have been drastically reduced in the United States and other wealthy industrialized countries. However, cervical cancer is still a leading cause of cancer death among women in resource-challenged areas of the ...
NIH Awards Two New Grants to Explore the Understanding of Genomics Research in Africa
Two grants totaling more than $300,000 will support studies on genomic literacy among Africans as it relates to research conducted in Africa by African investigators. The 3-year grants are part of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) program, funded by the National Institutes of...
September Is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
In recognition of September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, The ASCO Post is pleased to share the following reminders, adapted in part from the American Cancer Society:
Peter Pisters, MD, Appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, University Health Network, Canada
Mr. John Mulvihill, Chair of the Board of Trustees of University Health Network (UHN), Canada, and Chair of the Board’s Selection Committee for the President and CEO, recently announced that Peter Pisters, MD, will serve as UHN’s next President and CEO, beginning January 1, 2015.
Dr. Pisters is...
Mark Del Beccaro, MD, Named Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer of Seattle Children’s Hospital
Seattle Children’s has announced that Mark Del Beccaro, MD, has been appointed as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) effective October 1, 2014. Dr. Del Beccaro, who currently serves as Vice President of Medical Affairs, will replace David
Fisher, MD, who is retiring.
“Mark has...
Cancer Has Given Me Courage
In 1986, I was pregnant with my third child and excited to be interviewing for a job on the assembly line at a General Motors plant near my home in Brodhead, Wisconsin. Hiring requirements included a physical examination and a chest x-ray, which was done by my obstetrician to avoid any radiation...
Survival Benefit of Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Less Than 1% at 20 Years, but Numbers of Procedures Have Increased
For women with stage I and II breast cancer without BRCA mutations, the absolute 20-year survival benefit from contralateral prophylactic mastectomy was less than 1%, regardless of age, estrogen receptor status, and cancer stage, according to a decision analysis study using a Markov model to...
Royal Society Presents 2014 Royal Medal to Tony Hunter, PhD, FRS, Salk Professor
Tony Hunter, PhD, FRS, has been awarded the 2014 Royal Medal for Biological Sciences by the Royal Society, an international fellowship of scientists based in the United Kingdom. The award recognizes Dr. Hunter, Director of Salk Institute Cancer Center in San Diego, for his contributions to the...
Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk Decreases Rapidly After Starting Regular Physical Activity
Postmenopausal women who in the past 4 years had undertaken regular physical activity equivalent to at least 4 hours of walking per week had a lower risk for invasive breast cancer compared with women who exercised less during those 4 years, according to data published recently in Cancer...
NIH Announces Launch of Precision Medicine Trials in Early-Stage Lung Cancer
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced the launch of the Adjuvant Lung Cancer Enrichment Marker Identification and Sequencing Trials, or ALCHEMIST. The purpose of the trial, which has three components, is to identify patients with early-stage lung cancer whose tumors harbor...
2014 Oncology Meetings
SEPTEMBER
American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting
September 14-17 • San Francisco, California
For more information:
www.astro.org
Cancer Medicine and Hematology 2014
September 14-19 • Boston, Massachusetts
For more information:
www.hmscme.com/cancermedicine
18th Annual Meeting:...
BET Bromodomain Inhibition Highly Active in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer after androgen ablation therapy is primarily due to deregulated androgen receptor signaling. Treatment with agents that target such signaling, such as abiraterone (Zytiga) and enzalutamide (Xtandi), has been successful. However, durable response...
Fusion Protein Improves Dendritic Cell Penetration, Raising Prospect of Efficient Cancer Vaccine
Immunotherapy with dendritic cells in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy may eliminate minimal disease burden by generating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Improving the cytosolic bioavailability of tumor-specific antigens to improve access to HLA class I molecules would result in better...
Dysregulated Cell-Cycle Progression and Akt Hyperactivation in Cancer
Akt plays important roles in cell proliferation, survival, and metabolism. Akt hyperactivation contributes to tumorigenesis and is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is known that activation of Akt results from phosphorylation at S473 and T308, but it ...
Small Molecule Induces Catastrophic Vacuolization and Death of Glioblastoma Cells
In a study reported in Cell, Kitambi and colleagues screened patient-derived glioblastoma cells to identify targetable cellular processes gained by these cells that are not necessarily involved in malignancy. They found that a quinine derivative (NSC13316) selectively compromised viability of...
15-PGDH Expression in Normal Mucosa May Be Biomarker for Aspirin Prevention of Colorectal Cancer
Aspirin use reduces the risk of colorectal cancer at least in part via inhibition of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2, COX-2) pathways. Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase 15-(nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; 15-PGDH, HPGD) is a metabolic antagonist of PTGS2 and is downregulated in...
Prolonged TV Viewing, Other Sedentary Behaviors Linked to Increased Risk of Particular Cancers
“Prolonged TV viewing and time spent in other sedentary pursuits is associated with increased risks of certain types of cancer,” concluded a meta-analysis of data from 43 observational studies including more than 4 million people and 68,936 cancer cases. A positive association with overall...
Patient, Tumor Characteristics Associated With BRAF and KRAS Mutations
KRAS and BRAF V600E mutations were nearly mutually exclusive and associated with specific patient and tumor characteristics, such as age and smoking status, according to an analysis of data from the N0147 phase III trial for stage III colon cancer.
Primary tumors were assessed for KRAS and BRAF...
Simple Bedside Assessment of Pain and Itch Is Valuable Tool for the Evaluation of Suspicious Skin Lesions
A prospective, clinicopathologic study involving 268 patients with biopsy-proven basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, or melanoma in situ “revealed that pain is associated with histologic features that involve deeper dermal processes in [squamous cell carcinoma]...
First Prospective Study of Rare Lymphoma Shows Promising but Inconclusive Results With DA-EPOCH-R
Presenting “the first prospective study” of mediastinal gray zone lymphoma, researchers from the National Cancer Institute reported that DA-EPOCH-R (infusional dose-adjusted etoposide, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide with vincristine, prednisone, and rituximab (Rituxan) and filgrastim (Neupogen)...
Jesse L. Steinfeld, MD, Past Surgeon General, ASCO President, Dies at 87
The 1964 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health started a culture change in the way Americans viewed tobacco and their health, and has saved countless million of lives. But the 1964 Report remained scientifically ambiguous on certain vital issues, such as the effect smoking had on the...
Pioneer in Fight Against Tobacco, Emanuel Farber, MD, PhD, Dies at 85
On December 11, 1969, a soft-spoken pathologist wearing outsized spectacles answered a long and complex series of questions by the legal team representing Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, the maker of Chesterfield cigarettes. The tobacco lawyers contended that one Leslie Thayer—a lifelong...
