September 10, 2016 (View All Issues)
European Studies Compare Conventional vs Hypofractionated Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer
Two recent European phase III trials with different study designs focused on hypofractionated vs conventional radiotherapy in localized prostate cancer. Investigators in the CHHiP trial1 showed that the hypofractionated approach is noninferior to standard fractionation, with no increase ...
Hypofractionated Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer: A New Standard of Care?
For at least the past quarter of a century, radiobiologists and radiation oncologists have debated the role of hypofractionation (fewer total fractions with a higher dose per fraction) for prostate cancer. The debate stems from the unique radiobiology of prostate cancer and the best means to...
Early Relapse in Follicular Lymphoma: Clinical Trial Data May Guide Management Decisions
Approximately 20% of patients with follicular lymphoma will relapse within 2 years of diagnosis. Although the optimal management of these patients has not been established, clinicians may be guided by data from recent clinical trials, according to Nathan H. Fowler, MD, Associate...
Is Human Life Worth No More Than a Text Message?
The words “cost control,” “value-based health care,” and similar iterations are floating around freely these days to make us aware of the unsustainable upward trajectory of health-care costs. We are reminded constantly about how health care in America currently costs more than $3.4...
Use of Lugol’s Iodine Stain May Reduce the Need for Repeat Resection of Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancers
By identifying residual dysplasia in the tumor bed, Lugol’s iodine staining may improve pathologic outcomes with resection of oral and oropharyngeal cancers, according to interim findings of a UK randomized controlled trial reported at the 9th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer.1...
Nerve Stimulation During Oncologic Neck Dissection May Help to Preserve Shoulder Function
Electrical stimulation of the spinal accessory nerve during neck dissection for head and neck cancer may reduce the development of shoulder dysfunction, according to a double-blind randomized controlled trial.1 A year after surgery, patients given intraoperative electrical stimulation had...
Benefits Seen From Extending Steroids After Transoral Robotic Surgery for Head and Neck Cancer
Patients undergoing transoral robotic surgery for head and neck cancer may experience improvements in some outcomes when given an extended course of corticosteroids, finds a randomized controlled trial reported at the 9th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer.1
Relative to peers given...
Good Showing for Trastuzumab/Docetaxel Combination Against Salivary Gland Carcinoma
The combination of trastuzumab (Herceptin) and docetaxel seems to be highly active in patients with unresectable advanced HER2-positive salivary gland carcinoma of the ductal subtype, according to interim data from an open-label, single-arm phase II trial.1 More than two-thirds of patients had a...
Predictors of Readmission in Patients Requiring Free Tissue Reconstruction for Head and Neck Cancer
Certain factors increase the risk of unplanned readmission in the month after head and neck cancer resection requiring free tissue reconstruction, finds an analysis of data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) of the American College of Surgeons.1 Nearly 1 in 10 patients...
Phase III Study Launches in Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer
On August 2, 2016, PharmaMar announced the start of a pivotal phase III ATLANTIS study evaluating the efficacy and safety of lurbinectedin (PM1183), a novel synthetic tetrahydroisoquinoline that targets active transcription. The study is evaluating lurbinectedin combined with doxorubicin vs...
For High-Grade and Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas, Treat Adults Like Children
Outcomes for adults with high-grade and aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) appear to be better when these patients are treated with pediatric-inspired protocols, according to Mitchell S. Cairo, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell...
Learn How to Implement the Psychosocial Distress Screening Quality Care Standard at the 2017 APOS Annual Conference
The National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Psychosocial Distress Program is an educational program desgined to train cancer care clinicians over 2 years to develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive psychosocial distress screening programs.
The 1st year of the Screening for Psychosocial...
Roundup of Selected Abstracts in Multiple Myeloma, Acute and Chronic Leukemia, and Advanced Lymphoma
In June 2016, the European Hematology Association Congress convened in Copenhagen, Denmark. The educational and scientific program highlighted state-of-the-art clinical practice and the latest findings in hematology research. The ASCO Post brings its readers brief summaries of some of the important ...
James Morgan, PhD, Named Scientific Director at St. Jude
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has named James Morgan, PhD, Scientific Director and Executive Vice President. Dr. Morgan held the Interim Scientific Director post since 2015 and was formerly Chair of the Department of Developmental Neurobiology.
As Scientific Director, Dr. Morgan will...
Immune Analysis of On-Treatment Longitudinal Biopsies Predicts Response to Melanoma Immunotherapy
Immune response measured in tumor biopsies during the course of early treatment predicts which melanoma patients will benefit from specific immune checkpoint blockade drugs, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found in a report published by Chen et al in Cancer...
Continued ABVD vs Omission of Bleomycin (AVD) After Negative Imaging Findings in Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma
In a phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Peter Johnson, MD, of the Cancer Research UK Centre, University of Southampton, and colleagues found similar efficacy with continued ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) vs omission of bleomycin...
Interim PET-Adapted Treatment in Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma
The ability to cure a majority of patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the major milestones of success in the combination chemotherapy era. It has been over 40 years since Bonadonna and colleagues in Milan developed the ABVD regimen (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and ...
FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation to CD4CAR for the Treatment of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug designation for chimeric antigen receptor–engineered T cells directed against the target protein CD4 (CD4CAR) for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma.
William Tse, MD, Chief of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation...
AACI Names Three New Members to Board of Directors
The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) has announced the election of Karen E. Knudsen, PhD; Norman Sharpless, MD; and Eduardo Sotomayor, MD, to the AACI Board of Directors. The new Directors’ 3-year terms will start on October 23, 2016, during the AACI/ Cancer Center Administrators...
ASCO 2016: Geriatric Oncology Highlights
Clinical trials focused on older adults with cancer were featured prominently at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting. There was a plenary session in glioblastoma, a clinical symposium on immunotherapy, and multiple educational lectures highlighting the growing literature and unique challenges...
Matti Aapro, MD, Awarded MASCC’s Distinguished Service Award
Matti Aapro, MD, has been selected as the recipient of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer’s (MASCC) 2016 Distinguished Service Award. The Award recognizes meritorious achievement and outstanding contributions to the Society and its mission. Candidates are nominated by...
President Obama Names Margaret Spitz, MPH, to National Cancer Advisory Board
Margaret Spitz, MPH, Professor in the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine, has been appointed by President Barack Obama as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB).
A renowned expert in molecular...
Global Curriculum in Surgical Oncology Outlined by Society of Surgical Oncology and European Society of Surgical Oncology
As reported by Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, and colleagues at the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO), the rising global burden of cancer and inequalities in surgical...
Effect of Radiosurgery Alone vs With Whole-Brain Radiotherapy on Cognitive Function in Patients With Brain Metastases
Physicians from Carolinas HealthCare System’s Neurosciences Institute and Levine Cancer Institute are among the authors of a recent study published by Brown et al in JAMA.1 The study showed how among patients with one to three brain metastases, the use of stereotactic radiosurgery alone, compared...
Appointments and Awards at the 2016 MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting
At the 2016 Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer in Adelaide, Australia, a new President of the organization was announced, and numerous awards were given to outstanding...
Use of Pembrolizumab in Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma After Platinum-Containing Therapy
On August 5, 2016, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was granted accelerated approval for treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy.1,2
As a condition of the accelerated approval, Merck is...
Management of Merkel Cell Carcinoma
A recent report regarding pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for advanced Merkel cell carcinoma ushered in a more optimistic era in the treatment of this rare but often lethal skin cancer.1 The ASCO Post spoke with one of the field’s leaders, Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD—the first author of the study—about the...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Basal Cell Carcinoma
Study Title: Long-Pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG Laser Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)
Study Type: Interventional/single-group assignment
Study Sponsor and Collaborators: University of California, San Diego; Massachusetts General Hospital
Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of laser...
Multitude of Mentors Help Shape an Illustrious Career in Oncology
Sumanta K. Pal, MD, has had a longer career in oncology than many other colleagues his age. Perhaps the reason for that may center on his starting college at the age 13 and medical school at the age of 17. Today this internationally recognized leader in genitourinary cancers is Assistant...
Weight Watchers and the American Cancer Society Launch Initiative to Support Holistic Health for Breast Cancer Survivors
Weight Watchers International, Inc, has launched Project LIFT—Live Inspired, Fight Together—a new movement, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, to inspire and guide breast cancer survivors with free resources focused on tackling the unexpected weight gain that can follow breast...
Nivolumab Achieves Response in Most Patients With Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma After ASCT and Brentuximab Vedotin
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology by Anas Younes, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, treatment with the anti–PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) produced response in two-thirds of patients...
Nivolumab in Recurrent Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: Refreshingly Supportive Data
It is commonly said that if something is too good to be true, it usually is. It is therefore quite refreshing when really good results are replicated in a subsequent study.
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Younes et al1 and reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, a phase II trial ...
Ronald McDonald House New York Names Ruth C. Browne, SD, MPP, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer
Ronald McDonald House New York has announced that Ruth C. Browne, SD, MPP, MPH, has been selected as President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization. Dr. Browne joins Ronald McDonald House New York from the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, where she served as CEO since 2004. She...
Venetoclax Produces High Response Rate in Relapsed or Refractory CLL With 17p Deletion
In a pivotal phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Stephan Stilgenbauer, MD, of Ulm University, Germany, and colleagues found that the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax (ABT-199) produced a high response rate in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)...
Addressing the Significant Disparities and Barriers to Health Care Experienced by LGBT Cancer Survivors
In 2011, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published its landmark report “The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding,” which recognized the scarcity of research in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and the...
ASCO Announces 14 Practices Participating in the 2016 Quality Training Program
On July 14, ASCO announced the 14 practices participating in the 2016 Quality Training Program. The program is designed to train oncology health-care providers to investigate and implement data-driven quality improvement and manage clinical and administrative processes and outcomes.
...
Last Chance to Register for the ASCO Research Community Forum Annual Meeting
Join fellow physician investigators for the ASCO Research Community Forum 2016 Annual Meeting, to be held September 25–26 at ASCO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
This will be the Research Community Forum’s 5th Annual Meeting, held each year to bring researchers and research staff from across ...
New Online Tool Available to Assess the Quality of Your Research Program
Take advantage of the new online version of the ASCO Research Program Quality Assessment Tool, which was developed by the ASCO Research Community Forum to help research sites establish or enhance their internal quality assessment program. The online tool makes it easier than ever for users to gauge ...
New ASCO-SITC Symposium Dives Into Immuno-Oncology Research and Clinical Care
Advances in the field of immuno-oncology are revolutionizing cancer care. Ongoing progress with immune checkpoint agents, immune system boosts, cancer vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies continues to yield new and exciting results.
However, with the benefits of rapid expansion comes the challenge...
ASCO University® Essentials Subscription Now Provided to CancerLinQTM Practices
CancerLinQ LLC, a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of ASCO, has announced an exciting new benefit for practices participating in CancerLinQ™. Current and future early adopters of CancerLinQ who sign up before
ASCO’s 2017 Annual Meeting will receive a complimentary subscription to ASCO University...
New: ASCO Answers Guide to Small Cell Lung Cancer
The new ASCO Answers Guide to Small Cell Lung Cancer can help people better understand their diagnosis and treatment options. Patients will find helpful, ASCO-approved information on treatment, follow-up care, and palliative care. The guide includes questions that patients can ask their...
Your Monthly Gift Can Have a Huge Impact
By contributing a monthly gift to the Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF), you can make a dramatic difference as we work to build a world free from the fear of cancer.
An automatic charge to your credit card each month is the easiest way to complete your monthly donation. Secure and convenient, a...
Mastery Learning: A New Paradigm for Oncology Medical Education?
According to William C. McGaghie, PhD, Professor of Medical Education and Professor of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, the principles of today’s clinical medical education are rooted in a 19th century model that is no longer useful...
2016 - 2017 Oncology Meetings
SEPTEMBER
19th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology
September 21-25 • Xiamen, China
For more information:
www.csco.ac.cn
IASLC Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology
September 22-24 • Chicago, Illinois
For more information:
Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy Shown to Be Safe—and Increasingly Preferred
Prophylactic mastectomy that preserves a woman’s nipple is oncologically safe in patients with deleterious BRCA mutations, according to the largest study yet to evaluate this approach in this high-risk population. “In more than 500 risk-reducing nipple-sparing mastectomies in 348...
ESMO Publishes Results of European Consortium Study on the Availability of Antineoplastic Medicines
A major new study has found substantial differences in the formulary availability, out-of-pocket costs, and actual availability of anticancer medicines across Europe. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) European Consortium Study on the Availability of Antineoplastic Medicines was...
New SSO, ASTRO, ASCO Joint Ductal Carcinoma in Situ Consensus Guideline Could Curb Unnecessary Breast Surgery and Reduce Health-System Costs
Three leading national cancer organizations have issued a consensus guideline for physicians treating women who have ductal carcinoma in situ treated with breast-conserving surgery with whole-breast irradiation. The new guideline has the potential to save many women from unnecessary surgeries,...
George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, Named Dean for Faculty of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, a leader in stem cell science and cancer biology whose work spans the fields of basic science and clinical medicine, will become the next Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He will begin his duties on January 1, 2017.
Dr. Daley is currently...
American Society of Hematology Recognizes Laurence Boxer, MD, and Ralph Nachman, MD, for Outstanding Mentorship
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will honor Laurence Boxer, MD, and Ralph Nachman, MD, with 2016 Mentor Awards at the 58th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, California, for their sustained, outstanding commitment to the training and career development of early-career...
The Best Oncology Lesson
I was 2 months into my first-year fellowship at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, DC, when I learned the best oncology lesson of my career. I owned a copy of DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology and had read Cancer Treatment...
Oncologist’s Guilt
The best part of my day is hearing that little voice yell, “It’s Momma!” as my son rushes to greet me with a hug. It is humbling, and sometimes terrifying, to realize that I brought a little person into the world who is completely dependent on my husband and me for survival. Few would argue...
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Report Shows States Are Making Progress Implementing Policies to Reduce Toll of Cancer
While a majority of states are still missing important opportunities to pass and implement legislative solutions proven to prevent and fight cancer, progress is being made to move the nation closer to ending cancer as we know it, according to a report recently released by the American Cancer...
I’ve Survived Two Cancers
In 2012, my husband, Robert, and I were looking forward to starting the next phase of our lives and were feeling excited about the future. Although only in our 50s, we had decided to retire early from our full-time careers, move to our cabin in Hayward, Wisconsin, and find less...
Media Reports of Dramatic Responses to Immunotherapy After All Else Fails May Prompt Patients to Seek It Out
Immunotherapy has received “a lot of attention, mainly because of the media coverage,” Anas Younes, MD, medical oncologist and Chief of the Lymphoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said in an interview with The ASCO Post. “Many patients inquire, not about...
New Appointments to Fox Chase Cancer Center Department of Medicine
Fox Chase Cancer Center recently announced two new appointments in its Department of Medicine.
Christopher J. Manley, MD
Christopher J. Manley, MD, has joined Fox Chase Cancer Center as the Director of Interventional Pulmonology in the Department of Medicine.
“Dr. Manley’s expertise in...
Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor Launches Specialty Team for Comprehensive Esophageal Cancer Care
The National Cancer Institute–designated Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine has formed a new multispecialty group to provide expert, state-of-the-art esophageal cancer care, from assessing risk, screening, and prevention to diagnosis, treatment, and...
Impact of Adherence to Cancer Prevention Guidelines on Diet, Physical Activity on Cancer Risk and Mortality
According to the American Cancer Society’s 2016 Cancer Facts & Figures, behaviors such as poor diet choices, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, and unhealthy body weight account for about 20% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States and likely could be prevented with...
Cyclophosphamide/Methotrexate Maintenance Shows No Benefit in Hormone Receptor–Negative Breast Cancer, but Subgroup May Benefit
Low-dose oral cyclophosphamide plus methotrexate maintenance therapy yielded no disease-free survival benefit in women with hormone receptor–negative early breast cancer, according to the phase III International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG) 22-00 trial. Some evidence of benefit was observed in ...
Study Finds Wide Variation in Breast Density Assessments Among Radiologists
A large observational study examining the variation in breast density assessment among radiologists in clinical practice has found a wide variation—from 6.3% to 84.5%—in the percentage of mammograms rated as showing dense breasts, which persisted after adjusting for patient characteristics. The...
Regorafenib Increases Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Gastric Cancer
The multikinase inhibitor regorafenib (Stivarga) prolonged progression-free survival vs placebo in patients with previously treated advanced gastric carcinoma, in a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Nick Pavlakis, MBBS, PhD, of the University of Sydney, Australia, and...
Immune Cell Infiltrates May Portend Better Prognosis Across Several Tumor Types
High expression of T-cell and B-cell signatures in infiltrates in the tumor microenvironment predicted improved overall survival across many tumor types, according to a study reported by Iglesia et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Benjamin Vincent, MD, of UNC (University of North ...
Hematologic Oncologists Surveyed on Quality Measures of End-of-Life Care
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Oreofe O. Odejide, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and colleagues surveyed hematologic oncologists to identify acceptable end-of-life-care quality measures and barriers to such care. Respondents considered unrealistic patient...
Limited Access to Radioimmunotherapy in the Community Setting May Lead to Extinction of a Unique Lymphoma Treatment
I am writing to ask the ASCO community for help in addressing a policy decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that requires oncologists to take a 700-hour course (on the full range of nuclear medicines) to give one medicine to their patients: prepackaged radioimmunotherapy. It’s...
ECOG-ACRIN Group Co-Chair Robert L. Comis, MD, to Step Down in 2019
The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) announced that Robert L. Comis, MD, Professor of Medicine at Drexel University, is stepping down from his position as Group Co-Chair of the organization. His departure, effective February 28, 2019, will coincide with the end of ECOG-ACRIN’s...
