September 10, 2020 (View All Issues)
Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab: New Standard of Care in First-Line Treatment of Unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma?
Immunotherapy is taking on yet another highly aggressive cancer and yielding strong results, according to data presented during the 2020 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s World Conference on Lung Cancer Virtual Presidential Symposium.1
A prespecified interim analysis of the...
At Last: Targeting KRAS-Mutated Tumors ‘Is Now a Reality’
KRAS G12C inhibitors—which at this point include AMG 510 (now labeled sotorasib) and MRTX849—are proving to be active in KRAS G12C–mutated tumors, especially non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
KRAS G12C is a newly “druggable” target, joining what is still a limited list of some 3,000 potential...
Developing Policies to Address Patient Racial Bias and Race-Based Provider Requests
Public momentum for efforts to address structural and systemic racism has led many health-care institutions to consider how they can work to bring about positive change. In this column, drawing on important recent work by Kimani Paul-Emile, JD, PhD, Professor of Law at Fordham University School...
Chemotherapy-Free Approaches in Follicular and Mantle Cell Lymphomas
As chemotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy regimens reach their maximal impact in follicular lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma, clinicians are turning to chemotherapy-free approaches to achieve better control, less toxicity, and (hopefully) a cure. During the ASCO20 Virtual Education Program, Sonali M. ...
FDA Approves Daratumumab Plus Carfilzomib and Dexamethasone for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
On August 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved daratumumab (Darzalex) in combination with carfilzomib (Kyprolis) and dexamethasone (DKd) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received one to three previous lines of therapy....
Strategies for Early Detection and Management of Lymphedema
The standard of care since 2003, sentinel lymph node biopsy has dramatically reduced the risk of lymphedema in early breast cancer, but more than 6% of patients still develop the condition. At the ASCO20 Virtual Education Program, Nicole L. Stout, DPT, CLT-LANA, FAPTA, Research Assistant Professor...
Is It Time to Add Checkpoint Inhibitors to the Treatment of Locally Advanced Lung Cancer?
After more than 20 years of failed strategies to improve survival rates for locally advanced lung cancers, checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized therapy, but prognoses still lag behind other tumor types. During the ASCO20 Virtual Education Program, Mark G. Kris, MD, FASCO, a thoracic medical...
Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Sorting Through the Treatment Maze
The message still needs to get out that metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer should be treated with both androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and either docetaxel or an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor. In spite of “overwhelming” support for ADT plus abiraterone/prednisone,...
Study Indicates Delaying Antiviral Treatment May Boost Immunity in Stem Cell Transplant Recipients
A team of cellular-therapy specialists from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that patients who develop cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections after allogeneic stem cell transplantation may be able to develop an immunity against the virus, strengthen their immune system, and reduce...
ORIENT-11 Trial Shows Sintilimab Plus Chemotherapy Improves Progression-Free Survival in Advanced NSCLC
The first-line setting for patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) now has become more complicated, according to data presented during the 2020 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s World Conference on Lung Cancer Virtual...
Ensartinib Doubles Progression-Free Survival in ALK-Positive NSCLC, Phase III Trial Reports
A potent, a next-generation ALK inhibitor has demonstrated promising efficacy in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data presented during the 2020 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s World Conference...
Messino Cancer Centers Founder Michael Messino, MD, Receives North Carolina Governor’s Award
Messino Cancer Centers, a partner practice of American Oncology Network, announced that medical oncologist Michael Messino, MD, has received the highest award granted by North Carolina’s Office of the Governor. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is presented to individuals who have shown extraordinary ...
Tracy Onega, PhD, Named Senior Director of Population Sciences at Huntsman Cancer Institute
Tracy Onega, PhD, has been appointed Senior Director of Population Sciences at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and Professor of Population Sciences at the University of Utah. A cancer epidemiologist, Dr. Onega conducts research focused on cancer control, including health information technology,...
Moffitt Cancer Center Names Patrick Hwu, MD, as President and Chief Executive Officer
Tumor immunologist Patrick Hwu, MD, has been appointed the new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Moffitt Cancer Center. He joins Moffitt from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he is Division Head of Cancer Medicine. Dr. Hwu begins his new role at Moffitt on...
Adjuvant Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab vs Nivolumab Alone in Resected Stage IV Melanoma With No Evidence of Disease
In an interim analysis of the German phase II IMMUNED trial reported in The Lancet, Lisa Zimmer, MD, of University Hospital Essen, and colleagues found that adjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab and nivolumab alone significantly prolonged recurrence-free survival vs placebo in patients with resected...
Growing Body of Evidence Supports Adjuvant Immunotherapy for Stage IV Melanoma With No Evidence of Disease
With incredibly paced approvals and clinical advancements in the systemic therapy of cutaneous melanoma, the efficacy of immunotherapy in this disease is clear. However, many important questions remain regarding timing and dosing—in other words, which drug (or drugs) makes the most sense and in...
Personalized Medicine Meets Geriatric Oncology: Tailoring Oncologic Care for Older Adults
The ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program was a landmark year for the field of geriatric oncology, featuring more than 300 research abstracts that presented data on older adults with cancer. Here, we discuss several high-impact studies investigating interventions that modify outcomes for this patient...
Fox Chase Cancer Center Welcomes Robert Brenchak, MD
Fox Chase Cancer Center recently announced the hiring of Robert Brenchak, MD, who will join the Department of Medicine as Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Brenchak is coming to Fox Chase from Temple University Hospital, where he was Assistant Professor of Clinical...
Primary Prevention Strategies for Avoiding Cardiotoxicity in Patients With Cancer: A Growing Area of Research
Cancer is not for the faint of heart, and sometimes neither is the treatment, according to information presented during the ASCO20 Virtual Education Program.1 Approximately 30% of patients who receive cancer therapy will have cardiovascular complications.2 What’s more, in anthracycline-treated...
High-Risk, HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Treatment Options
Although most patients with breast cancer are considered to have an overall excellent prognosis, 600,000 people still die annually of the disease around the world. Even in HER2-positive breast cancer, a subtype that has seen a transformation of outcomes in the past 2 decades, there’s still room for ...
Large Study Finds No Link Between Antihypertensives and Cancer
There appears to be no evidence that blood pressure–lowering drugs increase the risk of cancer, according to the most extensive study conducted on the topic, which was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2020.1
“Our results should reassure the public about the safety of...
PROfound Trial Evaluates Olaparib in Homologous Recombination Repair Gene–Mutant Prostate Cancer
In a phase III trial (PROfound) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Johann de Bono, MB, ChB, PhD, of the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital, London, and colleagues found that olaparib significantly improved progression-free survival vs hormonal therapy in patients...
Avelumab in Maintenance Treatment of Urothelial Carcinoma
On June 30, 2020, avelumab was approved for maintenance treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma that has not progressed with first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy.1,2
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on findings in the randomized,...
Setting an Ambitious Path to Ensure Health Equity for All Patients With Cancer
In keeping with her Presidential theme of “Equity: Every Patient, Every Day, Everywhere,” in July, ASCO President Lori J. Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO, announced the Society was joining forces with the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) to increase racial and ethnic minority participation...
LUNGevity, FDA Launch Lung Cancer Patient Research Project
LUNGevity Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on lung cancer, recently announced the launch of a new longitudinal study in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence. The project, understanding the lung cancer patient experience in the...
Three Scientists at Johns Hopkins Tapped to Join Exclusive Research Network
Among the first 45 members selected to join the 10x Genomics Visium Clinical Translational Research Network are 3 scientists from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. The organization is aimed at advancing translational research in some of the world’s leading health problems, including oncology,...
Atezolizumab Plus Cobimetinib/Vemurafenib in BRAF V600–Positive Unresectable or Metastatic Melanoma
On July 30, 2020, atezolizumab was granted approval for use in combination with cobimetinib and vemurafenib for patients with BRAF V600 mutation–positive unresectable or metastatic melanoma.1,2
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on findings from the phase III, double-blind IMspire150...
Reevaluating the Delivery of Palliative Care in the Era of COVID-19
Palliative care services are so crucial to the well-being of patients with cancer that, in 2017, ASCO updated its clinical practice guideline on the integration of palliative care into standard oncology care.1 The updated guideline recommends that all patients with advanced cancer receive dedicated ...
Implementation of RACE for Children Act Helps Address Unmet Needs of Children With Cancer
The following statement was recently issued by Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, Chair of the Association for Clinical Oncology, the affiliate organization of the Society:
ASCO applauds implementation of the Research to Accelerate Cures and Equity (RACE) for Children Act. Applications to...
Fine-Tuning CAR T-Cell Therapy for Lymphomas
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies are a major advance in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and are making inroads in solid tumors, but there is room for improvement in their design, since not all patients respond, and those who do may relapse. Researchers are studying...
Karmanos Receives $630,000 CATCH-UP Grant to Recruit Minority, Rural Patients to Clinical Trials
Researchers at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute have secured a 1-year, $630,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that will help support the Institute’s clinical trials, which target underserved populations in Detroit and in the rural areas that Karmanos serves. The NCI P30...
Lymphomas in Adolescents and Young Adults Deserve Further Study
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with lymphoma are a unique population, with distinct biology, disparities in outcome, poorer survival compared with children and adults, and variable impacts of treatments. Ongoing research on this patient population with lymphoma will hopefully lead to improved...
American College of Surgeons Launches New Cancer Surgery Standards Program to Improve Quality of Care
The American College of Surgeons Cancer Programs recently launched the Cancer Surgery Standards Program (CSSP), a new initiative that aims to improve the quality of surgical care provided to patients with cancer by implementing standards for cancer surgery and standardizing the way operative data...
How Delays in Screening and Early Cancer Diagnosis Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic May Result in Increased Cancer Mortality
Earlier this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading across the United States, federal health officials and cancer societies urged Americans to delay routine cancer screenings and other elective procedures to keep them out of clinics to avoid potential exposure to the coronavirus and to...
NCI, Cancer Research UK Launch Cancer Grand Challenges Partnership
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, will partner with Cancer Research UK to fund Cancer Grand Challenges, an international initiative to address profound and unanswered questions in cancer research. Through Cancer Grand Challenges, the NCI and Cancer...
Chasing Cancer: Challenges to Providing Appropriate Care in the Age of COVID-19
The global impact of the novel coronavirus cannot be overstated, but its effects on cancer care delivery in the United States have been particularly far-reaching. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in fewer cancer screenings and reduction in the treatment of new cancers. As a result, the National...
Mobilizing to Meet Challenges and Improve Survival for COVID-19–Positive Patients and Health-Care Professionals
Recognizing the COVID-19 crisis “as an opportunity to mobilize the organization to rise in the most difficult challenges” allowed The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, to keep mortality rates low for COVID-19–positive patients with cancer and its employees. So said Peter WT...
Update on Novel Immunotherapies for Plasma Cell Disorders
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Hematology Expert Review, we take a closer look at the monoclonal antibody targeting CD38, daratumumab, in the treatment of amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis and resistant multiple myeloma as well as the antibody-drug conjugate belantamab mafodotin-blmf,...
Leaders in Radiation Oncology Awarded ASTRO Fellow Designation
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has selected 19 distinguished members to receive the ASTRO Fellow (FASTRO) designation. The 2020 class of Fellows will be recognized at a virtual awards ceremony on October 27 during ASTRO’s 62nd Annual Meeting.
The ASTRO Fellows program...
CDC Data Show Disproportionate COVID-19 Impact in American Indian and Alaska Native Populations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new study that specifically examines how COVID-19 is affecting American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), one of the racial and ethnic minority groups at highest risk from the disease. The CDC found that in 23 selected states, the...
A Moment to Pause, Reflect, and Act Amid a Pandemic
In this period of time, more than ever before, I feel the dichotomy of being a non-Hispanic White American vs a person of color. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, I rode the subway to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Ralph Lauren Cancer Center clinic in Harlem, where I was often the only White person on ...
Art in Oncology: How Patients Add Life to Their Days
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of “Art of Oncology” as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer. They include narratives, topical essays, historical...
Fitness-Based Treatment of Older Adults With Multiple Myeloma Who Are Transplant-Ineligible: The Changing Landscape
Multiple myeloma is a malignant clonal plasma cell malignancy that primarily affects older adults. Although therapeutic advances have led to improvements in disease-specific and overall survival over the past decade, age-related survival disparities continue to exist. The higher prevalence of...
Dana-Farber Launches New Center for Prevention and Treatment of BRCA-Related Cancers
Of the tens of thousands of genes in cellular DNA, one group of genes is tasked with ensuring that every cell reproduces itself exactly when it divides to make new cells. Perhaps the best known of these genes are the BRCA genes, which if inherited with a significant alteration, confer a markedly...
Web-Based Tool May Help Patients With Cancer Choose the Best Insurance for Their Needs
Given the rising costs of cancer care, many patients with cancer and cancer survivors are challenged by financial toxicity, the burden of care costs. Many struggle to choose a health insurance plan that best meets their needs. Moreover, these challenges are often exacerbated by limited health...
Oral Combination of Decitabine and Cedazuridine for Myelodysplastic Syndromes
On July 7, 2020, an oral combination of the nucleoside metabolic inhibitor decitabine and the cytidine deaminase inhibitor cedazuridine was approved for treatment of adult patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), including:
Previously treated and untreated, de novo, and secondary MDS with...
Belantamab Mafodotin-blmf for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
On August 5, 2020, the antibody-drug conjugate belantamab mafodotin-blmf was granted accelerated approval for treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least four prior therapies, including an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, a proteasome inhibitor, ...
From Behind the Iron Curtain to a Career in Gynecologic Cancer Research for Daniela Matei, MD
Daniela Matei, MD, Diana, Princess of Wales Professor of Cancer Research at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, grew up Sibiu, a picturesque Romanian city situated at the foothills of the Cindrel Mountains in historic Transylvania. “Both of my parents were physicians, and some of...
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Expands South Lake Union Campus
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) announced the beginning of construction on its South Lake Union campus to add a six-story, 150,000 square-foot outpatient cancer treatment clinic. The largest single construction project in SCCA history, the new building will feature a patient-centered design,...
Simple Rapid Vinegar Screening Test Cuts Cervical Cancer Death Rates by One-Third in Rural India
In 2013, at the ASCO Annual Meeting Plenary Session, it was both surprising and encouraging in the era of personalized medicine for cancer care to hear about a simple low-tech intervention delivered by women in the community that cut the rate of death from cervical cancer in India by about...
Expert Point of View: Electra D. Paskett, PhD
Formal discussant of the 2013 ASCO Plenary Abstract 2, Electra D. Paskett, PhD, Professor of Medicine at The Ohio State University, was enthusiastic about the trial results and the potential of visual inspection with acetic acid screening, as well as low-cost human papillomavirus (HPV) screening...
Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: 2020
Cervical cancer is a worldwide public health problem. The incidence of the disease is particularly high in low- and middle-income countries, where low coverage of prevention strategies and high risk of infection persist. To reduce morbidity and mortality, improved screening and prevention are...
Addition of ATR Inhibitor Berzosertib to Gemcitabine Improves Progression-Free Survival in Recurrent Platinum-Resistant High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Panagiotis A. Konstantinopoulos, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and colleagues, a U.S. Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network phase II trial has shown significantly prolonged progression-free survival with the addition of the ATR (ataxia...
Acupuncture vs Sham Procedure and Usual Care for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a debilitating and enduring adverse effect of many antineoplastic agents, which negatively impacts the quality of life of patients with cancer and survivors. Current pharmacotherapy has limited efficacy and causes undesirable effects. In this...
Theodore Laetsch, MD, Joins Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to Launch Very Rare Malignant Tumors Program
Pediatric hematologist-oncologist Theodore Laetsch, MD, has joined the Division of Oncology at Children’s Hospital ofPhiladelphia (CHOP), where he will launch a cutting-edge Very Rare Malignant Tumors Program that will seek to develop new treatments for children with rare and complex tumors. In...
Changes in Overall Survival in Patients With Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma From 2000–2019
In a single-institution retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Maniakas et al found that overall survival in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma has improved in recent years and identified treatment factors associated with this improvement.
As stated by the investigators, “Anaplastic...
Activity of Olaparib and Durvalumab in Germline BRCA-Mutated Metastatic Breast Cancer
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Susan M. Domchek, MD, and colleagues, the combination of olaparib and durvalumab showed activity in a cohort of patients with germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer enrolled in a phase I/II basket study (MEDIOLA).
Study Details
In the ...
Meta-analysis of Overall Survival With Immunotherapy in Patients With Advanced Cancer According to Sex, Age, and Performance Status
In a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in JAMA Network Open, Yang et al found overall survival benefits with immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment vs non–immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment of advanced cancers irrespective of sex, age < 65 years vs ≥ 65 years, or Eastern Cooperative ...
Roger H. Herzig, MD, Pioneer in the Treatment of Leukemia, Dies at Age 74
More than 5 decades ago, the concept of bone marrow transplantation to treat humans with leukemia was met with varying degrees of skepticism and countless clinical failures. Yet, over those same decades, bone marrow transplantation was transformed from an insurmountable therapeutic option used in a ...
New Chief of Oncologic Quality at Rutgers/Robert Wood Johnson
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, have welcomed Henry A. Pitt, MD, to its team of physicians, researchers, and administrators. Dr. Pitt is the new Chief of Oncologic Quality, a role that provides leadership and...
I Say ‘Yes’ to Life
I have been a registered nurse for almost 5 decades and was completely unprepared to hear the words “You have stage IV lung cancer.” I think receiving the diagnosis was especially shocking because the symptoms I began experiencing in the summer of 2015, including some unusual weight gain,...
ASCO Position Statement Recommends Specific Actions for Applying Telemedicine in Cancer Care During Pandemic and Beyond
A new position statement by ASCO calls for the continuation of flexibilities in reimbursement that have allowed the expanded use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement, which also calls for further research on telemedicine’s effectiveness and benefits, offers recommendations...
Quality Payment Program Provisions in Fee Schedule Proposal Set Stage for 2021 and Postpandemic Landscape
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule, which includes updates to the Quality Payment Program (QPP). For the QPP 2021 performance period, CMS proposes the following Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)...
Global Oncology Young Investigator Award: Early Support Improves Cancer Care Around the World
Global oncology refers to the application of the concepts of global health to cancer and implies an approach to the practice of oncology that acknowledges the reality of limited resources in parts of the world. The Global Oncology Young Investigator Award (YIA) from ASCO and Conquer Cancer, the...
In a ‘Rare Occurrence,’ a Doctor and a Patient Advocate Team Up to Conquer Desmoid Tumors
Doctor after doctor recommended different treatment options for Marlene Portnoy’s husband, Steve, after he was diagnosed with a desmoid tumor. Desmoid tumors are rare, and each doctor admitted uncertainty about treatment plans.
“Let me tell you, that’s a really scary thing when doctors can’t...
Research Pioneer Marc L. Citron, MD, Establishes Grants Through Conquer Cancer
“Ask any doctor why he or she enters medicine and the answer will likely be the same,” said Marc L. Citron, MD. “People become doctors to help patients...but to deliver the moments that matter to patients—to extend their lives and give quality to their days—doctors rely on new research.”
In 2003,...
Getting Up to Speed on 2021 Updates to Evaluation and Management Codes? New Resources Can Help
On January 1, 2021, significant changes to the office and outpatient Evaluation and Management (E&M) services Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes (99202-99215) will go into effect. Practices, physicians, and staff must prepare in advance for these changes to ensure a successful...
Educate Patients at Home With ASCO Answers
Safely continue to provide trusted education materials by sending your patients to cancer.net/ascoanswers.
On Cancer.Net, they will find dozens of ASCO Answers patient education materials to download for free in a PDF format. ASCO Answers materials cover a wide variety of cancer-related topics,...
