September 10, 2021 (View All Issues)
Cancer on the Global Stage: Incidence and Cancer-Related Mortality in South Africa
The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this occasional special focus on the worldwide cancer burden. In this issue, we feature a close look at the cancer incidence and mortality rates in South Africa. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of...
Annual Report to the Nation: Continued Decline in Cancer Death Rate
Overall cancer death rates continue to decline in men and women for all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. During 2001 to 2018, declines in lung cancer death rates accelerated, and death rates for melanoma...
Gastrointestinal Oncologist Focuses on Both the Art and Science of Treating Patients With Cancer
Chloe Atreya, MD, PhD, was born and reared in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her mother is a poet, and her father is a planetary physicist and a professor at the University of Michigan. “Some of my early memories that influenced my decision to go into medicine stem from conversations I had with my father...
Yale Cancer Center Names Barbara Burtness, MD, Interim Associate Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Barbara Burtness, MD, Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), has been appointed Interim Associate Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Yale Cancer Center.
“Dr. Burtness’ leadership and innovative ideas will ensure that we emphasize an inclusive culture, with increased diversity...
Lakshmanan Krishnamurti, MD, Joins Yale School of Medicine in Department of Pediatrics
Lakshmanan Krishnamurti, MD, has been named Chief of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology for Yale’s Department of Pediatrics and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, effective October 1, 2021. Dr. Krishnamurti is a pediatric hematologist oncologist and an international leader in bone marrow...
Judy E. Garber, MD, PhD, FAACR, to Receive AACI Distinguished Scientist Award
Judy E. Garber, MD, PhD, FAACR, Chief of the Division of Cancer Genetics and Prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will receive the Association of American Cancer Institute’s (AACI) Distinguished Scientist Award on October 20, during the 2021 AACI/Cancer Center Administrators Forum...
Pembrolizumab for High-Risk, Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
On July 26, 2021, pembrolizumab was approved for high-risk, early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer in combination with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment and continued as adjuvant treatment.1
Pembrolizumab was also granted regular approval in combination with chemotherapy for locally...
Enfortumab Vedotin-ejfv in Urothelial Cancer
On July 9, 2021, enfortumab vedotin-ejfv, an antibody-drug conjugate targeting nectin-4, was granted regular approval. The agent is indicated for the treatment of adults with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have received a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor and platinum chemotherapy or...
Music Therapy for Cancer-Related Fatigue
Guest Editor’s Note: Despite the high prevalence of cancer-related fatigue, there are few effective management strategies for this debilitating condition. Music therapy is a nonpharmacologic modality that has been shown to reduce anxiety in oncology settings. In this installment of The ASCO Post’s...
FDA Approves Lenvatinib/Pembrolizumab for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
On August 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the combination of lenvatinib (Lenvima) plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
CLEAR Trial
The efficacy of this combination was investigated in CLEAR...
FDA Approves Nivolumab for Adjuvant Treatment of Urothelial Carcinoma
On August 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the anti–PD-1 therapy nivolumab (Opdivo) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with urothelial carcinoma who are at high risk of disease recurrence after undergoing radical resection. This is the first FDA approval for adjuvant...
Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection in Fully Vaccinated Health-Care Workers
In an Israeli single-institution prospective cohort study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Bergwerk et al identified breakthrough COVID-19 infections among 39 of 1,497 health-care workers fully vaccinated with the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine.
As stated by the investigators:...
Impact of Nurse Navigation Program on Outcomes in Minority Patients With Aggressive Lymphoma
In a single-institution study reported in the journal Cancer, Hu et al found that use of a dedicated nurse navigation program contributed to redressing the recognized inequities in care and outcomes between minority patients and White patients with aggressive large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL).
As...
Highlights From Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and CIBMTR
“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.”
—Khalil Gibran
The Combined Annual Meetings of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) were held virtually ...
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Establishes the David Liposarcoma Research Initiative
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute announced that The Rossy Foundation has committed $10 million to establish the David Liposarcoma Research Initiative. The 5-year initiative will conduct groundbreaking research into liposarcoma at Dana-Farber and external collaborating partner institutions, with the aim ...
FIFTY for FIFTY Campaign to Commemorate the National Cancer Act’s 50th Anniversary
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Foundation has announced its FIFTY for FIFTY fundraising and awareness campaign in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act. With this campaign, the AACR Foundation is committing to raise at least $50,000 for the AACR and...
Pembrolizumab Combined With Trastuzumab and Chemotherapy for HER2-Positive Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma
On May 5, 2021, pembrolizumab was granted accelerated approval for use in combination with trastuzumab and fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal...
Amivantamab-vmjw for Previously Treated Advanced NSCLC With EGFR Mutation
On May 21, 2021, amivantamab-vmjw, a bispecific antibody directed against EGFR and MET receptors, was granted accelerated approval for treatment of adults with locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, as detected by a U.S. Food and...
An Oncologist’s Prescription: Humanity and Love
Cancer care is one of the most technical and scientific of all medical disciplines. Oncologists must keep abreast of a dizzying array of novel treatment options coming out of the laboratory while delivering empathetic care for the physical and emotional needs of their patients with cancer....
A Scientific Detective Tale With Consequences for the Future of Our Species
With completion of the Human Genome Project, medicine hit a turning point that enabled scientists to approach genetic diseases like cancer with new tools such as disruptive technologies like CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) gene editing. Progress in this novel...
Reduced-Intensity Chemotherapy for Older, Frail Patients With Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer
Patients who had advanced gastroesophageal cancer but were considered unsuitable for full-dose chemotherapy because of their advanced age and/or frailty “had an improved patient experience with no significant detriment in cancer control” when treated with reduced-intensity chemotherapy in the phase ...
Cellular Therapy Pioneer Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, Joins Roswell Park as Deputy Director and Chair of Medicine
A leader in the field of cancer immunotherapy has returned to his Western New York roots to take on leadership roles in both research and clinical care at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, has joined Roswell Park as Deputy Director, The Katherine Anne Gioia...
ACCC Releases Annual Report on Current State of Immuno-Oncology
The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) has released its annual report on the assessment of the current state of the growing use of immunotherapies to treat cancer in the United States. Entitled “Immuno-Oncology in 2021: Committed to the Cutting Edge of Care,” the report reveals that...
2021 Basser Global Prize Presented to André Nussenzweig, PhD
The Basser Center for BRCA at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania—the world’s first comprehensive center aimed at advancing research, treatment, and prevention of BRCA-related cancers—has announced André Nussenzweig, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), as the...
Maintained Benefit of Apalutamide Plus Androgen-Deprivation Therapy Shown in Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Kim N. Chi, MD, of BC Cancer and Vancouver Prostate Centre, and colleagues, the final overall survival analysis of the phase III TITAN trial showed significant benefit of apalutamide plus androgen-deprivation therapy vs placebo plus...
Study Finds Lower Income Eligibility Limits for Medicaid Associated With Worse Long-Term Survival for Newly Diagnosed Patients With Cancer
A study investigating the association between state Medicaid income eligibility limits and long-term survival among newly diagnosed patients with cancer has found that patients living in states with lower Medicaid income eligibility limits had worse long-term survival compared with patients...
Improving End-of-Life Discussions With Patients Who Have Advanced Cancer
Although studies have shown that patients with advanced cancer want their oncologists to discuss their advance care plans with them, fewer than half of those patients have that conversation. The reasons are many, including the difficulty many oncologists have in initiating conversations about...
Cancer Is Trying to Steal My Body, but I Will Not Allow It to Steal My Joy
Until I was diagnosed with HER2-positive, estrogen receptor–positive/progesterone receptor–positive de novo metastatic breast cancer in 2009, I didn’t realize that Black women could get the disease. Although my mother died of metastatic breast cancer 5 years earlier when she was 65, she was the...
Assumptions, Data … and More Questions!
I read with great interest the results from the phase II ZUMA-12 study of axicabtagene ciloleucel, presented during the 2020 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1 But the results raised several questions for me.
Axicabtagene ciloleucel, an autologous anti-CD19...
Safety, Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Pertuzumab Plus Trastuzumab Maintained in Final Analysis of BERENICE Trial
Long-term cardiac safety and efficacy have been confirmed for pertuzumab plus trastuzumab in patients with early breast cancer, in an update of the phase II BERENICE trial reported at the 2021 ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Congress.1
Chau T. Dang, MD, of the Breast Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan ...
Liquid Biopsy Is Changing Colon Cancer Management
The measurement of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is changing the way gastrointestinal cancers are managed, according to Bassel F. El-Rayes, MD, Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Research in the Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University, and Associate Cancer Center Director,...
Prostate Cancer Diagnostics: Novel Approaches Are Leaving Conventional Imaging Behind
Advances in molecular imaging are having a big impact on prostate cancer management and outcomes, according to Ashesh B. Jani, MD, the James C. Kennedy Professor in Prostate Cancer, Department of Radiation Oncology at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta. Dr. Jani described his ...
Are Triplets Necessary for BRAF-Mutated Melanoma?
Where does triplet therapy fit in the treatment of patients with stage IV BRAF-mutated melanoma? Is there strong evidence for combining a BRAF inhibitor, MEK inhibitor, and checkpoint inhibitor? Ragini Kudchadkar, MD, Chair of the Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee at Winship Cancer Institute ...
Daratumumab and Hyaluronidase-fihj With Pomalidomide Plus Dexamethasone in Multiple Myeloma
On July 9, 2021, daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj was approved for use in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (Pd) for treatment of adults with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor.1
Supporting...
Study Finds Evidence-Based Interventions Added to Screening Did Not Improve Cancer Pain
When added to regular screening and guidelines, evidence-based interventions implemented at the patient, health professional, and service levels did not significantly improve cancer pain, according to research led by Melanie Lovell, MBBS, PhD, Medical Head of Palliative Care at HammondCare and...
Early-Phase Study Rediscovers Potential Alternative to Methadone for Cancer Pain
Levorphanol was associated with improved pain and symptom control in patients with advanced cancer, according to data from an early phase I trial, reported by Akhila Reddy, MD, at the 2021 Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO)...
Launch of MSKCC India Expands Access to Oncologists, Cancer Care, Research, and Education
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) has launched MSKCC India to provide access for patients with cancer in India to the institution’s world-renowned oncologists, research, clinical trials, and education. The effort stems from the institution’s core mission of advancing transformative...
Adding LuPSMA to Standard Care Improves Outcomes in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Oliver Sartor, MD, of the School of Medicine, Tulane University, and colleagues, the phase III VISION trial has shown prolonged progression-free and overall survival with lutetium-177–PSMA-617 (LuPSMA) radioligand therapy plus standard care vs...
Lutetium-177–PSMA-617: A First-in-Class Radioligand Therapeutic in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Based on the findings of the phase III VISION trial, reported by Sartor et al1 and summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post, lutetium-177–PSMA-617 (LuPSMA) is the first of the prostate-specific membrane antigen–targeted cancer theranostics to demonstrate a survival-prolonging benefit for men with...
High Prevalence of Germline BRCA Mutations in Indian Women With Ovarian Cancer
In a prospective cross-sectional study reported in JCO Global Oncology, Sudeep Gupta, MBBS, MD, DM, of Tata Memorial Centre, and colleagues found that Indian women with ovarian cancer not selected for study based on clinical factors had a high prevalence of germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic...
Prevalence of Germline BRCA Mutations in Indian Women With Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecologic cancers, with 313,959 new cases and 207,252 deaths reported worldwide in 2020.1 Since there is no effective screening method, ovarian cancer in general is diagnosed in its late stage. The 5-year survival rate in women with ovarian cancer is less...
Subcutaneous Daratumumab Added to Pomalidomide Plus Dexamethasone Improves Progression-Free Survival in Multiple Myeloma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Meletios A. Dimopoulos, MD, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and colleagues, the phase III APOLLO trial has shown significantly improved progression-free survival with the addition of subcutaneous (SC) daratumumab to oral...
Treatment of Relapsed Myeloma: Options Include New Drugs, Novel Combinations
The treatment paradigm for multiple myeloma continues to evolve at a rapid pace with the introduction of new drugs and the development of drug combinations, particularly the initial approach to the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.1 One major shift in the treatment of newly diagnosed...
FDA Grants Approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
On August 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty, for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals aged 16 years and older. The vaccine also...
ELEVATE-RR Trial: Acalabrutinib as Effective as Ibrutinib, With Fewer Cardiac Effects, in Resistant CLL
Acalabrutinib was equally efficacious with less toxicity when compared directly with ibrutinib in patients with previously treated relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to the results of an open-label, randomized, noninferiority phase III trial presented at the 2021
How COVID-19 Is Spotlighting the Role of Palliative Medicine
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the tragedy of patients dying in isolation, separated from family and friends to limit infection in hospital settings. The process has altered the experience of serious illness for patients and their loved ones, including their ability to grieve, share important...
Former Medical Director at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre to Lead New Commission on Global Cancer Care
Mary Gospodarowicz, MD, FRCPC, former Medical Director of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, will co-chair a new The Lancet Commission on cancer and health systems as it examines global cancer care and health systems. The Commission will work over the next 2.5 years, drafting a final report with...
FDA Approves Ivosidenib for Advanced or Metastatic IDH1-Mutated Cholangiocarcinoma
On August 25, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ivosidenib (Tibsovo), a small-molecule inhibitor of isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1), for adult patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with an IDH1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved ...
TITAN Confirms Survival Benefit of Apalutamide Plus ADT in Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Now, Move Therapy Forward
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Chi et al1—and summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post—the prespecified final overall survival analysis of the phase III TITAN trial1-3 has confirmed a clear overall survival and radiographic progression-free survival benefit with the combination ...
COVID-19 Pandemic Spurs Quick Uptick in Telehealth Adoption, ASCO Provides Guidance for Oncologists
ASCO recently released a new set of standards and practice recommendations specific to telehealth in oncology.1 These new standards provide guidance for which patients can be seen through telehealth; the establishment of the doctor-physician relationship; the role of allied health professionals and ...
Guideline Update Addresses Treatments for HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer
In light of findings from multiple recent clinical trials in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer, ASCO has revised its treatment recommendations to inform more evidence-based care for metastatic breast cancer.1
“This guideline update provides important clinical guidance about the new use of...
Conquer Cancer Names Inaugural Recipients of ASCO Registry Research Grants
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2021 ASCO Registry Research Grants.
Conquer Cancer established the ASCO Registry Research Grant to support research using data derived from the ASCO Survey on COVID-19 in Oncology Registry (the “ASCO Registry”). The ...
Introducing the ASCO Plenary Series: Because Today’s Science Is Needed Quickly for Tomorrow’s Practice
Research advances are being made faster than ever before, yet it often takes several months before study results can be presented at an upcoming conference. Faster dissemination of practice-changing science is needed to better help clinicians deliver the most up-to-date care and treatments to...
