September 10, 2024 (View All Issues)
T-DXd Effective for Breast Tumors With HER2-Low and HER2-Ultralow Expression in Earlier Line of Therapy
In patients with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancers with HER2-low or HER2-ultralow expression, treatment with the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) was found to be superior to chemotherapy after one or more lines of endocrine therapy. In...
What Is the Better Target for Bispecific Antibodies in Multiple Myeloma: BCMA or GPRC5D?
For relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, there are three available bispecific antibodies—two that target B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and one that targets G protein–coupled receptor class C group 5 member D (GPRC5D). Which is the preferred target? This question was addressed at the 2024...
Discontinuation of CML Therapy: Which Patients Are Ideal Candidates?
With the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has become a chronic disease for most patients. Furthermore, we now know that some patients can successfully stop treatment and remain in remission.
“Stopping tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy is something we get a ...
Chinese Study Finds Radiation Alone May Be as Effective as Chemoradiation in Patients With Low-Risk Nasopharyngeal Cancer
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an aggressive malignant head and neck cancer that is highly prevalent in the southern and southwestern provinces of China. Although the incidence of the cancer is less than 1 per 100,000 in Europe, the United States, and the Pacific,1 data from the International Agency...
Extranodal Marginal Zone Lymphoma: Is Overtreatment Common?
Most patients with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) are overtreated, according to Emanuele Zucca, MD, of the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland and Institute of Oncology Research in Bellinzona and the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. “Aggressive therapy is not needed in...
Nivolumab Plus Chemotherapy Extends Survival in Lymph Node–Only Metastatic Urothelial Cancer
The combination of nivolumab plus gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy achieved high response rates and durable responses and improved overall survival and progression-free survival compared with gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy alone in patients with urothelial carcinoma and clinical evidence of...
Inoperable Stage III NSCLC: Adaptive Radiotherapy Based on FDG-PET Tumor Residual Uptake
In a French phase II study (RTEP7–IFCT-1402) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Vera et al found that adaptive radiotherapy based on fluorine F-18–labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)–positron-emission tomography (PET) residual uptake appeared to improve local disease control compared with standard...
New Collaborative Guideline Highlights the Importance of Multidisciplinary Care for Patients With Osteoradionecrosis
A joint guideline from the International Society of Oral Oncology–Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer and ASCO seeks to fill a gap in the clinical guidance for patients with head and neck cancers who develop osteoradionecrosis following their head and neck radiation therapy.1...
Nivolumab in Combination With Cisplatin Plus Gemcitabine in Treatment of Unresectable or Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
Nivolumab (Opdivo) was approved for use in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine for first-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.1
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on the open-label CheckMate 901 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
Fam-Trastuzumab Deruxtecan-nxki in Unresectable or Metastatic HER2-Positive Solid Tumors
On April 5, 2024, fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) was granted accelerated approval for adults with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive (immunohistochemistry 3+) solid tumors who received prior systemic treatment and have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.1
Supporting...
IDEA Awardees’ Reflections on the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting
It happened! We received the International Development and Education Award (IDEA) from Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, and it was a journey of growth, global collaboration, leadership, mentorship, and more. We have much to share after this breakthrough in our careers.
The ASCO Annual Meeting ...
New Studies Explore Relationships Between Heart Failure and Lymphoma, Arterial Thromboembolism and Cancer
In two studies recently reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Upshaw and colleagues1 examined the impact of preexisting heart failure on mortality in older patients in the United States with newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma, and Gon and colleagues2 analyzed the incidence and impact of arterial...
A Diagnosis of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Was Not on My Radar
Despite the fact that there is no history of breast cancer in my family, I didn’t take that good fortune for granted and was diligent about getting my regularly scheduled mammograms and clinical breast exams, which never found any hint of disease. So, it was especially frightening when, while on a...
Disparities in Exposure to Tobacco Content on Streaming Platforms
The risk of encountering tobacco products being advertised, marketed, or promoted on streaming services based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and smoking habits was identified in a recent study published by Onyeaka et al in JAMA Network Open.
Background
The World Health Organization...
Remembering a Pioneer in Melanoma and Immunotherapy: Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, FASCO
Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, FASCO, an internationally recognized pioneer in melanoma and cancer immunotherapy, died on August 19, 2024, according to an announcement from the Melanoma Research Foundation. He most recently served as Deputy Director of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at...
Too Much, Too Little, Just Right: Optimizing Cancer Care for Older Adults
Imagine walking into a fancy restaurant only to find a menu consisting mostly of kids’ dishes. It would make no sense. Just 25% of restaurant diners are younger than age 12, and they rarely write Yelp reviews.
But when it comes to cancer treatment, this is not very far from what we do. The median...
