September 25, 2021 (View All Issues)
BRAF-Mutant Colorectal Cancer: Latest Findings for Targeted Treatment
The phase II ANCHOR CRC study, the largest prospective study of BRAF inhibitor–based therapy as first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, has met its primary endpoint, with 47.8% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer responding to first-line treatment with encorafenib,...
Overcoming the Disparities in Cancer Survival Among AYA Minority Patients
Although the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has identified adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer as a distinct patient population from children and older adults with the disease, research into the diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship specific to this patient population has not kept...
Patients First
By the time my non–small cell lung cancer was diagnosed in 2004, it had already reached stage IIIB, and I was told there was little that could be done for me. I was 56, a wife, the mother of 3 children, and at the peak of my career as president of Olympian Oil. Although my aunt, brother, and...
Bispecific Antibodies Find a Place in B-Cell Lymphoma Treatment
In relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphomas, bispecific T-cell engager antibodies are finding a place in the treatment algorithm, said Christopher Flowers, MD, MS, FASCO, Professor and Chair of the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.
At the...
Putting Radiotherapy to Best Use With CAR T-Cell Therapy in Lymphoma
The integration of radiation therapy into chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may improve outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma, according to Charles A. Enke, MD, Professor and the Bill Bures and Jerry Pabst Chair in Radiation Oncology at the Fred and Pamela Buffett...
Lymphoid Malignancies: What’s Next for Antibody-Drug Conjugates?
Antibody-drug conjugates are improving outcomes of patients with lymphoma, often those who have exhausted treatment options after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Four available antibody-drug conjugates are in the clinic, with brentuximab vedotin moving into the front-line...
ASCO 2021: Roundup of Studies You May Have Missed
As ASCO Annual Meeting attendees know by now, clinicians don’t have to be at McCormick Place to hear practice-changing findings and forward-looking advances in the field of oncology. Interesting content was no exception at the 2021 conference, so in addition to covering the biggest news from the...
Adding First-Line Nivolumab to Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Gastric, Gastroesophageal Junction, and Esophageal Adenocarcinomas
As reported in The Lancet by Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, the phase III CheckMate 649 trial has shown that the addition of first-line nivolumab to chemotherapy resulted in improved overall and...
Nivolumab Plus Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Advanced Gastric and Esophageal Adenocarcinomas: Now to Figure Out the Details in These Heterogeneous Diseases
There is no doubt that subsets of patients with esophageal and gastric cancers benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. The complexity lies in identifying the appropriate histology, tumor location, expression of programmed cell death receptors and ligands, mechanism of checkpoint...
Dostarlimab-gxly for Mismatch Repair–Deficient Recurrent or Advanced Solid Tumors
On August 17, 2021, dostarlimab-gxly, aPD-1 blocking monoclonal antibody, was granted accelerated approval for adults with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) recurrent or advanced solid tumors, as determined by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved test, who have had disease progression...
Belzutifan for Cancers Associated With von Hippel-Lindau Disease
On August 13, 2021, belzutifan, a hypoxia-inducible factor inhibitor, was approved for treatment of adults with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease who require therapy for associated renal cell carcinoma, central nervous system (CNS) hemangioblastomas, or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors but do not...
Adoptive Cell Therapy May Soon Be Available for Patients With Melanoma
Oncologists who treat patients with melanoma will need to become familiar with another immunotherapy approach. For refractory metastatic disease, adoptive cell therapy is on the horizon.
“Adoptive cell therapy will offer additional hope for our patients with melanoma. We’ll likely be seeing this...
Outcomes Notably Improving for Adult ALL
Outcomes in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are almost rivaling those in pediatric ALL, thanks to the benefits achieved by incorporating blinatumomab and inotuzumab into chemotherapy regimens. New ways of administering the chemotherapy component are also increasing tolerability and...
Myeloma Trial Updates: Focus on High-Risk Patients and Measurable Residual Disease Negativity
Newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma deemed at high risk for disease progression may achieve sustained measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity with newer regimens and transplantation, and this may translate into longer progression-free survival. That’s the key take-away message from...
Building a ‘Better Normal’ of Oncology Care to Strengthen Global Health Security After the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the opening session of the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, Julio Frenk, MD, PhD, MPH, President of the University of Miami, gave a riveting presentation in which he described the devastating effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic on patients with cancer as well as on fragile and fragmented...
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar Announces Breast Cancer Diagnosis
On September 10, 2021, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement:
“I wanted to share an update about my health.
In February of this year, doctors at Mayo Clinic found small white spots called calcifications during a routine mammogram. After this was discovered, I had a...
New Evidence Drives Need for Revised Guideline on Hormone-Sensitive Advanced Breast Cancer
A recently updated ASCO guideline offers both new and revised guidance on the treatment of hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.1
“ASCO regularly updates its guidelines to make sure everything is current and valuable for oncologists and patients. About a year ago,...
ASCO Applauds Administration Decision to Withdraw Most Favored Nation Model
“The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) commends the Biden Administration for proposing to rescind the Most Favored Nation (MFN) model from consideration. ASCO has consistently opposed the ill-advised MFN model, as it would have had a devastating impact on people with cancer.
“The proposed ...
Conquer Cancer Updates Mission, Vision; Adopts Values Inspired by Its Donors
To underscore its commitment to scale and grow cancer research funding and to align more closely with ASCO, Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, has updated its mission and vision.
Mission: Accelerate breakthroughs in lifesaving research and empower people everywhere to conquer cancer.
Vision: A ...
Guideline Rapid Update Provides New Direction on the Care of Patients With Residual Disease in Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer
An ASCO guideline rapid update is revising recommendations for the management of locally advanced esophageal carcinoma to include provision of nivolumab following adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery. The new guidance addresses treatment of patients with residual disease following resection and...
Disaster Assistance: Resources Available for Cancer Care Physicians, Patients Impacted by Hurricane Ida
ASCO has a list of resources and information to support cancer care providers and patients affected by natural disasters such as Hurricane Ida. The resources include materials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, emergency contact and preparedness information, and information on...
IASLC Announces Lifetime Achievement Awards
In conjunction with the 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) presented the following lifetime achievement awards.
Paul A. Bunn, Jr, Scientific Award
David Carbone, MD, PhD, received the Paul A. Bunn, Jr, Scientific Award. This...
FDA Revises Label for Pembrolizumab in Patients With Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma
On August 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revised the label for the anti–PD-1 therapy pembrolizumab for its indication in first-line advanced urothelial carcinoma. The FDA converted the indication from an accelerated approval to a full approval. In addition, as part of the label...
FDA Approves Zanubrutinib for Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia
On August 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved zanubrutinib (Brukinsa), a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for adult patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia.
ASPEN Trial
Zanubrutinib was investigated in ASPEN (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03053440), a randomized, ...
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Dostarlimab-gxly for dMMR Advanced Solid Tumors
On August 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli), an anti–PD-1 antibody, for adult patients with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) recurrent or advanced solid tumors, as determined by an FDA-approved test, who have had disease...
Update on U.S. Indication for Atezolizumab in PD-L1–Positive Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced that it has made the decision to voluntarily withdraw the U.S. accelerated approval for atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in combination with nab-paclitaxel for the treatment of adults with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast...
Update to NCCN: Cancer and COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance Announced
Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) announced significant updates to the NCCN: Cancer and COVID-19 Vaccination guidance. This is the fourth version of NCCN’s COVID-19 vaccination guide and incorporates the latest data plus recent approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug...
Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab for First-Line Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
On August 10, 2021, the combination of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab was approved for first-line treatment of adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma.1,2
Supporting Efficacy Data
Approval was based on findings from the three-arm, open-label, phase III CLEAR trial (Study 307/KEYNOTE-581;...
Nivolumab for Adjuvant Treatment of Urothelial Carcinoma
On August 19, 2021, the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab was approved for adjuvant treatment of patients with urothelial carcinoma who are at high risk of recurrence after undergoing radical resection.1
This is the first approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adjuvant treatment of patients...
Gastrointestinal Oncologist Katherine Van Loon, MD, MPH: A Pioneer in Global Oncology
Katherine Van Loon, MD, MPH, was raised in Miami, until the age of 12, and then her family relocated to Atlanta, where she spent her junior and high school years. “If you ask my parents about my decision to become a doctor, they will say I first declared it at age 5. Nobody knew how that idea came...
Paradox Between Cost and Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Rate in Latin America
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology series, Guest Editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Gregorio Jaimovich, MD, Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Favaloro University Hospital in Buenos Aires. Distinguished expert on radiation therapy and bone...
Kombucha
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Yen Nien Hou, PharmD, DipIOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on...
Pembrolizumab and Lenvatinib in Advanced Endometrial Carcinoma
On July 21, 2021, pembrolizumab in combination with lenvatinib was granted regular approval for treatment of patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma that is not microsatellite instability–high or mismatch repair–deficient who have disease progression following prior systemic therapy in any...
Older Adults With Primary CNS Lymphoma: Treatment Opportunities and Challenges
The ASCO Post is pleased to present the Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Drs. Abutalib, Desai, and DeAngelis explore the treatment of older patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), which pose...
Cancer on the Global Stage: Incidence and Cancer-Related Mortality in Brunei Darussalam
With a population under half a million people, Brunei Darussalam is a small equatorial nation in Southeast Asia. Bordered by the South China Sea on the north, Brunei Darussalam is surrounded on all other sides by Malaysia, which separates the nation into two noncontiguous parts.
Nearly two-thirds ...
A Deadly Superbug Launches a Medical Life-and-Death Drama
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today. These highly resistant bacteria cause more than 750,000 deaths worldwide every year, a number that is predicted to rise dramatically....
New Chief of Thoracic and Head and Neck Medical Oncology Named to New Jersey Cancer Center
Expanding its multidisciplinary teams of experts focused on the management of head and neck cancers as well as cancers of the lungs, pleura, and mediastinum, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health have welcomed Missak Haigentz, Jr, MD, as Chief of Thoracic and Head and Neck...
Breathing Properly May Help You Live Longer
Every system in the body relies on oxygen. From cognition to digestion, effective breathing not only provides us with a greater sense of mental clarity, but it can also help us sleep better, digest food more efficiently, improve our body’s immune response, and reduce stress levels. According to...
Ivosidenib for Previously Treated IDH1-Mutant Advanced or Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma
On August 25, 2021, ivosidenib was approved for adults with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with an IDH1 mutation, as detected by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved test.1 The FDA simultaneously approved the Oncomine Dx Target Test as a...
The Wistar Institute Recruits Vaccine Researcher Amelia Escolano, PhD, and Immunologist Nan Zhang, PhD, as Assistant Professors
The Wistar Institute, an international biomedical research leader in cancer, immunology, and infectious diseases, has appointed Amelia Escolano, PhD, and Nan Zhang, PhD, as Assistant Professors.
Dr. Escolano’s research focuses on the development of novel vaccine approaches against highly...
Pulsed Vincristine/Dexamethasone Maintenance in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
In a Chinese phase III trial (CCCG-ALL-2015) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Yang et al found that 1 year of maintenance therapy with pulsed vincristine and dexamethasone was noninferior to 2 years in low-risk pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was borderline inferior in...
Combination of Lenvatinib and Etoposide/Ifosfamide for Relapsed or Refractory Osteosarcoma
In the phase I/II ITCC-050 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Gaspar et al found that the combination of lenvatinib with etoposide/ifosfamide showed antitumor activity, including good progression-free survival outcomes, in patients with relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma.
Study Details
...
ACS Names Elvan ‘Ellie’ Daniels, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President of Extramural Discovery Science
The American Cancer Society (ACS) recently announced that Elvan “Ellie” Daniels, MD, MPH, has been appointed Senior Vice President of Extramural Discovery Science after serving as the interim lead since April 1, 2021. She has also served as a member of the ACS Office of Cancer Research and...
Fox Chase Renewed as Clinical Center of Excellence and Named Academic Center of Excellence for Pancreatic Cancer
Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Marvin and Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute were recently renewed as a Clinical Center of Excellence and named for the first time as an Academic Center of Excellence for Pancreatic Cancer by the National Pancreas Foundation. This distinction places Fox...
2021 Pan Pacific Lymphoma Conference Honors Outstanding Clinical Investigators
One of the biggest gatherings of clinicians and researchers practicing in the areas of lymphoma and transplantation, the 2021 Pan Pacific Lymphoma Conference took place August 9–13 in Hawaii. The conference, which was organized by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, offered participants an...
UNMC Professor Emeritus James Edney, MD, Dies Tragically at 73
The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha announced news of the death of James Edney, MD, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Surgery. Dr. Edney died on August 7 in a small plane crash in Minnesota.
A Caring Physian and Educator
UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said in a...
