Five-Year Patient-Reported Outcomes for Various Prostate Cancer Treatments
A 5-year follow-up study of more than 2,000 U.S. men who received prostate cancer treatment—radiation, surgery, or active surveillance—in patients of all ages and ethnicities is creating a road map for the future regarding long-term bowel, bladder, and sexual function in order to clarify...
ASCO-SITC 2020: Ilixadencel/Sunitinib vs Sunitinib Alone in Synchronous Metastatic Kidney Cancer
In a study presented by Lindskog et al at the 2020 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium (Abstract 11), researchers found ilixadencel, a cell-based allogeneic off-the-shelf product, in combination with sunitinib produced a higher objective response rate than sunitinib alone in patients with...
ASCO-SITC 2020: Low Incidence of Nivolumab-Induced Radiation Recall Pneumonitis Among Patients With NSCLC
A multicenter retrospective study investigating the incidence of pneumonitis and the incidence, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of radiation recall pneumonitis in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had received nivolumab found the incidence of radiation recall...
ASCO-SITC 2020: Preliminary Results Show Antitumor Activity With Pepinemab/Avelumab in Patients With Advanced NSCLC
Interim results from the CLASSICAL-Lung phase Ib/II clinical trial of pepinemab, an IgG4 humanized monoclonal antibody targeting semaphorin 4D, in combination with the anti–programmed cell death ligand 1 antibody avelumab for patients with advanced NSCLC showed that the treatment is well tolerated...
ASCO-SITC 2020: Vitamin D May Reduce Risk for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor–Associated Colitis
In a study to be presented by Tyan et al at the upcoming 2020 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium (Abstract 89), researchers found that vitamin D intake may be associated with reduced risk of colitis among patients being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Retrospective Analysis
In ...
Do Socioeconomic Factors Play a Role in Outcomes for HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancer?
Survival outcomes for patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck have made significant gains in recent years, but new research published by Pike et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has found some groups have not...
Study Finds Women With Variants in Breast Cancer–Associated Genes May Not Always Be Receiving Guideline-Concordant Care
Women with early-stage breast cancer who test positive for an inherited genetic variant are not always receiving cancer treatment that follows current treatment guidelines, according to findings from a new study published by Allison W. Kurian, MD, MSc, and colleagues in JAMA Oncology.
An inherited ...
Circulating Tumor Cell Assessment to Predict Melanoma Relapse
A study published by Anthony Lucci, MD, and colleagues in Clinical Cancer Research showed that the presence of circulating tumor cells was independently associated with relapse of melanoma, suggesting circulating tumor cell assessment may be a useful tool for identifying patients at risk for...
Incidence Increases in New Colorectal Cancer Diagnoses Among Patients Between 49 and 50 Years Old
A year-by-year age analysis of colorectal cancer rates among adults in the United States has found a 46% increase in new diagnoses from ages 49 to 50, indicating that many latent cases of the disease are likely going undiagnosed until routine screenings begin at 50, according to a new study by...
Is Distance to Treatment a Burden for Rural Patients With Breast Cancer?
A study published by Longacre et al in The Journal of Rural Health found that patients with breast cancer in the rural United States typically travel three times farther than those who live in urban areas for radiation therapy.
Researchers examined data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End ...
World Cancer Day 2020: 20th Anniversary of the Global Initiative
Today’s World Cancer Day, led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), aims to mobilize urgent action from individuals, governments, and the global cancer community to close gaps in cancer risk awareness between higher and lower socioeconomic groups and the subsequent impact on their...
WHO, IARC Release Reports in Response to Government’s Role in Cancer Control
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released two coordinated reports in light of World Cancer Day in response to government calls for more research into the scope and potential policies and programs to improve cancer control.
WHO Report
...
Diffusion-Weighted MRI May Help Predict Treatment Response in Patients With Advanced Ovarian Cancer
A simple test using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be used to predict how well people with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer will respond to treatment, according to the results of a new study published by Winfield et al in Radiology. In a large clinical trial, scientists have shown a...
Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes and T Cells Targeting TP53 Mutations in Patients With Metastatic Solid Tumors
Although TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene across all cancers and encodes the tumor suppressor p53 protein, TP53-targeted therapies have not demonstrated efficacy beyond in vitro models and immunotherapies targeting mutant TP53 are not currently available. A study by Malekzadeh et al...
Patient Aid Improved Lung Cancer Screening Informed Decision-Making
In the first comparative clinical trial of lung cancer screening decision aid vs standard educational information, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that a decision aid delivered through tobacco quitlines effectively reaches a screening-eligible population...
Dasatinib vs Imatinib in Pediatric Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive ALL
In a Chinese phase III trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Shen et al found that dasatinib was associated was superior event-free survival vs imatinib when combined with intensive chemotherapy in pediatric patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) not receiving...
Immunotherapy Combination in Previously Treated Advanced Sarcoma
In a single-institution phase II study reported in JAMA Oncology, Kelly et al found that the combination of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) and pembrolizumab produced durable responses in patients with previously treated advanced sarcoma.
As noted by the investigators, T-VEC has been found to...
Risk of CNS Metastasis in Patients With AJCC 8th Edition Stage III Melanoma
A study using data from two major melanoma centers in the United States and Australia, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Haydu et al, has shown a 5-year cumulative incidence of central nervous system (CNS) metastasis of 15.8% among patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer...
FDA Pipeline: Priority Review Granted for Treatment in Lung and Thyroid Cancers
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to a treatment for lung and thyroid cancers with a RET fusion or mutation; gave Breakthrough Therapy designation to a doublet therapy for TP53-mutated myelodysplastic syndromes; and issued an update to their...
Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy and Cancer-Related Psychiatric Distress
In a study published by Agin-Liebes et al in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, researchers found that psychotherapy involving psilocybin—the active ingredient in “magic” or “psychedelic” mushrooms—may aid in long-term relief from cancer-related psychiatric distress.
Study Background and Design
...
Activity of Anti-BCMA BiTE Molecule AMG 420 in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
In a phase I study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Max S. Topp, MD, and colleagues found the maximum tolerated dose of the investigational anti–B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) molecule AMG 420 elicited a high response rate in patients with relapsed or ...
Gabapentin and Methadone for Patients Undergoing Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer
With nearly all patients who undergo treatment for cancer of the head and neck experiencing oral mucositis, effective pain control is one of the main goals of physicians and care teams. Looking to provide more effective relief for patients—while also reducing the need for opioid painkillers—a team...
Are Patient-Reported Outcomes Predictive of Survival and Likelihood of Hospitalization?
In a study reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Kerrigan et al found that patient-reported outcomes (PROs), obtained by using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System–Cancer (PROMIS-Ca) Bank, may be prognostic for outcomes in patients with advanced...
Equal-Access Health-Care System for African American and White Men With Prostate Cancer
Among men with prostate cancer who received care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Health System, an equal-access health-care system, African American men did not have more advanced disease at the time of diagnosis or die earlier than white men, unlike trends seen in the greater...
Dual VEGF and PD-1 Inhibition in Advanced Solid Tumors
In a phase Ib/II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Taylor et al found the combination of the VEGF inhibitor lenvatinib and the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab showed activity across a range of advanced solid tumors. As stated by the authors, there is ...
STS 2020: Intraoperative Molecular Imaging Technology Helps Surgeons to Detect NSCLC
A tumor-highlighting technology—OTL38—enhances the visualization of lung cancer tissue, providing surgeons with a significantly better chance of finding and removing more cancer than previously possible, according to a scientific presentation by Gangadharan et al at the Plenary Session of the 56th...
Ringing a Bell on the Last Day of Radiation Therapy: Helpful or Harmful?
Some patients with cancer celebrate the end of a course of radiation or chemotherapy by ringing a bell. Indeed, many patients say they love the graduation-like ceremony and the sense of closure it gives them. However, a study published by Williams et al in the International Journal of Radiation...
Late-Stage Cancer Diagnoses After Massachusetts Health Insurance Reform Law
Advanced-stage cancer diagnoses declined following health insurance expansion in Massachusetts, likely due to increased access to screening and diagnostic services that identified cancers earlier, according to new research published by Sabik et al in the journal Medical Care.
The analysis...
AYA Cancer Survivors at Greater Risk of Inpatient Hospitalization
A population-based study investigating the risk of inpatient hospitalizations among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors compared with their siblings and those in the general population found that the AYA survivors had nearly double the risk of being hospitalized than the matched...
Few Patients Enroll in Clinical Trials of First-Line Therapies
Patient enrollment in clinical trials as the first course of treatment after cancer diagnosis is low, despite the fact that enrollment may increase life expectancy, according to research published by Zaorsky et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Researchers also found ...
Obstacles to Early Detection of Skin Cancer in Patients Living in Rural Western States
Residents of rural, sparsely populated “frontier counties” in the western United States have a higher incidence of skin cancer and related mortality rates. New research published by Jensen et al in Psychology, Health & Medicine indicated that the biggest obstacle to early detection and...
2020 GI Cancers Symposium: Data From Colorectal Cancer Cohorts of TAPUR Study Presented
Positive findings from three Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) study cohorts on the potential benefit of various molecularly targeted drugs in patients with advanced colorectal cancer were presented at the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.
The TAPUR study is the...
2020 GI Cancers Symposium: Cost of Pancreatic Cancer Care Over Time
In a study presented by Picozzi et al at the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, researchers found that even as drug costs increased over the past decade, total inflation-adjusted pancreatic cancer care expenses declined, as did costs related to quality of life (Abstract 773).
Health...
FDA Pipeline: Priority Reviews in Multiple Myeloma, Prostate Cancer
Over the past week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to treatments for multiple myeloma and prostate cancer; gave Fast Track designation to a targeted gene therapy for lung cancer; granted Orphan Drug designation to a combination therapy for hepatocellular...
2020 GI Cancers Symposium: Addition of Ramucirumab or Merestinib to Gemcitabine/Cisplatin for Biliary Tract Cancer
According to study results to be presented by Valle et al at the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (Abstract 477), the addition of either ramucirumab or merestinib to the standard first-line therapy for biliary tract cancer—gemcitabine plus cisplatin—did not improve progression-free survival, ...
2020 GI Cancers Symposium: Higher Concentration of Fusobacterium nucleatum Found in Colorectal Tumors in Patients Younger Than 45
A bacterium typically linked to periodontal disease, Fusobacterium nucleatum, could play an important role in the rising incidence of colorectal cancer in people younger than age 45. Another type of bacteria, Moraxella osloensis, has been found in colorectal cancer tumors at a nearly fourfold...
Pathologic Fracture and Prognosis in Adult and Pediatric Patients With High-Grade Osteosarcoma
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kelley et al found that pathologic fracture was associated with poorer overall survival among adult—but not pediatric—patients with primary central high-grade osteosarcoma of the extremities.
Study Details
The study involved retrospective...
Everolimus/Octreotide Shows Antitumor Activity in Recurrent Meningioma
According to the results from the small phase II CEVOREM trial, a targeted combination of the mTOR inhibitor everolimus and the somatostatin agonist octreotide showed antitumor activity in patients with recurrent meningioma not amenable to any type of surgery or radiotherapy. These findings were...
2020 GI Cancers Symposium: Does Receipt of Palliative Care Increase Survival in Patients With Metastatic Esophageal Cancer Declining Chemotherapy?
Patients with metastatic esophageal cancer who declined chemotherapy but received palliative care had a numerically higher, but not statistically significant, difference in overall survival. These findings will be presented by Manguso et al at the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (Abstract...
2020 GI Cancers Symposium: Detecting GI Tumors Using a Cell-Free DNA Test
A blood-based screening test using cell-free DNA to identify methylation signals of hard-to-detect gastrointestinal (GI) cancers could potentially help detect disease at earlier stages. This research will be presented by Brian M. Wolpin, MD, MPH, and colleagues at the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers...
2020 GI Cancers Symposium: Patient-Reported Outcomes From IMbrave150, BEACON CRC
Patient-reported outcomes from two large studies show that quality of life is maintained longer with newer drug combinations compared with standard-of-care treatments in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic colorectal cancer. The results, from...
2020 GI Cancers Symposium: Young Adults With Colorectal Cancer Living in Areas of Low Income, Education Likely to Have Worse Survival Outcomes
A retrospective analysis of 26,768 young adults with colorectal cancer aged 40 and under found that those who live in areas with lower income (a median income of less than $38,000) and less education (under 79% high school graduation rate), as well as those who live in urban areas, had worse...
Price Transparency and Variation for Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Trevor Royce, MS, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that publicly available information on pricing for radiation treatment for prostate cancer was complex and inconsistent, and that pricing varied widely among National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer...
Immune-Related Adverse Events and Recurrence-Free Survival With Adjuvant Immunotherapy vs Placebo in Stage III Melanoma
In an analysis of the EORTC 1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial of adjuvant pembrolizumab vs placebo in stage III melanoma reported in JAMA Oncology, Alexander M.M. Eggermont, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that patients treated with pembrolizumab who experienced immune-related adverse events had improved...
Does Proton Pump Inhibitor Use Affect Cognition in Breast Cancer Survivors?
Proton pump inhibitors, which are sometimes recommended to ease stomach problems during cancer treatment, may have an unintended side effect: impairment of breast cancer survivors' memory and concentration. These findings were published by Madison et al in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship.
...
Using T-Cell Fraction to Predict Melanoma Recurrence
In a paper published by Pruessmann et al in Nature Cancer, investigators presented a new, quantitative technique that leverages DNA sequencing to make more sophisticated and accurate predictions about which primary melanomas are likely to recur and spread.
"As recently as 10 years ago, the outlook ...
Entrectinib in Advanced ROS1 Fusion–Positive NSCLC
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Alexander Drilon, MD, and colleagues, an integrated analysis of three phase I/II trials has shown high activity of the TRK and ROS1 inhibitor entrectinib in ROS1 fusion-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This analysis supported the August 2019 U.S....
Relapse and Outcomes in Men Receiving Adjuvant Bleomycin/Etoposide/Cisplatin for Clinical Stage I Nonseminoma
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Fischer et al found different patterns of relapse and associated outcomes among men with relapse after treatment with adjuvant bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatin for clinical stage I nonseminoma.
The study included data on 51 patients from 18...
Three Studies Examine Relationship Between B-Cell Enrichment and Response to Immunotherapy
The likelihood of a patient responding to immune checkpoint blockade may depend on B cells in the tumor, located within specialized immune-cell clusters known as tertiary lymphoid structures, according to three studies all recently published in Nature. The studies showed that enrichment of B cells...
Cancer Incidence in World Trade Center Responders to the September 11 Attacks
A study published by Shapiro et al in JNCI Cancer Spectrum showed that responders to the World Trade Center site after the attacks on September 11, 2001, have statistically significant elevations in cancer incidence for all cancer sites combined, and for prostate and thyroid cancer and leukemia....
Conditioning Intensity for Allogeneic Transplantation in Patients With AML
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hourigan et al found that reduced-intensity conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation was associated with poorer outcomes vs myeloablative conditioning in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who had genomic...
External-Beam Accelerated Partial-Breast Irradiation vs Whole-Breast Irradiation After Breast-Conserving Surgery in DCIS or Node-Negative Breast Cancer
As reported in The Lancet by Timothy J. Whelan, BM, BCh, and colleagues, the phase III noninferiority RAPID trial has shown that external-beam accelerated partial-breast irradiation is noninferior to whole-breast irradiation in reducing risk of local recurrence after breast-conserving surgery in...
Treatment Resistance and Novel Therapies in FGFR-Mutated Cholangiocarcinoma
A new study has shown how resistance to fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor treatment develops in patients with cholangiocarcinoma and suggests that adding another therapy at the time of disease progression might resensitize tumor cells to initial therapy. These findings were...
Are Women in Europe or Asia More Likely to Have Breast-Conserving Therapy Than Those in the United States?
Neoadjuvant systemic therapy can shrink tumors in patients with breast cancer and, in some cases, allow patients to receive breast-conserving therapy who would otherwise require mastectomy. However, in the United States, about 55% of patients who become eligible for breast-conserving therapy after...
FDA Pipeline: Priority Reviews in Ovarian Cancer, Prostate Cancer, and NSCLC
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to treatments for ovarian, prostate, and lung cancer; granted Orphan Drug designation to therapies for chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia and multiple myeloma; and granted Breakthrough Device designation to platforms...
Maintenance Bevacizumab With or Without Pemetrexed in Advanced Nonsquamous NSCLC
In a Japanese phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Seto et al found that the addition of maintenance pemetrexed to bevacizumab did not significantly improve overall survival in patients with previously untreated, advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...
Genomic Aberrations and Pancreatic Cancer Subtypes
Researchers have discovered detailed new genetic information about the subtypes of pancreatic cancer. A better understanding of the disease groups may lead to new treatment options and improved clinical outcomes for this lethal disease, Chan-Seng-Yue et al reported in Nature Genetics.
The study...
Different Doses of Adjuvant Ipilimumab vs High-Dose Interferon Alfa-2b in Patients With Resected High-Risk Melanoma
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Tarhini et al, the phase III Intergroup E1609 trial has shown an overall survival advantage with adjuvant ipilimumab at 3 mg/kg—but not at 10 mg/kg—vs high-dose interferon alfa-2b in patients with resected high-risk cutaneous melanoma. The...
Higher 21-Gene Recurrence Score May Be Associated With Increased Risk of Locoregional Recurrence in Patients With Breast Cancer
A new study shows that a test physicians commonly use to guide chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer after surgery may also help them decide whether radiation therapy may be of benefit. Results published by Wendy A. Woodward, MD, PhD, and colleagues in JAMA Oncology suggest patients with an...
Cancer Survivors Face Substantial Medical Financial Hardship
Although advances in cancer treatments have led to huge increases in the number of survivors in the United States—more than 16.9 million in 2019—many of those survivors, particularly those aged 18 to 64, face substantial medical financial hardship due to their diagnosis and treatment, necessitating ...
Use of Artificial Intelligence for Diagnosing and Grading Prostate Cancer
Researchers have developed a method based on artificial intelligence (AI) for the histopathologic diagnosis and grading of prostate cancer. The study, published by Ström et al in The Lancet Oncology, showed that the AI system can be trained to detect and grade prostate cancer from needle biopsy...
Patient-Reported Functional Outcomes With Hypofractionated vs Conventionally Fractionated Radiotherapy for Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer
In a national cohort study conducted in the United Kingdom and reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nossiter et al found no clinically important differences in patient-reported functional outcomes among men receiving hypofractionated vs conventionally fractionated radiotherapy for...
Are Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Breast Cancer Diagnosis Caused by Health Insurance Coverage?
Lack of insurance coverage is a major cause of delayed breast cancer screening and treatment among minority women, which could lead to a decrease in a patient’s chance of survival. Nearly half of the disparity in later-stage diagnosis between non-Hispanic white women and black, Hispanic, and...
Patients With HPV-Positive and HPV-Negative Oropharyngeal Cancer May Have Different Rates of Mortality
New research indicates that there is a higher risk of early death among patients with oropharyngeal cancer not associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) vs those whose tumors are HPV-positive. The findings are published by Fullerton et al in Cancer.
The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer is...
Entrectinib in Advanced or Metastatic NTRK Fusion–Positive Solid Tumors
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by George D. Demetri, MD, and colleagues, integrated analysis of three phase I/II trials has shown high levels of activity of the tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitor entrectinib in advanced NTRK fusion–positive solid tumors. This analysis supported the...
Activity of Ruxolitinib in Chronic Neutrophilic Leukemia and Atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
In a phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dao et al found that the JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib was active in patients with chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL), with less activity observed in those with atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and greater activity observed...
Association Between Colorectal Cancer and Ulcerative Colitis
Patients with the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis have a higher risk of dying from colorectal cancer, despite modern therapy, even though the risk has declined in recent years. Olén et al published these findings in The Lancet.
Previous research has shown that patients with...
Molecular Characteristics of Leptomeningeal Melanoma Metastases
Patients with advanced melanoma who develop metastases in the leptomeninges usually have a poor prognosis—most patients only survive for 8 to 10 weeks after diagnosis. One reason for this poor prognosis is that very little is known about the molecular development of leptomeningeal melanoma...
Does Adding Trastuzumab to Adjuvant Chemotherapy Improve Invasive Disease–Free Survival for Patients With HER2-Negative Breast Cancer?
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Louis Fehrenbacher, MD, and colleagues, the phase III NSABP B-47/NRG Oncology trial has shown no invasive disease–free survival benefit with the addition of trastuzumab to adjuvant chemotherapy therapy in patients with HER2-negative breast cancer...
Does Statin Use Increase Overall Survival in Patients With Colorectal Cancer?
About 40 million adults in the United States take a statin to lower their cholesterol and reduce the risk for heart disease—but they may also be getting an added anticancer benefit, a growing body of evidence suggests. According to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific...
FDA Pipeline: Fast Track/Orphan Drug Designation for Cholangiocarcinoma Treatment, Breakthrough Device Designation for Bladder Cancer Test
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to infigratinib for patients with advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with a certain genetic mutation, and Orphan Drug designation to the treatment for patients with cholangiocarcinoma. The FDA also granted...
Noninferiority of Four vs Six Cycles of CHOP for Patients With Favorable Prognosis B-Cell Lymphoma: FLYER Trial
As reported in The Lancet by Viola Poeschel, MD, and colleagues, the phase III FLYER trial has shown noninferiority of progression-free survival with four vs six cycles of cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone (CHOP) in combination with six doses of rituximab in patients with...
Dietary Supplement Use During Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Treatment Outcomes in Patients With Early Breast Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ambrosone et al, an analysis of the SWOG S0221 trial population suggests that use of antioxidant and nonantioxidant dietary supplements, but not multivitamins, before and during adjuvant chemotherapy may be associated with poorer treatment outcomes ...
Prevalence of Alcohol Use Among Patients With Cancer and Survivors
New research published by Nina N. Sanford, MD, and colleagues in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has found most cancer survivors reported that they are current alcohol drinkers, with a subset of those survivors self-reporting excessive drinking behaviors.
“We recommend ...
Step Counts May Help Predict Treatment Outcomes for Patients With NSCLC
A new study suggests step counters could play a role in predicting outcomes for people undergoing chemoradiation therapy for lung cancer. These findings were published by Ohri et al in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics.
“I consider step counts to be a new vital...
Olaparib for Previously Treated, Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer With DNA Repair Gene Aberrations
In the phase II TOPARP-B trial—reported by Mateo et al in The Lancet Oncology—investigators found that olaparib showed activity in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and DNA damage response (DDR) gene aberrations who had received one or two prior taxane regimens.
Study...
Largest Single-Year Drop in Cancer Mortality Reported in ‘Cancer Statistics, 2020’
The cancer death rate declined by 29% from 1991 to 2017, including a 2.2% drop from 2016 to 2017—the largest single-year drop in cancer mortality ever reported. These findings were reported in “Cancer Statistics, 2020,” the latest edition of the American Cancer Society’s annual report on cancer...
Recurrence Risk With Accelerated Partial- vs Whole-Breast Irradiation After Breast-Conserving Surgery for Early Breast Cancer: Long-Term Follow-up
As reported in The Lancet by Frank A. Vicini, MD, and colleagues, 10-year follow-up in the phase III NSABP B-39/RTOG 0413 equivalence trial has shown that accelerated partial-breast irradiation did not achieve equivalence to whole-breast irradiation in preventing local recurrence in women receiving ...
Does Weight-Loss Surgery Lower the Risk of Malignant Melanoma?
Bariatric surgery is associated with a distinct reduction in skin cancer risk, according to findings published by Taube et al in JAMA Dermatology. This finding further substantiates the connection between weight loss and malignant skin cancer.
“This [study] provides further evidence for a...
Many Pelvic Examinations and Papanicolaou Tests Performed on Young Women May Be Unnecessary
Pelvic examinations and cervical cancer screenings are no longer recommended for most females under age 21 during routine health visits, but a new study has found that millions of young women are undergoing the tests, which can lead to false-positive testing, overtreatment, anxiety, and needless...
Long-Term Results of Standard- vs High-Dose Chemoradiotherapy With or Without Cetuximab in Patients With Stage III NSCLC
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Jeffrey D. Bradley, MD, and colleagues, long-term results of the phase III NRG Oncology/RTOG 0617 trial indicate that standard-dose radiotherapy should remain the standard of care in chemoradiotherapy for nonresectable stage III non–small cell...
FDA Pooled Analysis of CDK4/6 Inhibitor Treatment for Advanced Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
In a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pooled analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, Jennifer J. Gao, MD, and colleagues found that the magnitude of progression-free survival benefit with the addition of a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor to endocrine therapy in women with...
Is Pembrolizumab Active in Pediatric Patients With PD-L1–Positive Advanced Solid Tumors or Lymphoma?
Interim analysis of the phase I/II KEYNOTE-051 trial, reported in The Lancet Oncology by Geoerger et al, indicated minimal activity of pembrolizumab in pediatric patients with programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive advanced, relapsed, or refractory solid tumors; however, activity was...
T-DM1 Shows Activity in HER2-Amplified Salivary Gland Cancer in Small Patient Sample of NCI-MATCH
The antibody-drug conjugate ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) showed activity in HER2-amplified salivary gland tumors, according to data published by Jhaveri et al in Annals of Oncology.
The publication is for ‘Arm Q,’ which is one of nearly 40 single-arm phase II treatments in the NCI-Molecular...
Physical Activity at Recommended Levels May Lower Risk of Multiple Cancers
A pooled analysis of nine prospective studies involving more than 750,000 adults has found that recommended amounts of leisure-time physical activity were linked to a lower risk for seven cancers, with several cancer types having a dose/response relationship. These findings were published by...
Overall Survival With the Addition of Ribociclib to Fulvestrant in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer: MONALEESA-3
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Dennis J. Slamon, MD, PhD, and colleagues, in the phase III MONALEESA-3 trial, the second interim analysis of overall survival has shown a significant benefit with the addition of ribociclib to fulvestrant in first- or second-line treatment of...
Neoadjuvant vs Concurrent ADT With Dose-Escalated Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer
In a two-institute phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Malone et al found no difference in biochemical relapse–free survival with androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) initiated prior to or concurrently with dose-escalated external-beam radiotherapy in patients with localized ...
Rates of Guideline-Aligned Genomic Profiling in Patients Diagnosed With Metastatic Colon Cancer
In a study reported in JCO Precision Oncology, Gutierrez et al found that most patients in a U.S. sample diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer between 2013 and 2017 did not receive guideline-aligned genomic testing for RAS, BRAF, and microsatellite instability/mismatch repair–deficiency (MSI/dMMR) ...
One Cycle of Bleomycin/Etoposide/Cisplatin May Be as Effective as Two for Patients With Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer recurrence may be prevented by giving men one cycle of chemotherapy instead of the two cycles used as standard. Lowering the overall exposure to chemotherapy also reduced side effects. These findings were published by Cullen et al in European Urology.
Testicular cancer is the...
Overall Survival With the Addition of Daratumumab to VMP in Newly Diagnosed, Transplant-Ineligible Multiple Myeloma
As reported in The Lancet by Maria-Victoria Mateos, MD, and colleagues, interim analysis of overall survival in the phase III ALCYONE trial has shown a significant benefit of the addition of daratumumab to bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (D-VMP) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple...
Long-Term Results of IBIS-II: Anastrozole for Breast Cancer Prevention
As reported by Jack Cuzick, PhD, and colleagues in The Lancet, blinded follow-up of the IBIS-II trial has shown the continued benefit of anastrozole vs placebo in preventing breast cancer in high-risk postmenopausal women during the 5-year posttreatment period.
For the international double-blind...
Cardiovascular Risks After Bleomycin/Etoposide/Cisplatin Treatment for Germ Cell Cancer
In a Danish study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lauritsen et al found that patients treated for germ cell cancer exhibited an increase of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease at short- and long-term follow-up.
Study Details
The study involved 5,185 patients with...
Saliva Test May Play A Role in the Early Detection of HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer
A report by Wang et al in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics described the use of acoustofluidics, a noninvasive method that analyzes saliva for the presence of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16), the pathogenic strain of the disease associated with oropharyngeal cancers. This novel technique...
FDA Finalizes Enforcement Policy on Unauthorized Flavored Cartridge-Based E-Cigarettes
Amid the epidemic levels of youth use of e-cigarettes and the popularity of certain products among children, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a policy prioritizing enforcement against certain unauthorized flavored e-cigarette products that appeal to children, including fruit...
Osimertinib in Patients With NSCLC Harboring Uncommon EGFR Mutations
In a Korean phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Myung-Ju Ahn, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that osimertinib was active in patients with metastatic or recurrent non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with uncommon EGFR mutations.
Study Details
In the multicenter study, 36...
D-CARE Trial: Adjuvant Denosumab for Patients With Early Breast Cancer
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Robert Coleman, MD, FRCP, and colleagues, the phase III D-CARE trial has shown no benefit of adjuvant therapy with the RANKL inhibitor denosumab vs placebo in improving bone metastasis–free survival in women with moderate- to high-risk early breast cancer.
...
Asciminib for Patients With CML After Failure of ABL Kinase Inhibitor Treatment
In a phase I trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Hughes et al found that asciminib, an oral BCR-ABL1 inhibitor with a mechanism of action different from available ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors, was active in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) after failure of ABL...
Screening Rates Rose Among People Aged 45–49 After Release of Updated Colorectal Cancer Guidelines
Colorectal cancer screening rates more than doubled among people aged 45 to 49 in the months after the release of updated American Cancer Society guidelines in 2018 recommending screening in that age group, according to a new study. According to the findings from Fedewa et al—published in
Fractionated Tisagenlecleucel Infusion for Adults With B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia May Improve Safety Without Reducing Efficacy
As reported by Noelle V. Frey, MD, and colleagues in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, single-center experience with the anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel has shown that high-dose fractionated infusion with the ability to modify dosing in case of early signs...
Treatment of Advanced Esophagogastric Cancer According to ERCC1 Expression
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Iqbal and colleagues, the phase II SWOG S1201 trial showed a progression-free survival benefit with platinum-containing vs nonplatinum treatment among all patients with previously untreated HER2-negative advanced esophagogastric cancer and in a...
How Effective Is Supplemental MRI Screening for Women With Extremely Dense Breasts?
In the Dutch DENSE study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Bakker et al found that supplemental magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in women with extremely dense breast tissue and normal results on screening mammography was associated with the diagnosis of significantly fewer interval...
FDA Pipeline: Priority Reviews in SCLC, Bladder Cancer, Colorectal Cancer
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Reviews for treatments in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), non–muscle invasive bladder cancer, and BRAF V600E–mutant colorectal cancer. The Agency also recently issued multiple Breakthrough Therapy designations and ...
Nivolumab for Mismatch Repair–Deficient Noncolorectal Cancers
In a study (NCI-MATCH trial subprotocol, arm Z1D) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Azad et al found that nivolumab was active in mismatch repair–deficient noncolorectal cancers.
As stated by the investigators, “The National Cancer Institute Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice...
Acupuncture May Reduce Radiation-Induced Dry Mouth for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
After receiving acupuncture treatment 3 days a week during the course of radiation treatment, patients with head and neck cancer experienced less dry mouth, according to study results published by Garcia et al in JAMA Network Open.
The results are from the first randomized, placebo-controlled,...
First-Line Weekly Dose-Dense Chemotherapy in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: ICON8 Trial
In the phase III Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup ICON8 trial reported in The Lancet, Clamp et al found that first-line weekly dose-dense chemotherapy did not improve progression-free survival vs standard 3-weekly chemotherapy in a predominantly European population with epithelial ovarian cancer.
...
FDA Approves Enfortumab Vedotin-ejfv for Previously Treated Advanced Urothelial Cancer
On December 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (Padcev) for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have previously received neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with a programmed cell death protein 1 ...
Does Second-Line Pembrolizumab in Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Previously Treated With Sorafenib Confer a Survival Benefit?
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Richard S. Finn, MD, and colleagues, the phase III KEYNOTE-240 trial has shown no statistically significant progression-free or overall survival benefit with pembrolizumab vs placebo in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who were...
Commercial Gene-Expression Tests for Prostate Cancer May Not Accurately Predict Disease Progression in African American Men
A study examining the differences in gene expression between African American and European American men with prostate cancer for three commercially available prostate cancer prognostic biomarker panels—Oncotype DX Prostate Score, Prolaris, and Decipher—has found that these tests may not accurately...
Rising Cost and Use of Oral Anticancer Drugs and Increased Medicare Part D Spending
In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Emily Stamell Ruiz, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that rising drug costs and use accounted for 56% and 44%, respectively, of increased Medicare Part D spending on oral anticancer drugs between 2013 and 2017.
Study Details
The analysis...
Pembrolizumab in Refractory Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
In the phase II KEYNOTE-199 study, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Antonarakis et al, pembrolizumab showed activity and had an acceptable safety profile in patients with treatment-refractory metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Study Details
The trial was conducted at...
Survey of Anticipation and Experience of Adverse Effects in Patients Receiving Radiotherapy
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, and colleagues found that most patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer reported that they did not experience anticipated radiotherapy adverse effects, or that the adverse effect was no worse than expected....
Recurrence Risk in Black and White Women With Borderline Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Benefield et al found that black women with borderline estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer had significantly poorer disease-free interval compared with those with ER-positive disease, irrespective of whether they...
Single-Fraction vs Multifraction Radiotherapy for Patients With Spine Metastases
Spinal canal compression is a common complication in patients with cancer if disease metastasizes to the spine—about 3% to 5% of patients with cancer develop it. Radiotherapy is used to control pain and alleviate symptoms. According to results from the SCORAD randomized clinical trial, published by ...
ASTRO Issues Clinical Guideline on Radiation Therapy for Basal Cell and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas
A new clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) provides recommendations on the use of radiation therapy to treat patients diagnosed with the most common types of skin cancers. The guideline details when radiation treatments are appropriate as stand-alone therapy...
CancerCare to Provide Support for Patients With Cancer Impacted by the California Wildfires
As many California residents continue to deal with the aftermath of past wildfires and the advent of new ones, CancerCare is now offering a patient assistance program for both emotional and financial support to patients with cancer affected by the California fires.
As a leading national nonprofit...
Everett E. Vokes, MD, FASCO, Elected ASCO President for 2021–2022 Term
ASCO membership has elected Everett E. Vokes, MD, FASCO, a long-time member and volunteer, to serve as its President for the 2021–2022 term. He will take office as President-Elect during the ASCO Annual Meeting in June 2020.
Six new members were also elected to the ASCO Board of Directors and...
First-Line Atezolizumab Plus Nab-paclitaxel in Advanced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Second Overall Survival Interim Analysis
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Peter Schmid, MD, and colleagues, the prespecified second interim analysis of overall survival in the phase III IMpassion130 trial has shown no overall survival benefit with the addition of atezolizumab to nab-paclitaxel as first-line treatment of unresectable, ...
Risk of Asparaginase-Associated Pancreatitis in Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Rank et al found a similar risk of asparaginase-associated pancreatitis in older children, adolescents, and adults and greater associated morbidity in adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated according to the Nordic Society of...
People With Mental Illness Receive Less Cancer Screening vs General Population
Results from a systematic review and comparative meta-analysis show that despite increased mortality from cancer in people with mental illness, this population receives less cancer screening compared to the general population. These findings were published by Solmi et al in The Lancet Psychiatry.
...
TIVO-3: Third- or Fourth-Line Tivozanib vs Sorafenib in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Brian I. Rini, MD, and colleagues, the phase III TIVO-3 trial has shown a statistically significant increase in progression-free survival with tivozanib vs sorafenib as a third- or fourth-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma.
Study Details
The...
Evaluation of Residual Disease in Patients With Multiple Myeloma Using IMWG Flow Cytometry Criteria
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Paiva et al examined the applicability of International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) criteria for next-generation flow cytometry assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD) in multiple myeloma. They found that the IMWG flow MRD-negative...
SABCS 2019: Oral vs Intravenous Paclitaxel for Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer
Patients with metastatic breast cancer who received an oral formulation of paclitaxel had better response and survival and less neuropathy than patients who received intravenous paclitaxel, according to results of a phase III trial presented at by Umanzor et al at the San Antonio Breast Cancer...
SABCS 2019: ctDNA May Be an Independent Predictor of Disease Recurrence in Patients With Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
The detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer treated with surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an independent predictor of disease recurrence, according to a phase II study investigating the potential of using ctDNA to detect...
SABCS 2019: Breast Cancer Incidence With Estrogen/Progestin vs Estrogen Alone in Postmenopausal Women
A study investigating the long-term influence of estrogen plus progestin compared with estrogen alone on breast cancer incidence in postmenopausal women has found that the menopausal hormone therapies had opposite effects on breast cancer incidence. While estrogen alone decreased breast cancer...
SABCS 2019: Residual Cancer Burden After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy as a Predictive Tool
A large meta-analysis of patients with breast cancer showed that residual cancer burden after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an accurate long-term predictor of recurrence and survival across all breast cancer subtypes, according to data presented by Yau et al at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer...
SABCS 2019: IBIS-II Study Finds Long-Term Preventive Benefit With Anastrozole Among Postmenopausal Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer
A 10-year median follow-up analysis of the IBIS-II trial on the efficacy and safety of the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole for healthy postmenopausal women at increased risk of developing breast cancer has found that the therapy reduced the likelihood of breast cancer incidence by 50% and had few...
SABCS 2019: Ribociclib/Letrozole vs Multiagent Chemotherapy in Patients With High-Risk Luminal B Breast Cancer
A phase II study by Gavilá et al evaluating the efficacy of the combination of the CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib and the aromatase inhibitor letrozole in combination as a neoadjuvant treatment in patients with high-risk luminal B breast cancer has found that the therapy produced response rates...
SABCS 2019: 10-Year Follow-up of Adjuvant Accelerated Partial-Breast Irradiation vs Adjuvant Whole-Breast Irradiation
A 10-year follow-up study of patients with breast cancer who had been treated with accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) after surgery showed that their rates of disease recurrence were similar to those of patients who had received whole-breast irradiation (WBI), according to data presented ...
SABCS 2019: 6-Year Analysis of the Addition of Pertuzumab to Trastuzumab Plus Chemotherapy as Adjuvant Therapy
Data from the 6-year analysis of the APHINITY trial showed that adding pertuzumab to the previous standard treatment of trastuzumab plus chemotherapy after surgery continued to reduce the risk of recurrence and death in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, according to findings...
SABCS 2019: Does Treatment With Pembrolizumab Improve Pathologic Complete Response in Patients With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and Lymph Node Involvement?
The addition of the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and as adjuvant therapy increased the rates of pathologic complete response in patients with triple-negative breast cancer who had lymph node involvement, according to results from the KEYNOTE-522 trial, which were...
SABCS 2019: Adding Tucatinib to Capecitabine/Trastuzumab Improved Survival for Patients With Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
The addition of tucatinib to capecitabine and trastuzumab significantly improved progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, with or without brain metastasis. These findings—from the HER2CLIMB study—were presented by Murthy et al at the 2019 ...
SABCS 2019: [Fam-] Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in Patients With Pretreated HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
A phase II clinical study investigating [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) in patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) showed patients had an overall response rate of 60.9% with the treatment. The study by Krop et al was presented ...
SABCS 2019: Postoperative S-1 Plus Endocrine Therapy for HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
The postoperative combination of S-1, an oral fluoropyrimidine-based drug, with endocrine therapy improved invasive disease–free survival and 5-year invasive disease–free survival estimates in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to results from the...
ASH 2019: Blinatumomab vs Standard Chemotherapy for Pediatric Patients With Relapsed B-ALL
Blinatumomab improved survival in children with relapsed B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) compared with standard chemotherapy, accordings to findings from a study presented by Brown et al at the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract LBA-1)....
ASH 2019: Oral Azacitidine Improves Survival in Older Patients With AML in First Remission
Treatment with an investigational oral form of azacitidine, CC-486, improved overall survival in older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who were in remission following standard induction chemotherapy with or without consolidation therapy, according to a phase III study...
ASH 2019: New Genomic Mutational and Expressional Data in AML, MDS
Researchers have completed the first comprehensive analysis combining full genomic sequencing and gene-expression profiles of more than 1,300 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The research was presented by Iacobucci et al during the 2019 American Society...
ASH 2019: PET-Directed Therapy for Early-Stage DLBCL
Most people diagnosed with early-stage, or limited, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) may be able to safely skip radiation treatment after a clear positron-emission tomography (PET) scan, according to new clinical trial results from SWOG presented by Persky et al at the 2019 American Society of ...
ASH 2019: Genomic Features of AML in Patients Aged 60 or Older May Predict Stem Cell Transplant Outcome
For older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the prospects for success of a stem cell transplant can often be predicted based on the particular set of leukemic genetic characteristics, according to results presented by Murdock et al at the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual...
ASH 2019: Pilot Study of Next-Generation Sequencing for Undetectable Minimal Residual Disease in Patients With Follicular Lymphoma
Patients with follicular lymphoma who have been treated and are in remission for at least 2 years may no longer be incurable based on highly sensitive testing. This may mean they no longer need therapy or active follow-up, according to findings presented by Sarraf Yazdy et al at the 2019 American...
ASH 2019: Should African American Patients With AML and Evidence of Abnormal Kidney Function Be Enrolled Into Clinical Trials?
A study of more than 1,000 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) revealed that African Americans were more likely to have evidence of abnormal kidney functioning than whites, but this was not associated with any difference in overall survival. The findings, presented by Statler et al at the...
ASH 2019: Is Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Safe and Effective for Patients Aged 70 or Older With Multiple Myeloma?
Even though autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHCT) is an effective treatment for multiple myeloma, only 4 out of 10 patients receive this therapy. A new study presented by Munshi et al at the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 782) ...
ASH 2019: Lower Area-Based Income and Educational Attainment Associated With Poorer Survival Among Pediatric Patients With AML
Children from lower-income neighborhoods were 2.4 times more likely to die during treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) than children from middle- and high-income neighborhoods, according to findings from a study that analyzed nearly 1,500 clinical trial participants. While previous research...
ASH 2019: CAR T-Cell Therapy Shows Activity, Reduces Health-Care Utilization in Older Patients With DLBCL
A new analysis of Medicare claims data presented by Kilgore et al at the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 793) has provided the first real-world evidence using claims data available after the approval of autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen...
ASH 2019: Early-Phase Study of Venetoclax in Reduced-Intensity Transplant Conditioning Regimen for Patients With High-Risk Myeloid Malignancies
For patients with high-risk myeloid malignancies undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant, adding the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax to a reduced-intensity drug regimen prior to transplant is safe and does not impair the ability of the donor cells to engraft. The phase I study was...
ASH 2019: Phase Ib/II Study of BCMA-Directed CAR T-Cell Therapy for Pretreated Multiple Myeloma
Patients with multiple myeloma who had received a median of five prior therapies with refractory disease had a high response rate when treated with the investigational chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy JNJ-4528, which targets B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a protein commonly found...
ASH 2019: Dose-Climbing Trial of Dual-Target CAR T-Cell Therapy for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
More than three out of four patients with relapsed multiple myeloma, or myeloma that was refractory to at least two therapies, remained in remission 7 months after treatment with a novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting two proteins that are frequently found on myeloma...
ASH 2019: CAR-NK Therapy for B-Cell Malignancies Shows Activity in Preclinical Studies
Preclinical studies have provided the first evidence that cellular immunotherapy for B-cell cancers could ultimately become an off-the-shelf product, capable of being uniformly manufactured in large quantities. The product—FT596—is among the first cellular immunotherapies to be based on...
Breast-Conserving Surgery and Partial-Breast Reirradiation in Patients With Ipsilateral Disease Recurrence
Findings from the phase II NRG Oncology/RTOG 1014 trial, reported in JAMA Oncology by Arthur et al, showed that partial-breast reirradiation after second lumpectomy for recurrence of ipsilateral breast cancer following previous whole-breast irradiation was an effective treatment approach and could...
Factors Associated With Prolonged Grief Symptom Levels in Parents of Children Who Have Died of Cancer
In a Swedish study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Pohlkamp et al identified factors associated with levels of prolonged grief symptoms in parents of children who have died of cancer, with factors being found to differ between mothers and fathers.
As stated by the investigators,...
Atezolizumab for Pediatric and Young Adult Patients With Previously Treated Solid Tumors or Lymphomas
In a phase I/II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Geoerger et al found little activity of atezolizumab alone in pediatric and young adult patients with relapsed or refractory malignancies (including solid tumors, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma) with known or expected programmed...
FDA Approves Atezolizumab in Combination With Chemotherapy for First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Nonsquamous NSCLC
On December 4, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in combination with chemotherapy (nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin) for the first-line treatment of adults with metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor...
FDA Approves FoundationOne CDx as a Companion Diagnostic for Alpelisib/Fulvestrant Treatment in Breast Cancer
On December 4, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved FoundationOne CDx to be used as a companion diagnostic for alpelisib in combination with fulvestrant for the treatment of postmenopausal female patients as well as male patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative,...
Cardiovascular Disease Risk May Be Associated With Cancer Risk
People with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (determined by traditional risk, 10-year artherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk score, and biomarkers) were also at higher risk for developing cancer compared to people with lower cardiovascular disease risk, according to research presented ...
Does Adding Pembrolizumab or Placebo to Chemotherapy for Patients With Metastatic Squamous NSCLC Improve Quality of Life?
In a health-related quality of life analysis from the phase III KEYNOTE-407 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Mazières et al found that the patients with metastatic squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received pembrolizumab in addition to chemotherapy had better...
RSNA 2019: High-Dose Brachytherapy for Older Patients With Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer
High-dose brachytherapy for elderly patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer produces excellent cure rates and cosmetic outcomes, according to a new study presented at the 2019 annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) (Abstract SSM24-02).
“For elderly patients [with...
Does the Addition of Ramucirumab to Docetaxel Improve Overall Survival in Previously Treated Urothelial Carcinoma?
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, and colleagues, the phase III RANGE trial has shown no significant improvement in overall survival with the addition of ramucirumab to docetaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma previously treated with ...
Meta-Analysis of Overall Survival With Laparoscopic vs Open Resection for Colorectal Liver Metastases
In an individual patient-level meta-analysis reported in the Annals of Surgery, Syn et al found that laparoscopic resection vs open surgery was associated with significantly improved overall survival as treatment for colorectal liver metastases.
Study Details
The meta-analysis included data...
Use of an On-Site Touchscreen-Based Geriatric Assessment for Older Patients With Multiple Myeloma
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Nathwani et al found that the use of a tablet-based modified geriatric assessment during physician visits by older patients with multiple myeloma was feasible and provided physicians with information that influenced treatment decisions.
...
Pembrolizumab in Previously Treated Metastatic MSI-H/dMMR Colorectal Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Dung T. Le, MD, and colleagues, the phase II KEYNOTE-164 trial demonstrated activity of pembrolizumab in previously treated metastatic microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer.
Swedish Population Study of Risk-Adapted Screening Starting Ages for Relatives of Patients With Breast Cancer
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Mukama et al identified risk-adapted screening starting ages for relatives of patients with breast cancer according to the number of affected first-degree and second-degree relatives and the age at diagnosis of affected relatives.
Study Details
The nationwide ...
Associations of Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score With Mortality Prediction and Difference Between Sexes
A study comparing the prognostic value of the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score in male and female patients with early-stage estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer has found that the score is associated with mortality in male patients at a much lower threshold than female patients. The...
Quality of Life and Neurocognitive Function in Patients With Gliomas Treated With Temozolomide-Based Chemoradiotherapy
A secondary analysis of the phase II NRG-RTOG 0424 trial—which initially reported a 73.1% 3-year overall survival rate—has shown a decline in neurocognitive function for half of the trial participants with high-risk, low-grade gliomas up to a year after receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy with...
Sequencing of Enzalutamide and Abiraterone Acetate in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
In a Canadian phase II crossover trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kim N. Chi, MD, and colleagues found that time to second prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression from start of treatment was longer with crossover from abiraterone acetate/prednisone to enzalutamide vs the reverse sequence...
Activity of Glucocorticoid-Induced TNF Receptor–Related Protein Agonist Alone or With Nivolumab in Advanced Solid Tumors
In a phase I/IIa study reported in JAMA Oncology, Lillian L. Siu, MD, FRCPC, FASCO, and colleagues found no evidence of activity of the glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor–related protein (GITR) agonist antibody BMS-986156 alone or in combination with nivolumab in patients...
PIK3CA Mutation Status and Disease-Free Survival in Patients With HPV-Associated Head and Neck Cancer Treated With Deintensified Chemoradiotherapy
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Beaty et al found that the presence of a PIK3CA mutation was associated with poorer disease-free survival among patients receiving deintensified definitive chemoradiotherapy for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal...
DUOX2 Mutation in Familial Thyroid Cancers
Researchers have identified a new genetic mutation that may cause a type of familial thyroid cancer. According to the researchers, DUOX2 is the first and only mutation associated with familial thyroid cancer to be identified in a gene that is primarily expressed in the thyroid gland. These findings ...
Geriatric Assessment–Guided Multidisciplinary Care May Benefit Older Patients Undergoing Stem Cell Transplantation
Older adults with blood cancers may benefit from a team-based, holistic evaluation before undergoing transplantation, according to a study published by Derman et al in Blood Advances. The study, which reported on a multidisciplinary clinic at the University of Chicago Medical Center, found that...
Secondary Surgical Cytoreduction Plus Chemotherapy vs Chemotherapy Alone in Recurrent Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer
In the phase III trial Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG)-0213 trial, reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Robert L. Coleman, MD, and colleagues, no overall survival benefit was found for secondary surgical cytoreduction followed by chemotherapy vs chemotherapy alone in women with...
Molecular Changes in Progression of IDH Wild-Type Glioblastoma
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Draaisma et al identified molecular changes at tumor recurrence vs the primary tumor profiles in patients receiving standard chemoradiotherapy with temozolomide for IDH wild-type glioblastoma multiforme. The findings may help inform precision ...
FDA Pipeline: Recent Designations in Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Cholangiocarcioma, Lymphoma, and More
Over the past few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted reviews or designations to treatments for gastrointestinal cancers and lymphoma, and also provided authorizations for products designed to screen for malignancies and tumor mutational burden.
Priority Review for Nivolumab ...
ICARIA-MM: Addition of Isatuximab to Pomalidomide/Dexamethasone in Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma
As reported in The Lancet by Michel Attal, MD, and colleagues, the phase III ICARIA-MM trial has shown that the addition of the CD38-targeted antibody isatuximab to pomalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with relapsed and refractory...
ESMO Asia 2019: Combination of Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Combination therapy with the programmed cell death ligand 1 inhibitor atezolizumab and the VEGF inhibitor bevacizumab significantly improved overall and progression-free survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to sorafenib, according to findings from the phase ...
ESMO Asia 2019: Trastuzumab Biosimilar HLX02 Shows Activity in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
The trastuzumab biosimilar HLX02—manufactured in China—achieved a similar overall response rate to reference trastuzumab in women with HER2-positive recurrent or previously untreated metastatic breast cancer, according to a large, randomized phase III study reported by Xu et al at the European...
FDA Approves Voxelotor for Sickle Cell Disease
On November 25, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to voxelotor (Oxbryta) for adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with sickle cell disease.
“[Voxelotor] is an inhibitor of deoxygenated sickle hemoglobin polymerization, which is the...
Thermal Ablation vs Cryotherapy or Loop Excision in Zambian Women Positive for Cervical Precancer
In the pilot phase of an ongoing randomized trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Pinder et al found that thermal ablation and cryotherapy produced similar treatment success rates in Zambian women positive for cervical precancer on visual inspection with acetic acid.
The investigators noted that...
Activity of Anti-STEAP1 Antibody-Drug Conjugate in Patients With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
In a phase I trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Danila et al found that the antibody-drug conjugate DSTP3086S, which targets the six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1), had acceptable safety and evidence of activity in patients with metastatic...
Characteristics of Metastatic Lesion Responses to PD-1 Inhibition
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Osorio et al found that responses to programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor therapy tended to be consistent across metastases and occur simultaneously in metastatic lesions of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mismatch...
Machine Learning Algorithm for Genome-Derived Prediction of Tumor Type
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Penson et al developed a machine learning algorithmic classifier that may be successful in identifying tumor type and origin based on DNA-sequence data obtained at point of care.
The study used machine learning to construct and train an algorithmic classifier...
Mental Health Outcomes in Mothers and Siblings of Children With Cancer
In a Canadian study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, van Warmerdam et al found that mothers and siblings of children with cancer were significantly more likely to have mental health–related outpatient health-care contacts than their general population counterparts.
The study...
MicroRNA Panel Could Aid in the Detection of Uveal Melanoma
A blood test could soon become a monitoring tool for the early detection of uveal melanoma. Stark et al discovered markers in the blood that can differentiate between a benign mole and a melanoma, while also determining whether the cancer has metastasized, according to findings they published in...
2019 State of Lung Cancer Report Released
More Americans than ever are surviving lung cancer. While the disease remains the leading cause of cancer deaths among both women and men, over the past decade, the survival rate has increased. A new report from the American Lung Association—the 2019 State of Lung Cancer—examines this promising...
FDA Approves Acalabrutinib for CLL/SLL as Part of Project Orbis
On November 21, as part of Project Orbis—a collaboration with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Health Canada—the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted supplemental approval to acalabrutinib (Calquence) for the treatment of adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia...
Pembrolizumab With or Without Chemotherapy vs Cetuximab Plus Chemotherapy in Recurrent or Metastatic HNSCC
As reported in The Lancet by Barbara Burtness, MD, and colleagues, the phase III KEYNOTE-048 trial has shown improved overall survival with first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy vs cetuximab plus chemotherapy among patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and ...
Long-Term Analysis of Vemurafenib/Cobimetinib in Patients With BRAF-Mutated Melanoma
A phase Ib study evaluating the safety and long-term benefit of combination treatment with the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib plus the MEK1 inhibitor cobimetinib in patients with advanced BRAF V600E–mutated melanoma has found that nearly 40% of the patients experienced extended survival of 4 to 5 years ...
Opioid Prescriptions in Patients With Cancer in Southwest Virginia
In a study in residents of rural southwest Virginia reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Virginia T. LeBaron, PhD, and colleagues found that most patients with cancer never received a prescription opioid medication, that few patients were admitted to hospital for opioid use disorders, and...
Atezolizumab/Bevacizumab in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma With Variant Histology or Sarcomatoid Features
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Toni K. Choueiri, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab was active in metastatic renal cell carcinoma with variant histology and clear cell renal cell carcinoma with ≥ 20% sarcomatoid...
Prescribed Opioid Use and Infection Risk in Patients With Cancer and Treatment-Associated Neutropenia
In a German study reported in a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine, Jakob et al found that prescribed opioid use did not appear to increase risk of infection in hospitalized patients with cancer who developed treatment-associated neutropenia. According to the investigators, recent data have...
Late Bone Marrow Relapse Risk Stratification in Pediatric Patients With B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
In an analysis of the German ALL-REZ BFM 2002 trial, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Eckert et al found that postinduction minimal residual disease (MRD)-based treatment stratification resulted in “excellent survival” in pediatric patients with late relapse of B-cell precursor acute...
Does Testosterone Replacement Therapy Benefit Young Male Cancer Survivors?
Young male cancer survivors may significantly benefit from testosterone replacement therapy—especially after testicular cancer. Research published by Walsh et al in PLOS Medicine looked at one of the most common late-onset side effects experienced by young male survivors—reduced levels of the male...
Gefitinib Alone vs Gefitinib Plus Chemotherapy in EGFR-Mutated Metastatic NSCLC
In the Japanese phase III NEJ009 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hosomi et al found that the addition of first-line gefitinib to carboplatin/pemetrexed improved progression-free survival vs gefitinib alone in patients with EGFR-mutated metastatic non–small cell lung cancer...
Pembrolizumab in Noncolorectal MSI-H/dMMR Solid Tumors
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Marabelle et al, the phase II KEYNOTE-158 trial has shown robust activity of pembrolizumab in patients with noncolorectal microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) solid tumors.
Outcomes With Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation Plus Cyclophosphamide in Adults With Hematologic Cancers
In a meta-analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Gagelmann et al found that overall survival with haploidentical stem cell transplantation with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide was poorer vs matched related donor transplantation and similar vs matched unrelated donor transplantation in adult...
Disparities in Culturally Competent Cancer Care
Many nonwhite minority cancer survivors place importance on seeing doctors who share or understand their culture, but are less likely than non-Hispanic whites to be able to see such physicians, according to a new study. The study, which is one of the first nationally-representative studies to...
Role of Voriconazole in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Development
For the last decade, medical experts have known that voriconazole—an antifungal medication used to prevent infections in patients with compromised immune systems—is linked to the development of particularly aggressive squamous cell carcinoma in skin exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays. However, the...
Polatuzumab Vedotin Plus Bendamustine/Rituximab for Transplantation-Ineligible Relapsed or Refractory DLBCL
In a phase Ib/II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Laurie H. Sehn, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that the addition of polatuzumab vedotin to bendamustine/rituximab improved response rate and progression-free and overall survival among transplantation-ineligible patients with...
Maximizing Benefit in the Treatment of Immune-Mediated Colitis
Immune-related colitis is the second most common toxicity associated with checkpoint inhibitors, affecting up to 40% of patients. The ASCO Post interviewed Yinghong Wang, MD, PhD, Director of Medication-Induced Colitis and Enteritis, Director of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation, and Associate...
Improving Communication With Older Patients Using Geriatric Assessment During Oncology Visits
In the COACH study, reported in JAMA Oncology, Supriya G. Mohile, MD, MS, and colleagues found that including geriatric assessment in oncology visits for older adults with advanced cancer improved patient and caregiver satisfaction with communication regarding aging-related concerns.
Study Details
...
Nivolumab Plus Bevacizumab in Relapsed Ovarian Cancer
In a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Liu et al found evidence of the activity of combined nivolumab and bevacizumab in relapsed ovarian cancer, with activity appearing to be greater in platinum-sensitive disease.
Study Details
In the trial, 38 women with relapsed epithelial ovarian...
Long-Term Effects of Denosumab in Patients With Giant Cell Tumor of Bone
As reported by Chawla et al in The Lancet Oncology, long-term data from the final analysis of an international phase II study suggest that a favorable risk-benefit ratio is maintained over time with denosumab treatment of patients with giant cell tumor of bone. Benefit of denosumab was indicated in ...
Presenting Symptoms and Cancer Stage at Diagnosis
In a population-based study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Koo et al found that presenting symptoms of cancer were mostly associated with stage earlier than stage IV, suggesting a benefit of symptom awareness campaigns based on common symptoms.
As stated by the investigators, “Early diagnosis...
Lenalidomide vs Observation in Asymptomatic Smoldering Multiple Myeloma
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sagar Lonial, MD, and colleagues found that lenalidomide significantly improved progression-free survival vs observation in patients with intermediate- or high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma. As noted by the investigators,...
Hepatic Arterial Infusion of Floxuridine Plus Systemic Gemcitabine/Oxaliplatin for Unresectable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
In a single-center phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Andrea Cercek, MD, and colleagues found that hepatic arterial infusion of floxuridine in combination with systemic gemcitabine/oxaliplatin produced high response and disease control rates and was associated with promising overall survival ...
Exercise Intolerance in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ness et al found a high rate of exercise intolerance among adult survivors of childhood cancer, irrespective of exposure to cardiotoxic treatment. Exercise intolerance was associated with poorer overall survival.
The study involved 1,041...
Oral Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy May Improve Survival in Patients With Hepatitis C Virus–Related HCC
Data from a new study presented by Dang et al at The Liver Meeting (Abstract 40) found that patients with hepatitis C virus–related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who achieved sustained virologic response (denoting an undetectable level of the virus) with any oral direct-acting antiviral therapy...
Rates of Non–Guideline-Concordant Lung Cancer Treatment in the United States
Only about 6 in 10 patients with lung cancer in the United States receive the minimal lung cancer treatments recommended by National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN) Guidelines, according to new research published by Blom et al in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Erik F. Blom, MD,...
Prognostic Biomarkers in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treated With Adjuvant Doxorubicin/Cyclophosphamide
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Priyanka Sharma, MD, and colleagues, biomarker analysis among women with triple-negative breast cancer treated with adjuvant doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide in the SWOG 9313c trial has confirmed a 44-gene DNA damage immune response signature and...
2019 NCRI: Use of Mendelian Randomization to Determine Role of Human Gut Microbiome in Colorectal Cancer Development
A study using a technique called Mendelian randomization to investigate the causal role played by bacteria in the development of colorectal cancer was presented at the 2019 National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference.
First study author Kaitlin Wade, PhD, of the University of...
Bendamustine/Rituximab Followed by Yttrium Y-90 Ibritumomab Tiuxetan in Previously Untreated Follicular Lymphoma
In the phase II Fol-BRITe study reported in Clinical Cancer Research, Lansigan et al found that a short course of bendamustine/rituximab followed by consolidation with yttrium Y-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan (Y-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan) was associated with a high response rate and a high rate of...
Risk of Subsequent Malignant Neoplasms in Childhood Cancer Survivors After Treatment With Chemotherapy Alone
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Turcotte et al, analysis of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Cohort showed that childhood cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy alone—particularly higher cumulative doses of platinum and alkylating agents—are at an increased risk of...
Head and Neck Melanoma in Adolescents and Young Adults: 1995 to 2014
Head and neck melanoma appears to be on the rise in young people in the United States and Canada, according to a study by Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters, BDS, PhD, MPH, CHES, of the Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Medicine, and colleagues. Because the prognosis of head and neck melanoma is...
Short-Term Survival in Patients Aged 85 Years and Older After Colorectal Cancer Surgery
Results from a preliminary research study showed the majority of patients aged 85 years and older were still alive in the short-term after undergoing segmental colectomy for stage II and III colon cancer. Kaur et al presented these findings at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress...
Financial Burdens of Patients With Cirrhosis and Impact on Screening for HCC
Data from a new study presented by Singal et al at The Liver Meeting found that patients with cirrhosis in the United States have substantial financial burden and this is associated with underuse of surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Abstract 201). Improved intervention strategies are ...
Dietary Fiber, Yogurt Consumption, and Lung Cancer Risk
In a pooled analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Yang et al found that higher fiber and higher yogurt consumption were associated with significantly reduced risk of lung cancer.
Study Details
The analysis included 627,988 men (mean age = 57.9 years) and 817, 862 women (mean age = 54.8 years)...
2019 NCRI: Hepatocellular Carcinoma Incidence and Mortality Rates in England Have Tripled Over the Past 20 Years
From 1997 to 2016, incidence and deaths from hepatocellular carcinoma have tripled in England, according to research presented by Burton et al at the 2019 National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference.
Anya Burton, PhD, a cancer epidemiologist at Public Health England, said in a...
2019 NCRI: CA125 Testing May Help General Practitioners to Detect Ovarian Cancer
Testing for levels of the serum biomarker cancer antigen 125 (CA125) in the blood may be a useful tool for the detection of ovarian cancer, and could help detect other types of cancer among patients in primary care, according to research presented by Funston et al at the 2019 National Cancer...
2019 NCRI: Higher IGF-1 and Free Testosterone Levels May be Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer
Men with higher levels of free (biologically active) testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in their blood are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to research presented by Travis et al at the 2019 National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference....
High-Dose Bevacizumab for Patients With Neurofibromatosis Type 2 and Progressive Vestibular Schwannomas
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Plotkin et al found that high-dose bevacizumab induction therapy did not appear to produce better outcomes compared with lower-dose treatment in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and progressive vestibular schwannomas. As...
Regional Disparities in Metastatic Breast Cancer Survival Between 1990 and 2011
In a study reported in Cancer, Judith A. Malmgren, PhD, and colleagues found marked regional differences in improvements in breast cancer–specific survival among women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer between 1990 and 2011, with the best rates found in an institutional cohort.
Study...
Studies Report Efficacy of Proton Radiotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Two new studies published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics focused on the use of proton radiation therapy to treat patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The first study, by Sanford et al, found that proton radiation may extend overall survival compared to...
Nearly One-Quarter of Completed Lung Cancer Clinical Trials Remain Unpublished
A new analysis has found that the results of up to one-fourth of completed lung cancer clinical trials are not published. This finding was published in a research letter by Al-Shbool et al in JAMA Network Open.
“It is surprising to see that a quarter of trials that have been completed end up not...
ADMIRAL: Gilteritinib vs Chemotherapy in Relapsed or Refractory FLT3-Mutated AML
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Perl et al, the phase III ADMIRAL trial showed improved overall survival with the oral FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) inhibitor gilteritinib vs salvage chemotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia...
American College of Physicians Issues Guidance on Colorectal Cancer Screening for Average-Risk, Asymptomatic Adults Aged 50 to 75 Years
The American College of Physicians has issued a new guidance statement on colorectal cancer screening, which recommends screening for average-risk adults who do not have symptoms and are between the ages of 50 and 75 years. The guidelines were published by Qaseem et al in Annals of Internal...
DNA Vaccine for Patients With Progressive, Nonmetastatic, Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
In a phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, McNeel et al found that a DNA vaccine (pTVG-HP) encoding prostatic acid phosphatase did not improve 2-year metastasis-free survival vs control treatment in patients with progressive, nonmetastatic, castration-sensitive prostate...
Is There a Difference in Breast Cancer Recurrence Rates After Surgery With Regional vs General Anesthesia?
In a trial reported in The Lancet, Sessler et al found no difference in breast cancer recurrence after surgery with regional anesthesia-analgesia using paravertebral block and propofol vs general anesthesia with the volatile anesthetic sevoflurane and opioid analgesia. They also found no difference ...
FDA Office of Hematology Oncology Products Reorganizes, Renamed Office of Oncologic Diseases
As part of modernization plans approved in September 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) office responsible for reviewing applications for new and existing cancer therapies has reorganized and been renamed. The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Office of Hematology and...
Outcomes in Patients With Early Breast Cancer and High 21-Gene Recurrence Score Treated With Adjuvant Chemotherapy Plus Endocrine Therapy: Secondary Analysis of TAILORx
In a secondary analysis of the phase III TAILORx trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Joseph Sparano, MD, and colleagues found that adjuvant chemotherapy plus endocrine therapy produced good 5-year outcomes among women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, axillary node–negative breast cancer...
ctDNA and Recurrence Risk After Surgery and Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Stage III Colon Cancer
In a cohort biomarker study reported in JAMA Oncology, Tie et al showed that the circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-positive status after surgery and chemotherapy was associated with an increased risk of disease recurrence in patients with stage III colon cancer.
Study Details
The Australian...
Long-Term Follow-up of Patients With Nodular Lymphocyte–Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma Treated in GHSG Trials
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Eichenauer et al found that patients with newly diagnosed nodular lymphocyte–predominant Hodgkin lymphoma treated in German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) trials had good long-term outcomes overall.
Study Details
The analysis identified...
Study Finds Nearly One in Four Oncologists Rarely or Never Mention Cost When Discussing Genomic Testing
Nearly one in four oncologists report rarely or never discussing the costs of genomic testing with their patients, according to a new study led by American Cancer Society investigators. The study, published by Yabroff et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that oncologists...
Levofloxacin Prophylaxis During Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
In the phase III TEAMM trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Drayson et al found that prophylactic treatment with levofloxacin during the first 12 weeks of multiple myeloma treatment in newly diagnosed patients was associated with a significant reduction in first febrile episodes or death from any ...
Patient-Reported Outcomes Observed With Durvalumab Treatment After Chemoradiotherapy for Stage III Unresectable NSCLC
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Hui et al, no clinically important differences in patient-reported outcomes were observed among patients receiving durvalumab vs placebo after chemoradiation for stage III unresectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the phase III PACIFIC trial.
The...
Factors Influencing Freedom From Distant Recurrence in Premenopausal Women With Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
In a long-term analysis of the TEXT/SOFT trials reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Pagani et al found that potential benefits of escalating adjuvant endocrine therapy beyond tamoxifen alone in preventing distant recurrence may be minimal in premenopausal women with hormone...
Do Poorly Differentiated Clusters in Liver Metastases From Colorectal Cancer Offer Prognostic Value?
A study published by Yonemura et al in The American Journal of Surgical Pathology has shown a correlation between the poorly differentiated cluster grade in primary colorectal cancer tumors and metastatic lesions in the liver. The researchers wrote, “[Grade of] poorly differentiated clusters in...
2019 Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association Briefs
The American Thyroid Association held its 2019 Annual Meeting from October 30 to November 3 in Chicago. Below are brief summaries of important oral presentations on thyroid cancer from the meeting.
Incidence and Incidence-Based Mortality in a State
Results of a retrospective analysis of thyroid ...
AACR-NCI-EORTC: Activity of Tipifarnib in Patients With HRAS-Mutant Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
A small phase II study investigating the efficacy and safety of the investigational farnesyl transferase inhibitor tipifarnib in patients with recurrent and metastatic HRAS-mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma found the agent produced objective responses in the patient population. Based on...
AACR-NCI-EORTC: Investigational KRAS G12C Inhibitor for KRAS-Mutant Solid Tumors
The investigational KRAS G12C inhibitor MRTX849 yielded clinical responses in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colorectal cancer harboring KRAS G12C mutations, according to data from a phase I clinical trial presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular...
AACR-NCI-EORTC: Selumetinib for Adult Patients With Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Inoperable Plexiform Neurofibromas
The investigational MEK inhibitor selumetinib showed clinical activity in adult patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)-associated plexiform neurofibromas, according to preliminary results from an ongoing phase II study presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular...
Association Between Prior Antibiotic Treatment and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Outcomes
In a study presented in a brief report in JAMA Oncology, David J. Pinato, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that past but not concurrent use of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy was associated with poorer treatment outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for various cancers in...
Postdiagnosis Use of Aspirin in Patients With Biliary Tract Cancer
In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Jackson et al found that postdiagnosis aspirin use was associated with significantly improved overall survival across biliary tract cancer types.
Study Details
The study involved 2,934 adult patients diagnosed with biliary tract cancer...
Pretreatment Vitamin D Deficiency and Outcomes in Hodgkin Lymphoma
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Borchmann et al found that pretreatment vitamin D deficiency was associated with poorer progression-free and overall survival rates in patients receiving first-line treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.
Study Details
The analysis involved 351...
Long-Term Follow-up of Salvage Short-Term ADT Plus Radiotherapy After Radical Prostatectomy
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Carrie et al, the 112-month follow-up of the French phase III GETUG-AFU 16 trial has confirmed the initial 5-year report of the trial, which reported improved progression-free survival with the addition of short-term androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) to...
Long-Term Recurrence-Free Survival With the Addition of Adjuvant Trastuzumab to Chemotherapy in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Long-term follow-up analysis of the NCCTG N9831 (Alliance) and NRG Oncology/NSABP B-31 trials, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Chumsri et al, showed poorer recurrence-free survival in hormone receptor (HR)-negative vs HR-positive HER2-positive breast cancer, with the addition of...
First Survivor Views Survey Highlights Barriers to Addressing Side Effects of Cancer Treatment
Barriers to accessing appropriate therapies to address the physical and psychological side effects of cancer treatment continue to persist for patients and survivors, according to results of the Survivor Views survey conducted by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
...
ASCO National Cancer Opinion Survey: Cancer Prevention, E-Cigarette, and End-of-Life Knowledge Gaps Reported
One in four Americans say they incorporate cancer prevention into their daily lives, according to ASCO’s third annual National Cancer Opinion Survey, despite research showing that as many as half of all cancer cases are preventable. The survey found low levels of awareness of known cancer risk...
MONARCH 2: Interim Analysis of Overall Survival With Abemaciclib/Fulvestrant in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
As reported in JAMA Oncology by George W. Sledge, Jr, MD, and colleagues, an interim analysis of overall survival in the phase III MONARCH 2 trial has shown a significant advantage for abemaciclib plus fulvestrant vs fulvestrant alone in women with advanced hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative...
Panitumumab Plus Modified FOLFOXIRI for First-Line Treatment of RAS Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In the German phase II VOLFI trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Modest et al found that panitumumab plus modified FOLFOXIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) used as first-line therapy improved the objective response rate in patients with RAS wild-type...
Leydig Cell Failure and Dysfunction and Associated Adverse Health Outcomes in Male Survivors of Childhood Cancer
In a retrospective analysis from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Chemaitilly et al identified the prevalence of and risk factors for failure and dysfunction of Leydig cells, which are responsible for testosterone secretion, and associated adverse...
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound May Help to Predict Cirrhotic Nodule Transformation to Hepatocellular Carcinoma
An article published by Lin et al in the American Journal of Roentgenology has identified sonographic biomarkers that may predict eventual malignant transformation of pathologically confirmed cirrhotic nodules for patients at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Lead investigator Manxia Lin, MD, of...
Palliative Care Bill Unanimously Approved by U.S. House of Representatives
On October 28, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA). The bipartisan bill would increase federal research funding for palliative care—including pain and symptom management—and would establish palliative care...
CASPIAN Trial: Addition of Durvalumab to Platinum/Etoposide for First-Line Treatment of Extensive-Stage SCLC
As reported in The Lancet by Luis Paz-Ares, MD, and colleagues, an interim analysis of the phase III CASPIAN trial has shown an overall survival benefit with the addition of durvalumab to platinum (either cisplatin or carboplatin)/etoposide chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of...
Pembrolizumab for Patients With Advanced Adrenocortical Carcinoma
In a single-center phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Raj et al found that pembrolizumab showed activity in advanced adrenocortical carcinoma.
Study Details
Thirty-nine patients with advanced adrenocortical carcinoma were enrolled in the study between February 2016 and...
Superoxide Dismutase Mimetic for Reducing Severe Oral Mucositis From Concurrent Radiotherapy and Cisplatin in Head and Neck Cancer
In a phase IIb trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Anderson et al found that the superoxide dismutase mimetic GC4419 was effective in reducing the duration, incidence, and severity of severe oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer receiving concurrent radiotherapy and...
Relapse-Free Survival After Vismodegib Discontinuation in Patients With Complete Remission of Locally Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma
In a French retrospective study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Herms et al found that long-term response is frequently maintained in patients discontinuing vismodegib after complete remission of locally advanced basal cell carcinoma, and that responses can be achieved with vismodegib ...
Global Burden of Pancreatic Cancer From 1990–2017
The incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer have increased in 195 countries and territories over a 27-year period, according to a systematic analysis performed within the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 and published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. The study is the...
Trifluridine/Tipiracil Survival Benefit for Patients With Metastatic Gastric Cancer Who Had or Had Not Undergone Prior Gastrectomy
In a subgroup analysis of the phase III TAGS trial (TAS-102 Gastric Study) reported in JAMA Oncology, David H. Ilson, MD, PhD, and colleagues found positive trends in survival benefit with trifluridine/tipiracil treatment vs placebo for patients with pretreated metastatic gastric cancer or...
Addition of Trilaciclib to Chemotherapy in Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Tan et al found that the addition of the cell-cycle inhibitor trilaciclib to gemcitabine/carboplatin chemotherapy did not reduce the duration or incidence of severe neutropenia during chemotherapy in women with triple-negative breast cancer. A...
Nab-paclitaxel/Gemcitabine/Cisplatin for Previously Untreated, Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
In a phase Ib/II pilot study reported in JAMA Oncology, Jameson et al found that treatment with nab-paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and cisplatin was active in patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Study Details
In the study, 25 patients were enrolled between...
Factors in Genetic Testing Decisions Among Women With a Personal and Family History of Breast Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Scott et al identified several factors that motivated breast cancer survivors with high genetic risk to undergo genetic testing and found that clinicians often failed to discuss all relevant factors in decision-making.
Study Details
The...
Health Insurance Literacy and Financial Hardship in Cancer Survivors
A new study published by Zhao et al in JNCI Cancer Spectrum has linked health insurance literacy with medical financial hardship as well as nonmedical financial sacrifices among adult cancer survivors in the United States. The study’s authors say the study indicated that health insurance literacy...
FDA Pipeline: Treatments for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer, AML; Breakthrough Device for Prostate Cancer; Statement on Safety Information for Breast Implants
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to trastuzumab deruxtecan for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer; granted Fast Track designation for bemcentinib for elderly patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML); granted Breakthrough...
Addition of Bevacizumab to Chemotherapy in Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Argiris et al, the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)-American College of Radiology Imaging Network Cancer Research Group–coordinated phase III E1305 trial has shown no overall survival benefit with the addition of bevacizumab to...
Immunotherapy in Relapsed or Refractory Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Findings from the phase Ib KEYNOTE-013 and phase II KEYNOTE-170 trials reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Armand et al indicated that pembrolizumab is highly active in relapsed or refractory primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). The KEYNOTE-170 trial supported the 2018...
Gene Signature to Identify Benefit of Front-Line Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide, and Rituximab in IGHV-Unmutated CLL
In a retrospective cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Herling et al identified a 17-gene signature that distinguished patients with IGHV-unmutated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) more likely to achieve long-term remission after front-line chemoimmunotherapy with fludarabine,...
Study Finds Disparities in Treatment of African American and Hispanic Patients With Multiple Myeloma
African American and Hispanic patients with multiple myeloma generally start treatment with novel therapy significantly later than white patients, according to a study published by Ailawadhi et al in Blood Advances. The study found that, on average, it took about 3 months for white patients to...
2019 Supportive Care: Racial Disparities in Use of Hospice Care Near Death Among Patients With Pancreatic Cancer
A study investigating the utilization of hospice care among racial/ethnic minority patients following treatment for pancreatic cancer has found that African American and Hispanic patients who underwent surgical removal of the pancreas were less likely than white patients to use hospice services at...
2019 Supportive Care: Anxiety, Depression, and Low Social Support Are Significant Factors in Cancer Pain Intensity
Pain is one of the most common symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment, and feelings of anxiety and depression can intensify the level of pain patients experience, according to the results from a study by Galloway et al that will be presented at the 2019 Supportive Care in Oncology...
2019 Supportive Care: Oncology Massage May Relieve Symptoms of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
A new study has found that oncology massage therapy can provide symptomatic relief for a common and difficult-to-treat side effect of cancer treatment. Patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy experienced a sustained reduction in lower-extremity pain up to 6 weeks after completion...
Algorithm for Identifying Genetic Mutations Likely to Respond to Immunotherapy
A new model works to determine which genetic mutations may respond best to treatment with immunotherapy. Richman et al published the data on the model’s development in Cell Systems, and the algorithm, antigen.garnish, is already available online as an open source technology to serve as a resource.
...
No Survival Benefit With Complete Lymph Node Dissection vs Observation in Sentinel Node–Positive Melanoma
As reported by Leiter et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the final analysis of the German phase III DeCOG-SLT trial have shown no distant metastasis-free survival, recurrence-free survival, or overall survival benefit with complete lymph node dissection vs observation in patients with...
Pegilodecakin Plus Pembrolizumab or Nivolumab in Advanced Solid Tumors
In a phase Ib trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Naing et al found that the combination of pegilodecakin (pegylated interleukin [IL]-10) with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab or nivolumab was active in previously treated advanced solid tumors.
In the study, ...
Apalutamide Treatment for Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer and Health-Related Quality of Life
In an analysis of the phase III TITAN trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Neeraj Agarwal, MD, and colleagues found that that treatment with apalatuamide was associated with preserved health-related quality of life, including pain and fatigue outcomes, in patients with metastatic...
Exercise for Patients With Cancer to Minimize Treatment Cardiotoxicity
Tailored exercise may help to minimize cardiotoxicity in patients with cancer, according to a report published by D’Ascenzi et al in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Cardiovascular diseases are common side effects in patients with cancer. This is the result of cardiotoxicity, whereby ...
FDA Pipeline: Designations for Acute Graft-vs-Host Disease, Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to a therapy for steroid-refractory acute graft-vs-host disease and granted Orphan Drug designation to a therapy for peripheral T-cell lymphoma.
Fast Track Designation for T-Guard in Steroid-Refractory Acute...
Effect of Patient General Preference for More vs Less Medical Care on Intensity of Posttreatment Thyroid Cancer Surveillance
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Evron et al found that patients with thyroid cancer who were declared disease-free after initial treatment were more likely to have increased numbers of physician visits and imaging tests if they reported a generalized preference for...
Pooled Analysis of Outcomes in Older Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer Receiving CDK4/6 Inhibitor Plus Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy
In a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pooled analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Howie et al found that progression-free survival and benefit were similar for older vs younger postmenopausal women treated with combined cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) plus aromatase...
Virtual Molecular Tumor Boards May Help to Efficiently Deliver Precision Medicine to Patients
Using virtual, cloud-based, interconnected computing techniques applied to 51,000 variables, researchers reduced the time needed to assess a patient’s tumor profile and suitability for clinical trials from 14 to 4 days. This method also increased the number of cases that could be assessed compared...
IASLC North America: Lung Cancer Screening Among First Responders
National lung cancer screening guidelines are inadequate to diagnose patients who contract lung cancer from occupational exposure, including first responders, according to a study reported by Vershalee Shukla, MD, at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s (IASLC) North America ...
Romiplostim for Patients With Chemotherapy-Induced Thrombocytopenia
In a single-center phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Soff et al found that treatment with romiplostim was effective in rapidly correcting chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia, with maintenance treatment being effective in reducing risk of recurrent chemotherapy-induced...
RELAY Trial: Addition of Ramucirumab to Erlotinib in Previously Untreated, EGFR-Mutated Advanced NSCLC
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Nakagawa et al, the phase III RELAY trial has shown that the addition of the VEGFR2 inhibitor ramucirumab to the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib improved progression-free survival in treatment-naive, advanced EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Study...
Nivolumab vs Chemotherapy in Previously Treated Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Kato et al, the phase III ATTRACTION-3 trial conducted in predominantly Asian patients has shown a survival benefit with nivolumab vs paclitaxel or docetaxel in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who were refractory to or intolerant of...
Deviation From NCCN Guidelines May Result in Greater Costs for Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer
A study published by Williams et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that direct costs for patients with metastatic breast cancer increased when their treatment differed from recommendations found in the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology® (NCCN...
Anti-GD2 Monoclonal Antibody Plus Induction Chemotherapy in High-Risk Neuroblastoma
A phase II study evaluating whether combining an investigational anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody with induction chemotherapy improved outcomes in children with newly diagnosed high-risk neuroblastoma found that the therapy significantly improved 2-year event-free survival. Furman et al published the...
BRAF and MEK Inhibition in Advanced Melanoma With Rare BRAF Mutations
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Menzer et al found that combined BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy appeared to be more active than single-inhibitor therapy in advanced melanoma with rare BRAF mutations.
Study Details
The study involved data from 103 patients with advanced...
Maintenance Chemotherapy Improves Survival in High-Risk Rhabdomyosarcoma
In the phase III RMS 2005 trial reported by Gianni Bisogno, MD, and colleagues in The Lancet Oncology, maintenance vinorelbine and low-dose continuous cyclophosphamide was associated with nonsignificant improvement in disease-free survival and significantly improved overall survival vs no further...
Colorectal Cancer Screening With Fecal Immunochemical Testing, Sigmoidoscopy, or Colonoscopy for Patients Aged 50 to 79 Years Old
As reported in The British Medical Journal (BMJ) by Helsingen et al, a clinical practice guideline on colorectal cancer screening published as a BMJ Rapid Recommendations guideline indicates that previously unscreened individuals aged 50 to 79 years old with 15-year colorectal cancer risk of ≥ 3%...
Effect of Race and Ethnicity on Survival in Pediatric and Adolescent Hodgkin Lymphoma
In a Children’s Oncology Group (COG) study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kahn et al found that event-free survival in pediatric and adolescent patients with Hodgkin lymphoma was similar by race and ethnicity in COG trials, but that adjusted overall survival was better in white...
High Blood Pressure and Cardiac Adverse Events in Patients Treated With Ibrutinib
Over half of patients treated with the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib developed new or worsened high blood pressure within 6 months of starting the medication, according to a study published by Dickerson et al in Blood. The analysis is also the first to tie ibrutinib-related...
Acute Toxicity With Intensity-Modulated Fractionated Radiotherapy vs Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer
In an analysis from the phase III PACE-B trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Brand et al found that shortened treatment courses with stereotactic body radiotherapy did not increase gastrointestinal or genitourinary acute toxicity vs intensity-modulated fractionated radiotherapy in low-risk to...
ASCO Breakthrough: Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Detecting Lung Nodule Locations and Characteristics
A computer-aided diagnosis system using deep-learning analysis to detect lung lesion locations and quantitatively characterize the lesions on computed tomography (CT) images offered a fast and convenient approach for assisting radiologists in the diagnosis of lung nodule pathologies. These findings ...
Plasma miR371 Expression as a Biomarker for Active Germ Cell Malignancy
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nappi et al showed that plasma microRNA miR371 expression was associated with high specificity and positive predictive values in predicting active germ cell malignancy.
Study Details
The study included 111 patients with a history of or...
ASCO Breakthrough: Blood-Based Screening Assay With a Novel Multivariate Cancer Risk Score Model
A novel multivariate cancer risk score model demonstrated 60% sensitivity at 98.5% specificity. These findings demonstrate that a blood-based cancer screening assay with a novel risk score model may be a viable method for detecting cancer in asymptomatic individuals, especially in populations at...
ASCO Breakthrough: Targeted Methylation Sequencing Assay May Provide New Tool for Cancer Detection Across Stages and Tissues of Origin
A study by Oxnard et al using bisulfite sequencing of plasma cell-free DNA to identify methylomic signatures for multicancer detection and tissue of origin found the assay achieved accurate detection of multiple cancers across stages and tissue of origin localization. The targeted methylation assay ...
Effect of Tumor Sidedness and Molecular Alterations on Outcomes in Patients With RAS/BRAF Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Morano et al assessed prognostic/predictive role of tumor sidedness and presence of uncommon molecular alterations in anti-EGFR treatment primary resistance in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer.
Study Details
The ...
Care of Malignant Bowel Obstruction in Patients With Advanced Gynecologic Cancer
In a single-center retrospective study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Lee et al found that implementation of an interprofessional malignant bowel obstruction program changed care patterns and improved outcomes for women with advanced gynecologic cancers and malignant bowel...
Parenchymal-Sparing Hepatectomy for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases
In a meta-analysis published by Deng et al in Cancer Medicine, researchers found parenchymal-sparing hepatectomy was associated with better perioperative outcomes vs extended hepatectomy for the treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases, without compromising long-term oncologic outcomes.
The ...
Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy vs Observation After Local Treatment of Melanoma Brain Metastases
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hong et al found that adjuvant whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) was not associated with a significant benefit in distant intracranial control vs observation after local treatment of patients with one to three melanoma brain...
Addition of Metformin to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy in EGFR-Mutant NSCLC
In a single-center phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Arrieta et al found that the addition of metformin to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy resulted in improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an activating EGFR mutation.
...
High-Dose Chemotherapy vs Standard Chemotherapy and Whole-Lung Irradiation in Ewing Sarcoma With Pulmonary Metastases
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Dirksen et al, the R2Pulm trial showed no significant event-free or overall survival benefit with busulfan/melphalan high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue (BuMel) vs standard chemotherapy with whole-lung irradiation in patients...
Impact of Treating Facility, Provider Volume, and Patient-Sharing in the Treatment of Patients With Multiple Myeloma
A study published by Freeman et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that generally, providers with more experience treating multiple myeloma have better outcomes than those with more limited experience. Providers who saw the most cases were more likely to be...
Recent Trends in the Treatment and Prognosis of Male Breast Cancer
A recent analysis published by Yadav et al in Cancer reviewed how the treatment of male breast cancer has evolved over the years 2004 to 2014. In addition, certain patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related factors were found to be linked with better survival.
Male breast cancer comprises 1% of all...
ESMO 2019: Overall Survival With Immunotherapy Doublet vs Chemotherapy in Advanced NSCLC
As reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019 (Abstract LBA4) and simultaneously in The New England Journal of Medicine by Matthew D. Hellmann, MD, and colleagues, the phase III CheckMate 227 trial has shown that nivolumab plus ipilimumab improved overall survival vs ...
ESMO 2019: Interim Analysis of the BEACON CRC Trial
In an interim analysis of the phase III BEACON CRC trial reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019 (Abstract LBA32) and in The New England Journal of Medicine, Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD, and colleagues found improved overall survival and overall response rate in...
Addition of Doxorubicin to Sorafenib in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
As reported in JAMA Oncology by Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa, MD, and colleagues, the phase III Alliance/CALGB 80802 trial has shown no progression-free or overall survival benefit with the addition of doxorubicin to sorafenib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The study was stopped early...
Use of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Unilateral Retinoblastoma With and Without Histopathologic High-Risk Features
In a Children’s Oncology Group study (COG ARET0332) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Chévez-Barrios et al found discrepancies between central and institutional identification of high-risk features of enucleated unilateral retinoblastoma, and that use of adjuvant chemotherapy based on...
Preclinical Study Finds Exposure to E-Cigarette Smoke Increased Risk of Cancer in Mice
Exposure to e-cigarette smoke caused mice to develop lung cancer, according to findings from a preclinical study published by Tang et al in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).
The study found that 9 of 40 mice (22.5%) exposed to e-cigarette smoke ...
Association Between Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk and Indoor Tanning Use in Women
In a Norwegian study published by Lergenmuller et al in JAMA Dermatology, researchers found evidence of a dose-response association between lifetime indoor tanning and risk of development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in women. The association was the same regardless of duration of use and...
ESMO 2019: Cabazitaxel vs Abiraterone or Enzalutamide in Previously Treated Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
As reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019 (Abstract LBA13) and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine by Ronald de Wit, MD, and colleagues, the phase III CARD trial has shown improved imaging-based progression-free survival and overall...
ESMO 2019: Veliparib Plus First-Line Chemotherapy and as Maintenance Therapy in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
In the phase III VELIA/GOG-3005 trial—reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019 (Abstract LBA3) and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine—Robert L. Coleman, MD, and colleagues found that the use of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor ...
Pembrolizumab for Relapsed or Refractory Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome
In a phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Khodadoust et al found that pembrolizumab was active in patients with advanced relapsed or refractory mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome.
In the U.S.-based multicenter trial, 24 patients with advanced mycosis fungoides (n = 9) or...
Individual Patient Meta-analysis of Microsatellite Instability as a Prognostic Marker in Resectable Gastric Cancer
In an individual patient data meta-analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Pietrantonio et al found that microsatellite instability (MSI) status was a strong prognostic marker in patients with resectable gastric cancer.
The study involved data from 1,556 patients with resectable...
Addition of Ovarian Function Suppression to Ongoing Tamoxifen in Premenopausal Breast Cancer
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kim et al found that the addition of 2 years of ovarian function suppression during ongoing tamoxifen treatment improved disease-free survival vs 5 years of tamoxifen alone in patients with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer...
ESMO 2019: Molecular Classification for Adjuvant Treatment in Women With High-Risk Endometrial Cancer
A study by Creutzberg et al investigated the survival outcome of combined adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy vs radiotherapy alone in women with endometrial cancer with high-risk features. The researchers found that 5-year recurrence-free survival varied according to a patient’s specific...
ESMO 2019: Liquid Biopsy to Determine Best Treatment for Patients With NSCLC
Patients with advanced lung cancer might soon be offered a blood test that could help decide the best treatment for them, instead of relying on tumor biopsy analysis. New data from the BFAST trial presented by Gadgeel et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019 (Abstract ...
FDA Pipeline: Advances in Prostate Cancer, Urothelial Cancer, Myelofibrosis, and More
In the past few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued regulatory decisions in prostate cancer, urothelial cancer, myelofibrosis, breast cancer, pediatric brain cancer, leukemia, and skin cancer.
Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Niraparib in Metastatic...
ESMO 2019: High Conversion Rate With Certain Induction Chemotherapy Regimens Is Associated With Improved Overall Survival in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
Induction chemotherapy with nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine or sequential FOLFIRINOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) followed by surgical exploration induced high conversion rates in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, and conversion was associated with...
ESMO 2019: 3-Year Results From CheckMate 238: Adjuvant Nivolumab vs Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma
Superior recurrence-free survival benefit was observed with nivolumab vs ipilimumab—and was consistent across disease stage, programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels, and BRAF mutation status—in patients with resected stage III/IV melanoma and a high risk of recurrence, according to ...
Reduced Risk of Recurrence and Improved Long-Term Outcome With Complete Mesocolic Excision in Right-Sided Colon Cancer
In a Danish population-based cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Bertelesen et al found that complete mesocolic lymph node excision was associated with reduced risk of recurrence vs noncomplete excision approaches among patients with stage I to III right-sided colon adenocarcinomas.
...
Time Without Symptoms or Toxicity After Niraparib Maintenance Therapy in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, and colleagues found that niraparib maintenance therapy was associated with increased time without symptoms or toxicity (TWiST) vs routine surveillance among women with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer in...
ESMO 2019: Study Suggests Difference in Response to Immunotherapy Regimens Between Sexes
A meta-analysis of 16 phase III randomized clinical trials evaluating programmed cell death protein 1/ligand 1 (PD-1/-L1) inhibitors either alone or in combination with chemotherapy for solid tumors has found that women derived significantly greater benefit from the addition of chemotherapy to...
ESMO 2019: IMvigor130: Addition of Atezolizumab to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma
Patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma demonstrated prolonged progression-free survival with the addition of atezolizumab to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy vs treatment with chemotherapy alone, according to phase III data from the IMvigor130 study presented by...
ESMO 2019: Lenvatinib for Advanced Thymic Carcinoma
Patients with thymic carcinoma that has progressed following treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy may benefit from treatment with lenvatinib, according to findings from a phase II study reported by Itoh et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019 (Abstract...
ESMO 2019: Personalized Treatment for Head and Neck Cancer Based on Geriatric Assessment
Fit elderly patients aged 70 years and older with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were able to undergo rigorous treatment that provided benefit similar to that observed in younger patients. However, elderly patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma classified by geriatric assessment ...
ESMO 2019: ASCEND-7: Ceritinib for Patients With ALK-Positive NSCLC Metastatic to the Brain
Patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that was metastatic to the brain at baseline demonstrated whole-body, intracranial, and extracranial responses following treatment with ceritinib, according to findings from the phase II ASCEND-7 study presented by Chow et al at the...
ESMO 2019: LIBRETTO-001 Trial of Selpercatinib in RET Fusion–Positive Thyroid Cancer
Patients with advanced RET fusion–positive thyroid cancer and RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer had high rates of response following treatment with selpercatinib, according to findings from the phase I/II LIBRETTO-001 trial presented by Wirth et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology...
ESMO 2019: BROCADE 3: Veliparib Plus Carboplatin/Paclitaxel in Patients With HER2-Negative, Germline BRCA-Mutated Advanced Breast Cancer
Patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer with a germline BRCA mutation demonstrated significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) with the addition of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor veliparib to chemotherapy (comprised of carboplatin/paclitaxel)...
ESMO 2019: Ivosidenib in IDH1-Mutated Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma
Patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma with an isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation showed clinical benefit and improved progression-free survival (PFS) when treated with ivosidenib vs placebo, according to results presented by Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa, MD, at the European Society for Medical...
Is Implicit Bias Contributing to Time Disparities in Goals-of-Care Conversations With Minority Patients?
GUEST EDITOR
Addressing the evolving needs of cancer survivors at various stages of their illness and care, Palliative Care in Oncology is guest edited by Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD, FASCO. Dr. Von Roenn is ASCO’s Vice President of Education, Science, and Professional Development.
It has been well...
ESMO 2019: ctDNA as a Marker for Disease-Free Survival With Oxaliplatin Treatment in Stage III Colon Cancer
Patients with advanced colon cancer and plasma samples containing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) were less likely to achieve 2-year disease-free survival with oxaliplatin-based adjuvant treatment than patients with ctDNA-negative samples, according to findings presented at the European Society for...
ESMO 2019: Studies Show PARP Inhibitors Improve Survival, Reduce Risk of Disease Recurrence or Death in Newly Diagnosed Ovarian Cancer
Two studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2019 Congress showed the efficacy of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer.
In the PRIMA/ENGOT-OV26/GOG-3012 study, presented by González Martín et al (Abstract LBA1;...
ESMO 2019: Tailored Treatment vs Empiric Chemotherapy for Cancer of an Unknown Primary
Treatment tailored by comprehensive molecular gene-expression analysis of tumors from patients with carcinomas of an unknown primary site did not improve progression-free survival vs empiric chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin/gemcitabine. Fizazi et al presented these findings at the European...
ESMO 2019: 5-Year Survival and Response With Nivolumab/Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma
An update of results of the phase III CheckMate 067 trial at 5 years presented by Larkin et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2019 Congress showed that both nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab and nivolumab alone provided significant improvements in overall survival,...
ESMO 2019: Men With Prostate Cancer May Avoid Postoperative Radiotherapy, Study Finds
Men with prostate cancer may be spared radiotherapy after surgery, according to late-breaking results of the RADICALS-RT trial presented by Parker et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019 (Abstract LBA49_PR). The study answers a long-standing question about whether...
ESMO 2019: First-Line Immunotherapy Shows Clinical Benefit in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
New data have shown a trend toward clinically meaningful improvements in survival and response rates and a favorable safety profile with first-line immunotherapy compared to current standard treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
The data, reported by Yau et al at the European...
Prior Antibiotic Treatment and Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Patients With Cancer
In a study presented in a brief report in JAMA Oncology, Pinato et al found that past—but not concurrent—use of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy was associated with poorer treatment outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for various cancers in routine clinical practice.
As...
FDA Announces Voluntary Recall of Certain Ranitidine Capsules
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted health-care professionals and patients of a voluntary recall of 14 lots of prescription ranitidine capsules distributed by Sandoz Inc, used to decrease the amount of acid created by the stomach. This recall is due to a nitrosamine...
Treatment-Free Survival as an Outcome Measure of Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Therapy in Advanced Melanoma
In a pooled analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Regan et al evaluated treatment-free survival as an outcome measure among patients with advanced melanoma receiving nivolumab/ipilimumab or either agent alone in the CheckMate 067 and 069 trials.
Study Details
The study involved ...
Addition of Induction Gemcitabine/Cisplatin to Chemoradiotherapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
In a Chinese phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Zhang et al found that the addition of gemcitabine/cisplatin induction chemotherapy to standard platinum-based chemoradiotherapy improved recurrence-free survival vs chemoradiotherapy alone in locoregionally advanced...
Immunotherapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Cervical, Vaginal, or Vulvar Carcinoma
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Naumann et al, the phase I/II CheckMate 358 trial found that nivolumab showed activity in a cohort of patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical, vaginal, or vulvar squamous cell carcinoma.
Study Details
A total of 24 patients were...
Risk of Subsequent Neoplasms in Childhood Cancer Survivors With Neurofibromatosis Type 1
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that childhood cancer survivors with pathogenic neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) variants had a greater risk of subsequent neoplasms than survivors without NFI variants and that radiotherapy was...
AACR Disparities: Uninsured/Underinsured, Lower-Income, and/or Minority Patients More Likely to Receive Cancer Diagnosis After ED Visit
Medicare patients from lower socioeconomic groups and several ethnic minority groups were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer following an emergency department visit, according to results of a study presented at the 12th American Association for Cancer Research Conference on The Science of...
Origin and Taxonomy of Mucinous Ovarian Cancer
An international study has revealed the origin of mucinous ovarian cancer, confirming that unlike other types of ovarian cancer, this cancer arises from benign and borderline precursors at the ovaries and are not extraovarian metastases. These findings were published by Cheasley et al in Nature...
Effect of MYC Rearrangement and Translocation Partner in DLBCL
In a Lunenburg Lymphoma Biomarker Consortium study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Rosenwald et al found that MYC rearrangement was associated with poorer outcomes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) when accompanied by rearrangement of BCL2 and/or BCL6 and an immunoglobulin...
AACR Disparities: Mortality Rate for Colorectal Cancer Higher for Blacks Than for Whites in Major U.S. Cities
According to the American Cancer Society, excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women in the United States and the second most common cause of cancer deaths. This year, it is expected that more than 51,000 people will die of the malignancy....
AACR Disparities: Survey Finds LGBTQI+ Latinx Community Members Are Not Receiving Tailored Cancer-Related Information and Care
According to the National LGBT Cancer Network, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI+) individuals are at greater risk for several cancers, including cervical, oral, and breast cancers.
A survey to assess LGBTQI+ Latinx communities’ experience with cancer...
Risk Model for Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jawhar et al have developed a risk model for advanced systemic mastocytosis that differentiates low-, intermediate-, and high-risk disease.
Study Details
The study included 383 patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis from the German Registry ...
Adoption of Conservative Management of Prostate Cancer Among Urology Practices
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Modi et al found that the difference in the rates of use of conservative management of prostate cancer widened between lower-use and higher-use urology practices between 2014 and 2018.
Study Details
Use of a sample of Medicare claims...
Two Studies Show Variation in Effectiveness of Mammography Across Populations
Two recent studies showed varying degrees of the effectiveness of mammography in different populations. In a report published in Radiology, Gao et al showed that in men at high risk for breast cancer, screening mammography may be able to increase the rate of detection of early-stage disease....
Sorafenib Plus Transarterial Chemoembolization for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
During the past decade, scientists began to test whether the addition of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) to treatment with sorafenib could increase survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Scientists from Taiwan and Japan performed the first large, national-level,...
Final Results of a Phase III Trial of PET-Guided Treatment in Early-Stage Favorable Hodgkin Lymphoma
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Fuchs et al, final results of the German Hodgkin Study Group phase III HD16 trial in early-stage favorable Hodgkin lymphoma indicate that combined modality therapy (CMT) is associated with better progression-free survival vs chemotherapy alone...
Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Carrying Class 3 BRAF Mutations May Respond to Anti-EGFR Therapy
Although between 8% and 12% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer harbor a BRAF gene mutation, not all non-V600 BRAF alterations respond to EGFR antibody treatment, according to findings from a study by Yaeger et al published in Clinical Cancer Research. The study investigated whether...
Cancer Survival, Incidence, and Mortality in Seven High-Income Countries From 1995–2014
As reported by Arnold and colleagues in The Lancet Oncology, the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership Cancer Survival in High-Income Countries (SURVMARK-2) project has found general improvement in cancer survival between 1995 and 2014 in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand,...
International Guidelines for Treatment and Prophylaxis of VTE in Patients With Cancer
The 2019 International Initiative on Thrombosis and Cancer (ITAC) has issued updated clinical practice guidelines for the treatment and prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with cancer. They were published by Farge et al in The Lancet Oncology.
The guidelines consist of...
SOHO 2019: Asciminib/Imatinib in Patients With Previously Treated CML
In a phase I trial, the combination of the BCR-ABL1 inhibitor asciminib and the small-molecule kinase inhibitor imatinib showed preliminary efficacy, safety, and tolerability in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) resistant to or intolerant of treatment with two or more prior tyrosine...
POLE/POLD1 Mutations Across Cancer Types and Association With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Outcomes
In a research letter published in JAMA Oncology, Wang et al identified the frequency of mutations in DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) and delta 1 (POLD1) genes across cancer types and found that these mutations were associated with better survival outcomes among patients receiving immune checkpoint...
Addition of Selective Internal Radiotherapy to Chemotherapy May Improve Resectability of Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases
In a report published by Garlipp et al in the British Journal of Surgery, the addition of selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT) to modified FOLFOX6-based chemotherapy (mFOLFOX6; oxaliplatin/leucovorin/fluorouracil) improved the resectability of initially unresectable colorectal cancer liver...
ASTRO 2019: Long-Term Hormone Therapy May Increase Other-Cause Mortality in Men With Prostate Cancer Receiving Early Salvage Radiotherapy
Findings from the randomized phase III NRG Oncology/RTOG 9601 trial were initially reported in 2017, and showed that the addition of 2 years of antiandrogen therapy to postsurgical radiation treatment for men with recurrent prostate cancer increased their long-term overall survival rate. That study ...
ASTRO 2019: Patterns of Disease Progression in Patients With Unresectable Stage III NSCLC: Analysis of the PACIFIC Trial
Andreas Rimner, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, presented an update of the landmark PACIFIC trial at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) (Abstract LBA-6).
In earlier reports from the randomized phase III trial, Antonia et al had evaluated...
Bevacizumab/Niraparib vs Niraparib Alone for Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
In the phase II NSGO-AVANOVA2/ENGOT-ov24 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Mansoor Raza Mirza, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of bevacizumab plus niraparib prolonged progression-free survival vs niraparib alone in women with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer.
Study...
ASTRO 2019: Machine-Learning Model May Accurately Predict Radiation Side Effects in Patients With Head and Neck Cancers
A study by Reddy et al investigating the use of a machine-learning model to predict which patients with head and neck cancer being treated with radiation may experience significant weight loss, feeding tube placement, and unplanned hospitalization has found that the model accurately identified the...
Access to Cannabis Products for Patients With Cancer in a State With Restrictive Medical Marijuana Laws
Results of a survey reported by Singh et al in the Journal of Oncology Practice found that a population of primarily patients with cancer enrolled in Georgia’s medical marijuana program reported concerns about the legality of marijuana-related products and their ability to obtain the products.
As...
ASTRO 2019: ORIOLE Trial: Observation vs SABR for Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer
The randomized, phase II ORIOLE trial studying the efficacy of targeted high-dose radiation for men with oligometastatic prostate cancer has shown that stereotactic ablative radiation (SABR) is an effective and safe option for patients who wish to delay hormone-suppression therapy. Data from the...
ASTRO 2019: SBRT After Disease Progression on Immunotherapy Increases PFS in Patients With Metastatic NSCLC
Non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for the vast majority of all lung cancers—between 80% and 85% of those diagnosed in the United States—and is among the most deadly cancers for both men and women, exceeding the mortality rate of colon, breast, and pancreatic cancers combined.
The results ...
ASTRO 2019: Effect of Closure of Women’s Health Clinics From 2010 to 2013 on Cervical Cancer Screening and Detection
Following the closure of nearly 100 women’s health clinics across the United States from 2010 to 2013, fewer women were screened for cervical cancer; more women were diagnosed with advanced stages of the disease; and disease mortality rates rose. Findings from a new analysis combining several...
Single-Center Study of Human Herpesvirus 6B Detection in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
In a single-institution study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hill et al found that detection of human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was associated with increased mortality in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) with lower...
Home-Based Exercise and Weight Loss Programs for Lymphedema Management in Overweight Breast Cancer Survivors
As reported in JAMA Oncology by Schmitz et al, the WISER Survivor trial showed no benefit of home-based exercise and weight loss programs on lymphedema outcomes vs facility-based lymphedema care among overweight breast cancer survivors.
Study Details
In the trial, 351 overweight breast cancer...
FDA Issues Drug Safety Communication on Lung Inflammation Due to Treatment With CDK4/6 Inhibitors
On September 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a drug safety communication warning that palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib—used to treat some patients with advanced breast cancer—may cause rare but severe inflammation of the lungs. The agency approved new warnings about...
Neoadjuvant Cisplatin/Gemcitabine Followed by Standard Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer
In a Brazilian single-center phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, da Costa et al found that neoadjuvant cisplatin/gemcitabine followed by standard chemoradiation therapy with cisplatin did not improve outcomes vs chemoradiation therapy alone in locally advanced cervical...
WCLC 2019: KEYNOTE-024 Survival Update Shows Benefit With Pembrolizumab vs Chemotherapy in Advanced NSCLC
First-line pembrolizumab monotherapy provides durable long-term overall survival benefit compared to chemotherapy in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data from the KEYNOTE-024 trial presented by Martin Reck, MD, PhD, at the International Association for the...
WCLC 2019: Selpercatinib in RET Fusion–Positive NSCLC
Patients with RET fusion–positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprise up to 2% of all NSCLC cases, but there are no targeted therapies currently approved for patients with this form of lung cancer. Selpercatinib (also known as LOXO-292) is an oral and highly selective investigational drug...
WCLC 2019: Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery vs Open Surgery in Lung Cancer
Video-assisted thoracic surgery was associated with lower in-hospital complications and a shorter length of stay compared with open surgery among British patients who were diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer, according to research presented by Lim et al at the International Association for the...
FDA Pipeline: Breakthrough Therapy Designation in Lung Cancer, Orphan Drug Designations in Myeloma and Soft-Tissue Sarcoma
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to tepotinib for metastatic non–small cell lung cancer harboring MET exon 14 skipping alterations, and Orphan Drug designations to novel chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies in both multiple myeloma ...
WCLC 2019: Final Overall Survival Results of IMpower131 Trial in Advanced Squamous NSCLC
Patients with stage IV squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with high programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression treated with atezolizumab and chemotherapy experienced longer overall survival rates than those treated with chemotherapy alone. The data from the IMpower131 trial were...
WCLC 2019: Autoantibody Diagnostic Test Followed by CT Imaging May Improve Diagnosis, Reduce Mortality in Lung Cancer
A combination of the EarlyCDT-Lung Test followed by computed tomography (CT) imaging in Scottish patients at risk for lung cancer resulted in a significant decrease in late-stage diagnosis of lung cancer and may decrease lung cancer–specific mortality, according to research presented at...
WCLC 2019: BioMILD Trial of Blood MicroRNA Plus Low-Dose CT to Reduce CT Repeats in Lung Cancer Screening
Researchers from Milan reported that using a blood microRNA assay accompanied by low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening is safe and effective in screening patients for lung cancer. The results were shared at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2019 World...
WCLC 2019: Declaration From IASLC on Tobacco Cessation After Cancer Diagnosis
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) used the platform of the 2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) to call attention to the importance of tobacco cessation after cancer diagnosis and urged all physicians to screen patients with cancer for tobacco use and...
WCLC 2019: Pooled Analysis of CheckMate 017 and 057: 5-Year Outcomes With Nivolumab vs Docetaxel in Previously Treated NSCLC
Pooled data on two clinical trials demonstrated patients with previously treated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with nivolumab had a greater than fivefold increase in 5-year overall survival rate compared to treatment with the chemotherapy docetaxel. Scott Gettinger, MD, of Yale...
WCLC 2019: CASPIAN Trial Finds Addition of Durvalumab to Chemotherapy Improves Overall Survival in Patients With Extensive-Stage SCLC
The addition of durvalumab to chemotherapy improved overall survival in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to research presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) (Abstract PL02.11)....
2019 Lasker Awards for Basic and Clinical Medical Research and Public Service Announced
On September 10, The Lasker Foundation announced the winners of its 2019 Lasker Awards: Max D. Cooper, MD, of Emory University, and Jacques Miller, AC, FRS, FAA, of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, will receive the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award; H. Michael...
T-DM1 Plus Neratinib in Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
In the phase Ib NSABP Foundation Trial FB-10 reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jame Abraham, MD, and colleagues found evidence of activity of the combination of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) plus neratinib in metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer and identified the dose of the...
Pamiparib Plus Tislelizumab in Advanced Solid Tumors
In an Australian phase Ia/b trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Friedlander et al found evidence of activity of the combination of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor pamiparib and the programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor tislelizumab in patients with previously treated advanced...
WCLC 2019: Screening Efficacy of PLCOm2012 vs USPSTF Criteria
Researchers reported that a prospective trial comparing two screening methods for patients at risk of developing lung cancer found that a model used by Canadian, Australian, and European public health organizations detected more cancers than the screening model used by the United States Preventive...
WCLC 2019: Survey Findings on Evidence-Based Guidelines for Molecular Testing in Lung Cancer
One-third of those who responded to a survey reported they are unaware of evidence-based guidelines that support the use of molecular testing in lung cancer, according to results from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Global Survey on Molecular Testing in Lung...
WCLC 2019: First-Line Nivolumab/Ipilimumab in Special Populations With NSCLC
First-line therapy consisting of nivolumab plus ipilimumab showed a consistent safety profile in special populations with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to research presented by Fabrice Barlesi, MD, PhD, of Aix-Marseille University, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille...
WCLC 2019: Safety and Toxicity of AMG 510 for KRAS G12C–Mutated, Advanced NSCLC
In a clinical trial testing the toxicity of a KRAS inhibitor, the treatment demonstrated early promising antitumor activity and few adverse side effects in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring a KRAS G12C mutation. The research was presented by Govindan et al at the...
WCLC 2019: Two Studies Show Tumor Mutational Burden Not Associated With Pembrolizumab Efficacy in NSCLC
At the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), two presentations showed that tumor mutational burden is not associated with the efficacy of pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy in patients with non–small cell lung cancer...
2019 Quality Care: Improving Caregiver Identification and Support in a Gynecologic Oncology Practice
In a study reported at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium and simultaneously published in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Campbell et al found that an ASCO Quality Training Program Project—the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) initiative—resulted in improvement in primary caregiver identification and...
2019 Quality Care: Improving Documentation of Pain and Constipation Assessment and Management
In a study reported at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium and simultaneously published in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Chineke et al found that a Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) initiated in collaboration with ASCO at the Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence (GCCE) at Grady Health...
2019 Quality Care: Intervention to Improve Rates of Resident Advanced Care Planning Documentation
In a single-center study reported at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium and simultaneously published in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Switzer et al found that an intervention consisting of a resident training module and use of a best practice alert (BPA) in electronic medical records (EMRs)...
Avelumab for Mismatch Repair–Deficient and Mismatch Repair–Proficient Endometrial Cancer
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Panagiotis A. Konstantinopoulos, MD, PhD, and colleagues found evidence of promising activity of the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor avelumab in mismatch repair–deficient (MMRD) recurrent or persistent endometrial...
Real-Time ctDNA Evaluation in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma
In a study published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Mody et al described results from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing in a real-time clinical context. The authors wrote, “[ctDNA assessment] holds incredible promise for early...
FDA Pipeline: Fast Track Designation in Myelodysplastic Syndrome and AML, Plus Multiple Breakthrough Designations
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to magrolimab in myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The agency also granted Breakthrough Therapy designations in lung cancer and desmoid tumors, as well as Breakthrough Device designations...
Tumor Immune Infiltration and Disease Progression in Follicular Lymphoma
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Tobin et al found that low tumor immune infiltration—indicated by low programmed cell death ligand 2 (PD-L2) expression—was associated with earlier disease progression in follicular lymphoma.
As stated by the investigators, “Understanding...
ASTRO Guideline on Use of Radiation Therapy for Patients With Pancreatic Cancer
A new clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) provides recommendations on the use of radiation therapy to treat patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, including when radiation treatments are appropriate, as well as the optimal dosing, timing, and...
Does PTSD Increase the Risk of Developing Ovarian Cancer?
Women who experienced six or more symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in life had a twofold greater risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women who never experienced any PTSD symptoms. These findings were published by Roberts et al in Cancer Research.
The...
Does the Addition of Bevacizumab to Erlotinib in Advanced EGFR-Mutant NSCLC Improve PFS?
In a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Thomas E. Stinchcombe, MD, and colleagues found that the addition of bevacizumab to erlotinib did not significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Study Details
The...
Neoadjuvant Talazoparib for Operable BRCA-Mutated Breast Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jennifer K. Litton, MD, and colleagues found that 6 months of neoadjuvant talazoparib therapy resulted in a high rate of residual cancer burden (RCB) of 0 (pathologic complete response) in patients with stage I–III breast cancer with germline ...
Solid Organ Transplantation in Aging Survivors of Childhood Cancer
A retrospective analysis from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study reported in The Lancet Oncology by Dietz et al found that the need for solid organ transplantation was infrequent in aging survivors of childhood cancer, with greater organ-specific risk being associated with particular therapeutic...
Association Between Postdischarge Bleeding in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome and Subsequent Cancer Diagnosis
Bleeding during the first 6 months after discharge from the hospital for acute coronary syndrome may be linked to subsequent cancer diagnosis, according to research presented by Muñoz Pousa et al at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2019 (Abstract P677).
“Our results suggest that...
New Report Finds Cancer Drugs Account for Over a Quarter of All New Drug Approvals in the United States
Cancer drugs currently account for 27% of all new drug approvals in the United States since 2010—an increase from the 4% share they occupied in the 1980s, a newly completed analysis summarized in the most recent issue of the Tufts CSDD Impact Report.
From 1980 through 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug...
2019 Quality Care: Cost of Treatment, Prior Authorization of Treatment Plans May Cause Barriers to Care
Drug costs and requirements for prior authorization of treatment plans pose barriers to cancer treatment and can potentially affect outcomes for many patients, according to two studies that will be presented at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium.
The studies respectively examine how the high...
2019 Quality Care: Socioeconomic Deprivation and Outcomes in Cancer Clinical Trials
In a study to be presented by Unger et al at the 2019 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, researchers found patients living in socioeconomically deprived areas were more likely to experience worse survival in cancer clinical trials, even after adjustments for race and insurance (Abstract 162).
Methods
...
2019 Quality Care: End-of-Life Care in Western Washington State vs Alberta, Canada
In a study to be presented by Khaki et al at the 2019 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, researchers found more aggressive end-of-life measures—including use of chemotherapy and admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU)—were employed in the last 30 days of life in Western Washington state vs Alberta,...
Individualized Axitinib Regimens After Immunotherapy for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
In a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ornstein et al found that individualized axitinib regimens showed activity in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic renal cell carcinoma who had previously received immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, although the progression-free...
Risk of Infections in Survivors of Childhood Leukemia
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Pelland-Marcotte et al found that survivors of childhood leukemia remained at significantly increased risk of infection compared with matched controls during an extended period following completion of treatment.
Study Details
The...
Reducing Time to Chemotherapy Initiation in Patients Electively Admitted to a Hematologic Malignancy Service
In a single-institution study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Galeas et al found that intervention in key drivers in the care process could reduce the time to initiation of chemotherapy in patients with elective admission to a hematologic malignancy service.
Study Details
The goal...
Analysis of HPV-Related Cancers Reported From 2012 to 2016
During 2012–2016, an average of approximately 34,800 human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers were reported each year, according to a new study published by Senkomago et al in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Among the cancers probably caused by HPV, 92% are attributable to the HPV types ...
FDA Recommendation on Duodenoscopes With Disposable Components
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that duodenoscope manufacturers and health-care facilities transition to different types of duodenoscopes that may pose less risk to patient safety. Specifically, because of challenges with cleaning these devices for reuse and persistent...
Pyrotinib or Lapatinib With Capecitabine in Previously Treated HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
In a Chinese phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ma et al, the combination of the pan-ErbB inhibitor pyrotinib and capecitabine improved response rate vs lapatinib/capecitabine in women with HER2-positive relapsed or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with...
Chromosomal Abnormalities and Prognosis in NPM1-Mutant AML
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Angenendt et al found that adverse-risk cytogenetics were associated with significantly poorer outcomes vs normal karyotype among patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) mutation.
As stated by the...
Results From the TAPUR Study on Palbociclib for Pancreatic Cancer and Cholangiocarcinoma
New results from ASCO’s Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) study have demonstrated that single-agent palbociclib has no meaningful clinical activity in patients with CDKN2A-mutated or -deleted advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. These findings were...
What Role Do Physicians Play in Health Promotion Among Patients With Cancer?
A recent study published by Stump et al in Cancer indicated that certain physicians who care for patients with cancer do not often promote healthy lifestyle changes to cancer survivors, and they may fear that providing such advice would distress or overwhelm patients. The findings are noteworthy...
Extended Follow-up of CheckMate 214: Nivolumab/Ipilimumab vs Sunitinib as First-Line Treatment for Advanced RCC
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Robert J. Motzer, MD, and colleagues, extended follow-up of the phase III CheckMate 214 trial has shown a maintained survival benefit for first-line nivolumab/ipilimumab vs sunitinib in patients with previously untreated intermediate- or poor-risk advanced...
High-Deductible Health Plans, Access to Care, and Emergency Department Use Among Cancer Survivors
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Zheng et al found that patients with cancer and high-deductible health plans had increases in delayed/forgone care, an effect that was attenuated for those with health savings accounts. Emergency department use was similar across insurance...
Exposure to Secondhand E-Cigarette Aerosols Increasing Among Middle and High School Students
A growing number of middle and high school students are being exposed to secondhand aerosols from electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) by living with or being around individuals who are vaping, according to data from a national survey. Such exposure increased rapidly in 2018 compared to the years...
Text Instructions and Reminders May Improve Colonoscopy Adherence Rates
Having text message conversations with patients 1 week before they are scheduled for a colonoscopy decreased “no-show” rates, according to a recent study published by Mahmud et al in Health Education & Behavior. Through sending reminders and instruction, the team increased the rate of...
Prognostic Tool for Advanced, Well-Differentiated Neuroendocrine Tumors Treated With a Somatostatin Analog
In the GETNE-TRASGU study (Spanish Group of Neuroendocrine and Endocrine Tumors Treated With Analog of Somatostatin in Gastroenteropancreatic and Unknown Primary NETs) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Carmona-Bayonas et al developed a predictive model for progression-free survival in...
FDA Issues Draft Guidance Encouraging Inclusion of Male Patients in Breast Cancer Clinical Trials
A draft guidance issued by the U.S. Food Drug Administration (FDA) on August 26 includes draft recommendations for the inclusion of male patients in breast cancer clinical trials.
Historically, males either have not been included in clinical trials for drugs to treat breast cancer, or inclusion of ...
Role of the YAP Regulatory Network in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Researchers have decoded a chain of molecules that are critical for the growth and survival of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. They say their findings, published by Murakami et al in Developmental Cell, suggest that inhibiting the YAP biologic network may effectively regress early-stage...
Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy and Reduced Mortality in Patients With Hepatitis C and a History of Liver Cancer
A study published by Singal et al in Gastroenterology demonstrated that treatment with antiviral therapy for hepatitis C reduced liver-related deaths by nearly 50% in patients with a history of liver cancer.
Previous Research
The finding builds on a December 2018 study by Singal et al also...
Phase Ib Trial of Toripalimab/Axitinib in Asian Patients With Advanced Mucosal Melanoma
In a Chinese phase Ib study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sheng et al reported activity with the combination of the anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) agent toripalimab plus axitinib in patients with metastatic mucosal melanoma.
As stated by the investigators, whereas...
Cancer in Adults Aged 85 and Older: Rates, Screening, and Survival
A new report published by DeSantis et al in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians examined cancer statistics in adults 85 and older and found incidence and mortality trends are generally similar to those in people aged 65 to 84 years, but disease screening rates are unexpectedly high and survival is...
Aspirin Use May Improve Liver Function After Embolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
According to research published by Boas et al in the American Journal of Roentgenology, aspirin therapy is associated with improved liver function test results and survival after transarterial embolization for hepatocellular carcinoma. Findings In a retrospective review of 304 patients, among the ...
Patient vs Provider Views on Goals and Adverse Effects of Cancer Therapy
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Duckworth et al found that many patients with cancer had more optimistic treatment goals vs their physicians and that patients who did not understand adverse effects associated with treatment had higher distress scores. As stated by the...
Enfortumab Vedotin in Platinum- and Anti–PD-1/L1–Pretreated Urothelial Carcinoma
In the phase II EV-201 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Rosenberg et al found the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin showed high activity in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma who had previously received platinum-based therapy and anti–programmed cell...
CMS Finalizes Decision to Cover CAR T-Cell Therapy for Medicare Beneficiaries
On August 7, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the decision to cover U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy among recipients of Medicare benefits. FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies are approved to...
Androgen-Deprivation Therapy May Increase Risk for QT Prolongation and Torsades de Pointes
In a study published by Salem et al in Circulation, researchers examined how several testosterone-blocking drugs commonly used in the treatment of prostate cancer affect the heart's QT interval. The longer a QT interval—typically measured by an electrocardiogram—the more at risk a ...
Is Vitamin A Intake Linked to Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk?
People whose diets included high levels of vitamin A had a 17% reduction in risk for developing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, as compared to those who ate modest amounts of foods and supplements rich in vitamin A. These findings were published by Kim et al in JAMA Dermatology. Vitamin A is...
Comparison of Biomarker Assay Types in Predicting Response to Anti–PD-1/PD-L1 Treatment
In a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Lu et al found that multiplex immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence (mIHC/IF) assays appeared to have greater accuracy vs other types of assays in predicting response to anti–programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell...
Maintenance Bevacizumab, Pemetrexed, or Both in Advanced Nonsquamous NSCLC
In the phase III ECOG-ACRIN 5508 trial, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ramalingam et al, maintenance pemetrexed or bevacizumab was associated with no significant improvement in overall survival vs the bevacizumab control group alone, and was associated with greater toxicity in...
How Treatment Costs Affect Decisions for Breast Cancer Surgery
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Greenup et al found that cancer treatment costs influenced women’s decisions on breast cancer surgery. Researchers reported many women, even at the highest income levels, said that costs were higher than expected, and that most women...
What Causes Liver Injury During Treatment With Pembrolizumab?
Immunotherapy as a treatment for advanced solid cancers has rapidly evolved over the past decade—often yielding remarkable results. However, its use has also given way to new adverse effects, including drug-induced gastrointestinal and liver toxicities. “Checkpoint inhibitors are a...
AI May Improve Efficiency and Accuracy of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis
Artificial intelligence (AI) may improve the efficiency and accuracy of an advanced imaging technology used to screen for breast cancer, according to a study published by Conant et al in Radiology: Artificial Intelligence. Digital breast tomosynthesis is an advanced method for cancer...
Cell-Free DNA Sequencing Highly Concordant With Tissue-Based Testing in the Detection of Microsatellite Instability Status
Microsatellite instability (MSI) is an important predictive biomarker of response to immune checkpoint blockade in solid cancers. However, despite recommendations by clinical practice guidelines, MSI is often not assessed, usually due to tissue insufficiency, unavailability, or infeasibility....
Ibrutinib/Rituximab vs Standard Chemoimmunotherapy in Previously Untreated CLL
In an interim analysis of the phase III E1912 trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Shanafelt et al found that ibrutinib/rituximab improved progression-free and overall survival vs standard chemoimmunotherapy in patients 70 years old or younger with previously untreated chronic...
Can Lymph Node Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Predict Prognosis in Esophageal Cancer?
In a study published by Urakawa et al in Annals of Surgery, researchers found that the response of lymph nodes to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is more effective in predicting disease recurrence and patient survival in individuals with esophageal cancer than the response of primary tumors....
Prognostic Biomarker for Progression of Moderate Cervical Dysplasia
In a study published by Louvanto et al in Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers investigated the ability of a DNA methylation panel to determine between disease progression and regression among women of childbearing age with untreated cervical intraepithelial dysplasia. In the majority of...
Tumor-Associated Antigen Cytotoxic T Cells in Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors
In a phase I trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hont et al found that treatment of relapsed or refractory solid tumors with ex vivo expanded autologous multiantigen-associated specific cytotoxic T cells—or, tumor-associated antigen cytotoxic T cells—was safe and showed...
Hysterectomy-Corrected Uterine Corpus Cancer Incidence in the United States
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Clarke et al found that hysterectomy-corrected rates of uterine corpus cancer—particularly nonendometrioid subtypes—have been increasing in the United States, with racial disparities in incidence and survival being observed. In...
FDA Approves Pexidartinib for Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor
On August 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to pexidartinib (Turalio) capsules for the treatment of adult patients with symptomatic tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) associated with severe morbidity or functional limitations and not responsive to improvement with...
FDA Pipeline: Breakthrough Therapy for Melanoma, Investigational New Drug for Advanced Solid Tumors
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to bempegaldesleukin in combination with nivolumab for advanced melanoma and cleared an investigational new drug application for a phase I trial of SB 11285 in advanced solid tumors. Breakthrough...
Can Treatment With Antibiotics Inhibit Malignant T Cells in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma?
Many patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma contract Staphylococcus aureus infections in the skin. In a new study, researchers have shown that aggressive treatment with antibiotics for patients with these infections not only inhibits the staphylococcal bacteria—but also the cancer...
Psychological Stress and Cancer-Specific Mortality in Patients With Cervical Cancer
Results from a large cohort study showed that psychological stress is associated with increased cancer-specific mortality among women with cervical cancer, independent of tumor characteristics and treatment modality. The findings support the integration of psychological screening and intervention...
Post Hoc 5-Year Follow-up of Pembrolizumab vs Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma
In a post hoc 5-year follow-up of the KEYNOTE-006 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Robert et al found that pembrolizumab maintained overall and progression-free survival benefits over ipilimumab in patients with advanced melanoma. In the primary analysis from the trial, both pembrolizumab...
Adjuvant Radiotherapy After Radical Prostatectomy vs Radical Prostatectomy Alone in Patients With Positive Margins or Extracapsular Extension
In patients with prostate cancer with surgical positive margins or extracapsular extension of their disease, the risk of disease recurrence postprostatectomy is higher than in cases where the cancer cells are confined within the prostate. The Finnish FinnProstataX study investigated...
Global Burden of Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer in 2017
A recent analysis looked at the global burden of pediatric cancer through the lens of years of affected and lost life. This work shows a much greater burden of childhood cancer, placed largely in low- and middle-income countries, than previous estimates. The findings were published in The Lancet...
Survey Finds Majority of Americans Are Unfamiliar With Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Nearly-three quarters of Americans are not familiar with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of cancer in the United States, according to a new survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of The Skin Cancer Foundation. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is more common...
Durvalumab With or Without Tremelimumab in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
In the first stage of a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, O’Reilly et al found poor activity of durvalumab with or without tremelimumab in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Owing to the lack of efficacy, study expansion was not pursued. The lead-in open-label safety ...
Palbociclib Plus Cetuximab in Platinum- and Cetuximab-Resistant HPV-Unrelated Head and Neck Cancer
In a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Adkins et al found that the combination of the cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor palbociclib and the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab showed activity in patients with either platinum- or cetuximab-resistant human papillomavirus...
Pazopanib in Advanced Extraskeletal Myxoid Chondrosarcoma
Findings from a cohort of a phase II study reported by Stacchiotti et al in The Lancet Oncology indicated activity of the antiangiogenic agent pazopanib in advanced extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma. As noted by the investigators, this rare sarcoma has low sensitivity to cytotoxic chemotherapy,...
Ten-Year Update on Standard Adjuvant Chemotherapy vs Capecitabine in Older Women With Early Breast Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Muss et al, long-term findings from the phase III CALGB 49907 trial support the finding from the primary analysis—that standard adjuvant chemotherapy improved recurrence-free survival vs capecitabine in women aged 65 years or older with early ...
FDA Approves Pembrolizumab for Some Patients With PD-L1–Positive Esophageal Cancer
On July 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus whose tumors express programmed ...
FDA Approves Darolutamide for Nonmetastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
On July 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved darolutamide (Nubeqa) for the treatment of nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Approval was based on the ARAMIS study, a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 1,509 patients with...
Overall Survival With the Addition of Ribociclib to Endocrine Therapy in Advanced HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Im et al, an interim analysis of the phase III MONALEESA-7 trial has shown an overall survival benefit with the addition of the cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor ribociclib to endocrine therapy in pre- or perimenopausal women...
WHO Releases Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic
Many governments are making progress in the fight against tobacco, with 5 billion people today living in countries that have introduced smoking bans, warnings on packaging, and other effective tobacco control measures—four times more people than a decade ago. However, a new World Health...
Abdominal Fat and Mortality in Patients With Colorectal Cancer
For patients with colorectal cancer, new research shows a clearer connection than previously known between fat deposits in certain areas of the body and higher rates of death from all causes within 7 years of cancer diagnosis. These findings were published by Brown et al in the Journal of the...
Post Hoc Updated Survival Analysis of Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy vs Radiotherapy in High-Risk Endometrial Cancer
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by de Boer et al, a post hoc updated survival analysis of the phase III PORTEC-3 trial has shown a significant overall survival benefit of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy vs radiotherapy alone in women with high-risk endometrial cancer. A benefit in failure-free...
Rituximab Maintenance in Previously Untreated Follicular Lymphoma: 9-Year Follow-up
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Bachy et al, 9-year follow-up of the phase III PRIMA trial indicated a maintained progression-free survival benefit of maintenance rituximab vs observation following first-line induction therapy for follicular lymphoma. As in the prior reports from ...
Five-Year Survival in Heavily Pretreated Patients Receiving Nivolumab Monotherapy
As reported by Topalian et al in JAMA Oncology, long-term follow up of patients from a phase I expansion cohort study indicated 5-year overall survival rates of 34.2%, 27.7%, and 15.6% among patients who received nivolumab monotherapy for advanced melanoma, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and...
Automated Breast Cancer Detection Assay Using Fine-Needle Aspiration May Aid Patients in Developing Countries
A new laboratory test developed to identify chemical changes to a group of cancer-related genes may be able to accurately detect which breast tumors are cancerous or benign. Such a test could result in a more timely diagnosis of breast cancer for women in developing countries with less access to...
Germline BRCA2 Mutations and Risk of Pediatric or Adolescent Lymphoma
A research letter published by Wang et al in JAMA Oncology has found that inherited mutations in the BRCA2 gene are linked to an increased risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in children and adolescents. “The BRCA family of genes are known to be linked to risk for breast and...
Erdafitinib in FGFR-Altered Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Loriot et al, the fibroblast growth factor receptor 1-4 tyrosine kinase inhibitor erdafitinib showed activity in FGFR-altered advanced urothelial carcinoma. Study Details The study enrolled patients from sites in 14 countries between May...
ARCHES: Enzalutamide Plus ADT in Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Armstrong et al, findings from the phase III ARCHES trial have shown significant improvement in radiographic progression-free survival with enzalutamide plus androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) vs placebo plus ADT in men with metastatic...
Use of BI-RADS Breast Density and BCSC Risk to Identify Women for Discussion of Supplemental Imaging
In a study reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, Kerlikowske et al found that the combined use of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) breast density and Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC)-defined risk for breast cancer may be an effective way of identifying women with dense...
FDA Pipeline: Label Update for Durvalumab in NSCLC; Applications Accepted in Epithelioid Sarcoma, AML
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the inclusion of overall survival from the PACIFIC trial in the U.S. prescribing information for durvalumab and accepted applications for a new drug in the treatment of epithelioid sarcoma and two orphan drugs in the treatment of acute...
Conditional Reprogramming of Urine Cultures for Bladder Cancer
A research team led by investigators from Georgetown University Medical Center and Fudan University in China has devised a noninvasive and individualized technique for detecting and treating bladder cancer. Their findings were published by Jiang et al in Protein & Cell. The method uses a...
Deep Natural Language Processing of Oncology Radiology Reports
Scientists have demonstrated that an artificial intelligence (AI) tool can perform as well as human reviewers—and much more rapidly—in extracting clinical information regarding changes in tumors from unstructured radiology reports for patients with lung cancer. These findings were...
Clinical Deterioration Among Patients Hospitalized at a Tertiary Cancer Hospital
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Lyons et al found that transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) or on-ward death occurred in 9% of admissions to cancer wards at an urban tertiary cancer hospital. Investigators identified factors associated with clinical deterioration...
Pembrolizumab After Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in Advanced NSCLC
In a Dutch phase II study reported in JAMA Oncology, Theelen et al found that although use of stereotactic body radiotherapy prior to pembrolizumab increased the objective response rate vs pembrolizumab alone in metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the difference did not meet study...
FDA Requests Manufacturer Recall of Some Textured Breast Implants
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested that Allergan, the manufacturer of a specific type of textured breast implant, recall specific models of its textured implants from the U.S. market due to the risk of breast implant–associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL)....
Radiofrequency Ablation vs Minimally Invasive Surgery for Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma
In a retrospective analysis published by Si et al in Surgical Endoscopy, researchers found minimally invasive surgery led to higher survival and lower local recurrence in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma vs radiofrequency ablation, whereas radiofrequency ablation was associated with...
