Basser Center for BRCA Announces Two Award Winners
The Basser Center for BRCA at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, the world’s first comprehensive center aimed at advancing research, treatment, and prevention of BRCA-related cancers, is honoring Alan D. D'Andrea, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, with the 2025 BRCA...
Extended ERSPC Analysis Demonstrates Long-Term Mortality Benefit of PSA Screening for Prostate Cancer
In an updated analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Roobol et al reported long-term findings from the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) on the survival benefit of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. The study, which was initiated in 1993, ...
RCC: Lenvatinib/Everolimus Extends PFS After PD-1 Inhibition
The combination of lenvatinib and everolimus significantly improved progression-free survival compared with cabozantinib in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) that has progressed on PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors, according to findings from the phase II LenCabo...
Final Overall Survival Confirms Benefit of Durvalumab Plus FLOT in Resectable Gastric and Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinomas
The addition of the PD-L1–targeting monoclonal antibody durvalumab to conventional perioperative chemotherapy with fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel (FLOT) resulted in a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival, with benefit seen...
New Report: Lung Cancer Advancements Are Saving More Lives Than Ever, but Funding Cuts May Hinder Progress
The American Lung Association has released its 2025 “State of Lung Cancer” report, which reveals great strides in efforts to end lung cancer—the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. This year, nearly 227,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer....
Extensive LA-Area Fires Altered Blood Proteins in Firefighters
Researchers have found that firefighters who battled the massive urban fires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025 developed physiologic changes that may increase their risk of diseases, including cancer.
The research, which was published by Furlong et al in the Journal of Occupational and...
Oropharyngeal Cancer in the United States: Recent Estimates and Future Trends
Based on the results of a cross-sectional epidemiologic analysis published in JAMA Network Open, the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has increased among older individuals in the United States. According to Cao et al, those with localized disease appeared to be undertreated, indicating the need...
$16 Million PRISM Trial Will Explore AI in Breast Cancer Screening
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and UC Davis will co-lead a newly funded, multi-institutional clinical trial to evaluate whether artificial intelligence (AI) can help support radiologists in interpreting mammograms more accurately, with the goal of improving breast cancer screening ...
Axicabtagene Ciloleucel in Relapsed or Refractory Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: 5-Year Follow-up of ZUMA-5
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Neelapu et al, the 5-year follow-up of the phase II ZUMA-5 trial has shown sustained responses with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Study Details
In the single-arm,...
Study Finds Breast Cancer Risk Varies Between Different Hormonal Contraceptives
Some common hormonal contraceptives are linked to a slightly higher risk of breast cancer than others. This is shown by a new study from Uppsala University, in which researchers followed more than 2 million women and teenage girls in Sweden to identify how different hormonal contraceptives affect...
Diminishing the National Cancer Institute Threatens Americans
In an effort to reduce the size of government, the current administration has proposed an across the board 37% reduction1 in funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This will result in approval of only 4% of applications2 from scientists at universities and cancer centers, with 96% of...
Zanzalintinib Plus Atezolizumab vs Regorafenib in Previously Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Without MSI-H or dMMR Tumors
In a phase III trial (STELLAR-303) reported in The Lancet, Hecht et al found that the combination of the multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor zanzalintinib and atezolizumab improved overall survival vs regorafenib in patients with previously treated relapsed or refractory metastatic colorectal...
Experts Outline Roadmap for Clinical Implementation of AI in Pediatric CNS Tumor Management
A subcommittee of the RAPNO (Response Assessment in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology) consortium that is focused on artificial intelligence (AI-RAPNO) has released guidance on the responsible implementation of AI in pediatric neuro-oncology in the form of a two-part policy review published in The Lancet...
Metastatic ER-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer: Novel Treatment Combination Improves Progression-Free Survival
Patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer showed significantly improved progression-free survival when treated with an oral combination regimen that includes giredestrant, a next-generation oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) and full...
Pembrolizumab Plus Weekly Paclitaxel Improves Survival Outcomes in Platinum-Resistant Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
The addition of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab to weekly paclitaxel, with or without the VEGFA-targeted bevacizumab, significantly improved progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer, in the randomized, double-blind, phase III...
Reflections of a Medical Oncologist: Empathy Matters in Caring for Patients With Cancer
“Someday you will be a doctor, Fazlur, and help people,” were the prophetic words of a mother to her son and the driving force behind the early quest of Fazlur Rahman, MD, to become a physician. Born and raised in what is now Bangladesh, he experienced the death of his mother at the young age of 7.
...
Malignant Melanoma: Addition of Whole-Body Imaging in Postsurgery Follow-up
In an interim analysis of a Swedish phase III study (TRIM) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ladjevardi et al found no improvement in outcomes with the addition of whole-body imaging to physical examination in a follow-up of patients undergoing radical surgery for stage IIB-C or III cutaneous...
Addition of Abemaciclib to Abiraterone in mCRPC
In a phase III study (CYCLONE 2) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Smith et al found that the addition of abemaciclib to abiraterone did not significantly improve radiographic progression–free survival in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
Study Details
In the...
Deep Learning and Mammography for Identifying Interval Breast Cancers
A deep learning algorithm developed for processing digital screening mammograms, Mirai, was able to detect interval breast cancers and identify women who would benefit from more frequent screenings, according to the results of a UK retrospective study published in Radiology.
“If we called back...
Novel Strategy May Improve Outcomes in Patients With Treatment-Resistant DLBCL
Researchers have found that a DNA repair–facilitating mechanism may be responsible for a tumor’s treatment resistance and could be treated with a combination of chemotherapies, according to a recent study published by Marullo et al in Cancer Research. The mechanism involves the shuttling of...
CAR T-Cell Therapy May Be Effective—but Unaffordable—as Second-Line Therapy for Patients With DLBCL
Investigators have found that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may be an effective but unaffordable second-line treatment option for patients with relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), according to a recent study published by Kelkar et al in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
...
Second-Line Lisocabtagene Maraleucel May Be More Cost-Effective Than Standard-Care DLBCL Therapy
The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel may be a cost-effective second-line treatment option in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), according to a recent study published by Choe et al in Blood Advances.
Background
In...
Combination Targeted Therapy Produces Durable Responses in Patients With Relapsed DLBCL
The results from a phase Ib/II study of a five-drug regimen of venetoclax, ibrutinib, prednisone, obinutuzumab, and lenalidomide (ViPOR) in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) show the treatment produced durable remissions in patients with specific molecular...
Shortening FDA-Mandated CAR T-Cell Therapy Monitoring Periods Could Improve Access to Treatment in Patients With DLBCL
Two hallmark toxicities of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may be rare after 2 weeks following infusion in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), supporting a shorter, more flexible toxicity monitoring period., according to a recent study published by Ahmed et al in...
Atezolizumab, Venetoclax, and Obinutuzumab in Richter Transformation Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
In a phase II trial (MOLTO) reported in the The Lancet Oncology, Tedeschi et al found that the combination of the PD-L1 blocker atezolizumab, the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax, and the anti-CD20 antibody obinutuzumab was active in Richter transformation diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL-RT).
Study...
Glofitamab or Rituximab Plus Gemcitabine/Oxaliplatin in Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL
As reported in The Lancet by Abramson et al, the phase III STARGLO trial has shown significantly improved overall survival with glofitamab plus gemcitabine/oxaliplatin vs rituximab plus gemcitabine/oxaliplatin in patients with transplant-ineligible relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell...
Addition of Brentuximab Vedotin to Lenalidomide/Rituximab in Relapsed or Refractory DLBCL
In an interim analysis of a phase III trial (ECHELON-3) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bartlett et al found that the addition of brentuximab vedotin (BV) to lenalidomide and rituximab improved overall survival in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma...
FDA Approves Brentuximab Vedotin With Lenalidomide and Rituximab for Relapsed or Refractory LBCL
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in combination with lenalidomide and a rituximab product for adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL)—including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, DLBCL ...
Combination Therapies for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: 5-Year Outcomes of the POLARIX Trial
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Morschhauser et al, the 5-year findings of the POLARIX trial showed a continued benefit with polatuzumab vedotin plus rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (Pola-R-CHP) vs rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine,...
Testing for Melanoma Sentinel Lymph Node Status
A gene expression profile–based test coupled with clinicopathologic factor assessment was able to consistently identify patients with melanoma who were at a low risk for their disease spreading to the sentinel lymph nodes, according to findings from the MERLIN_001 trial published in JAMA Surgery.
...
Cancer Data Scientist Joins Translational Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai
Eytan Ruppin, MD, PhD, has been appointed Deputy Director of the Translational Research Institute as well as Director of Integrative Data Sciences in the Division of Surgical Research at Cedars-Sinai Cancer.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Ruppin to Cedars-Sinai as a prestigious senior...
My 50 Years in Lymphoma: Lessons Learned?
In the 50 years now since my fellowship training, there have been major advances in the diagnosis, staging, prognostic scoring, treatment, and response assessment of lymphomas. To conjure up the future, we must first appreciate the present by understanding how it arose from the past.1 So, a trip in ...
Perioperative Camrelizumab Plus Rivoceranib vs Surgery Alone in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
In a Chinese phase II/III trial (CARES-009) reported in The Lancet, Wang et al found that the addition of perioperative camrelizumab (PD-1 inhibitor) and rivoceranib (VEGFR2 inhibitor) to surgical resection significantly improved event-free survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma at...
Carboplatin Plus Taxane-Anthracycline Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
In an Indian single-center phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gupta et al found that the addition of carboplatin to neoadjuvant sequential taxane-anthracycline chemotherapy did not improve event-free survival, the primary endpoint, in patients with triple-negative breast...
Jobs Commonly Held by Immigrant Women May Put Them at Increased Risk for Breast Cancer
Many immigrant women in the United States work in jobs that may expose them to chemicals linked to breast cancer, according to a recent study led by Silent Spring Institute. The analysis is among the first to examine how job-related chemical exposures may contribute to breast cancer risk among...
Variation in PSA Levels in Annual Testing Among Individuals Without a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Pickersgill et al found that individuals without prostate cancer undergoing annual prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing often exhibited a PSA level below biopsy threshold in the year following an elevated test result.
Study Details
The study involved data...
Overall Survival After Hormonal Therapy vs Hysterectomy in Early Endometrial Cancer
In a U.S. cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Suzuki et al assessed long-term survival among premenopausal women with clinical stage I endometrioid endometrial cancer treated with fertility-preserving hormonal therapy vs hysterectomy.
Study Details
The study focused on National Cancer...
Could Statins Help Preserve Cognitive Function During Chemotherapy?
Contrary to previous research, a preplanned secondary analysis of the multicenter PREVENT trial reported by Grizzard et al in JAMA Network Open showed that patients with cancer undergoing anthracycline-based treatment who receive statins may not experience deterioration in cognitive function.
...
Investigational Antibody-Drug Conjugate in Previously Treated SCLC
About 13% of all lung cancers in the United States are small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and approximately 87% are non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Together, these lung cancers are the second most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women, excluding skin cancer. Usually a very aggressive...
Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma: PPARG Inhibitor Shows Preliminary Efficacy
Each year, nearly 85,000 Americans are diagnosed with bladder cancer, and about 17,500 individuals die from the disease. Urothelial carcinoma is the most frequent type of bladder cancer, constituting over 90% of cases in industrialized nations. Up to two-thirds of advanced urothelial carcinomas are ...
Global Analysis Uncovers Wide Inequalities in Care for Breast, Cervical, and Ovarian Cancers
A major study of three of the most common cancers in women, conducted by the Cancer Survival Group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, found variations in the stage of disease at diagnosis, the type of treatment, and the extent to which treatment was consistent with...
Collaborative Strategy Involving AI, Human Task-Sharing Could Help Minimize Mammogram Costs
When screening for breast cancer, the most effective strategy to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) may involve collaboration with human radiologists, according to a recent study published by Ahsen et al in Nature Communications. The findings could help shape how hospitals and clinics integrate...
Use of AI Assistance to Improve HER2 Breast Cancer Classifications
The accuracy of HER2 breast cancer scoring improved with the use of AI assistance, especially for patients with low and ultralow levels of HER2 expression, results from a multinational study showed. The findings were presented in a press briefing ahead of the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1014
AI Model Estimates Biological Age and Predicts Survival in Patients With Cancer
FaceAge, a deep learning system, was developed and validated to estimate biological age from photographs of faces. In a study published in The Lancet Digital Health, FaceAge showed the ability to predict short-term outcomes in patients with cancer.
The study demonstrated that FaceAge could...
Study Finds AI Chatbots Are Vulnerable to Spreading Malicious, False Health Information
While artificial intelligence (AI) large language models (LLMs) hold the promise to help consumers find trustworthy health information, a study assessing the safeguards incorporated into these models has found that they are vulnerable to malicious instruction that converts them into health...
Glofitamab Plus Polatuzumab Vedotin in Relapsed or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma
In a phase Ib/II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hutchings et al found that the combination of glofitamab and polatuzumab vedotin was associated with high activity in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, including high-grade B-cell lymphoma.
Study Details
...
Physician-Complementing Artificial Intelligence in Oncology
Use of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology is advancing rapidly. AI was first used for reading radiology images and analyzing pathology slides. More recently, use of AI has expanded to analyzing large clinical data sets (big data). The next envisioned role for AI in oncology encompasses...
LLM Trained on Somatic Mutations Shows Prognostic and Predictive Utility
Large language models (LLMs) can be trained to understand how each patient’s somatic mutations impact their cancer prognosis and possible response to therapy, according to a presentation at the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
John-William...
AI Enhances Detection of Missed Breast Cancers on Screening Tomosynthesis
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–cleared artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm was able to detect and correctly localize almost one-third of interval breast cancers in a retrospective evaluation of screening digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), findings published in Radiology showed. The...
Classifying Pancreatic Cysts Using AI Models
In a proof-of-concept study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, researchers investigated whether artificial intelligence (AI) models such as ChatGPT-4 can be used to accurately extract and classify diagnostic data from radiologic imaging reports of pancreatic cysts. The...
Online AI Tool Offers Rapid, Accurate Diagnosis for Endocrine Cancers
Researchers have developed a novel AI-powered online platform for diagnosing endocrine cancers with speed and accuracy. The AI models achieved diagnostic accuracy of 99% or more in recognizing multiple endocrine tumors. Reports of the development and validation of the models were presented at ENDO...
Zenocutuzumab Potential Explored in NRG1-Positive Cholangiocarcinoma
Zenocutuzumab-zbco yielded clinical activity in more than one-third of patients with cholangiocarcinoma and an NRG1 fusion, according to findings from the phase II eNRGy trial presented at the 2025 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (Abstract A102).
...
Preneoplastic and Neoplastic Small Lymphocytic Proliferations
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Syed Ali Abutalib, MD, and L. Jeffrey Medeiros, MD, explore the key epidemiologic, pathologic, diagnostic, and prognostic aspects of chronic...
AI-Enhanced PACT as a Noninvasive Breast Imaging Alternative
Panoramic photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) with machine learning assistance could be a safe, noninvasive, and sensitive alternative to mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for breast cancer screening, according to study results that were published in Nature...
Routine AI Assistance May Lead to Loss of Skills in Endoscopists, Study Shows
The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist colonoscopies may be linked to a reduction in the ability of endoscopists to detect adenomas in the colon without AI assistance, according to a paper published by Budzyń et al in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
Colonoscopy...
RSNA Challenge AI Models Enhance Mammography Detection of Invasive Breast Cancer
Various artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms submitted as part of a challenge demonstrated the ability to identify different breast cancers during screening mammography, according to the results of a study published in Radiology. Ensemble models of the top submitted algorithms indicated that the ...
How to Adapt to the Era of AI and the Changing Interactions With Patients: Lessons From a Low-Resource Setting
After 2 decades of practicing medicine across multiple disciplines and health systems, I’ve witnessed the dramatic transformation of patient-physician interactions, and none more dramatic than what I’m seeing in this era of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on cancer care. Early in my...
Hybrid AI Approach With Uncertainty Quantification for Mammography Reading Supports Safe Workload Reduction
Investigators have developed and tested a hybrid reading strategy for screening mammography images with artificial intelligence (AI) that includes reads from radiologists and a stand-alone AI interpretation of mammograms with an uncertainty quantification. According to study findings published in
Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: AI Model Rivals Dermatologists in Differentiation Assessment
Performance of a convolutional neural network in determining differentiation levels of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas was on par with that of experienced dermatologists, according to the results of a recent study published in JAAD International.
“This type of cancer, which is a result of...
Elironrasib Active in KRAS G12C–Resistant NSCLC
Elironrasib, a novel RAS G12C–selective tri-complex inhibitor, demonstrated initial clinical activity and a differentiated safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and KRAS G12C mutations, according to findings from a phase I trial presented at the 2025...
Ruxolitinib in Steroid-Refractory Acute GVHD: Final Analysis From REACH2
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Mohty et al, the final analysis of the phase III REACH2 trial indicates that ruxolitinib provided efficacy advantages over the best available therapy (BAT) in patients with steroid-refractory acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic...
AI Shear Wave Elastography Model for Diagnosing Breast Cancer in BI-RADS 3 or 4 Masses
In a study (INSPiRED 006) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cai et al found that an artificial intelligence–guided shear wave elastography (AI-SWE) model provided accuracy similar to expert reading of B-mode ultrasound in the diagnosis of breast cancer in women with Breast Imaging...
ESMO Publishes Guidance on Large Language Model Use for Oncology Practice
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has released its first set of recommendations for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) large language models in oncology practice, called the ESMO Guidance on the Use of Large Language Models in Clinical Practice (ELCAP). The guidance was...
How the Proliferation of Fraudulent Scientific Papers Is Threatening the Integrity of Cancer Research
There is a perception among many scientists that scientific fraud is a rare occurrence, resulting from the actions of a few isolated bad actors. However, an extensive investigation by Reese A.K. Richardson, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Science of Science and Innovation, Kellogg School ...
Revumenib Approved by FDA for NPM1-Positive AML
On October 24, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved revumenib (Revuforj), a menin inhibitor, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia with a susceptible nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) mutation, in adult and pediatric patients 1 year and older who have no...
Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Without Radiotherapy in Unresectable Locally Advanced NSCLC With High PD-L1 Expression
In a Japanese phase II trial (Evolution) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Hata et al found that pembrolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy without radiotherapy was active in unresectable locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥ 50%.
Study...
Neoadjuvant Dual ICI Blockade vs Perioperative FLOT in dMMR/MSI-H Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma
In an individual-patient pooled analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Raimondi et al found that neoadjuvant treatment with dual CTLA-4/PD-(L)1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) was associated with higher pathologic response rates vs perioperative FLOT (fluorouracil, leucovorin,...
ASTRO Announces 2025 Awards and Research Grants
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recognized the recipients of the 2025 Gold Medal awards and other high-profile honors during its recent Annual Meeting. ASTRO also recognized the recipients of its 2025 research grants and fellowships, including awards cosponsored by patient,...
Perioperative Immunotherapy Regimen Improves Outcomes in Cisplatin-Ineligible Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
A perioperative regimen of the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin-ejfv plus the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab significantly improved outcomes vs radical cystectomy alone in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who were ineligible for or declined cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Results...
Nivolumab vs Ipilimumab in Resected Stage III or IV Melanoma: 9-Year Follow-Up of CheckMate 238
As reported at the latest ESMO Congress and in The New England Journal of Medicine by Ascierto et al, the 9-year follow-up of the phase III CheckMate 238 trial showed a continued recurrence-free survival benefit with adjuvant nivolumab vs ipilimumab in patients with resected stage IIIB–C or IV...
Disitamab Vedotin Plus Toripalimab vs Chemotherapy in HER2-Expressing Advanced Urothelial Cancer
In a Chinese phase III trial (RC48-C016) reported at the recent ESMO Congress and in The New England Journal of Medicine, Sheng et al found that the combination of the HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate disitamab vedotin and the PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab-tpzi improved progression-free survival...
Sacituzumab Tirumotecan in EGFR-Mutated Advanced NSCLC
In a Chinese phase III trial (OptiTROP-Lung-04) reported at the recent ESMO Congress and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Fang et al found that monotherapy with sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT)—an antibody-drug conjugate targeting trophoblast cell–surface antigen 2—was associated...
HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer: Trastuzumab Deruxtecan Moves Into Earlier Clinical Settings
Two pivotal studies of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in early HER2-positive breast cancer suggest this antibody-drug conjugate (targeting the HER2 protein) may be moving into the curative setting after having shown benefit in metastatic disease in multiple previous trials. The new...
FDA Approves Belantamab Mafodotin for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
On October 23, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved belantamab mafodotin-blmf (Blenrep), a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)–directed antibody and microtubule inhibitor conjugate, in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone for the treatment of adults with relapsed or...
Final FLAURA2 Analysis Confirms First-Line Benefit of Osimertinib/Chemotherapy in EGFR-Positive NSCLC
The combination of osimertinib plus chemotherapy led to a median overall survival of 47.5 months compared with 37.6 months with osimertinib monotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had not received prior treatment for advanced disease, according to...
Thymic Health Associated With ICI Response
New research being presented during the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 showed that thymic health is linked to response to immune checkpoint inhibition in patients with cancer (Abstract 108O). “Immunotherapy relies on unleashing T cells, and the thymus is where T cells...
Unresectable Stage III NSCLC: Addition of Simultaneous Durvalumab to Chemoradiotherapy
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Bradley et al, the phase III PACIFIC-2 trial showed no significant progression-free survival benefit with the simultaneous addition of durvalumab to concurrent platinum-based chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) in patients with unresectable stage III...
Risk Factors for Valvular Heart Disease Among Childhood Cancer Survivors
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Glele et al identified potential risk factors for valvular heart disease (VHD) in a European cohort of long-term childhood cancer survivors.
Study Details
The nested case-control study used data from the PanCareSurFup (PanCare Childhood and Adolescent Cancer...
Cervical Cancer: SLNB Alone vs Lymphadenectomy
In a Chinese phase III trial (PHENIX) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Tu et al found that sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) alone was noninferior in disease-free survival vs lymphadenectomy in women with early-stage cervical cancer and was associated with fewer surgical...
President Biden Completes Radiation Therapy Course
President Joe Biden has completed his course of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, which he recently marked by ringing the ceremonial bell alongside his radiation oncology care team. According to a report from People, President Biden’s daughter Ashley Biden shared the moment on her Instagram...
PD-L1 Plus CTLA-4 Inhibition for Renal Cell Carcinoma Following Resection: RAMPART
Combination immunotherapy significantly improved disease-free survival after surgery in patients with primary renal cell carcinoma (RCC), according to results from the phase III RAMPART trial. These findings were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 by James...
AGA Issues New Guideline Urging Risk-Based Surveillance in Barrett’s Esophagus
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has released an updated clinical practice guideline on surveillance of Barrett’s esophagus, the only known precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma. The new guideline, which was published in Gastroenterology, emphasizes risk-based, individualized...
Local Consolidative Therapy Enhances Outcomes With Osimertinib in EGFR-Mutant NSCLC
Osimertinib in combination with local consolidative therapy of radiation and/or surgery led to a significant extension of progression-free survival for patients with EGFR-mutant metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings from the phase II NorthStar trial presented at the...
Postsurgical ctDNA Testing in Stage III Colon Cancer for Treatment De-escalation
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was found to be a strong prognostic classifier for patients with stage III colon cancer following surgery, according to findings from the phase II/III DYNAMIC-III trial. Findings from the study presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 ...
Clinical Usefulness of Linking Whole-Genome Data to Mortality Statistics in UK Patients With Breast Cancer
In a retrospective analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, Black et al examined whether linking of comprehensive whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to mortality data could add prognostic value to standard clinical data and provide a rationale for use of targeted therapies.
Study Details
In the...
Obesity-Related Cancers Are Rising Among Both Younger and Older Adults Worldwide
Multiple studies have reported increasing rates of cancer in younger adults in individual countries, but have not included an international comparison across countries. To address this limitation, Berrington de Gonzalez et al conducted a surveillance study across 42 countries evaluating cancer...
State of the Hematology and Medical Oncologist Workforce in the United States
In a study reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Kirkwood et al identified recent changes in and characteristics of the hematologist/medical oncologist (oncologist) workforce in the United States, with the data revealing gaps in coverage according to age and other patient demographics.
Study Details ...
Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
A new clinical trial from the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2025 Congress found that adjuvant therapy with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab appeared to reduce the risk of distant metastases for an aggressive form of skin...
Impact of HER2-Receptor Status in mCRC Treated With Chemotherapy Plus Bevacizumab or Anti-EGFR Agents
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Germani et al identified the impact of HER2 status in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receiving chemotherapy plus either bevacizumab or anti-EGFR agents.
Study Details
The study involved data from 1,604 patients with...
Localized PI3K-Altered Colorectal Cancer: Does Low-Dose Aspirin Reduce the Risk of Recurrence?
In a Scandinavian trial (ALASCCA) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Martling et al found that low-dose aspirin reduced the risk of disease recurrence vs placebo in patients with PI3K-altered localized colorectal cancer.
Study Details
In the double-blind trial, patients with stage I ...
Significant Overall Survival Benefit With Enzalutamide Plus Leuprolide for Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer
Enzalutamide in combination with leuprolide demonstrated a significantly longer overall survival than either leuprolide or enzalutamide monotherapy in patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer, according to the final overall survival analysis of the phase III EMBARK trial presented at...
Reversible TKI in HER2-Mutant NSCLC
The oral targeted therapy sevabertinib led to tumor reduction and manageable side effects in patients with HER2-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data from the phase I/II SOHO-01 clinical trial. Over 70% of the patients studied saw their tumors shrink or disappear. The results ...
Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: IMvigor011 Trial Investigates ctDNA-Guided Adjuvant PD-L1 Inhibition
Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who tested positive for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) after cystectomy may benefit from immunotherapy with the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab compared to placebo, whereas ctDNA-negative patients may potentially be spared unnecessary treatment. These...
ADC Improves Outcomes for Patients With Advanced TNBC Ineligible for Immunotherapy
Patients with an aggressive type of breast cancer who are not candidates for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy showed significantly improved progression-free survival when treated with the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) sacituzumab govitecan-hziy compared with standard chemotherapy. These...
Belzutifan Achieves Durable Responses Without Surgery in Advanced Pheochromocytoma/Paraganglioma
Belzutifan induced durable responses without surgery in patients with advanced pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma and demonstrated manageable safety in the phase II LITESPARK-015 trial, according to findings presented during the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 (Abstract...
VT3989 Demonstrates Antitumor Activity and Tolerability in Refractory Mesothelioma
The first-in-class YAP-TEAD inhibitor VT3989 has demonstrated promising antitumor activity and tolerability in patients with refractory mesothelioma, according to findings from a phase I/II trial presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 (Abstract 920O) and...
mRNA-Based COVID Vaccines May Generate Improved Responses to Immunotherapy
Patients with cancer who received mRNA-based COVID vaccines within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint therapy were twice as likely to be alive 3 years after beginning treatment, according to a recent study. These findings, which include more than 1,000 patients treated between August 2019 and...
First-Line PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors vs BRAF Plus MEK Inhibitors in BRAF V600E–Mutated Metastatic NSCLC
In a retrospective cohort study (FRONT-BRAF) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Di Federico et al found that first-line PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors with or without platinum-based chemotherapy were associated with improved overall survival compared with BRAF and MEK inhibitors in patients with metastatic ...
Multidisciplinary Program Doubles Lung Cancer Screening Rates
Researchers have created a roadmap to improve national lung cancer screening rates that doubled lung cancer screening rates through their multidisciplinary lung cancer screening program, according to a study published in NEJM Catalyst.
“Our biggest success was not only screening a high percentage...
New Leadership Elected to the American Society of Hematology
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announced the election of three new members to its Executive Committee for terms starting after the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting, taking place December 6 to 9 in Orlando, Florida.
Alison Loren, MD, MSCE, will serve a 1-year term as Vice President followed by...
