Investigators have highlighted a critical connection between heart failure and cancer, demonstrating how shared mechanisms may contribute to the incidence and progression of both diseases, according to a recent scientific statement published by Bloom et al in the Journal of Cardiac Failure....
Listening to music may accelerate postsurgical recovery, according to recent findings presented by Raees et al at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2024. Background “When patients wake up after surgery, sometimes they feel really scared and don’t know where they are,”...
An examination of patient-level data from the phase III CheckMate 816 and CheckMate 77T trials supports the perioperative use of the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab plus chemotherapy, as compared with the neoadjuvant use of nivolumab plus chemotherapy without adjuvant therapy, in resectable non–small...
Two novel oral HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors have demonstrated promising efficacy in patients with HER2-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), potentially transforming the treatment landscape for this rare but challenging subset of lung cancer cases. According to data presented at the...
The combination of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib and the MET inhibitor savolitinib has demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements compared with osimertinib alone as a first-line treatment of patients with de novo MET-aberrant, EGFR-mutant advanced non–small cell lung cancer...
In the phase Ib FORT-2 trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Sweis et al found that the combination of the pan-FGFR inhibitor rogaratinib and atezolizumab was active in cisplatin-ineligible patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer overexpressing FGFR mRNA. Study Details The study...
Implementing the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verification program may reduce rates of postsurgical mortality and increase the proportion of patients with documentation standards such as advanced care directives, according to two new studies presented by Horattas et al and...
Researchers have found that financial fallout can follow patients with cancer and their families as financial bankruptcy, lower credit scores, and other types of financial challenges in the years following a cancer diagnosis, according to two new studies presented by Gomez-Mayorga et al and...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Pavlakis et al, the phase III INTEGRATE IIa study showed improved overall survival with regorafenib plus best supportive care vs placebo vs best supportive care in patients with refractory advanced gastric/esophagogastric junction cancer. Study...
My dad agreed to receive hospice on a technicality. It happened after weeks of trying to get him home oxygen. My brother drove him to the oncologist’s office, and I helped him get into the wheelchair. He did not complain, but just asked me to hold his coffee mug, smiling because I snuck him a...
On October 18, Gilead Sciences announced its plans to voluntarily withdraw the U.S. accelerated approval for sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy) for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have previously received a platinum-containing...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved zolbetuximab-clzb (Vyloy), a claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2)-directed cytolytic antibody, with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic human epidermal ...
Although improving cancer screening participation in the United States is central to the country’s national goals for reducing disability and death, currently, participation is lagging behind the Healthy People 2030 targets set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A study by the...
In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA Network Open, Rezaei et al found that risk of melanoma and other nonkeratinocyte skin cancers was elevated in patients who had received radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer. Study Details The study involved data from 17 Surveillance,...
Younger adults with colon cancer tend to be diagnosed at a later stage and have more aggressive types of tumors. Additionally, young patients living with colorectal cancer have long-term, adverse consequences on their lives, which are different from the impact the disease has on older adults,...
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) announced the introduction of two new risk calculators to inform physician-patient decision-making in thoracic surgery. Engineered using contemporary data from the STS General Thoracic Surgery Database, the interactive tools may provide surgeons with accurate, ...
Investigators have found that about 40% of postmenopausal hormone receptor–positive breast cancer cases may be linked to excess body fat, according to a recent study published by Cubelos-Fernández et al in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Background Using the widely used measure...
Investigators have found that one-third of adult survivors of childhood cancers may experience a severe fear of cancer recurrence that impacts their daily lives, according to a recent study published by Pizzo et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Although the number of survivors of childhood...
Researchers have found that the combination of nivolumab plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD) may reduce the risk of cancer progression and mortality in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma compared with standard treatment, according to a recent study published by Herrera et al in The New ...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Werr et al, high telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression has been found to be associated with poorer survival in patients with pulmonary carcinoids. As stated by the investigators: “The clinical course of pulmonary carcinoids ranges from ...
In a Chinese phase III trial (Northern Radiation Oncology Group of China-002) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sun et al found that the addition of thoracic radiotherapy to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment improved progression-free survival in first-line treatment of...
Among most members of the health-care and oncology workforces, the lofty goals of the organizational framework of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) seem to be clear and indisputable: to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically...
Yesterday, Novocure announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Optune Lua® for concurrent use with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors or docetaxel for the treatment of adults with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have experienced disease progression on or after a...
In an interim analysis of the phase II RAMOSE trial, reported in the Jour�nal of Clinical Oncology, Le et al found that the addition of ramucirumab to osimertinib significantly prolonged progression-free survival as initial treatment in patients with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-naive...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Lerner et al, the phase III SWOG S1011 trial showed no disease-free survival benefit for extended vs standard lymphadenectomy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy. Study Details In the trial, 592 patients ...
Many patients with head and neck cancer may lack equal opportunity to access experimental treatments in clinical trials or receive treatments that were shown to be effective in similar patients, according to a recent study published by Zuckerman and Edwards in Head & Neck. Background Millions...
Consolidation therapy with the PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab is set to become the new global standard of care for patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to groundbreaking data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024.1...
Millions of U.S. patients with cancer may face barriers to accessing some of the most advanced treatments being tested in clinical trials for their disease, according to a recent study published by Kirkwood et al in JCO Oncology Practice. Background “We need to support bringing clinical trials to...
Some cancer types may be slightly more prevalent among patients with multiple sclerosis compared with those without the condition, according to a recent study published by Pierret et al in Neurology. Background In multiple sclerosis, the body’s immune system attacks myelin, the fatty white...
Neoadjuvant therapy for patients with resectable stage III melanoma has recently emerged as a better approach than resection plus adjuvant therapy. At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024, updates of pivotal neoadjuvant studies demonstrated the long-standing benefit of...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Wolf et al, the final results of the phase II GEOMETRY mono-1 trial support the activity of the kinase inhibitor capmatinib in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with MET exon 14–skipping mutation (METex14). Study Details The multicohort trial...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Bodelon et al found that survivors of first primary cancers with overweight or obesity were at increased risk for second primary cancers, particularly obesity-related cancers. Study Details The study focused on data from the Cancer Prevention Study II...
In the final per-protocol analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-811 trial, an overall survival benefit was shown by adding the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab to trastuzumab and chemotherapy in treatment-naive, unresectable, HER2-positive metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.1...
Updated results of a Swedish screening study (GOTEBORG-2), reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Hugosson et al, indicate that omitting biopsy among individuals with negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results eliminated a high proportion of diagnoses of clinically insignificant...
In a study published as a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Cederquist et al found that patients with breast cancer who received adjuvant radiation therapy and harbored likely pathogenic TP53 germline variants were at increased risk of developing secondary in-field sarcoma during follow-up. Study...
The Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) 2024 Annual Meeting showcased several groundbreaking studies in the field of hematologic oncology, including key findings in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The ASCO...
Researchers have identified genetic risk factors that may contribute to prostate cancer in a diverse group of African men, according to a recent study published by Janivara et al in Nature Genetics. The findings could uncover new treatment options in this patient population. Background Certain...
Researchers found that a higher dosage of radioembolization treatment using yttrium (Y)-90 microspheres than previously recommended may benefit patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in Liver Cancer. The findings could be practice-changing....
For women with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, KEYNOTE-522 changed the treatment paradigm several years ago. Support for neoadjuvant use of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab, was bolstered by the positive overall survival analysis...
The nation’s intravenous fluid shortage was exacerbated this week when flooding from Hurricane Helene damaged a Baxter International plant in North Cove, North Carolina, which makes about 60% of the United States’ supply of fluids used in IVs for patients with a variety of diseases, including...
In a Chinese phase II trial (INOVA) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Peng et al found that the combination of sintilimab and bevacizumab showed activity in patients with relapsed or persistent ovarian clear cell carcinoma. Study Details In the multicenter trial, 37 evaluable patients with exposure...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the PI3K inhibitor inavolisib (Itovebi) with the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib and fulvestrant for adults with endocrine-resistant, PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as...
Despite considerable progress in the discovery and development of new cancer drugs between 1990 and 2022, there may be disparities in both the availability and timeliness of these treatment options globally, particularly among lower-income countries, according to a recent study published by Li et...
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Vanderbilt University have received a $3.7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to pioneer a novel approach to prostate cancer surgery that combines advanced robotics and low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. Overview...
In a Journal of Clinical Oncology editorial, Yara Abdou, MD, and Norman E. Sharpless, MD, responded to a recent study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle that found enrollment in industry-sponsored cancer clinical trials doubled between 2008 and 2022, whereas federally supported trial...
A recent study found that measuring circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a reliable way to predict later treatment response and survival prospects in men when metastatic prostate cancer is first diagnosed. The test may help providers to decide which patients should receive standard treatment vs who...
Canadian vaccination programs may switch to a one-dose, gender-neutral human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination approach to eliminate cervical cancer, according to a recent study published by Drolet et al in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Background HPV is known to cause cervical cancer...
A novel cell therapy targeting CD7 on leukemia cells may provide an effective treatment option for patients with refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a recent study published by Oh et al in Nature Medicine. The findings highlighted the effectiveness of a new chimeric...
As reported in JAMA Oncology by Swaminath et al, the Canadian phase III LUSTRE trial has shown no significant benefit in local tumor control with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) vs hypofractionated conventional radiotherapy (CRT) in patients with inoperable stage I non–small cell lung cancer...
A recent study suggests that for people older than age 65 who have cancer, physical activity may be key to reducing the chances of a dangerous fall. People with lung cancer, colorectal cancer, or prostate cancer, in particular, had a lower risk of falling when they talked with their doctor...