Researchers clinically validated a sensitive blood test as a whole-genome sequencing assay for detecting circulating tumor human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in patients with HPV-associated head and neck cancer after surgery to search for residual disease as a sign of potential recurrence, according to ...
Preparing for a patient I was going to see in breast oncology clinic, I noticed she was single and that her partner was female. The information system at the hospital I was working in included a patient photograph along with the usual demographic and clinical information. The photograph had caught ...
Synthetic real-world data generated by AI can model treatment patterns and clinical outcomes across large patient cohorts while accelerating clinical trials and drug development, according to Eddy Saad, MD, MSc, a Research Fellow in Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. During a presentation...
Editor’s Note: On May 1, 2026, The New York Historical, an American history museum and library in New York City, published the following blog post by Leland Jasperse, PhD, in its From the Stacks collection. The story, “How New York City—and the Nation—Got Its First Cancer Hospitals,” chronicles the ...
“Good morning, and welcome to the 62nd Annual Meeting of ASCO! ¡Buenos días, y bienvenidos a la sexagésima segunda reunión anual de ASCO! This is the world’s largest cancer research conference and the premier global platform for oncology innovation! But what brings us together today is not just...
A new meta-analysis provides updated evidence that methylphenidate-type psychostimulants—a class of medications that increase dopamine and norepinephrine availability in the brain—can provide meaningful relief for cancer-related fatigue. The study was published in the May 2026 issue of...
Wolpin and colleagues have demonstrated in the global randomized Phase III RASolute 302 trial that daraxonrasib, an oral RAS(ON) inhibitor, nearly doubles median overall survival in previously treated metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, producing a median overall survival of 13.2 months...
Among the high-quality abstract presentations at ASCO and the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), a few always stand out as particularly meritorious. The ASCO Post asked its Senior Deputy Editor, breast cancer specialist Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, to offer his selection and thoughts on some...
Intralesional nivolumab reduced the size of precancerous lesions and preserved quality of life in patients with oral epithelial dysplasia, according to results from a first-in-human phase I dose-escalation trial presented in a poster and press briefing during the 2026 American Association for...
Four-year follow-up from the phase III RUBY clinical trial showed durable long-term benefit with front-line dostarlimab-gxly, a PD-1 blocker, plus carboplatin/paclitaxel in patients with mismatch repair–deficient/microsatellite instability–high (dMMR/MSI-H) primary advanced or recurrent endometrial ...
Researchers reported there was no protective net effect of any level of alcohol consumption on health observed in a new study published by George et al in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Further, researchers reported that low levels of alcohol use may be associated with elevated health ...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) recently released updated guidelines for colorectal cancer screening. The new recommendations reaffirm that average-risk adults should begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45 years and continue through age 75 years for those with a life expectancy greater than...
A new study from Cleveland Clinic researchers confirms that tissue-derived tumor mutation burden (TMB) remains the more reliable predictor of immunotherapy response in patients with solid tumors. Results were presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 2580). “This is really a cautionary...
Online resources for patients and the general public focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and its uses in cancer research and cancer care were found lacking in a cross-sectional analysis presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 9000). The study highlighted that the existing webpages...
Individuals with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative, high-risk early breast cancer and low Prosigna (PAM50) risk of recurrence (ROR) scores of 60 or less were able to safely skip chemotherapy, according to findings from a randomized, noninferiority phase III trial presented at the 2026 ASCO...
A comprehensive Cochrane review presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting suggests that commonly used breast cancer risk prediction models provide only modest accuracy in identifying which women with a family history of breast cancer will ultimately develop the disease (Abstract 10545). Although...
The phase III LIBRETTO-432 trial of adjuvant therapy with the central nervous system (CNS)–penetrant oral RET inhibitor selpercatinib met its primary endpoint of improved event-free survival in patients with early-stage RET fusion–positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on data presented ...
Median Overall survival was nearly doubled among patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer who received the multiselective RAS(ON) inhibitor daraxonrasib in the phase III RASolute 302 trial, the results of which were presented at the Plenary Session of the 2026 ASCO Annual...
The ASCO Annual Meeting is one of the largest and most impactful oncology conferences of the year, featuring practice-changing data, state-of-the-art updates, developmental therapeutics, global issues, and more. The 2026 meeting is expected to showcase paradigm-shifting science, presentations from...
The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, in collaboration with the SWOG Cancer Research Network, has launched a new initiative to analyze paired original and recurrent tumor specimens from two practice-changing breast cancer clinical trials. Through the translational study EA1241, researchers will...
In 2016, The ASCO Post published an article titled “An Oncologist Battles a Preventable Epidemic: Cancer of the Cervix,” highlighting the work of Robert D. Hilgers, MD—now deceased—and the Women’s Global Cancer Alliance (WGCA) in building a cervical cancer screening and prevention program in...
I remember thinking on the day I turned 60, May 10, 2021, “This is going to be the best year of my life.” I couldn’t have been more wrong. Within weeks of feeling that swell of optimism about my future, I began experiencing a series of odd, and, seemingly unrelated symptoms leading to my eventual...
The pace at which precision oncology has evolved over the past 2 decades, from the early promise of the Human Genome Project to the clinical reality of CAR T-cell therapy, antibody drug conjugates, and AI-assisted decision support, has made it increasingly difficult for even the most engaged...
In a recent article in The ASCO Post, we discussed increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology and how physician-complementing AI can empower oncologists to be even better at what they do.1The reason AI is needed is that increasingly many variables need to be considered in cancer...
This year has marked unprecedented progress against cancer—as well as challenges. According to findings in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics, 2026 report, the 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined has reached a milestone of 70% for individuals diagnosed between 2015...
During her Presidential address at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, Robin T. Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO, assessed how artificial intelligence (AI) is driving knowledge into action in the field of oncology, and acknowledged that “we are now at the crossroads of long-imagined possibilities and actionable...
Growing up as an American in Mexico City, I couldn’t have grasped how that upbringing would eventually shape my professional identity. While a career in oncology was far from my mind then, that cross-cultural foundation deeply influenced my approach to medicine and my leadership as ASCO’s 62nd...
Patient-reported outcomes from a subgroup analysis of the final analysis of the phase III PRIMA/ENGOT-OV26/GOG-3012 trial showed that first-line maintenance therapy with the PARP inhibitor niraparib did not adversely affect overall health-related quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed...
Fifteen-year results from the phase III ASCENDE-RT trial in patients with intermediate- and high-risk localized prostate cancer receiving androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and pelvic external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) show no significant overall survival advantage with a prostate brachytherapy...
A significant number of patients with cancer—particularly those with more advanced disease who are more likely to receive care at community hospitals, safety net hospitals, and rural medical centers—may have incomplete case information in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)...
A new meta-analysis published by Costa et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network provides updated evidence that methylphenidate-type psychostimulants—a class of medication that increases dopamine and norepinephrine availability in the brain—can provide meaningful relief...
After finishing her academic studies, Dr. Mittendorf enlisted in the U.S. Air Force—an experience that would propel her into the field of oncology. “My second day on active duty was September 11, 2001,” said Dr. Mittendorf. “I was an attending surgeon at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (now called...
New analyses from the multicenter phase III CAPItello-281 trial of the AKT1/2/3 inhibitor capivasertib plus the CYP17-inhibitor abiraterone in PTEN-deficient metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer—now sometimes described as androgen pathway modulation–resistant (APMR) (or modulation-sensitive ...
An international research team has shown that a specific subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is associated with higher mortality risk in women than in men. The study was led by the laboratory of Ari Melnick, MD, Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute and the Gebroe ...
Eight years ago, I was 33 years old, and my main health concern was a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis that causes stiff, painful joints in the spine. Having a chronic disease made me pay close attention to any changes in my health, so when I noticed blood in my stool, I...
In modern health care, patient care is often defined by clinical actions such as diagnoses made, treatments delivered, and protocols followed. Clinicians are trained to prioritize technical accuracy, evidence-based interventions, and measurable outcomes. However, an equally critical and often...
ASCO is pleased to announce the appointment of Gerald Hsu, MD, PhD, as the new Editor-in-Chief of the ASCO Educational Book. Dr. Hsu is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he has served in numerous educational leadership roles. Since 2018,...
ASCO has issued a new clinical practice guideline on the use of systemic therapy for treatment of different types of thyroid cancer, a field that has changed substantially in recent years.1 “Despite a rather rapidly evolving field of targeted and nontargeted systemic agents in the management of...
Raised in Lahaina, Hawaii, before wildfires destroyed much of the small tourist town in 2023, Travis Zack, MD, PhD, took an atypical path into medicine. His journey has been shaped by family, mentors, a personal experience with cancer, and a growing interest in how artificial intelligence (AI) can...
Is artificial intelligence (AI) poised to practice medicine? It may be already. Earlier this year, the state of Utah allowed Doctronic, a health technology company using AI to make clinical decisions autonomously, to renew prescriptions for patients who request the service. Although Utah’s pilot...
Survivors of childhood cancer who reach the age of 50 and beyond show continued elevated risks for premature mortality, subsequent cancers, and other chronic health conditions, according to a report published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.1 When compared with the general population or sibling ...
Each year, globally, about 400,000 children and adolescents aged between 0 and 19 years are diagnosed with cancer; over 100,000 die from the disease, with most of those cases, over 80%, and deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.1 Delays in obtaining an accurate diagnosis,...
Greater physical activity—particularly walking—may reduce fatigue and improve quality of life in patients with colorectal cancer, with stronger associations observed in nonmetastatic disease. These findings were demonstrated in a longitudinal analysis of the ColoCare Study population presented by...
In the management of stage I testicular cancer, a persistent clinical dilemma is the identification of patients who truly need adjuvant treatment after orchiectomy rather than active surveillance alone. Interim results from the CLIMATE study found post-orchiectomy plasma miR-371a-3p (miR-371), a...
Despite compelling prognostic associations across multiple retrospective data sets, no interventional trial has demonstrated that acting on circulating tumor DNA testing results in early breast cancer improves patient outcomes. Clinicians should therefore proceed with caution until such evidence...
Early exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of widely used compounds known as “forever chemicals,” may be associated with a higher risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to findings published by Vieira et al in the Journal of Exposure Science...
At the first and second interim analyses of the phase III LITESPARK-011 trial, treatment with the novel first-in-class hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) inhibitor belzutifan plus lenvatinib improved progression-free survival, produced a higher objective response rate, and showed a trend...
A new study has identified for the first time the exposome footprint—the set of environmental and lifestyle exposures—for colorectal cancer occurring in patients younger than age 50 through epigenetic signatures. By comparatively analyzing DNA methylation patterns in patients under and over 50, the ...
Positron-emission tomography (PET)-based metabolic tumor volume could serve as a significant measure of response to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in patients with large B-cell lymphoma, according to the results of a study published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Metabolic...
Monitoring for relapse with an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered peripheral blood-based tool called AlloHeme demonstrated greater sensitivity in predicting relapse after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) than ...