In individuals younger than age 50 undergoing a colonoscopy, greater odds for having colorectal cancer were observed among those who presented with rectal bleeding, according to findings from a study presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2025 and published in the...
When seeking a surgeon for treatment, providing emotional support and helping patients manage expectations are among the top areas of communication valued by patients, according to a recent systematic review. The research was presented at the 2025 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical...
In the phase III HARMONi trial, when ivonescimab was given with carboplatin plus pemetrexed, vs the chemotherapy regimen alone, after a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor, patients with EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) had a significant delay in disease progression.1...
Chemoradiation with a pulsed low-dose–rate technique led to lower-than-usual rates of severe esophagitis without compromising efficacy in patients with esophageal and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings from a single-arm phase I study presented as a poster during the American...
Treatment with obecabtagene autoleucel was the focus of the phase Ib/II multicenter FELIX study of more than 100 adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).1 The initial report in 2024 revealed a rate of complete remission or complete remission with incomplete...
The phase Ib DeLLphi-303 trial has reported overall survival data for a novel maintenance regimen in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer following first-line chemoimmunotherapy. Patients treated with the bispecific T-cell engager tarlatamab-dlle plus a PD-L1 inhibitor had a median overall...
Health-related quality-of-life measurements demonstrated that both proton and photon radiation therapies led to excellent and similar impacts on quality of life for patients with breast cancer undergoing comprehensive nodal irradiation, according to findings from the phase III RadComp trial that...
Assessment with a genomic test could help predict which patients with recurrent prostate cancer are most likely to benefit from the addition of hormonal therapy to radiation following prostatectomy, according to findings from the phase II BALANCE trial (NRG GU006) presented in a press briefing...
A new clinical trial found that people with a limited number of metastases from recurrent prostate cancer lived significantly longer without disease progression when they received a radiopharmaceutical drug before targeted radiation compared with radiation alone. The phase II LUNAR trial is the...
Zidesamtinib, an investigational oral, highly selective ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor designed to overcome common resistance mechanisms and improve brain penetration, has demonstrated activity in both pretreated and tyrosine kinase inhibitor–naive patients with ROS1-positive non–small cell lung...
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, focuses on clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (also referred to as CHIP) as well as...
People with more than one tattoo session may have a decreased risk of developing melanoma—with one key caveat, according to research published by McCarty et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. A team led by Jennifer Doherty, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator, Co-Leader of ...
The 15th edition of the annual AACR Cancer Progress Report presents a mixed picture of the major advances in cancer care over the past year, including the approval of 20 new anticancer drugs, juxtaposed against the continuing rise in early-onset cancers and disparities in care as well as the...
In a phase I, first-in-human trial of nearly 50 patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies, the orally administered, small molecule degrader bexobrutideg (NX-5948) was reported to be well tolerated, including in those with a longer duration of treatment and higher doses. Clinical...
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is one of the success stories among the hematologic malignancies. Now, with decades of data informing its management, it is time to change some of the practices to which clinicians have become accustomed, said leukemia expert Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD, FASCO, Professor...
On April 22, 2025, an ASCO Expert Panel voted to approve ASCO’s global guideline on geriatric assessment of patients with cancer older than age 65 who are being treated in resource-limited settings or countries.1 Guideline recommendations were informed by the ADAPTE methodology and formal consensus ...
The aging population, now the largest group of patients with cancer and cancer survivors, requires a rigorous and focused approach to clinical trial reporting, a need highlighted by the recent author guidelines from the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO; Table 1).1 The guidelines are an important...
Each year, nearly 90,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs; aged 15–39) are diagnosed with cancer, and approximately 9,300 die of the disease.1 And although the 5-year survival rate among these young patients is approaching 80%, it lags behind that of the pediatric population, whose 5-year...
ASCO has issued a new update to its living guideline regarding therapy for stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without driver alterations, based on results of three studies published recently.1 The update (the first since a previous version in February 2025) includes discussion of...
The results from the CARTITUDE-1 study showed the remarkable efficacy of ciltacabtagene autoleucel, a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, when used in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma after four or more prior lines of...
The results of the CARTITUDE-1 clinical trial demonstrate outstanding and unprecedented long-term efficacy with ciltacabtagene autoleucel, a B-cell maturation antigen–directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.1 (See the July 2025 issue of The ...
After decades of incremental progress in the treatment of multiple myeloma, survival has increased from 3 years in the late 1990s to between 8 and 10 years today.1 Could cure for a disease that kills more than 12,000 individuals each year in the United States2 finally be within reach? The long-term ...
The outlook for adequate funding for federal health agencies has become more dire. In July, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced it is reducing the number of grant applications it will award for the remaining 2 months of fiscal year 2025 (FY2025), from 9% down to 4%.1 The result is that...
Use of the PARP inhibitor niraparib in combination with the androgen biosynthesis inhibitor abiraterone acetate and the corticosteroid prednisone reduced the risk of disease progression, both radiographic and symptomatic, in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer harboring...
A randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of providing personalized risk information to patients and their providers about the patient’s risk for advanced colorectal neoplasia has found no difference in screening uptake with either the personalized risk messages or provider...
This past May, ASCO announced its collaboration with Google Cloud to launch the ASCO® Guidelines Assistant, a new interactive tool that allows clinicians to quickly access ASCO’s evidence-based clinical guidelines to facilitate critical clinical decision-making. Developed with Google Cloud’s Vertex ...
Each year in the United States, nearly 16,000 children and adolescents between the ages of birth and 19 are diagnosed with cancer.1 And although survival rates have greatly improved for many types of childhood cancers, with more than 8 in 10 children and adolescents surviving at least 5 years after ...
Microbes inside cancerous tumors can influence the spread of disease and the effectiveness of treatment, and those roles make them appealing targets for new therapies. Tumor microbiota–based tools could also help identify high-risk patients and those most susceptible to metastases, and possibly be...
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...
Patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma who received a vaccine of dendritic cells in addition to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and preconditioning cyclophosphamide experienced longer progression-free survival than those who received cyclophosphamide and TACE alone. The...
A landmark study of the tumor mutational landscape of African American women with triple-negative breast cancer revealed that the mutational profile was largely similar with that of Asian and non-Hispanic White women, except for the presence of TP53 mutations in almost all African American...
July marks a significant transition for many professionals, particularly those beginning structured training programs on July 1. This article is designed to support new and current hematology-oncology fellows and trainees in making the most of their training experience. Although not all suggestions ...
“Neoadjuvant treatment with osimertinib, with or without chemotherapy, should be considered when planning treatment for patients with resectable, EGFR-mutated, stage II to IIIB non–small cell lung cancer [NSCLC],” according to Jamie E. Chaft, MD, FASCO, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and ...
Researchers have discovered that an isoform of the transcription factor RUNX1 orchestrates chemoresistance in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to findings published in Blood Cancer Discovery. They identified that the long-isoform RUNX1C's connection to BTG2 may enable cellular...
Mounting evidence suggests that the mitochondria may be a driving force behind cancer. A new report points to the mitochondrial metabolite glutathione, highlighting its central role in helping breast cancer cells break away from the primary tumor, travel through the body, and take root in other...
Optimal continued care for patients with cancer may require greater involvement from primary care clinicians, according to the results of an observational study published in Current Oncology. The study highlighted certain challenges in cancer care, including patient-centered coordination and...
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...
Researchers have identified age-, sex-, and race-related disparities around treatment with hypomethylating agents for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes in the United States. The receipt of hypomethylating agents was found to favor younger, male, White patients, according to findings published ...
In patients with small cell lung cancer, second-line treatment with the bispecific T-cell engager tarlatamab-dlle (which targets the delta-like ligand 3 [DLL3]) vs standard-of-care chemotherapy appeared to significantly improve overall survival, progression-free survival, and patient-reported...
It has been widely reported that colorectal cancer incidence has been increasing among younger adults under age 50 since the mid-1990s, with a consistent annual increase of 2% among adults aged 20 to 39. This increase prompted the American Cancer Society (ACS), in 2018, and the United States...
A collaborative study between Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute found that 8.9% of children with glioma, the most common type of pediatric brain tumor, have alterations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) family of proteins, and these gliomas may be sensitive to...
The true upside of the many advances in cancer treatment is clear. Approximately 18.6 million people in the United States have a history of cancer, and the number of cancer survivors is expected to exceed 22 million by the year 2035.1However, one downside affecting many of these individuals is...
New research out of Spain has shown that patients with cancer who had lower levels of the biomarker CD69 (receptor on T cells) before starting treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) had a more negative immune response and were at higher risk of cardiovascular damage and myocarditis.1...
Earlier this year, the first interim analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-689 trial showed that the use of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as part of a perioperative treatment regimen with standard-of-care surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy (with or without cisplatin alone) improved event-free...
A recent exploratory analysis of the phase III HIMALAYA trial involving patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has shown that 1 in 5 participants (19.6%) treated with the STRIDE regimen (single tremelimumab regular interval durvalumab) remained alive after 5 years of follow-up vs ...
ASCO has issued a new update to its living guideline regarding therapy for stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without driver alterations, based on results of three studies published recently.1 The update (the first since a previous version in February 2025) includes discussion of...
The risk of death does not appear to increase with the use of menopausal hormone therapy in women with early-onset, BRCA-mutated breast cancer who began hormone supplementation after diagnosis, based on preliminary data presented during the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 “Management of early surgical...
The HER3-directed antibody-drug conjugate patritumab deruxtecan demonstrated clinical efficacy in treating patients with leptomeningeal metastatic disease of solid tumors, according to findings from a cohort of the phase II TUXEDO-3 trial. Researchers were also encouraged by the intracranial...
Systemic amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is characterized by the deposition of immunoglobulin light chains, produced by clonal CD38-positive plasma cells, as insoluble amyloid fibrils in vital organs. It is a disease that can progress rapidly and is fatal without treatment. The past decade...
The 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting included the presentation of data from more than 7,000 abstracts and clinical trials set to advance research, uncover findings, and in some cases change the standard of practice across multiple tumor types, moving science forward and improving care for the more than 2...