Metformin may strengthen the effects of immunotherapy and improve recurrence-free survival in patients with lung cancer with overweight or obesity, according to a recently published article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.1 The investigators looked at data from two groups of...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) took part in the 2024 International Congress of the Asian Oncology Society and the 2024 Chinese Congress on Holistic Integrative Oncology. This event highlighted international collaborations to improve cancer therapy and outcomes across China and...
Candace S. Johnson, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, recently announced the appointment of Michael Wong, MD, PhD, FRPC, as the cancer center’s first Physician-in-Chief. Dr. Wong is a medical oncologist and skin cancer expert, who joined...
Guest Editor’s Note: The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) held its 21st International Conference in Costa Mesa, California. The conference theme was “Full Circle Translational Integrative Oncology: From Bedside to Bench and Back.” The Southern California vibe fostered collegiality and...
The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this occasional special focus on the worldwide cancer burden. In this issue, we feature a close look at the cancer incidence and mortality rates in Cameroon. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of the...
A novel immunotherapy may offer a new option for patients with bladder cancer who no longer respond to bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), according to a study presented on December 5 at the 2024 Society of Urologic Oncology Annual Meeting in Dallas. The therapy, cretostimogene grenadenorepvec, is an...
Over the past decade, ASCO has focused its resources on advancing health equity for sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals with cancer. In 2017, the Society published a position statement “Strategies for Reducing Cancer Health Disparities Among Sexual and Gender Minority Populations,” which...
Improvements in cancer prevention and screening have averted more deaths from five cancer types combined over the past 45 years than treatment advances, according to a modeling study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study, published by Goddard et al in JAMA...
A novel cell-based immunotherapy may enhance treatment responses and reduce the need for conventional chemotherapy and its associated toxicities in patients with breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Han et al in JAMA Oncology. Study Methods and Results In the phase I clinical...
A self-pay, artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced breast cancer screening program could help improve breast cancer detection rates, according to new findings presented by Sorensen et al at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2024 Annual Meeting (Abstract R5B-SPBR-4). Background Despite ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted accelerated approval to zanidatamab-hrii (Ziihera), a bispecific HER2-directed antibody, for previously treated, unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive (IHC 3+) biliary tract cancer, as detected by an FDA-approved test. The FDA also...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently has approved an oral solution of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, imatinib mesylate, called Imkeldi, to treat certain types of leukemia and other cancers. The new solution is an advanced liquid formulation of imatinib designed to provide dosing...
Durvalumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, has shown activity in treating a wide range of cancers and has been proposed as a potentially safer and more effective option than cetuximab, according to Loren K. Mell, MD, Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical and Translational Research at University of ...
Two weeks after the 2024 election, the Presidency and 119th Congress are coming into focus, with nearly all races called. Republican Donald Trump was elected President, and Republicans regained control of the U.S. Senate (53–47) and maintained control in the House of Representatives (218–212 at...
ASCO is calling for pediatric clinical trials to prioritize health equity and social determinants of health (SDOH) data in future trials to improve cancer treatment and survivorship in patients. In a recent position statement, ASCO addresses the need to include SDOH data collection and intervention ...
The soaring number of cancer survivors since the National Cancer Act of 1971 was enacted into law provides a snapshot of the profound progress made against cancer over the past half-century: 3 million survivors in the 1970s,1 compared to more than 18 million today, and that number is expected to...
On December 4, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved durvalumab (Imfinzi) for adults with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) whose disease has not progressed following concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Efficacy was evaluated in ADRIATIC...
The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) welcomes four of its newest members to the IMF Board of Directors: Director of Strategic Growth at Raanes & Oliver Capital Advisors, Kent Oliver; Managing Partner of Global Commercialization Strategy and Solutions at ZS Associates, Maria Whitman;...
Researchers from Cleveland Clinic recently presented updated findings from a novel study of a vaccine aimed at preventing triple-negative breast cancer. The findings were presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting.1 According to researchers, including principal...
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) honored Rep. Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health scientist Mary Hulihan, DrPH, for their leadership on issues of importance to hematology research and practice at the 2024 ASH Annual Meeting &...
On December 4, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to the HER2 × HER3 bispecific antibody zenocutuzumab-zbco (Bizengri) for adults with the following types of lung and pancreatic cancers: advanced, unresectable, or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...
Targeting certain bacterial strains linked to cancer with treatments or vaccines may help to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, urothelial carcinoma, and prostate cancer, according to a novel study published by Mäklin et al in The Lancet Microbiome. Background The bacterium Escherichia coli is...
A recent nationwide survey has confirmed that prior authorization may cause treatment delays, abandoned treatments, hospitalizations, and deaths among patients with cancer, according to an executive summary published by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). The findings may reinforce ...
Based on the phase III E3F05 trial, conducted by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN), the combination of radiation therapy and temozolomide appeared to be more effective than radiotherapy alone in the treatment of low-grade gliomas. The trial followed 172 patients for more than 10...
Alan Ho, MD, PhD, recently presented updated results from a phase II trial evaluating the combination of an HPV16-targeted investigational immunotherapeutic agent eseba-vec (previously known as HB-200) and the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as first-line therapy for human papillomavirus type 16...
Here are some highlights of clinical trials presented at the 2024 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. They include breakthroughs in cancer care, updates in clinical research, and efforts in cancer...
The 2024 Alexander R. Margulis Award for Scientific Excellence honored the authors of a 20-year follow-up study on the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP). The Margulis Award was presented recently during the 2024 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Scientific Assembly ...
Worldwide, more than a billion people have obesity—including 650 million adults, 340 million adolescents, and 39 million children1—a rate that has nearly doubled since 1980.2 In the United States alone, about two out of three adults are overweight or have obesity, and one out of three have...
New research has shown that postmenopausal women with low-risk tumors have a long-term benefit for at least 20 years, whereas the benefit was more short-term for younger women with similar tumor characteristics who had not yet gone through menopause. The results were reported in the Journal of the ...
Investigators report they have uncovered patterns in the risk of cancer associated with lifetime exposure to air pollution and how this risk may have changed over time, in a recent study published by Hurbain et al in Environmental Science & Technology. The findings could build on the scientific ...
Investigators have assessed the potential role of mesenchymal stem cells in cancer treatment in a new review published by Minev et al in Oncotarget. Study Overview and Implications The investigators found that mesenchymal stem cells can naturally target tumors and deliver therapeutic agents...
It’s not news that some viruses, including human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus, Epstein-Barr, and hepatitis B, can cause or accelerate the development of cancer. But a recent story in The Washington Post about rare cancers being diagnosed in individuals who had previously been...
A second-generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may offer a new option for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), an aggressive blood cancer with few treatment options. Results from the phase Ib/II FELIX trial, published by Roddie et al in ...
Komal Jhaveri, MD, FACP, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and a Breast Medical Oncologist & Early Drug Development Specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. In this video from The ASCO Post Newreels, Dr. Jhaveri shares a...
New research may expand on existing evidence that a healthy diet may protect against gastrointestinal cancers and improve disease outcomes, according to a recent study published by Abebe et al in the European Journal of Nutrition. Background Gastrointestinal cancers including esophageal, gastric,...
Lung cancer screening with low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) may be capable of identifying coronary artery calcium in patients without cardiac symptoms, according to a recent study published by Caires et al in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Background Lung cancer is currently one...
Researchers may have established an accurate ultraperformance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for comparing the pharmacokinetic properties of three epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and their major metabolites in mouse...
Researchers may have uncovered the factors contributing to an increased susceptibility to common infections among patients with cancer receiving checkpoint inhibitors, according to a recent study published by Ogishi et al in Immunity. The findings may provide new insights into immune responses and...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with medical oncologist Yüksel Ürün, MD, about his clinical and research career in oncology. Dr. Ürün is Professor of Medicine at the Ankara University School of Medicine in Turkey. After...
In this second installment of a two-part discussion about ovarian cancer advances for The ASCO Post Newsreels, Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, and Joyce F. Liu, MD, MPH, discuss low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma and an important recently published study. View part 1 of the program to hear them discuss...
Over the past year, several important studies in ovarian cancer have been presented at multiple oncology meetings and published in a number of peer-reviewed publications. In this installment of a two-part discussion for The ASCO Post Newsreels, Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, and Joyce F. Liu, MD, MPH,...
Researchers have demonstrated that a targeted intervention may increase screening rates in patients who do not adhere to current colorectal cancer screening recommendations, according to a recent study published by Reuland et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Colorectal cancer screening is often...
Researchers have found that the cancer peer support program Stronger Together may provide critical social support to patients with cancer, particularly in low-resource settings in low- and middle-income countries, according to a recent study published by Le et al in JCO Global Oncology. Background...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of imatinib (Imkeldi) oral solution, the first oral liquid formulation of the drug to treat certain types of leukemias and other cancers. Background In 2024, an estimated 9,280 patients will be diagnosed with chronic myeloid...
Both radiation and temozolomide may have meaningful single-modality antitumor activity against slow-growing, low-grade gliomas, according to recent findings presented by Schiff et al at the 2024 Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting (Abstract LTBK-07) and simultaneously published in...
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...
Initial analysis from the PEACE-3 trial suggests that the addition of radium-223 dichloride to enzalutamide could offer a promising new first-line treatment option for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, according to data presented by lead study author, Silke Gillessen,...
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...
In the neoadjuvant I-SPY2.2 trial, a treatment strategy including the antibody-drug conjugate datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), partnered with the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab, yielded a high pathologic complete response rate, especially in immune-positive and ‘all-negative’ subtypes.1...
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 in Barcelona featured several groundbreaking trials with the potential to significantly influence clinical practice. These studies highlighted the benefits of new combination immunotherapy strategies and innovative approaches in the...