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 1940s, the first drugs proven to cause objective responses in human cancers were developed. Mechlorethamine was discovered as a possible treatment of lymphoid cancers after autopsies on military personnel exposed to mustard gas found destruction of lymphatic tissue and bone marrow....
The results of the multicenter Female Asian Nonsmoker Screening Study (FANSS) suggest that low-dose CT screening is feasible and has value for early lung cancer detection in the historically underserved demographic of Asian women with no history of smoking. These data from the largest United...
On October 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo) for the adjuvant treatment of adults with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) at high risk of recurrence after surgery and radiation therapy. C-POST Efficacy was evaluated in C-POST (ClinicalTrials.gov ...
In a linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)–Medicare analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Canavan et al found that receipt of systemic anticancer therapy (SACT) at the end of life (EOL) was associated with higher rates of EOL emergency department (ED) use,...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Wieduwilt et al, findings in a cohort of the phase II Alliance study A041703 indicate that the chemotherapy-free regimen of inotuzumab ozogamicin followed by blinatumomab was highly active in patients aged ≥ 60 years with newly diagnosed B-cell...
Research published in Cancer revealed that inflammatory responses may be tied to cancer-related fatigue and certain inflammatory activities may lead to distinct dimensions of fatigue in women with early-stage breast cancer. “Our findings indicate that inflammation plays a role in some aspects of...
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...
Studies show that if left untreated, between 20% and 40% of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) lesions may evolve into invasive breast cancer over time. And, according to the American Cancer Society, women diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) have between a 7 and 12 times higher risk of...
In patients rendered immunocompromised by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), a single dose of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine within the first year afterward resulted in low seroconversion rates, as reported by Redjoul et al in JAMA Network Open. However, a...
The process of obtaining insurance prior authorization before a medical procedure, service, or medication prescription has typically been left to clinicians. However, as cancer therapies grow increasingly complex, the burden of navigating insurance prior authorization is increasingly being shared...
Although industry-sponsored cancer clinical trials often focus on single-agent drug trials, federally funded cancer clinical trials are more likely to investigate drug combinations with other treatments, including biologics or radiation therapy. An analysis by Joseph M. Unger, PhD, MS, Professor,...
A new study found that implementing a network of cancer drug repositories (CDRs) improved access to cancer medications and eliminated unnecessary medication waste by allowing people to donate unopened or unused medications that would otherwise be wasted. This resulted in patients with cancer...
No significant differences were observed in breast volume loss between five-fraction whole-breast and partial-breast radiation therapy in patients with breast cancer who underwent prior partial mastectomy, according to the results of a study presented in a poster during the American Society for...
In an international, multicenter retrospective cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Xing et al found that incorporating the genetic status of BRAF and TERT genes into the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for papillary thyroid cancer resulted in a modification of...
In a French phase III trial (IFM2017-03) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Manier et al found that a dexamethasone-sparing regimen of daratumumab plus lenalidomide improved progression-free survival vs lenalidomide plus dexamethasone in patients with frailty and newly diagnosed multiple myeloma....
Clinically meaningful improvements in longer-term quality of life were achieved with the addition of atezolizumab immunotherapy to chemoradiation in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC), according to patient-reported outcome findings from the NRG LU005 trial presented during ...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Suk et al identified the association of survival with receipt of recommended treatment and nonreceipt of nonrecommended treatment among patients aged ≥ 65 years with newly diagnosed early-stage cervical cancer. Study Details The study...
In a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Huang et al found that patient-reported outcomes (PROs) provide prognostic information for overall survival in patients with cancer. Study Details A systematic review of studies published between January 2000 and June 2024 was...
Dose intensification of proton radiation therapy led to improved overall survival for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma, according to findings from a cohort of the phase II NRG-BN001 trial, which were presented as late-breaking research during the 2025 American Society for Radiation...
A recent study has found that mutations in blood-forming cells may explain the increased risk for leukemia and other blood disorders among first responders exposed to the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site and its toxic dust. The study also points to a novel strategy for use against...
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...
Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who achieve cytogenetic remission may have better survival outcomes than patients with new or sustained cytogenetic abnormalities, according to findings from a study published in the American Journal of Hematology. The study elucidated how cytogenetic...
The U.S. government shut down on October 1 after lawmakers were unable to reach a funding agreement. The date also marked the deadline to extend the Medicare telehealth flexibilities that have been in place since the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). As such, telehealth flexibilities have...
On October 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) in combination with atezolizumab (Tecentriq) or atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs (Tecentriq Hybreza) for maintenance treatment of adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) whose disease...
In a Brazilian phase II trial (HERCULES; LACOG 0218) reported in JAMA Oncology, Maluf et al found that pembrolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy showed activity in patients with advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma. The investigators explained, “Advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma is...
Studies show that individuals diagnosed with ulcerative colitis have approximately a twofold increased risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with the general population. A study investigating treatment with autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting the CD19 antigen in a...
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...
Bijal Shah, MD, of Moffitt Cancer Center, summarizes his presentation on the role of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), touching on its use in the front-line setting for newly diagnosed patients with high risk-features as well as in patients with...
For patients with recurrent retroperitoneal sarcomas that cannot be treated surgically, treatment choices are limited. These tumors can grow in the abdomen adjacent to vital organs or enmeshed within the bowel. Given their radioresistant nature, they require high doses of radiation that risk...
In a phase II trial (WU-KONG1B) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Yang et al found that the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunvozertinib was active at both dose levels tested in patients with platinum-pretreated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations....
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 on ...
Projected cases of kidney cancer are expected to double by 2050 due to modifiable risk factors, according to findings and estimations published in European Urology. “Kidney cancer is a growing global health problem, and both clinicians and policymakers need to prepare for this steep rise,” stated ...
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...
For patients with intermediate-risk, localized prostate cancer, radiation therapy delivered in five sessions reduced patient-reported side effects compared to longer courses of radiation, according to results of a large, randomized phase III trial. Patients treated with stereotactic body radiation...
A new phase III clinical trial has found that intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and proton-beam therapy resulted in similar quality-of-life outcomes and low rates of side effects for people with locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer. The TORPEdO trial, a randomized study conducted across ...
Stereotactic radiation therapy (SABR) was found to be noninferior to surgical resection in terms of overall survival for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to 10-year results from the STARS trial presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)...
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...
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is requesting over $11.5 billion in federal funding for fiscal year (FY) 2027, an increase of more than $4 billion from FY25. The agency shared the request on September 27 in its FY27 Professional Judgment Budget Proposal. The proposal—also known as a “bypass...
Adjuvant radiation therapy following radical cystectomy and chemotherapy was found to be safe and efficacious for patients with locally advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer, according to findings from the phase III randomized BART trial presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology...
Patrick Goodley, MBBChir, MRCP, of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, reports results from a study that looked at treatment and survival rates in people aged 75 to 80 years diagnosed with screen-detected lung cancer in two targeted lung cancer screening implementation settings (Abstract...
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...
Anthony Letai, MD, PhD, was sworn in on September 29 as Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Dr. Letai takes the helm of the world’s most prestigious cancer research agency...
In an analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology by Gui et al in the International Consortium on Meningiomas, TERT expression in meningiomas was found to be associated with poorer progression-free survival. Study Details The multi-institutional cohort study involved retrospectively collected data...
In a study (BMT CTN 1702) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lee et al found little difference in 2-year survival outcomes between patients considered “very likely” vs “very unlikely” to find an HLA-matched unrelated donor (MUD) for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation as...
There has been a rapid increase in the global number of cancer cases and deaths between 1990 and 2023, despite advances in cancer treatment and efforts to tackle cancer risk factors over that same period. Without urgent action and targeted funding, 30.5 million people are forecast to receive a new...
In a phase II trial (PASS-01) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Knox et al found similar progression-free survival with modified leucovorin, fluorouracil, irinotecan, oxaliplatin (mFOLFIRINOX) vs gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic...
In a phase III trial (TrilynX) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bourhis et al found that the addition of xevinapant (an inhibitor of apoptosis proteins inhibitor) to platinum-based chemoradiotherapy did not improve event-free survival in patients with unresected locally advanced...