The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 in Berlin featured many important trials with the potential to significantly influence clinical practice and improve outcomes for patients with multiple tumor types. These studies highlighted the benefits of novel treatment combination...
A new clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the first to focus on radiation therapy for patients with gastric cancer. The recommendations outline radiation therapy’s role in multidisciplinary care, including best practices for patient selection, integration...
Two pivotal studies of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in early HER2-positive breast cancer suggest this antibody-drug conjugate (targeting the HER2 protein) may be moving into the curative setting after having shown benefit in metastatic disease in multiple previous trials. The new...
A perioperative regimen of the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin-ejfv plus the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab significantly improved outcomes vs radical cystectomy alone in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who were ineligible for or declined cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Results...
Using an artificial intelligence (AI)–integrated workflow, DeepHealth, in computer-aided detection of breast cancer from digital breast tomosynthesis exams found 21.6% more cases than the usual standard of care, according to findings from the AI-Supported Safeguard Review Evaluation (ASSURE) study...
“Pretreatment geriatric assessment in older adults with acute myeloid leukemia is feasible, can identify several functional impairments, and [can] guide the selection of treatment intensity,” resulting in low rates of early mortality, according to Vijaya R. Bhatt, MBBS, MS, of the University of...
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has transformed treatment for patients with hematologic malignancies, achieving unprecedented responses in some patients, especially those diagnosed with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple...
A large international study published by Kunkler et al in The New England Journal of Medicine examined whether chest wall radiation therapy after mastectomy improves survival for patients with early-stage breast cancer. The study, known as the SUPREMO trial, found no overall survival difference...
Known as “the silent killer” due to its lack of symptoms and reliable screening tests, ovarian cancer remains one of the deadliest gynecologic cancers, claiming more than 12,000 lives annually. At a recent meeting, experts said that performing a single preventive procedure within general surgery...
Patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who achieve a long-lasting disease remission from chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may differ from patients who relapse sooner based upon their immune system and how it responds to the infused CAR T cells, as well as how it...
As reported in the The New England Journal of Medicine by Kunkler et al, the phase III SUPREMO trial showed no significant difference in 10-year overall survival in women with breast cancer receiving vs not receiving postmastectomy chest-wall irradiation. Study Details In the international trial...
Sacituzumab tirumotecan, a novel TROP2 antibody-drug conjugate, was found to significantly improve both progression-free and overall survival compared with platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had experienced disease progression following...
Routine screening is limited to only a few cancer types. New research indicates that routine liquid biopsy testing (multicancer early detection testing) could substantially reduce late-stage cancer diagnoses, allowing patients to receive treatment at earlier stages of disease, when they are more...
Mild dilation of the main pancreatic duct without an apparent obstructing mass may be an independent risk factor for neoplastic progression to pancreatic cancer in high-risk individuals, according to findings from an analysis published in Gastro Hep Advances. “We are identifying pancreas duct...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved pertuzumab-dpzb (Poherdy) as an interchangeable biosimilar to pertuzumab (Perjeta). This is the first approval of a biosimilar for pertuzumab. Pertuzumab-dpzb is a HER2/neu receptor antagonist indicated for the following: Use in combination...
In an interim analysis of an Australian single-center phase I/II trial (AlphaBet) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kostos et al found that the combination of lutetium Lu-177–labeled PSMA–I&T (LuPSMA-I&T) and the bone-seeking alpha-emitter radium Ra-223 dichloride (Ra-223) was active in...
Supervised aerobic and resistance exercise can improve the physical performance and strength of patients living with metastatic breast cancer, according to new data from the PREFERABLE-EFFECT study that was presented by Anne May, PhD, during the Advanced Breast Cancer Eighth International Consensus ...
Almost half of all women (48%) under the age of 40 who are living with advanced breast cancer have children under the age of 18, and 64% of these young patients also experience employment disruptions after they are diagnosed, according to findings from a survey conducted by the Young Survival...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Barac et al developed a risk prediction model for heart failure or cardiomyopathy (HF/CM) after breast cancer treatment. Study Details The aim of the study was to construct a model predicting the 10-year risk of developing HF/CM in women receiving systemic...
Armando E. Giuliano, MD, will receive the William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award during the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Dr. Giuliano is being recognized for his pioneering work on sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients with breast cancer, which has transformed the...
ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) have released their first joint guideline on managing extravasation, an uncommon but potentially life-threatening complication of intravenous antineoplastic therapy.1 Extravasation occurs when an agent with tissue-damaging properties leaks from the...
In 2021, The ASCO Post had a wide-ranging discussion with Robert A. Hiatt, MD, PhD, Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Associate Director of Population Sciences at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer...
Although 2023 made headlines as the hottest year in human history,1 drawing the world closer to breaching the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels (and preferably to...
In the global phase III SUNMO trial, the combination of a bispecific antibody and an antibody-drug conjugate was compared with rituximab plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GemOx) in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who were ineligible for autologous...
The members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recently elected four new officers to ASTRO’s Board of Directors: Catheryn M. Yashar, MD, FASTRO, President-Elect; Jonathan Strauss, MD, MBA, Secretary/Treasurer-Elect; Anita Mahajan, MD, FASTRO, Health Policy Council Vice Chair;...
Following cystectomy, patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer at high risk for recurrence may safely be treated with radiotherapy and may achieve an improvement in locoregional control compared with observation. These findings, which come from the phase III BART trial presented in a plenary...
Use of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology is advancing rapidly. AI was first used for reading radiology images and analyzing pathology slides. More recently, use of AI has expanded to analyzing large clinical data sets (big data). The next envisioned role for AI in oncology encompasses many ...
The American Lung Association has released its 2025 “State of Lung Cancer” report, which reveals great strides in efforts to end lung cancer—the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. This year, nearly 227,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer....
In an effort to reduce the size of government, the current administration has proposed an across the board 37% reduction1 in funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This will result in approval of only 4% of applications2 from scientists at universities and cancer centers, with 96% of all ...
In a phase III trial (STELLAR-303) reported in The Lancet, Hecht et al found that the combination of the multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor zanzalintinib and atezolizumab improved overall survival vs regorafenib in patients with previously treated relapsed or refractory metastatic colorectal...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Neelapu et al, the 5-year follow-up of the phase II ZUMA-5 trial has shown sustained responses with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Study Details In the single-arm,...
“Someday you will be a doctor, Fazlur, and help people,” were the prophetic words of a mother to her son and the driving force behind the early quest of Fazlur Rahman, MD, to become a physician. Born and raised in what is now Bangladesh, he experienced the death of his mother at the young age of ...
In the 50 years now since my fellowship training, there have been major advances in the diagnosis, staging, prognostic scoring, treatment, and response assessment of lymphomas. To conjure up the future, we must first appreciate the present by understanding how it arose from the past.1 So, a trip in ...
About 13% of all lung cancers in the United States are small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and approximately 87% are non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Together, these lung cancers are the second most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women, excluding skin cancer. Usually a very aggressive...
Each year, nearly 85,000 Americans are diagnosed with bladder cancer, and about 17,500 individuals die from the disease. Urothelial carcinoma is the most frequent type of bladder cancer, constituting over 90% of cases in industrialized nations. Up to two-thirds of advanced urothelial carcinomas are ...
A major study of three of the most common cancers in women, conducted by the Cancer Survival Group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, found variations in the stage of disease at diagnosis, the type of treatment, and the extent to which treatment was consistent with...
Zenocutuzumab-zbco yielded clinical activity in more than one-third of patients with cholangiocarcinoma and an NRG1 fusion, according to findings from the phase II eNRGy trial presented at the 2025 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (Abstract ...
Use of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology is advancing rapidly. AI was first used for reading radiology images and analyzing pathology slides. More recently, use of AI has expanded to analyzing large clinical data sets (big data). The next envisioned role for AI in oncology encompasses many ...
Elironrasib, a novel RAS G12C–selective tri-complex inhibitor, demonstrated initial clinical activity and a differentiated safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and KRAS G12C mutations, according to findings from a phase I trial presented at the 2025...
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recognized the recipients of the 2025 Gold Medal awards and other high-profile honors during its recent Annual Meeting. ASTRO also recognized the recipients of its 2025 research grants and fellowships, including awards cosponsored by patient,...
Two pivotal studies of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in early HER2-positive breast cancer suggest this antibody-drug conjugate (targeting the HER2 protein) may be moving into the curative setting after having shown benefit in metastatic disease in multiple previous trials. The new...
A perioperative regimen of the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin-ejfv plus the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab significantly improved outcomes vs radical cystectomy alone in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who were ineligible for or declined cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Results...
Combination immunotherapy significantly improved disease-free survival after surgery in patients with primary renal cell carcinoma (RCC), according to results from the phase III RAMPART trial. These findings were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 by James...
In a Chinese phase III trial (PHENIX) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Tu et al found that sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) alone was noninferior in disease-free survival vs lymphadenectomy in women with early-stage cervical cancer and was associated with fewer surgical...
In early 2023, I began experiencing serious symptoms that were not easily explained away, including deep vein thrombosis in my left leg, extreme weight loss, bruising, wheezing, and shortness of breath so severe that it was difficult to walk my dog more than a few feet without gasping for air. For...
Use of PAM50 subtyping allowed clinicians to determine which patients with recurrent prostate cancer were most likely to benefit from the addition of apalutamide hormonal therapy to salvage radiotherapy, according to findings from the phase II BALANCE trial (NRG GU006). These results were presented ...
Growing up in Draksharamam, a small village in India, Neelima Denduluri, MD, FASCO, was attracted to the field of medicine after witnessing her grandfather, a general practitioner in the village, care for patients so poor he often provided medical services at no cost. Although Dr. Denduluri’s...
On August 14, 2025, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) announced that Phil Knight, a cofounder of Nike, and his wife, Penny, donated $2 billion to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. The record-setting gift is the largest single donation ever made to a U.S. university, college, or academic ...
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was found to be a strong prognostic classifier for patients with stage III colon cancer following surgery, according to findings from the phase II/III DYNAMIC-III trial. Findings from the study presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 ...
In a study reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Kirkwood et al identified recent changes in and characteristics of the hematologist/medical oncologist (oncologist) workforce in the United States, with the data revealing gaps in coverage according to age and other patient demographics. Study Details ...