A 3-year structured exercise program initiated soon after completion of adjuvant chemotherapy improved disease-free survival and overall survival, as well as patient-reported physical functioning and health-related fitness, in patients with stage III or high-risk stage II colon cancer. These...
Studies have shown that being overweight or having obesity increases the risk of developing more than a dozen cancers, including meningioma, multiple myeloma, esophageal, thyroid, breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovarian, uterus, and colorectal.1 The presence of excess body...
Maintenance treatment with the alkylating agent lurbinectedin plus the monoclonal antibody atezolizumab significantly improved both progression-free survival and overall survival compared with atezolizumab alone in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to data...
“Inavolisib plus palbociclib and fulvestrant significantly improved overall survival compared with placebo plus palbociclib/fulvestrant…. This is the first time overall survival has been significantly improved by a PI3K pathway–targeted drug,” said Nicholas Turner, MD, PhD, FRCP,FMedSci, who...
Researchers may have uncovered genetic differences that may help predict response to immune checkpoint inhibitors among patients with metastatic melanoma, according to a recent study published by Monson et al in Nature Medicine. Background The investigation revolved around mitochondrial haplogroups ...
In the phase III ALASCCA trial, the use of adjuvant daily aspirin for 3 years reduced the risk of recurrence in colorectal cancer harboring PI3K pathway alterations by 51%, according to research in a Scandinavian population presented at the 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium by Anna...
On May 30, President Donald Trump released his final proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026, which contains $4.531 billion for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This represents a cut of almost $2.7 billion, or approximately 37.2%, from the current fiscal year. The following is a statement from...
A novel therapy based on the plant-derived molecule resiniferatoxin could be a safe and effective agent for patients with difficult-to-control cancer pain, according to a recent study published by Mannes et al in NEJM Evidence. Background Resiniferatoxin is derived from Euphorbia resinifera, a...
Although alcohol consumption is a known leading preventable cause of cancer, public awareness of the connection may remain concerningly low in the United States, according to a recent study published by Domgue et al in JAMA Oncology. Background Consuming alcohol has been linked to at least seven...
The first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate pivekimab sunirine was found to be safe and effective, with high response rates, in patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendric cell neoplasm (BPDCN), according to data from a phase I/II study presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 6502). These ...
Researchers have identified a gene that could play a key role in the transition to a more aggressive, treatment-resistant type of prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Duan et al in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The findings indicated that the gene may be indirectly...
Patients with stage II and III (early-stage) HER2-positive breast cancer usually undergo preoperative therapy with multiagent chemotherapy in combination with anti-HER2 antibodies, followed by surgery. A less intensive, reduced-chemotherapy treatment approach is currently being evaluated in the...
An investigational dual-target chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approach could slow tumor growth in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, according to new findings presented by Bagley et al at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 102) and simultaneously published in Nature ...
Marital status significantly impacts survival rates for patients with colorectal cancer, according to a new Fox Chase Cancer Center study that was presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 3628). Married individuals were found to have better survival rates than single or separated and...
The combination of avelumab and cetuximab may improve progression-free survival in patients with advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma compared with avelumab alone, according to recent findings presented by Zandberg et al at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 6002) and simultaneously...
A new four-drug combination appears to be effective and safe in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to data from the ADVANCE clinical trial conducted by investigators at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Presented ...
Results from the phase III DESTINY-Breast09 clinical trial found that the combination of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) with pertuzumab may delay cancer growth for longer than the current standard of care in people with HER2-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The...
Switching to treatment with camizestrant if an ESR1 mutation is detected during first-line treatment can help slow cancer growth for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, according to findings from the phase III SERENA-6 clinical trial. The research is...
Greater intake of a proinflammatory dietary pattern may be linked to worse overall survival in patients with stage III colon cancer who have undergone curative-intent resection. Sara K. Char, MD, a clinical fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, presented the results of a prospective...
A phase III study has found that a 3-year structured exercise program initiated soon after completion of adjuvant chemotherapy improves disease-free and overall survival, as well as patient-reported physical functioning and health-related fitness, in patients with stage III and high-risk stage II...
Results from VERITAC-2 trial showed that the proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) vepdegestrant could extend progression-free survival for people with previously treated estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer with an ESR1 mutation. The research will be presented at...
Treatment options for aggressive-variant prostate cancer are limited, but a subset of patients have had promising long-term responses with a combination of carboplatin plus cabazitaxel chemotherapy, followed by PARP inhibitor maintenance. This novel combination treatment approach was the focus of a ...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus...
Climate change may be contributing to a small but notable increase in the incidence and mortality rates of breast, ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancers in the Middle East and North Africa, according to a recent study published by Mataria and Chun in Frontiers in Public Health. Background...
At just 5 years old, Charu Aggarwal, MD, MPH, FASCO, already knew that she wanted to be a physician when she grew up, although she can’t explain where the idea came from. She just knows the desire to help others was ingrained in her from a very early age. Growing up in New Delhi, India, where...
Investigators may have uncovered a modest but potentially significant association between alcohol consumption and the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, according to a recent study published by Naudin et al in PLOS Medicine. Background Pancreatic cancer is the twelfth most common cancer type...
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has announced the publication of the latest version of its scale that measures the clinical benefit of cancer treatments, the ESMO-MCBS (ESMO-Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale). The ESMO-MCBS was first introduced in 2015 and updated to version 1.1...
With the currently available BCR::ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has transformed from an invariably fatal disorder (10-year overall survival < 10%) to an indolent one, associated with a near-normal life expectancy on optimal tyrosine kinase inhibitor...
Although I have spent the past 2 decades of my medical career as a primary care physician, educator, and researcher in conditions that disproportionately affect people of Asian descent, including lung cancer, I was still unprepared to hear the words “You have stage IV non–small cell lung...
Despite the significant rise over the past 50 years in the use of evidence-based integrative medicine in conjunction with conventional cancer treatments—up from just 20% in the 1970s to about 80% in 20171—training opportunities in the fundamentals of this emerging field within the specialty of...
In January 2025, the Trump Administration issued executive orders asserting opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs on the federal level1,2 and rescinding Biden Administration orders that emphasized the importance of these efforts to promote equal opportunity across government ...
The JAK (Janus kinase) inhibitor ruxolitinib may prove to be an effective treatment of parkinsonism arising from immunotherapy for patients with multiple myeloma, according to the results of two case reports by Baldeep Wirk, MD, and Jin Lim, MD, PhD, both of Virginia Commonwealth University,...
Several recent studies have shown the value of cancer screening in reducing the number of deaths from the disease. One study using computer modeling to estimate the number of cancer-related deaths that could be averted by increasing the use of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)...
Thousands of forward-looking research studies defined the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. Here, aside from our fuller coverage of key presentations in The ASCO Post, we offer a snapshot of a few additional abstracts that may be of interest to cancer researchers...
Mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) tumors beyond those in the rectum may respond to PD-1 blockade in the neoadjuvant setting, offering the option of organ preservation in early-stage cancer regardless of the tumor type, researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center reported at the...
For more than 25 years, my goal as a community oncologist has been to ensure that all patients have access to the highest-quality cancer care. This is the future I stood for when I became ASCO’s 61st President and what I know our more than 50,000 members stand for. And I believe we will get there...
Despite a 30-year history as an ASCO volunteer, for Eric J. Small, MD, FASCO, this past year as President-Elect has opened new perspectives on the organization he will soon lead as ASCO’s 62nd President, effective during the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, May 30–June 3, 2025, in Chicago. After serving...
Studies have shown that having overweight or obesity increases the risk of developing more than a dozen cancers, including meningioma; multiple myeloma; and esophageal, thyroid, breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreatic, kidney, ovarian, uterine, and colorectal cancers. The presence of excess ...
Results from a global phase III clinical trial found that maintenance therapy with a combination of the alkylating agent lurbinectedin and the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab improved survival in some patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) compared with maintenance therapy with...
ASCO and Google Cloud have announced a collaboration to launch an artificial intelligence (AI)-based ASCO Guidelines Assistant. Developed with Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform and Gemini models, the tool is poised to transform how oncology professionals access and use critical clinical...
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS)-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), termed HPV-DeepSeek by the study investigators, showed greater sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy than any current...
Cellular therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy are transforming outcomes for patients with cancer, particularly in the relapsed or refractory setting. “We’re seeing outstanding response rates in patients with B-cell malignancies...
Abbreviated breast MRI scans demonstrated comparable diagnostic accuracy to full multiparametric protocol MRI scans for women with extremely dense breasts, according to findings from the DENSE trial published in Radiology. MRI scans have greater diagnostic accuracy than mammograms for women with...
In an international cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Blondeaux et al evaluated whether both risk-reducing mastectomy and risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy were associated with improved survival among women aged 40 or younger who have invasive breast cancer with germline BRCA1/2...
Investigators have found that a large proportion of U.S. adults are behind on their cancer screenings, according to a new survey from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Survey Methods and Findings In the Survivor Views Special Report: National Screening Survey,...
According to his office, Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” type of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. The New York Times reported that Mr. Biden’s cancer “is characterized by a Gleason score of 9 with metastasis to the bone.” The American Cancer...
The disease we now call diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has gone by the names of reticulum cell sarcoma, diffuse histiocytic lymphoma, and diffuse large cell lymphoma, and included both lymphomas of B cells and T cells. We now know DLBCL is still heterogenous and some subtypes might benefit...
Total neoadjuvant therapy of intensified chemoradiotherapy was shown to be less effective for treating patients with rectal cancer with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than those with sporadic rectal cancer, according to study findings presented during Digestive Disease Week 2025. However, there...
Six parenchymal phenotypes were established that may be associated with a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Studies of these phenotypes identified by radiomics on mammograms demonstrated that these patterns were associated with an increased risk of invasive breast cancer, according to...
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a promising biomarker in colorectal cancer, offering dynamic insight into disease burden and recurrence risk. However, questions remain about its clinical utility and optimal application, as well as its equitable access across practice settings. At the...