Researchers may have uncovered a mechanism contributing to the development of colitis in patients with cancer receiving immunotherapy as well as a novel strategy to deliver immune-based therapy without causing the adverse side effect, according to a recent study published by Lo et al in Science....
Investigators have found that involving patients as partners in the treatment decision-making process may be a critical aspect of patient-centered care, according to a recent study published by Aggarwal et al in Cancer. Study Methods and Results In the study, the investigators used 2016 to 2018...
A recent study showed that the HER2-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib was associated with improved overall survival in patients with initially HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer and HER2-positive circulating tumor cells (CTCs). These findings were published by Fehm et al in Clinical...
Robotic surgery may offer significant benefits over laparoscopic procedures in patients with colorectal cancer undergoing colectomies, according to a recent study published by Farah et al in the World Journal of Surgical Oncology. These findings suggest that a majority of patients receiving robotic ...
Investigators have found that providing prophylactic treatment with the biological agent tocilizumab prior to immunotherapy may reduce the incidence of cytokine-release syndrome in patients with multiple myeloma, according to a study published by Kowalski et al in Blood Cancer Discovery. ...
A rare subset of T cells called V-delta 1 gamma-delta (Vd1-gd) T cells could help predict which patients with advanced skin cancer may be responsive to immunotherapy, according to a novel study published by Davies et al in Nature Cancer. The new findings may lead to the development of new and more...
The antibody-drug conjugate ifinatamab deruxtecan has demonstrated “robust and durable efficacy” in patients with heavily pretreated small cell lung cancer, according to a subset analysis of the DS7300-A-J101 trial presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2023 World...
Next-generation sequencing may help better identify patients with cancer and mismatch repair deficiency who may benefit from immunotherapy, according to a recent study published by Farhat et al in Cancer Cell. The new findings indicated that treating more patients with immunotherapy may require...
The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel may be a cost-effective second-line treatment option in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), according to a recent study published by Choe et al in Blood Advances. Background In cases...
This past year, President Joe Biden announced the appointment of six members to the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB; see related article). This board plays a crucial role in advising and assisting the director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in setting the activities of the national...
Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States, and the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2023, it is estimated that about 52,550 individuals died from the...
A newly published guideline update from ASCO and Ontario Health provides evidence-based recommendations on the use of systemic therapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC).1 Recommendations cover where novel agents fit in the treatment landscape, the management of disease in older patients with...
On October 16 and 17, 2023, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) welcomed more than 350 attendees from over 75 countries to its World Cancer Leaders’ Summit in Long Beach, California, to discuss some of the most challenging issues facing patients with cancer worldwide. The theme of...
The use of lutetium-177–labeled PSMA-617 (LuPSMA) improved radiographic progression–free survival by 57% in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who experienced disease progression on an androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitor compared with changing to a new AR pathway...
Except for a series of unexplained multiple broken bones and inexplicable excruciating pain in my right hip and leg, I had no other hallmarks of multiple myeloma when I was diagnosed with the disease at age 48 in 2014. My blood test values were all normal, and I didn’t have anemia or kidney damage. ...
Investigators have found that implementing the updated World Health Organization (WHO) screening guidelines may effectively reduce the cervical cancer mortality rate in patients residing in low- and middle-income countries, according to two recent studies published by Simms et al and Hall et al in...
Investigators have uncovered concerningly large gaps in evidence regarding the true benefits of opioids for pain relief in patients with cancer, according to a novel study published by Shaheed et al in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The new findings could challenge the commonly held view that ...
Translational research is a key ingredient in guiding both genetic and pharmacologic cardioprotective approaches in patients being treated for cancer, according to international experts from the International Cardio-Oncology Society and the Global Cardio-Oncology Symposium (GCOS) committee. Fadi N. ...
Invited discussant Bonny Morris, PhD, RN, MSPH, of the American Cancer Society, underscored the significance of the study’s findings for the veteran community. “There are more than 50,000 veterans diagnosed with cancer each year, with the most common cancers being prostate, lung, and colorectal,”...
A decade-long journey toward improving end-of-life care for patients with advanced cancer has demonstrated positive effects on survival, health-care use, and cost of care, according to data presented at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium.1 Post hoc analysis of an advance care planning...
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can safely and effectively treat patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), especially during first remission, according to data presented at the 2023 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 4988). Results of the...
A novel first-in-class therapy may help to redefine survival expectations for patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), according to data presented at the 2023 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 547). Results of a European named-patient program study showed...
The data developed over the past few years have overwhelmingly favored geriatric assessment as part of the routine care for older patients with cancer. It has become the standard of care. ASCO has recently published a Practical Geriatric Assessment to aid in the implementation of this vital...
At the 2023 Global Cardio-Oncology Summit in Madrid, in a joint session with ASCO and the International Cardio-Oncology Society, Anita Arnold, DO, FACC, MBA, Director, Noninvasive Cardiology, and Director of Cardio-Oncology, Lee Memorial Health Systems, Fort Myers, Florida, discussed the...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, and colleagues, a 5-year analysis of the IDEA trial showed a very low rate of recurrence with the omission of radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery in patients at low clinical and genomic risk for disease ...
Invited discussant of the HER2CLIMB-02 trial, Valentina Guarneri, MD, of Padeva Istituto Oncologica Veneto, Italy, hailed these results as important, especially for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer and brain metastases. However, she noted, “HER2CLIMB-02 is not likely to challenge the...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Innocenti et al, analysis of DNA mutational profiling in the phase III CALGB (Alliance)/SWOG 80405 trial of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with bevacizumab or cetuximab with chemotherapy showed differences in outcome associated...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Han et al found that persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) after chemoradiation was associated with poorer outcomes in patients with cervical cancer. Patients at high risk of poorer outcomes could also be...
On December 18, W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, began her work as the 17th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Dr. Rathmell was selected by President Biden to succeed Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, who left NCI to become the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on...
Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists may be effective at reducing the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with a higher body mass index (BMI) and diabetes, according to a recent study published by Wang et al in JAMA Oncology. Background Obesity is a chronic health condition that...
The phase II PrE0405 trial met its primary endpoint, achieving a complete response rate of 85% in 33 patients with mantle cell lymphoma over age 60 who received bendamustine and rituximab, a standard chemoimmunotherapy regimen, along with venetoclax, which is investigational in this setting. The...
On December 11, ConcertAI announced the acquisition of CancerLinQ, previously a subsidiary of ASCO. In conjunction with the acquisition, ASCO will maintain a multiyear cooperation agreement with CancerLinQ. Building on CancerLinQ’s mission when launched by ASCO in 2013, this new venture will...
Use of venetoclax may increase survival in non-Hispanic Black patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to recent findings presented by Wang et al at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 955). Background Although the standard treatment...
The targeted therapy bezuclastinib may be safe and effective at reducing markers of disease burden and improving symptoms in patients with nonadvanced systemic mastocytosis, according to recent findings published by Bose et al at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting &...
Patients with relapsed or refractory acute leukemia with rearrangement in the lysine methyltransferase 2A gene, a genetic marker known as KMT2A, who were treated with revumenib, a small-molecule inhibitor of menin-KMT2A interactions, saw an overall response rate of 63%, according to results from...
The Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor ruxolitinib plus the B-cell lymphoma 2 protein inhibitor navitoclax may be twice as effective at spleen volume reduction compared with standard-of-care ruxolitinib monotherapy in adult patients with intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis, according to new findings ...
Among patients who have acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with genetic mutations in NPM1, those with no residual leukemia cells in the blood based on high-sensitivity testing after two cycles of chemotherapy achieved high rates of overall survival at 3 years and saw no additional survival benefit from...
Data presented at the 2023 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition suggest that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy remains a viable option for patients who have lymphoma that goes into remission before the cell therapy begins (Abstract 615). While the findings do not answer the...
Patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) who received a combination therapy including arsenic trioxide, all-trans retinoic acid, and ascorbic acid (AAA) in oral form with no or minimal chemotherapy showed high rates of survival and relapse-free survival at 3 years, according to new findings ...
Researchers have found that patients with psychiatric or substance use disorders may have an increased risk of experiencing poorer outcomes such as early mortality following treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with venetoclax combination therapies compared with those without a recent history ...
Researchers identified a 75% higher rate of mortality among patients treated for multiple myeloma in real-world hospital settings compared with rates reported in clinical trials involving common therapies. The new findings were presented by Visram et al at the 2023 American Society of Hematology...
Researchers may have uncovered a close link between genetic factors and racial disparities in pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to new findings presented by Lamba et al at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition (Abstract 386)....
An ASCO guideline has been developed to inform the use of systemic treatments for metastatic, well-differentiated gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).1 The guideline helps fill a knowledge gap among community oncologists in particular, who typically do not see many of these rare ...
In patients with newly diagnosed, locally advanced cervical cancer, induction chemotherapy prior to chemoradiation therapy led to a 35% reduction in the risk for disease recurrence or death (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.65; P = .013) and a 39% reduction in the survival hazard (HR = 0.61; P = .04),...
Discussant of these abstracts on the Oncology Care Model (OCM), Kerin B. Adelson, MD, MHCDS, Chief Quality and Value Officer at The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, suggested the OCM was beneficial for both patients and health professionals despite the lack of clear positive ...
A pair of studies evaluating the impact of the Oncology Care Model (OCM) has highlighted challenges in improving quality of the value-based payment model, according to data presented at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium. Both studies were conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Although significant progress has been made to reduce the gap in health outcomes of minority or underserved patients, meaningful steps forward still need to be made to improve health disparities. Countless studies have shown, in general, that affluent White individuals have better health outcomes...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Nina Shah, MD, Global Head of Multiple Myeloma Clinical Development and Strategy, Hematology, Oncology Research and Development at AstraZeneca. She is a hematologist who specializes in...
Session moderator S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Chair of the Mayo Clinic Myeloma, Amyloidosis, and Dysproteinemia Group, commented on the GMMG-CONCEPT trial and other studies in newly diagnosed patients. “There are two strategies to...
Comprehensive profiling of fusion RNAs present in a large cohort of metastatic breast tumors revealed unique fusion mutations that may be therapeutically targetable, according to results presented at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (Abstract GS03-09). Fusion mutations occur when a...