In a U.S. single-center radiation dose-expansion study reported in JAMA Oncology, Wu et al found that chemoradiation with adaptively increased stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) boost doses was safe and effective in patients with locally advanced, unresectable non–small cell lung cancer...
In previously treated patients with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a subcutaneous formulation of nivolumab was found to be noninferior to the intravenous formulation, which is standard of care for nivolumab in renal cell carcinoma and other cancers. Compared with...
In patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy, a more intensified regimen of abiraterone acetate/prednisone plus apalutamide improved outcomes and did not lead to decrements in specific domains of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) vs treatment with...
A prospective pilot study investigating the use of early fluorodeoxyglucose F-18 (FDG) positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients with advanced melanoma has found that metabolic changes in melanoma metastases detected on early FDG PET/CT imaging are potentially predictive ...
In a UK trial (NCRI AML19) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Russell et al found that intensified induction therapy with FLAG-Ida (fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony–stimulating factor, and idarubicin) plus gemtuzumab ozogamicin did not improve overall survival in younger...
Harry P. Erba, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Leukemia Program in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, told The ASCO Post he was not surprised by one of the key findings reported by Smith et ...
In a comparison of real-world outcomes for two common first-line regimens for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), treatment with the IDH1-targeted agent ivosidenib plus a hypomethylating agent was associated with better outcomes than venetoclax plus a...
Unintentional weight loss may be associated with an increased risk of receiving a cancer diagnosis within the next year, according to a recent study published by Wang et al in JAMA. Background Patients with advanced cancer often experience weight loss. However, weight loss is often not thought to...
Decisions regarding the rationing of chemotherapy are commonplace in many countries around the world—including those where patients must pay for chemotherapy out of pocket—and increasingly so in cancer settings that treat both well-off and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients. However, these...
At the 2023 Global Cardio-Oncology Symposium (GCOS), international experts explored the ongoing collaborative efforts to improve the cardiovascular health of patients being treated for cancer as well as the bidirectional challenges of translating basic research to clinical care. Focus on Basic and...
Recent studies by multidisciplinary teams at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Massachusetts General Hospital are illuminating novel ways to address health-care challenges faced by patients with cancer. The research, presented at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, highlights the...
Invited discussant Laura Huppert, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, Comprehensive Cancer Center, focused her remarks on the need for biomarkers for selection of immunotherapy as part of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. “Hormone...
Pembrolizumab added to neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab plus endocrine therapy improved pathologic complete responses in patients with early-stage, high-risk, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to updated results of the phase III...
Patients with multiple myeloma treated in the “real world” had worse outcomes than patients who received the same treatment on clinical trials, according to research presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1 In a pooled analysis of clinical trial...
The combination of ibrutinib and venetoclax has led to an improved progression-free survival rate in patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), according to findings presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1 Interim analysis...
The addition of the CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab to a standard regimen for patients with newly diagnosed transplant-eligible multiple myeloma significantly prolonged progression-free survival vs standard treatment in the phase III PERSEUS trial. The study was reported as a late-breaking...
Subgroup analyses of the randomized double-blind phase III MATTERHORN trial continue to show the benefit of adding perioperative durvalumab to standard chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced, resectable gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer. Detailed findings on pathologic complete...
Investigators have found that only a minority of patients with Lynch syndrome may be receiving aspirin as chemopreventive therapy, according to new findings presented by Singhal et al at the 2024 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (Abstract 19). Background “[Patients] with Lynch syndrome are...
In the phase III CheckMate 8HW trial, previously untreated patients with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer derived significant benefit from an immunotherapy doublet of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in the first-line setting, which...
Rory M. Shallis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology) at Yale School of Medicine, shared his thoughts on the use of revumenib in histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 2A-rearranged (KMT2A-rearranged) leukemia, as reported in the phase II AUGMENT-101 trial. In an interview with The ASCO...
Michael K. Gibson, MD, PhD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses phase III findings on chemotherapy plus camrelizumab in the ESCORT-NEO trial of patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; and phase III SKYSCRAPER-08 results on first-line tiragolumab plus atezolizumab ...
In this installment of The ASCO Post ’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Naoto T. Ueno, MD, PhD, FACP, Director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Along with his duties leading the cancer center, Dr. Ueno leads translational breast cancer research...
The Prevent Cancer Foundation has honored Matthijs Oudkerk, PhD, MD, MSc, with the prestigious James L. Mulshine, MD, International Leadership Award. Dr. Oudkerk is Professor of Radiology at the University of Groningen and Chief Scientific Officer of the Institute for Diagnostic Accuracy in the...
The addition of durvalumab and bevacizumab to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who were eligible for embolization. According to the study authors, this is the first trial to demonstrate...
On January 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the FGFR inhibitor erdafitinib (Balversa) for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with susceptible FGFR3 genetic alterations, as determined by an FDA-approved companion diagnostic test, whose...
A novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK)-cell therapy may be effective at treating patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies, according to a novel study published by Marin et al in Nature Medicine. Study Methods and Results In the new phase I/II trial, researchers...
The role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), or liquid biopsy, as a predictive tool to guide and monitor cancer treatment remains unclear, after the first prospective randomized phase II trial evaluating clearance of ctDNA in patients with stage II colon cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy did not ...
Although overall cancer mortality has continued to decline, resulting in over 4 million fewer deaths in the United States since 1991, increasing incidence for 6 of the top 10 cancers pushed the projected number of new diagnoses to over 2 million (2,001,140) for the first time, according to the...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Han et al, the 21-year update of the Normal Risk Ovarian Screening Study (NROSS) has shown that the NROSS screening strategy remains effective for the detection of ovarian cancer and detection at early disease stages. Study Details The NROSS...
In an Indian single-institution study reported in JCO Global Oncology, Patel et al found that use of lower-than-recommended doses of immune checkpoint inhibitors showed activity across various tumor types. As stated by the investigators: “The cost of immune checkpoint inhibitors limits their...
In a long-term analysis from the LYMA trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sarkozy et al found that rituximab maintenance following autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) continued to be of benefit vs observation in the first-line treatment of younger patients with mantle cell...
A novel blood test may accurately detect neuroendocrine prostate cancer and differentiate it from castration-resistant prostate adenocarcinoma, according to a recent study published by Franceschini et al in Cancer Discovery. Background Approximately 10% to 15% of patients with metastatic prostate...
Although pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have seen a dramatic improvement in long-term survival rates over the past 40 years, from approximately 10% to over 95%, adults aged 29 and older have not experienced the same treatment benefits, with survival rates still below...
At a median follow-up of 8.4 years, adjuvant use of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) continued to improve invasive disease–free survival and overall survival compared with trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer with residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant therapy. These ...
In the Chinese phase II NACI trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Li et al found that neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus camrelizumab produced antitumor activity and had a manageable adverse event profile in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. Study Details A total of 85 patients were...
Researchers discovered that the blood vessel–relaxing agent carvedilol may be safe and effective at reducing the risk of heart failure in childhood cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Armenian et al in The Lancet Oncology. These findings indicate carvedilol may improve...
A novel vaccine may be effective at preventing relapse in patients with KRAS-mutated pancreatic and colorectal cancers, according to a recent study published by Pant et al in Nature Medicine. Background KRAS-mutated cancers make up about 25% of all solid tumors, including 90% of pancreatic cancer...
Researchers have evaluated the efficacy of atezolizumab in combination with carboplatin in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Lehmann et al in JAMA Oncology. The new findings may help researchers better understand biomarkers of immunotherapy...
Although current ASCO guidelines recommend exercise for patients with breast cancer during adjuvant therapy with curative intent, the guidelines state that more study is needed regarding the effects of exercise for patients with metastatic breast cancer. The results of the PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial...
In a Dutch nationwide cross-sectional cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Hazen et al found that a reduced use of neoadjuvant radiotherapy as part of chemoradiotherapy was not associated with poorer outcomes in patients with non–locally advanced rectal cancer. As stated by the investigators,...
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. ...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Kohei Shitara, MD, and colleagues, interim analyses of the phase III KEYNOTE-585 trial have shown that the addition of perioperative pembrolizumab to chemotherapy improved pathologic complete response, but did not significantly improve event-free survival, in...
Treatment in community cancer centers may be associated with a lower rate of survival among patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, according to a recent study published by Trakimas et al in the Journal of the National Cancer...
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...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Talha Munir, MBBS, and colleagues, an analysis from the UK phase III FLAIR trial showed improved progression-free survival with measurable residual disease (MRD)-guided ibrutinib/venetoclax vs fludarabine/cyclophosphamide/rituximab (FCR) in...
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...
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...
In the final overall survival analysis from the phase III IMvigor130 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Aristotelis Bamias, MD, and colleagues found no significant advantage in overall survival with atezolizumab monotherapy vs chemotherapy in untreated patients with locally advanced or...
In a retrospective cohort study of 160 patients with cancer who were suspected of having immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced myocarditis, published in JACC: CardioOncology, Osnat Itzhaki Ben Zadok, MD, MSc, and colleagues found that severe ICI-induced myocarditis seemed to be linked to...