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Showing 11301 - 11350New Study on Communicating Bad News, from the Patient’s Perspective
There is limited evidence in the literature about how oncologists should discuss bad or serious news with their patients. A recent study sought to understand what patients with cancer value when their doctors communicate news of recurrence.1 The ASCO Post spoke with the study’s lead author, Anthony ...
Expert Point of View: Alan Venook, MD
Invited discussant Alan Venook, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, pointed out that the hazard ratio of 0.81 and the 1.4-month improvement in overall survival in the TML trial did not reach the target hazard ratio of 0.77 in the statistical design of the study. However, “it is...
Expert Point of View: Axel Grothey, MD
Over the past 10 years, agents targeting the VEGF system, such as bevacizumab, have become standard components of anticancer therapy in various malignancies. Recently, it has become increasingly evident that prolonged duration of anti-VEGF therapy is needed to optimize the therapeutic effect of...
Expert Point of View: Benjamin J. Solomon, MBBS, PhD
“The LUX-Lung 3 study has been much awaited. It is the first study to use cisplatin/pemetrexed [Alimta], which we now recognize as the best comparator arm. The study was positive for afatinib. While the use of maintenance pemetrexed may have dented the hazard ratio, I doubt this would have impacted ...
First-line Afatinib Superior to Standard Chemotherapy in Advanced EGFR-mutated Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
First-line therapy with the investigational oral agent afatinib improved progression-free survival compared with standard chemotherapy (pemetrexed (Alimta)/cisplatin) in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring an EGFR mutation. Afatinib improved progression-free survival ...
Landscape for Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma Is Expanding
Metastatic melanoma was long considered untreatable and incurable. The FDA approval of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and vemurafenib (Zelboraf) ushered in a new era for this disease, and now additional treatment options are in late stages of clinical development. Dabrafenib, a novel oral BRAF inhibitor, and...
Reflections from the Old World
A few years ago, I was a key witness for a patent dispute at a trial in Delaware. Acting for the complainant, I was briefed that the opening gambit of the opposition lawyer would be to discredit my CV and, therefore, the value of my testimony. “So you are a full Professor at the University of...
Three Experts Weigh In on the Health-care Reform Legislation
In light of the Supreme Court ruling, The ASCO Post asked three nationally regarded experts about how the Affordable Care Act will affect the practice of oncology. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania: This is an overwhelmingly...
The Affordable Care Act Stands: Now What?
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law—a hotly contested bill that enacted sweeping changes to the U.S. health-care system. The debate over the Affordable Care Act continued all the way to the Supreme Court, spearheaded by the case Florida...
Expert Point of View: PARAMOUNT
Formal discussant Gregory Peter Kalemkerian, MD, of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, questioned whether all patients need maintenance therapy, since some patients on placebo lived as long as those on pemetrexed maintenance, and quality of life, as reported...
Children with Favorable-risk Disease and Complete Response to Chemotherapy Have High Survival Rates without Radiotherapy
Among children with favorable-risk Hodgkin lymphoma, those who achieved a complete response after two cycles of chemotherapy and received no radiotherapy had high rates of survival similar to those who had a less complete response to chemotherapy and received radiotherapy, according to a study in...
SIDEBAR: Expect Questions from Your Patients
For now, genomic sequencing seems to have a greater presence in the news than in the clinic. What can physicians tell their patients who ask about genetic testing to identify mutations driving cancer growth? “The real answer is that when you get down to it, genomics is like any other test,”...
Genomics vs Site of Cancer Origin as Basis for Treatment of Cancer Is ‘False Dichotomy’
In the News focuses on media reports that your patients may have questions about at their next visit. This continuing column will provide summaries of articles in the popular press that may prompt such questions, as well as comments from colleagues in the field. Despite recent news reports...
Astragalus
The use of dietary supplements by cancer patients has risen significantly over the past 2 decades despite insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness. Finding reliable sources of information about dietary supplements can be daunting. Patients typically rely on family, friends, and the...
Living with the Aftermath of Breast Cancer
My battle with breast cancer began 10 years ago, but the aftereffects of the disease and the treatment will be with me for the rest of my life. As a professional woman who has had several diverse careers, including one as a corporate controller and another as an art teacher, I’m driven to want to...
Pertuzumab: New Drug for HER2-positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. Indication In June 2012, pertuzumab (Perjeta) was approved for use...
Symposium Focuses on Policy Issues in Personalized Cancer Care
“What is the biggest barrier to progress in personalized medicine?” asked moderator Anna Barker, PhD, leading a panel discussion at a recent meeting convened by the Washington-based advocacy group, the Personalized Medicine Coalition, with the American Association for Cancer Research and Feinstein...
SIDEBAR: Coalition Activities
The new Data Liquidity Coalition has identified five activity tracks. Marcia Kean, MBA, a leader of the coalition steering committee, described the tracks: 1. Intellectual Capital is a set of activities that would seek to identify and illuminate some of the key issues in the space, such as the...
Data Liquidity Coalition Takes Shape
A coalition to promote and implement data sharing in cancer by facilitating data ‘liquidity,’ first proposed in February at an Institute of Medicine (IOM) workshop, is taking shape with the formation of a steering committee and action plans that include a demonstration project. For several years,...
Information Service Provides Innovative Resource for Patients and Providers
Jennifer Levin Carter, MD, MPH is Founder and President of N-of-One. A board-certified internist and entrepreneur, she has more than 20 years of experience evaluating existing and emerging markets, new medical technologies, and early-stage companies in the health-care field. Formerly, Dr. Carter...
New Assessment Tools in Development to Guide Care for Older Patients
More than 1,400 people from 62 countries attended the 2012 Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer, held in New York last June. One of the featured sessions, which was jointly...
A Physician, Who Is Also a Cancer Patient, Talks about Medical Errors
In a whispered but resolute voice, Itzhak Brook, MD, MSc, led off his presentation at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting1 by telling the audience his voice is weak because he doesn’t have vocal cords. He spoke with the aid of a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis. “I have practiced medicine for more than ...
Supportive Care Experts Explore 30 Years of Progress in the Field
Thirty years ago, when the first supportive care meeting as a forerunner of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Symposium was held in New York, supportive care was largely ignored, with little discussion at major cancer meetings, which focused primarily on...
Taking Family History and Referral to Genetic Counseling Could Be Improved, Survey Finds
Obtaining a thorough family history of cancer should be a key component in evaluating patients and deciding whether to refer those at increased risk of either primary or second cancers for genetic counseling and testing. Many community oncology practices comply with this practice, but there is room ...
Antidepressant Drug Has ‘Clinically Meaningful’ Effect on Chemotherapy-induced Painful Neuropathy
The oral antidepressant duloxetine (Cymbalta) at 60 mg/d improved chemotherapy-induced painful neuropathy in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial.1 Overall, 59% of patients treated with duloxetine experienced some pain relief, 33% reported at least a 30% decrease in pain, ...
Improving Outcomes and Prediction in Ductal Carcinoma in Situ
Risk stratification and outcomes can be improved for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), according to two studies presented at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting. RTOG 9804 Findings from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9804 trial suggested that even for DCIS patients whose prognosis...
Trailblazer in Argentinean Oncology Remains Optimistic about War on Cancer
Eduardo Cazap, MD, PhD, is founder and first President of the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM). In 2008, he was elected to a 2-year term as President of the International Union against Cancer (UICC). The ASCO Post recently spoke with Dr. Cazap about his roots in...
Lapatinib Shows Value Similar to Trastuzumab in Neoadjuvant Regimens for Breast Cancer, but with Greater Toxicity
Lapatinib (Tykerb) proved valuable as a component of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for HER2-positive operable breast cancer in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-41 trial presented at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting by Andre Robidoux, MD, of the NSABP and the University of...
Former Foundation Grantee Pays It Forward, Building a Legacy for the Next Generation
Hundreds of investigators, such as 2008 Young Investigator Award and 2010 Career Development Award recipient Richard Carvajal, MD, have received seed funding from ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation early in their careers—funding that supported their professional growth and helped lay the foundation...
ASCO’s Guideline on Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Melanoma
Direct your patients to www.cancer.net/whattoknow so they can learn about ASCO’s recent guideline on sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma, including what it means for patients and a list of questions to ask the doctor. In addition, patients can find more information about melanoma at...
ASCO University’s e-Seminars Offer a Stimulating Way to Stay on Top of Trends as Well as Meeting Highlights
Did you miss one of the symposia this year and need to quickly catch up on the highlights in small, digestible portions? No problem. ASCO University’s e-Seminar series now has you covered. Or, is there a new journal article that everyone’s talking about, and you need guidance on how to interpret...
Clinicians to Benefit from New JCO Initiatives
Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) has recently launched several new features for readers under the direction of Stephen A. Cannistra, MD, who began his tenure as Editor-in-Chief in June 2011. These initiatives include the creation of two new article types: Rapid Communications (RC) and...
No Improvement in Overall Survival, Worse Toxicity with Motesanib Added to Chemotherapy in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Two trials (E4599 and AVAiL) have suggested a benefit to adding the anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (Avastin) to chemotherapy in patients with advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Bevacizumab acts by binding directly to circulating...
Understanding and Managing Pseudoprogression in Glioblastoma Patients
Pearls in Neuro-oncology is guest edited by Tracy Batchelor, MD, Director, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston. The series is intended to provide the practicing oncologist with guidance in managing...
Enzalutamide Gets Priority Review for Castrate-resistant Prostate Cancer
Medivation, Inc, and Astellas Pharma, Inc, announced that the FDA has accepted for filing the New Drug Application (NDA) for enzalutamide (formerly MDV3100) for the potential treatment of men with castration-resistant prostate cancer previously treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy and granted...
As Conflicting Guidelines Evolve, Experts Continue to Debate the Merits of Cancer Screening
In the 1930s and 1940s, when the American Cancer Society [ACS] first brought forth the message that early cancer detection saves lives, it was a broad brushstroke and an appropriate message. The problem now is that new technology enables us to find [tumors that would never progress to invasive...
Expert Point of View: Grant McArthur, MB, BS, PhD
Grant McArthur, MB, BS, PhD, Head of the Cancer Therapeutics Program at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, congratulated the investigators on a rapidly accrued, well-conducted, and ethical study that encouraged crossover to the active arm. He noted that regorafenib is an...
Striking Activity Shown for Regorafenib in Advanced GIST
Regorafenib, an orally administered investigational tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has shown activity in chemorefractory metastatic colorectal cancer, markedly delayed disease progression in patients with treatment-refractory metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) in the phase III GRID...
Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: Who, When, and How to Treat?
Differentiated thyroid cancer—papillary, follicular, and Hürthle cell carcinomas—has historically been managed by endocrinologists, surgeons, and radiation oncologists, but recent progress in the field has led to greater involvement by medical oncologists, especially in the care of patients with...
Supportive Care Research Runs the Gamut from Genetic Markers of Treatment Side Effects to Neuropathic Pain Therapies
Attendees from around the world gathered for the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer, held June 28–30 in New York. Below are highlights from the meeting, representing...
Novel Agents Should Have Impact in Lymphocytic Leukemias
Agents with novel mechanisms of action may strongly impact outcomes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), if data from early-phase studies presented at this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting are any indication. There is a clear unmet need for more effective therapies...
FDA Approves Colon-cleansing Drug for Prep Prior to Colonoscopy
The FDA has approved sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, and citric acid (Prepopik) to help cleanse the colon in adults preparing for colonoscopy, Ferring Pharmaceuticals announced. The new solution is a low-volume, dual-acting stimulant and osmotic laxative. The FDA approval is based on data from ...
Biokine Therapeutics Awarded FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Mobilization of Stem Cells in Patients with Cancer
Biokine Therapeutics Ltd announced that it has received Orphan Drug designation from the FDA for BKT140, a highly selective chemokine receptor antagonist that induces mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow into peripheral blood for collection and subsequent transplantation in...
FDA Approves Ziv-aflibercept for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
The FDA has approved ziv-aflibercept (Zaltrap) for use in combination with a FOLFIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil, irinotecan) chemotherapy regimen to treat adults with colorectal cancer. Ziv-aflibercept is an angiogenesis inhibitor that inhibits the blood supply to tumors. It is intended for patients ...
Maintenance of Certification: One Size Should Not Fit All
After a conference call and having returned several phone calls, I again opened my ASCO Medical Oncology Self Evaluation Program (SEP) book hoping to steal an hour to reread the chapter on multiple myeloma, and begin digging deeper into head and neck cancer. It was March 2011, and my Maintenance of ...
Rethinking the Role of PSA Screening in Public Health
Population screening to identify preclinical disease is considered a central factor in the decades-long decrease in mortality seen in certain cancers. However, hope in the face of deadly disease can sometimes blind us to the scientific evidence. According to the recent U.S. Preventive Services Task ...
Expert Point of View: James O. Armitage, MD
In an accompanying editorial entitled “Who Benefits From Surveillance Imaging?” James O. Armitage, MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, noted that data on surveillance imaging (CT or PET/CT) indicate a general absence of survival benefit in adults with lymphomas, while pointing out...
Study Shows Routine CT Surveillance Overused in Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma
The value of routine CT surveillance monitoring of pediatric patients for recurrence of Hodgkin lymphoma has been unclear. A study of CT surveillance recently reported by Stephan D. Voss, MD, PhD, and colleagues from the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) in the Journal of Clinical Oncology showed...
SIDEBAR: Don’t Expect Questions: Be Proactive with Younger Patients
It is unrealistic to expect adolescents and young adults with cancer to initiate questions about disease-related or or treatment-related issues that are troubling them, according to Bradley Zebrack, PhD, MSW, MPH, Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor....
Adolescent and Young Adult Patients Report Unmet Needs for Cancer Information and Psychosocial Support Services
In the News focuses on media reports that your patients may have questions about at their next visit. This continuing column will provide summaries of articles in the popular press that may prompt such questions, as well as comments from colleagues in the field. Psychosocial care needs are not...
