As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Frumovitz et al, there were no significant differences in quality of life, a secondary endpoint, for women undergoing open vs minimally invasive radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer in the phase III LACC trial. There were, however, differences in...
In an analysis from the International Society of Pediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma Group (SIOPEN) High-Risk Neuroblastoma 1 (HR-NBL1/SIOPEN) trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Holmes et al found that surgeon-assessed complete macroscopic excision was associated with improved...
Alice Mims, MD, Associate Professor of Hematology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–The James, shared her insights on the VIALE-A study. “The results of the VIALE-A study have been highly anticipated and are exciting, given the improvement seen in both overall survival and...
In the phase III VIALE-A trial, venetoclax added to azacitidine led to a significant and clinically meaningful improvement in response rates and overall survival, as compared with azacitidine alone, in treatment-naive predominantly elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) ineligible for...
For people with cancer who have a mental health disorder, getting mental health treatment may help them live longer, a new study published by Berchuck et al in JAMA Oncology suggests. In the retrospective study, of more than 50,000 veterans treated for lung cancer within the Veterans Affairs (VA)...
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has proved to be a valuable treatment option for patients with lymphoma in whom other therapies have failed. In clinical trials, the cellular immunotherapy was shown to provide durable remissions for nearly 40% of patients with large B-cell lymphoma....
In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Blagden et al found lower mean global quality-of-life scores on longitudinal analysis among women with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer who received weekly vs every-3-week paclitaxel in platinum-based regimens in the ICON8 trial. The ICON8 trial showed no...
In an Australian study reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Piercey et al found that routine blood tests have little utility in detecting relapse or progression of disease during active surveillance of patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. As stated by the investigators, “Patients with...
A retrospective analysis from the BIG 2-98 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Desmedt et al showed poorer disease-free and overall survival with increasing baseline body mass index (BMI) in women receiving adjuvant docetaxel-based chemotherapy but not among those receiving...
Two new studies led by Renuka Iyer, MD, Section Chief for Gastrointestinal Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and published in Oncotarget and Cancer, respectively, highlight possible new treatment options for patients with neuroendocrine tumors. SurVaxM The first report,...
Lung cancer in nonsmokers is a diverse and distinct disease from lung cancer in smokers and is likely to respond differently to targeted treatments, according to results from a new study published by Chen et al in the journal Cell. Scientists studied a patient population in Taiwan with high rates...
According to a press release from the National Institutes of Health, an investigational vaccine designed to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19—mRNA-1273—was generally well tolerated and prompted neutralizing antibody activity in healthy adults. These interim results were...
In an Australian study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sim et al found that the osteoanabolic agent teriparatide improved the rate of resolution of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw lesions vs placebo in a population of patients who had previous exposure to either...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Hayek et al found that exercise intolerance was more common among adult survivors of childhood cancer than among matched controls and that it was associated with a greater likelihood of emotional distress, poorer attainment of social roles, and poorer...
“The IKEMA trial is based on the interest of adding a CD38 naked antibody to a carfilzomib-plus-dexamethasone skeleton, a protocol nearly identical to the recently presented CANDOR trial,” said Craig Hofmeister MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Hematology and Oncology at the Winship Cancer Institute...
The addition of the CD38 antibody isatuximab-irfc to carfilzomib and dexamethasone nearly halved the risk of disease progression or death in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, the interim analysis of the phase III IKEMA trial has shown.1 “Isatuximab plus carfilzomib and...
Mark J. Ratain, MD, of the University of Chicago, talks about why ibrutinib—which can lead to cardiotoxicities—should be studied at a lower dose for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Data suggest a reduced dose may prevent dose interruption due to adverse events and may have a better...
Compared with younger patients, older patients with cancer face unique challenges because many of them have age-related decreases in health-related quality of life. This can be a result of many factors, such as comorbidities, mental health, physical impairment, and financial stressors. A diagnosis...
In a preplanned secondary analysis of the BRE12-158 trial published in JAMA Oncology, Milan Radovich, PhD, and colleagues found that the presence of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the plasma of women who have received neoadjuvant treatment for stage I, II, or...
Medications commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure may also reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to new research published by Cheung et al in the journal Hypertension. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) are often prescribed...
In an Italian phase IIb/III study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Mazzaferro et al found evidence that liver transplantation after tumor downstaging was associated with improved event-free and overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The study was closed early due to changes in...
In a single-institution study reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Watson et al found that screening for and treating detected dental infections prior to initiation of induction chemotherapy for patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were associated with a significant reduction in ...
In a study reported in JAMA Surgery, Le Blanc et al found that Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act was associated with increased insurance coverage and reduction in rates of diagnosis of breast cancer at later stages. Study Details The study involved data from the National Cancer...
R. Donald Harvey, PharmD, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, of Emory University, discusses the ways in which clinical pharmacology can help yield cost savings without sacrificing efficacy by, for example, altering regimens to extend drug supplies, lowering doses, dosing less frequently, or shortening the duration ...
New research published by Douglas et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network examined coverage trends for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing, also known as liquid biopsy. In the first-ever study to analyze insurance coverage for ctDNA-based panel tests, researchers found ...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has updated its guideline for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, adapting a 2019 update from the Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACS first issued a guideline for routine use of the HPV vaccine in 2007, with an update issued in...
In a study reported as a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Scovell et al identified a potential association between the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors and impaired spermatogenesis using autopsy tissue findings in men with a history of metastatic melanoma. Study Details The study involved...
In the phase I/II TRAXHER2 trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Cortés et al found that the combination of capecitabine and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) did not improve overall response rate vs T-DM1 alone in previously treated patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Study Details In ...
In a single-center phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Andrea Apolo, MD, and colleagues found that the multikinase inhibitor cabozantinib showed activity in a cohort of patients with platinum-refractory metastatic urothelial carcinoma. As noted by the investigators, in addition to...
I have had to come to terms with my own mortality three times in my life and I’m only 46. When I was 17, I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and experienced renal failure 2 years later. I underwent my first kidney transplant at 21, just before starting medical school. Finally, I thought my ...
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that women with early-stage cervical cancer treated with minimally invasive radical hysterectomy had a 71% increased risk of disease recurrence and a 56% increased risk of death compared with those treated with open radical hysterectomy.1 “These...
Women with early-stage cervical cancer treated with minimally invasive radical hysterectomy had a 71% increased risk of recurrence and a 56% increased risk of death compared with those treated with open radical hysterectomy, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 studies involving ...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has honored Patricia S. Steeg, PhD, with its 2020 Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship. Dr. Steeg, Co-Director of the Office of Translational Resources and Associate Director of the Center for Cancer Research at the...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is honoring Christopher I. Amos, PhD, with the 2020 AACR–American Cancer Society (ACS) Award for Research Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. Dr. Amos, the Selzman Endowed Professor, Director of the Institute for Clinical and...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is honoring Benjamin F. Cravatt, PhD, with the 2020 AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research. Dr. Cravatt, Professor at the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and the Gilula Chair of Chemical Biology for the...
The Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy have chosen Charles L. Sawyers, MD, FAACR, as President-Elect for 2020–2021. Dr. Sawyers will assume the presidency during the 2021 AACR Annual Meeting. Dr. Sawyers holds the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Chair in Human...
Neil Spector, MD, a physician-scientist, translational research leader, and oncology mentor died on June 14, 2020. He was 63. Dr. Spector was the Sandra Coates Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, and a member of the Duke Cancer ...
Beth Levine, MD, Professor of Internal Medicine and Microbiology, Director of the Center for Autophagy Research, and Charles Cameron Sprague Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Sciences at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern), and an investigator at the Howard Hughes ...
Oscar Colegio, MD, PhD, the Lawrence P. & Joan Castellani Family Endowed Chair in Dermatology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, died unexpectedly on June 13, 2020, at a family residence in Connecticut. He was 47. Dr. Colegio had relocated to Buffalo when he was...
A recently opened center at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC–James) gives patients direct, expedited access to diagnostic testing for cancer. The goal, said Chief Medical Officer David Cohn, MD,...
On May 18, 2020, atezolizumab was approved for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression and no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations. High PD-L1 expression is defined as PD-L1 staining of at least 50% of...
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the Art of Oncology, as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
From his early days, David Fajgenbaum, MD, was an overachiever in academics and sports, funneling his relentless drive and laser-like focus into everything he did. He dreamed of becoming a quarterback at a division I school, which he achieved, garnering a full scholarship to Georgetown University,...
During its recent Virtual Annual Meeting II, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) presented its 2020 Team Science Awards to the founding members and the current project team associated with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). TCGA began in 2006 as a joint effort between the National...
Elected by a body of fellow immunotherapy researchers from across the globe, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Deputy Director Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, has been named At-Large Director of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Board of Directors. Dr. Odunsi will begin his ...
Bjørn Henning Gronberg, MD, PhD, presented a paper at the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program reporting astounding positive results favoring higher-dose, twice-daily radiation therapy in limited-stage small cell lung cancer.1 This was a phase II study (large for phase II but small for phase III)...
In a pooled analysis reported in Bone Marrow Transplantation,1 Luciano J. Costa, MD, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues found that autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation followed by reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic transplantation (auto-allo) was...
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 Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on...
As the 21st Century Cures Act approaches its 4th anniversary, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) convened a working group made up of multidisciplinary experts from across the country to analyze current issues related to the 21st Century Cures Act and to develop recommendations for ...
According to the National Cancer Institute, each year, about 70,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs)—those between the ages of 15 and39—are diagnosed with cancer.1 Evidence suggests that some cancers found in AYAs may have unique genetic and biologic features. The findings of a recent study by...