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Showing 11951 - 12000FDA’s Janet Woodcock, MD, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award From the Institute for Safe Medication Practices
Janet Woodcock, MD, Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, has been awarded the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes “an individual who has had a significant career history of making...
Treatment Paradigm in Advanced Melanoma Poised for Change… Again
In the treatment of advanced/metastatic melanoma, recent debate has focused on the choice of initial therapy: ipilimumab (Yervoy) or, for patients with BRAF-mutant cancer, a BRAF/MEK inhibitor. This issue is now taking a back seat to the emerging conversation about the positioning of antibodies...
ASCO and AACR Call for Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and ASCO have outlined steps in a joint statement to guide policymakers as they work to minimize the potential negative consequences of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and other electronic nicotine delivery systems without undermining their...
Molecular Pathologists vs the FDA: Proposed Regulation of Laboratory-Developed Tests Sparks Debate
The packed ballroom looked like a plenary session at any big medical research meeting. But on the dais were representatives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the subject was the Agency’s proposed regulation of laboratory-developed tests, and the attendees who lined up to ask questions for...
Overdiagnosis May Be Overblown in Lung Cancer Screening
“Overdiagnosis has been overblown” in concerns voiced about lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography, Andrea B. McKee, MD, told participants at the opening session of the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. Dr. McKee is Chair of the Department of Radiation ...
Top 10 Lessons Learned So Far About Treating Lung Cancer With Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy agents “really work” in treating lung cancer, but they have unique toxicities, are challenging to combine with other therapies, and questions remain about dose and duration, Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, stated at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. “There are ...
More Than 1.5 Million Cancer Deaths Averted During 2 Decades of Dropping Mortality
The American Cancer Society’s annual cancer statistics report found that a 22% drop in cancer mortality over 2 decades led to the avoidance of more than 1.5 million cancer deaths that would have occurred if peak rates had persisted. And while cancer death rates have declined in every state, the...
Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy: Know the Data When Discussing the Option With Patients
Oncologists need a better understanding of why women choose contralateral prophylactic mastectomies without indication, and they need data to counter their patients’ misperceptions about this treatment choice. “Many women who choose [contralateral prophylactic mastectomy] are not at increased risk...
Vitamin D Protects Against Colorectal Cancer by Boosting the Immune System
A study by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has demonstrated that vitamin D can protect some people with colorectal cancer by heightening the immune system’s vigilance against tumor cells. The research, released earlier this month by the journal Gut, shows a link between vitamin D and...
Expert Point of View: Erin Hofstatter, MD
These data do not change what we already know: Chemoprevention is slam-dunk, hands-down effective in preventing breast cancer. The effects of 5 years of chemoprevention persist for 20 years. This is great because it [could potentially] reduce the numbers of women we need to treat,” said Erin...
Tamoxifen Prevention of Breast Cancer Extends More Than 16 Years
The benefits of tamoxifen as primary prevention of breast cancer are well established. The good news is that the benefits live on, with a protective effect that extends up to 22 years. At a median follow-up of 16 years, women treated with 5 years of tamoxifen enjoyed a 29% reduction in the risk of...
FDA Approves Olaparib to Treat BRCA-Mutated Advanced Ovarian Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to olaparib (Lynparza) for women with advanced ovarian cancer with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer, as detected by an FDA-approved test, who have been treated with three...
BOLERO-1: Everolimus Plus Trastuzumab/Paclitaxel Misses the Mark in First‑Line HER2-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer
The addition of everolimus (Afinitor) to weekly trastuzumab (Herceptin) plus paclitaxel in the first-line metastatic breast cancer setting did not improve outcomes in the phase III BOLERO-1/TRIO-019 but did provide a “signal” in the hormone receptor–negative subset. The study was reported at the...
Expert Point of View: Mary L. Disis, MD
Study discussant Mary L. Disis, MD, Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean of Translational Science at the University of Washington, Seattle, commented that the response rate, approaching 20%, is “in the ballpark” of those observed in melanoma, lung cancer, and renal cancer. She pointed out that...
Expert Point of View: David Steensma, MD
Patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive ALL have traditionally done poorly with conventional chemotherapy, but outcomes are improving in the era of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. This study reports the safety and efficacy with a combination of a targeted approach and low-intensity...
Expert Point of View: Fredrick Hagemeister, MD
As session moderator, Fredrick Hagemeister, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, commented during the discussion of Dr. Connors’ study. He first emphasized the need to establish the safety of new drugs in clinical trials before incorporating them...
Brentuximab Vedotin Added to Standard Therapy for Advanced-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma May Improve Results
Several studies presented at the 2014 ASH Annual Meeting supported the use of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in Hodgkin lymphoma. The Reed-Sternberg cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma typically express CD30, which is targeted by brentuximab vedotin, an anti-CD30 monoclonal antibody conjugated by a ...
What Is a Physician? Call a Spade a Spade
Anyone who has awoken from a decades-long amnestic spell can be forgiven for thinking that physicians cannot do anything right nowadays. Compared with decades ago, when physicians did mostly right, we now seem to be nowhere close to correctness. Nearly every malady that befalls the health-care...
Expert Point of View: David H. Vesole, MD, PhD, FACP
David H. Vesole, MD, PhD, FACP, Co-Division Chief and Director of Research for the Multiple Myeloma Division at the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, commented after the presentation of the ASPIRE trial data that the findings were “impressive.” “It’s ...
Carfilzomib-Based Triplet Yields ‘Unprecedented’ Duration of Remission in Relapsed Myeloma
The phase III global ASPIRE trial documented an “unprecedented” duration of remission in relapsed multiple myeloma patients receiving carfilzomib (Kyprolis) plus a standard-of-care doublet, according to Keith Stewart, MB, ChB, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, who...
Growing Support Group for Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma Spins the ‘Wheel of Hope’
Two years ago, my son was diagnosed with the rare vascular sarcoma epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, on which there is incredibly little reseach and knowledge (see here for more on this rare cancer). PubMed revealed a “characteristic” description: unpredictable behavior, no correlation with...
Unraveling the Mysteries of Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma
Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare and devastating vascular sarcoma that affects between 100 and 200 people, mostly young adults, each year in the United States. The cancer may arise as a solitary lesion but more commonly presents with metastatic involvement, usually in the liver and lungs. ...
Patients May Voice Concerns About Chemotherapy Effects on the Brain Even If They Have Never Heard of ‘Chemobrain’
The concept of “chemobrain” is underrecognized, noted Serena Wong, MD, co-investigator of a clinical trial examining the effects of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy on the brain. Dr. Wong is a medical oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Assistant Professor of Medicine at...
'Chemobrain’ Study Aims to Correlate Structural Changes Within the Brain and Psychomotor Function
The novelty of our approach is that we are going to be using multiple modalities” to study the effects of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy on the brain, looking for structural changes within the brain and how these changes might affect psychomotor function, particularly upper-extremity movements...
Patient Guides Available Through ASCO University Bookstore
ASCO Answers: Managing the Cost of Cancer Care explains the various costs associated with cancer treatment, including health-care coverage through the Affordable Care Act. It also provides a list of financial resources available to help offset expenses related to care and tips for organizing...
Cancer Has Given Me More Than It Has Taken Away
In the fall of 2010, I developed a sore throat and tonsillitis while on a hike in North Carolina. Although it was not uncommon for me to have sore throats accompanied by some swelling on my tonsils, this time much of the inflammation and swelling were centered on just my left tonsil. After 7 days...
Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Glioblastoma
The information contained in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting clinical studies for patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. The studies include pilot, phase I, I/II, III, and observational trials investigating chemoradiation therapy;...
Friends of Cancer Research Holds Annual Conference on Clinical Cancer Research
Friends of Cancer Research, in conjunction with the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings, recently held the seventh annual Conference on Clinical Cancer Research in Washington, DC. The panels that comprised the daylong meeting discussed a future that has already begun. The most...
Transitioning From Volume to Value in Cancer Care
In an oncology health-care system that is increasingly changing its delivery and payment models, how do busy oncologists successfully bridge the transition from a volume- to value-based, patient-centric model? This, and other topics on value fueled a robust discussion at the Association of...
New Choosing Wisely List, Leukemia Quick-Takes From ASH
Nearly 5,000 scientific abstracts were presented at the 2014 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exhibition in San Francisco. Along with our targeted coverage of the meeting’s key newsmakers, The ASCO Post provides you with these brief reports of other interesting...
Moffitt Cancer Center Reports on Faculty Participants in International Discovery of Genetic Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer
Researchers from Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida have participated in a global effort that has identified six new regions of the genome that increase risk of epithelial ovarian cancer, according to a news release from Moffitt. The collaborative study was published recently in Nature...
Expert Point of View: Matthew J. Ellis, MB, BChir, PhD
Matthew J. Ellis, MB, BChir, PhD, Director of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, commented on endocrine resistance and the potential of the four-gene panel for assessing resistance for The ASCO Post. Endocrine response and resistance is a research focus...
Four-Gene Panel Predicts Response to Letrozole
At the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, a research team led by Michael Dixon, MD, of Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, shed light on the development of endocrine resistance and presented a four-gene messenger RNA (mRNA) profile that can predict response to letrozole with a high degree ...
Help Your Patients Understand the Importance of Phase I Clinical Trials
Encourage your patients to consider participating in clinical trials, including phase I clinical trials. Direct your patients to www.cancer.net/clinicaltrials for detailed information about the purpose and advantages of clinical trials and why today’s phase I studies are different. On the...
ASCO Names Advance of the Year, Reviews Top Research Trends
In just a year’s time, four new therapies have been approved for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), treatments that are highly effective and far easier for patients to tolerate. These therapies are a major step forward, bringing renewed hope to nearly 120,000 people living with CLL...
Cornerstone Spotlight: Frank M. Muller, Jr
Frank M. Muller, Jr, the newest member of the Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) Cornerstone Planned Giving Society, has a 40-year history of successfully leading investment and high-tech corporations. He served 8 years on active duty in tours to Vietnam. It is rare for him to experience a challenge...
Molecular Classification Predicts Postcystectomy Recurrence in High-Risk Bladder Cancer
Radical cystectomy is the standard therapeutic option for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, 5-year overall survival for high-risk patients with pT3, pT4, pN-negative, and pN-positive M0 bladder cancer after radical cystectomy is only about 50% and ranges from 32% in patients...
Treating Bladder Cancer in 2015
Treatment of advanced bladder cancer continues to prove challenging, and therapies that offer long-term survival remain elusive. The ASCO Post recently spoke with Derek Raghavan, MD, PhD, FACP, FRACP, FASCO, President of the Levine Cancer Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, about the current state...
Minimally Invasive Techniques Used to Address Small GIST Lesions
Surgeons at the cutting edge are offering minimally invasive resection to patients with small gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) deemed to be low-risk, according to panelists at a session of the American College of Surgeons 2014 Clinical Congress in San Francisco. “We are seeing more small...
Expert Point of View: Timothy Graubert, MD
"I’m certainly excited about the promise of CAR T cells for patients with lymphoid leukemia (ALL and CLL). It’s clear from the data presented and published that CAR T cells can induce remissions in patients refractory to multiple lines of therapy,” said Timothy Graubert, MD, Hagler Family Chair in...
CAR T Cells Impressive in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
As more experience is gained with the use of genetically engineered chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in patients with leukemia, the data continue to be highly encouraging. Three different groups using slightly different modifications of CAR T cells reported positive experiences in treating...
News Roundup From the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
Highlighted here are summaries of four abstracts presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: They focus on the EPO-ANE-3010 clinical trial of epoetin alfa (Epogen, Procrit) in anemic patients with metastatic breast cancer, a New York Cancer Consortium trial of fulvestrant (Faslodex)...
Dr. Mary-Claire King Proposes Population Screening in All Young Women for BRCA Mutations
It is not enough for Mary-Claire King, PhD, to have identified the germline BRCA1 mutation associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. Her clinically applicable discovery is one of the world’s greatest in genetics and one for which she has been highly lauded. But not one to rest on her...
Expert Point of View: Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH
Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, commented on this study to The ASCO Post: With taxanes after doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC), it’s “dealer’s choice.” However, she noted that most oncologists do not give every-3-week paclitaxel now. “Many have...
Enzalutamide Shows Encouraging Activity in Triple‑Negative Breast Cancer
The androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide (Xtandi) showed encouraging activity as a single agent in advanced triple-negative breast cancer patients expressing the androgen receptor, according to an international study presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 Enzalutamide...
ASCO Releases Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer
ASCO recently released its report, Clinical Cancer Advances 2015: An Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer, and for the first time announced its cancer Advance of the Year: gains made in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The report credited improvements in CLL care with four...
Observation Appropriate for Some Patients With Rectal Cancer Following Neoadjuvant Therapy
Some patients with rectal cancer who achieve a complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy can be monitored for tumor recurrence and may never need surgery, according to a retrospective review from patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, presented at the 2015...
Glioblastoma Clinical Trials
I am writing in regard to the recent installment to “Clinical Trials” on Glioblastoma published in The ASCO Post (February 10, 2015, pages 69-71). As a principal investigator, I’d also like to call attention to the following glioblastoma trial, which remains open. PHASE II Study Type: Phase...
More on Ramucirumab in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
I am writing in regard to the report and commentary in this issue on the RAISE Trial. To begin, a discussion of this phase III clinical trial presented at the 2015 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (RAISE study) may not be the most appropriate forum to air legitimate views on finances and...
Expect Questions About Atypical Hyperplasia as an Important Risk Factor for Breast Cancer
A special report in The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that atypical hyperplasia of the breast “confers an absolute risk of later breast cancer of 30% at 25 years of follow-up.1” This is higher than previously recognized, and the report’s authors urged “more intensive screening and...
