Guest Editor’s Note: Virtual platforms have grown increasingly popular for health- and wellness-promoting activities. But given patients’ unique backgrounds, capabilities, interests, and goals, promoting engagement represents a complex challenge both in the context of care delivery as well as...
A first-in-class, claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2)-targeted antibody-drug conjugate may be a new treatment option for patients with advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancers, according to data presented by Xu et al during the ASCO Plenary Series: November 2023 Session (Abstract 434420)....
In a single-institution phase I dose-expansion trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Aggarwal et al found that a single dose of lutetium-177–PSMA-617 (LuPSMA) followed by pembrolizumab maintenance was associated with activity in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Study...
In interim analyses from the phase III KEYNOTE-811 trial reported in The Lancet, Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, and colleagues found that the addition of pembrolizumab to trastuzumab and chemotherapy in first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive...
The BTK inhibitor nemtabrutinib may offer a new treatment option for patients with relapsed hematologic malignancies such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a recent study published by Woyach et al in Cancer Discovery. Background Hematologic malignancies are...
As reported in The Lancet by Shukui Qin, MD, and colleagues, interim analysis of the phase III IMbrave050 trial has shown significantly better recurrence-free survival with adjuvant atezolizumab/bevacizumab vs active surveillance in patients who underwent curative-intent resection or ablation for...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Rau et al, the German phase III GASTRIPEC-I trial showed no improvement in overall survival with the addition of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to cytoreductive surgery in patients with gastric cancer and synchronous peritoneal...
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bradley J. Monk, MD, FACS, FACOG, and colleagues described final overall survival results from the phase III KEYNOTE-826 trial, which evaluated the addition of first-line pembrolizumab to chemotherapy, with or without bevacizumab, in...
An interim analysis of the phase III LIBRETTO-431 trial has shown significantly improved progression-free survival with first-line selpercatinib vs platinum-based chemotherapy with or without pembrolizumab in patients with RET fusion–positive advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The...
In the phase II DeLLphi-301 trial—presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract LBA92) and reported by Ahn et al in The New England Journal of Medicine—tarlatamab, a bispecific T-cell engager targeting delta-like ligand 3 and CD3, exhibited activity in...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by John V. Heymach, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III AEGEAN trial has shown that perioperative durvalumab improved event-free survival and pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer ...
Researchers have developed a highly sensitive blood test capable of early detection by identifying a key protein produced by cancer cells, according to a novel study published by Taylor et al in Cancer Discovery. Background Many tumors become deadly by remaining asymptomatic until they’re too...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Sun Young Rha, MD, and colleagues, the phase III KEYNOTE-859 trial has shown that the addition of first-line pembrolizumab to chemotherapy was associated with a statistically significant improvement in overall survival in patients with HER2-negative advanced...
Building upon recommendations from the 2015 Lancet Oncology Global Cancer Surgery Commission, a new Commission report aims to provide a pragmatic roadmap for decision-makers to reduce inequities and promote safe, timely, and affordable cancer surgery for every patient. The Commission report was...
As presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract LBA3) and reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Hadoux et al, an interim analysis from the phase III LIBRETTO-531 trial has shown improved progression-free survival with selpercatinib vs...
In an analysis presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract LBA50) and reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Jessica C. Hassel, MD, and colleagues, overall survival at 3 years in the phase III IMCgp100-202 trial continued to favor...
On October 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to be used with gemcitabine and cisplatin for the treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer. KEYNOTE-966 Efficacy was evaluated in KEYNOTE-966...
Researchers have reported that soy expansion and the subsequent increase of pesticide use in Brazil’s Cerrado and Amazon biomes may correlate with an increased risk of mortality among pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The study was published by Skidmore et al in...
The phase III PAPILLON study has shown that the addition of amivantamab-vmjw to chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival in the first-line treatment of advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertions. The findings were presented at the European Society...
Investigators have uncovered that only about 25% of patients newly diagnosed with advanced cancer have documented physician discussions about the costs of care, which may make it more difficult to identify patient needs and track the outcomes of referrals for assistance, according to new findings...
In the phase II TITAN-RCC trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Grimm et al found that a strategy of nivolumab monotherapy with or without nivolumab/ipilimumab as an immunotherapeutic boost was associated with activity in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Study Details In...
The phase III CodeBreaK 300 trial showed that sotorasib plus panitumumab improved progression-free survival vs standard care in patients with KRAS G12C–mutated refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. Findings were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (LBA10)...
More attention is being paid to the topic of cardio-oncology, where the focus is on patients with cancer who may be at risk for developing cardiovascular diseases as a result of anticancer treatments. However, a less well-known but related clinical area is now garnering some interest. Referred to...
Although surgery remains the standard of care for primary renal cell carcinoma, a novel, noninvasive approach has yielded positive results that could pave the way for future treatment strategies, according to data presented at the 2023 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual...
Prostate cancer treatment just got a major boost from the PACE trials, which may have established a new standard of care in low- and favorable intermediate-risk disease, according to data presented at the 2023 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.1 The results of the phase ...
A perioperative regimen of neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant nivolumab achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in event-free survival compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus placebo followed by surgery and adjuvant...
On October 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorz) with cisplatin and gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of adults with metastatic or recurrent locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The FDA also approved toripalimab-tpzi as a single agent for...
In a Chinese single-center phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Pan et al found that sequential CD19- and CD22-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy was active in pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Study Details In...
In the phase III EMBARK trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Stephen J. Freedland, MD, and colleagues found that enzalutamide/leuprolide and enzalutamide alone improved metastasis-free survival vs leuprolide alone in patients with high-risk biochemical recurrence of prostate...
In a Dutch single-institution phase II trial (PEMMELA) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Douma et al found that the combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib showed activity as second- and third-line treatments of patients with pleural mesothelioma. Study Details A total of 38 evaluable patients...
On October 25, 2023, ASCO announced the launch of its new flagship quality program ASCO Certified™, with the goal of ensuring that every patient with cancer has access to high-quality, patient-centered, coordinated cancer care.1 The program, which officially launched on October 27, 2023, to...
This is Part 3 of Updates in Early-Stage Breast Cancer,, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable. In this video, Drs. Erika Hamilton, Michael Danso, and Komal Jhaveri discuss the management of early triple-negative breast cancer. The...
This is Part 1 of Updates in Early-Stage Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable. In this video, Drs. Erika Hamilton, Michael Danso, and Komal Jhaveri discuss the management of early hormone receptor–positive/HER2-negative...
Yoga-based supportive care may help alleviate the negative side effects of radiation treatment, decrease the use of feeding tube placements, and reduce emergency department visits in patients with head and neck cancer, especially when family caregivers participate, according to new findings...
In a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Manji et al found that perioperative chemotherapy and pembrolizumab showed activity in locally advanced resectable gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Study Details Thirty-four evaluable patients were enrolled in the...
In a study reported in JAMA, Atlas et al found that a primary care intervention including electronic health record (EHR) reminders and patient outreach with or without patient navigation improved timeliness of follow-up of overdue abnormal cancer screening test results. Study Details The open-label ...
It is widely acknowledged that patients with cancer living in rural areas of the United States face limited access to medical and oncology providers, often have to travel long distances to receive care, and experience obstacles in clinical trial participation—all of which affect quality of care and ...
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) reduced the risk of toxicity to the lungs and radiation exposure to the heart vs three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) for the treatment of locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a planned long-term prospective...
Early-phase trials demonstrate the potential for TROP-2–directed antibody-drug conjugates to enhance the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without actionable genomic alterations, several investigators reported at the International...
Gender diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in medicine has long been acknowledged as more than “the right thing to do,” with clear evidence of benefits in innovation, collaboration, and workplace culture.1 Yet the data continue to showcase challenges in achieving these goals despite women...
I have been fascinated with death since I was 3 years old. I remember going to my great-grandfather’s funeral and asking my mother where my great-grandfather was. She said he is in heaven. I asked her if I were going to heaven, too, and she said, “Yes, but not for a long time.” Today, I don’t...
On September 14, 2023, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation announced the winners of the 2024 awards, honoring an esteemed group of the world’s researchers for their impactful scientific discoveries, including a subset responsible for substantial progress in the understanding and treatment of major...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Elisabete Weiderpass, MD, MSc, PhD, a Brazilian cancer researcher who is a naturalized Swedish and Finnish citizen. She is an expert in cancer epidemiology and cancer prevention. In...
Helena Linardou, MD, PhD, Director of the 4th Department of Oncology and the Comprehensive Clinical Trials Center, Metropolitan Hospital, Athens, served as discussant of the session on antibody-drug conjugates at the 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer. Calling antibody-drug conjugates “the next...
The treatment of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated lung cancer that progresses on EGFR-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors has been challenging. In the phase II HERTHENA-Lung01 trial, the topoisomerase-1 HER3-targeting antibody-drug conjugate patritumab deruxtecan...
Data from the phase III PSMAfore trial were presented during a Presidential Symposium at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract LBA13). Results showed that the trial of lutetium Lu-177 vipivotide tetraxetan met its primary endpoint, with a clinically meaningful and ...
Researchers have found that nivolumab in combination with a chemotherapy regimen may improve the rate of survival in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma, according to new findings simultaneously published by van der Heijden et al in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the ...
The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology announced detailed results from CABINET (Alliance A021602), a phase III pivotal trial evaluating cabozantinib compared with placebo in two cohorts of previously treated patients with neuroendocrine tumors. The data were presented by Chan et al at the...
Targeted treatment with the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor erdafitinib improved responses and overall survival compared to standard chemotherapy for patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with FGFR alterations. Results from the phase III THOR trial, led by...
At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023, new findings are being presented in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, late-stage melanoma, and refractory melanoma brain metastases. Presurgical Immunotherapy in Advanced Operable Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients with...