On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-to-3 decision, essentially overturned affirmative action in college admissions, which had allowed, since 1978, for colleges and universities to consider race as a factor in student admissions.1 The ruling will impact enrollment decisions at public...
In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) joined with 25 stakeholders for a series of advocacy activities in Washington, DC, during the week of September 18. During meetings with lawmakers on September 20, ASCO and the Alliance for Childhood Cancer...
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...
I’ve been contending with health issues since I was 12, when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. As I began my early 30s, I was feeling the healthiest of my life. I was working out 5 days a week and attributed sudden weight loss and fatigue to weight training and high-intensity Zumba classes....
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...
In December 2023, the British Pharmacological Society will present the Sir Henry Wellcome Gold Medal to Prof. V. Craig Jordan, CMG, OBE, DSc, PhD, FMedSci, FBPhS. This is the highest award for lifetime contributions to pharmacology by the British Pharmacological Society of Great Britain. Dr. Jordan ...
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)....
Genetic information collected from healthy tissue near lung tumors may be predictive of posttreatment cancer recurrence compared with analysis of the tumors themselves, according to a novel study published by Dolgalev et al in Nature Communications. Background Lung adenocarcinomas are tumors that...
Sophisticated computer models may help reduce health disparities in incidence and mortality for patients with major cancer types, according to a collection of new studies published in a special issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Background Given the high costs and long time...
On November 7, the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, by a vote of 62 to 36, as the 17th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Bertagnolli is currently Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She served as ASCO President from 2018 to ...
Nadia Harbeck, MD, PhD, of Munich’s LMU University Hospital and the Ludwig Maximilian University, discusses an interim analysis of the monarchE trial on adjuvant abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy for patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, high-risk early breast cancer. The data...
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...
Diagnosing early-stage lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening may improve 20-year survival rates, according to a recent study published by Henschke et al in Radiology. The new findings demonstrated the significance of routine early screenings to detect tumors when they are...
Peter Schmid, MD, PhD, of Queen Mary University of London, discusses phase III findings from the KEYNOTE-522 study, which showed neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab continues to improve event-free survival compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone in...
Black men in the United States are more likely to develop prostate cancer than White men, and after diagnosis, they’re more likely to have advanced disease and to die of the disease than White men. Although it would seem that earlier prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) screening would reduce the risk...
Mark M. Awad, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses phase III findings from the CheckMate 816 trial, which showed a potential clinical benefit to neoadjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab vs chemotherapy in patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Abstract 1261O).
Men with overweight or obesity at age 18 years may have a higher risk of 17 different cancers later in life, according to recent research from the University of Gothenburg. The findings also describe how the youth obesity epidemic is expected to affect cancer incidence over the next 30 years. In...
Researchers have developed and trained a new machine learning model to calculate percent necrosis in patients with osteosarcoma, according to a novel study published by LiBrizzi et al in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research. Background A postchemotherapy percent necrosis calculation often helps...
Researchers have found that a DNA repair–facilitating mechanism may be responsible for a tumor’s treatment resistance and could be treated with a combination of chemotherapies, according to a recent study published by Marullo et al in Cancer Research. The mechanism involves the shuttling of...
Researchers have discovered that resistance to PI3K-alpha inhibitors and reduced drug binding in patients with breast cancer may be driven by secondary PIK3CA mutations and so may be effectively treated with a novel class of PI3K-alpha inhibitors designed to bind to different parts of the target,...
Researchers have found that presenting older patients with personalized information regarding the benefits and harms of colorectal cancer screenings may reduce unnecessary screenings, according to a recent study published by Saini et al in JAMA Internal Medicine. Background Colorectal cancer...
On November 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) on tobacco product use among U.S. youth. The findings—which were collected between March and June 2023 and were...
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...
Researchers have explored the impact of immune checkpoint inhibition and single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery on radiation necrosis in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) brain metastases, according to a novel study published by Lehrer et al in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology. Study ...
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...
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...
Hossein Borghaei, DO, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses phase III findings from the SAPPHIRE study of sitravatinib plus nivolumab vs docetaxel in patients with previously treated, advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Abstract LBA63).
Investigators have found that U.S. adult patients with prior insurance coverage disruptions may be less likely to receive guideline-concordant and past-year cancer screenings compared with those with continuous coverage, according to new findings presented by Shi et al at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care ...
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...
Ze-rui Zhao, PhD, of China’s Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, discusses new phase II findings on stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with sequential immunochemotherapy as a neoadjuvant treatment of patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This therapy yielded a high...
In the INHERIT study—reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology—Geoffrey R. Oxnard, MD, FASCO, and colleagues identified associations between germline EGFR mutations and familial lung cancer. As stated by the investigators, “The genomic underpinnings of inherited lung cancer risk are poorly...
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...
Investigators have discovered that cancer survivors in the United States may be increasingly utilizing crowdfunding campaigns like GoFundMe to help cover the costs of medical and other basic household expenses, according to new findings presented by Zheng et al and Yu et al at the 2023 ASCO Quality ...
Jonathan D. Spicer, MD, PhD, of McGill University, discusses findings from the KEYNOTE-671 study of perioperative pembrolizumab for patients with resectable early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy followed by resection and adjuvant pembrolizumab...
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...
Two new studies—presented by Drumheller et al and Vento et al at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium—utilized data from ASCO’s CancerLinQ® database (Abstracts 418 and 532). One study revealed deficiencies in biomarker testing and tracking in electronic health records, and the other analyzed...
The TROP-2–directed antibody-drug conjugate datopotamab deruxtecan may significantly improve progression-free survival in patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially in patients with non–squamous cell tumors, according to new findings simultaneously published by Ahn et...
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...
Researchers may have discovered a link between certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—also referred to as "forever chemicals"—and an increased risk of thyroid cancer, according to a recent study published by van Gerwen et al in eBioMedicine. Background PFAS are a large, complex group of ...
Researchers have found that a text message–based program in combination with routine laboratory testing could safely accelerate patients to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, eliminate the need for in-person assessments with their physicians, and save them about 1.5 hours in total wait...
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...
Participation in virtual mind-body fitness classes may be effective at reducing hospitalizations, urgent care visits, and the length of hospital stays among patients with cancer by about 50%, according to new findings presented by Mao et al at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium (Abstract 473)....
On October 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ivosidenib (Tibsovo) for adult patients with relapsed or refractory myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with a susceptible isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test. The FDA also approved the...
In letters to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) commented on provisions that impact cancer care for Medicare beneficiaries in the 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and Quality Payment Program (QPP) proposed rule, as well...
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) responded to a bicameral Request for Information (RFI) on the underlying factors driving drug shortages. The Association’s comments highlighted the impact of the shortages on patient care and pointed to economic failures and supply chain vulnerabilities...
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 ...
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...
The University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson Department of Surgery is pleased to welcome Praveen Sridhar, MD, as Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery’s Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Dr. Sridhar, who is particularly interested in thoracic oncology and minimally...
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...