In the global randomized phase III CANOVA study, venetoclax plus dexamethasone (VenDex) demonstrated numerically longer progression-free survival compared with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (PomDex) in patients with t(11;14)-positive relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, though the difference...
Despite the lack of long-term follow-up, abstract discussant Lori J. Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, underscored the remarkable potential of short-course radiation to transform the...
Research on the advances in radiation modeling presented by Rebecca M. Howell, PhD, at the 2023 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting may provide insights into the late cardiac effects of survivors of childhood cancer in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS).1 Dr....
Commenting on the AEGEAN study at the 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer were the abstract’s invited discussant Solange Peters, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Medical Oncology and the Thoracic Malignancies Program at Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland, and Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH,...
A retrospective cohort study by Liu et al published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention investigated the prevalence and reasons for an unsatisfactory fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Researchers found that over 10% of the tests used for routine colorectal cancer screening contained...
The invited discussant Krishnansu Tewari, MD, Professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of California, Irvine, called innovaTV 301 a “practice-changing study” that should result in full approval of tisotumab vedotin-tftv in the United States “and, importantly, will...
In the global randomized open-label phase III innovaTV 301/ENGOT-cx12/GOG-3057 trial, treatment with the antibody-drug conjugate tisotumab vedotin-tftv resulted in a statistically significant 30% reduction in the risk of death in patients previously treated for recurrent or metastatic cervical...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by François-Clément Bidard, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the French phase III STIC CTC trial showed a nonsignificant overall survival benefit with a circulating tumor cell (CTC) count–driven approach to therapy vs physician’s choice in the first-line...
The remarkable progress in medical research—primarily supported by federal investments in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)—over the past 3 decades, coupled with advances in prevention and early detection, has led to a 33% reduction in cancer...
Invited discussant of the DUO-E trial, Domenica Lorusso, MD, PhD, commented: “Looking at the data, it’s clear to me that we are entering a new era of clinical research” in endometrial cancer. Patient populations are becoming molecularly refined, which will pave the way for more highly personalized ...
In the phase III DUO-E trial, a first-line treatment regimen that includes chemotherapy plus the checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab followed by maintenance durvalumab, with or without the PARP inhibitor olaparib, significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with advanced or recurrent...
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued recommendations for patient-centered strategies for performing partial-breast irradiation in patients with early-stage invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The new clinical guidelines were published by Shaitelman et al ...
In a UK phase II trial (PRISM) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vasudev and colleagues found that ipilimumab given every 12 weeks vs every 3 weeks in combination with nivolumab resulted in a significantly reduced rate of treatment-related grade ≥ 3 adverse events in treatment-naive...
Invited discussant Andrea Apolo, MD, of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, emphasized that the EV-302/KEYNOTE-A39 and CheckMate 901 trials mark a significant achievement. “Outperforming chemotherapy in first-line therapy is monumental for our field. The two studies presented are...
Individuals who experience occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation may have a high rate of nonmelanoma skin cancer incidence and mortality, according to a recent study published by Pega et al in Environment International. These findings highlighted the large and increasing burden...
The invited discussant of TROPION-Breast01, Sarat Chandarlapaty, MD, PhD, Member of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, said the results suggest datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) may be a good treatment option for a subset of patients,...
A novel assay may be effective at detecting a unique molecular marker in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a recent study published by Young et al in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. The new findings may revolutionize the way AML is detected and treated. Background AML...
Researchers have compiled a comprehensive list of genetic variants that may be associated with the risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Wang et al in Nature Genetics. The new findings included major increases in representation among patients from racial and...
Investigators may have uncovered an association between exposure to computed tomography (CT) radiation in young patients and an increased risk of hematologic malignancies, according to a recent study published by Bosch de Basea Gomez et al in Nature Medicine. These recent findings highlighted the...
Investigators have found that Black patients with early-onset colorectal cancer in the United States may receive worse and less timely, guideline-concordant care than White patients, according to a recent study published by Nogueira et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Background “Colorectal...
Investigators have found that patients with breast cancer who have insufficient levels of vitamin D prior to initiating treatment with paclitaxel may be more likely to experience peripheral neuropathy, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National...
On November 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ADAMTS13, recombinant-krhn (Adzynma), the first genetically engineered protein product indicated for prophylactic or on-demand enzyme replacement therapy in adult and pediatric patients with congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic...
The management of ovarian cancer remains challenging within health-care systems worldwide. Recently, clinical and translational research on ovarian cancer has led to promising advances that have improved the survival outcomes of women diagnosed with this aggressive gynecologic cancer. These...
On November 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved fruquintinib (Fruzaqla) for adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received prior fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy; an anti-VEGF therapy; and—if their disease is RAS wild-type and it...
Remarkable progress has been made in the treatment of lung cancer in the past 10 to 15 years; it is therefore not surprising that lung cancer mortality in the United States is declining consistently, at the rate of 2% to 4% annually in recent years. Long-term survival is possible even for patients...
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...
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....
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...
Currently most use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer care has been limited to diagnostics, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approving nearly 700 medical devices that utilize AI and/or machine learning, the majority of which are used in the fields of radiology and pathology....
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
Abstract discussant Rohann J.M. Correa, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist at London Health Sciences Centre and Assistant Professor at Western University, Canada, shared his insights on this landmark clinical trial for the treatment of kidney cancers. “FASTRACK II represents an important milestone,...
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 ...
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 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...
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 ...
Invited discussant Matthew Hatton, MBChB, MSc, FRCP, FRCR, a consultant and Honorary Professor in Clinical Oncology at Weston Park Cancer Center, Sheffield, UK, pointed out that the original analysis of RTOG 0617 was disappointing and failed to find evidence that intensity-modulated radiation...
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...