Hormone-modulating therapy used to treat patients with breast cancer may be associated with a 7% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias later in life, according to a recent study published by Cai et al in JAMA Network Open. Background About 67% of patients with breast...
A new survey conducted in the United Kingdom found two-thirds of the public say they are very or somewhat worried about being told they have cancer—a higher percentage than for any other medical condition, including dementia and having a heart attack—according to polling released today. The...
A novel personalized cellular immunotherapy approach may be effective at treating certain patients with metastatic solid tumors, according to early findings from a recent study published by Parkhurst et al in Nature Medicine. Background Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has already...
A recent study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society has found that 4 in 10 cancer cases and about half of all cancer deaths in adults aged 30 and older in the United States (or 713,340 cancer cases and 262,120 cancer deaths in 2019) may be attributed to modifiable risk factors,...
Investigators have assessed whether RNAs can be used as a biomarker to predict which patients with stage II colorectal cancer may benefit from postsurgical chemotherapy, according to a recent study published by Korsgaard et al in The American Journal of Pathology. Background Colorectal cancer is...
Researchers have developed a novel tool that may help to predict the risk of experiencing peripheral neuropathy following treatment with taxanes in patients with breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Engvall et al in npj Precision Oncology. The findings may aid physicians in...
Based on the results of a retrospective U.S. population–based cohort study, which were reported in JAMA Network Open by Wang et al, treatment with glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists vs insulins seemed to be associated with a decreased risk of developing specific obesity-associated...
Recently, some experts have called for Gleason Grade Group 1 prostate cancer to be reclassified as benign. However, many patients diagnosed with this lowest grade of prostate cancer may have more aggressive disease than their biopsy alone suggests, according to a recent study published by Tilki et...
By examining the immune system during pregnancy, researchers have uncovered the mechanism that may contribute to oncofetal immune tolerance, according to a recent study published by Yu et al in Cell. Background “In pregnancy, the immune system does not reject the growing fetus, so we know there...
On November 16, 2023, capivasertib (Truqap) was approved for use with fulvestrant for patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer with one or more PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alterations, following disease progression on at least one endocrine-based...
On May 30, 2017, 9 days before I turned 19 and soon after I had completed my sophomore year at college, I was diagnosed with aggressive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. But getting to the diagnosis was a tortuous process. I had been feeling fatigued and losing weight for several weeks prior to the...
For patients with cancer and cancer survivors, sexual dysfunction and reproductive health concerns are often the elephant in the exam room—a significant quality-of-life issue that both patients and clinicians struggle to discuss openly and effectively. At the recent NCCN Policy Summit on Sexual and ...
The antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab tirumotecan extended overall survival as well as progression-free survival vs chemotherapy in patients with previously treated triple-negative breast cancer, according to the results of OptiTROP-Breast01, a phase III study presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual...
A new ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline recommends several vaccinations (eg, seasonal, herpes zoster, human papillomavirus [HPV], and others) for adults with solid or hematologic malignancies because of heightened infection risks from vaccine-preventable illnesses.1 The guideline covers the...
In a Danish study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Schmidt et al, it was found that living alone and being unemployed were associated with reduced adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy among premenopausal women with breast cancer. Study Details The study involved data from a...
Targeting lactate with the epilepsy drug stiripentol may reverse chemotherapy resistance in patients with gastric cancer, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in Nature. Background Chemotherapy attacks cancer cells by damaging their DNA. The cancer cells then try to rapidly repair...
Only a minority of adult cancer survivors may have access to specialized survivorship services such as those addressing fertility and sexual health issues, and having survivorship standards in place may help cancer centers better provide services that meet the distinct needs of these patients,...
Cancer survivors who adhere to a Mediterranean diet may survive longer and have a reduced risk of cardiovascular-related mortality compared with those who had lower adherence to the diet, according to a recent study published by Bonaccio et al in JACC: CardioOncology. Background The Mediterranean...
A novel algorithm may help physicians to identify which patients have a highly aggressive subtype of facial basal cell carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Ceder et al in Dermatology Practical & Conceptual. Background Basal cell carcinoma—the most common type of skin...
Investigators have identified disparities in the rates of breast reconstruction following mastectomy among American Indian and Alaskan Native women compared with non-Hispanic White women, according to a recent study published by White et al in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Background Breast...
The hypoglycemic agent metformin failed to slow disease progression in men with low-risk localized prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance, according to the results of the randomized, controlled MAST trial reported at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 In addition, the use of metformin was...
Transgender women receiving hormone therapy may skew artificially low on prostate cancer screening tests, thereby providing false reassurance and potentially delaying diagnosis and treatment, according to a recent study published by Nik-Ahd et al in JAMA. The findings indicated that transgender...
Researchers have uncovered the long-term effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy on the hearing of cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Sanchez et al in JAMA Oncology. Background Cisplatin is commonly used in chemotherapy to treat a variety of cancer types, including...
Patients with treatment-refractory tumors who received eligibility and testing waivers to participate in a large basket/umbrella oncology trial demonstrated similar rates of clinical benefit and adverse events compared with patients who participated in the trial without waivers, according to recent ...
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) are applauding efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to broaden eligibility criteria for cancer clinical trials in order to include more diverse patient populations. In joint comments submitted on ...
Second-line therapy with the KRAS inhibitor adagrasib modestly improved progression-free survival and objective response rate over docetaxel in previously treated patients with advanced KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the primary analysis of the phase III...
Researchers have uncovered the impact of chemotherapy on the gut microbiome in patients with breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Otto-Dobos et al in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Background Chemotherapy is known to cause behavioral side effects, including cognitive decline....
Researchers have discovered a biomarker that could help identify which patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma may be at greater risk of cancer recurrence, according to a recent study published by Mehra et al in JCO Precision Oncology. Background Approximately 3% to 5% of all cancer diagnoses ...
For hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer that has progressed on CDK4/6 inhibition plus endocrine therapy, the CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib plus fulvestrant significantly reduced the risk of further disease progression in the phase III postMONARCH study.1 “The postMONARCH ...
In a single-center phase I/II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Douglas Adkins, MD, and colleagues found that the recommended phase II dose of ramucirumab combined with pembrolizumab was active in the first-line treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell...
Acupuncture may be effective at reducing the hormonal side effects of endocrine therapy in women with breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Lu et al in Cancer. Background Although endocrine therapy—which is capable of blocking the hormone signaling that drive some types of...
Initiating surveillance soon after recognizing a pediatric patient has a genetic predisposition for cancer may improve the identification of early-stage asymptomatic tumors, according to a recent study published by Blake et al in JAMA Oncology. The findings may inform clinical practice following...
In 2002, the federally funded Women’s Health Initiative (WHI),1 a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating menopausal hormone therapy for healthy menopausal women, was abruptly halted when it was determined that taking estrogen and progestin hormones after menopause increased the ...
ASCO has released “Principles for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Oncology,” to guide the Society’s consideration of all aspects of artificial intelligence (AI). With this manuscript, ASCO joins colleagues across medicine in offering principles that should be applied in...
Adding retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy to cytoreductive surgery during primary debulking surgery or interval cytoreductive surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy failed to improve progression-free or overall survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer who have no suspicious nodes, according...
On March 22, 2024, mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx (Elahere) was granted regular approval for adult patients with folate receptor–alpha (FRα)-positive, platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who have received one to three prior systemic treatment...
On April 23, 2024, tovorafenib (Ojemda) was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients aged 6 months and older who have relapsed or refractory pediatric low-grade glioma harboring a BRAF fusion or rearrangement or BRAF V600 mutation.1 Tovorafenib is a...
Recent phase III findings support the antibody-drug conjugate belantamab mafodotin-blmf as a treatment option for patients with multiple myeloma in early relapse. Belantamab mafodotin is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) expressed on multiple myeloma cells,...
The Melanoma Research Alliance is on a mission to cure and prevent melanoma, a skin cancer that is diagnosed in more than 100,000 people each year and is expected to take the lives of more than 8,000 individuals in 2024.1 We invite stakeholders across all fields, including medicine, science, and...
On April 23, 2024, lutetium Lu-177 dotatate (Lutathera) was approved for pediatric patients 12 years and older with somatostatin receptor–positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, including foregut, midgut, and hindgut neuroendocrine tumors.1 Lu-177 dotatate is a radiolabeled...
The results from a phase Ib/II study of a five-drug regimen of venetoclax, ibrutinib, prednisone, obinutuzumab, and lenalidomide (ViPOR) in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) show the treatment produced durable remissions in patients with specific molecular...
On November 16, 2023, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was approved with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for first-line treatment of locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval ...
On December 13, 2023, eflornithine (Iwilfin), an ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, was approved for adult and pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma with at least a partial response to prior multiagent, multimodality therapy including anti-GD2 immunotherapy.1 This represents the first...
On April 18, 2024, the ALK inhibitor alectinib was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adjuvant treatment after tumor resection in patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as detected by an FDA-approved test.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based ...
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who undergo frequent immunoglobulin G testing may be less likely to experience severe infections than those who don’t undergo frequent testing, according to a recent study published by Soumerai et al in Blood Advances....
Administering chemotherapy prior to and following surgery may extend survival in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma compared with postoperative administration alone, according to a recent study published by Cecchini et al in JAMA Oncology. The findings may be encouraging for the 15% to...
Researchers have found that brigatinib may be effective in treating patients with NF2-related schwannomatosis, according to a recent study published by Plotkin et al in The New England Journal of Medicine. The findings revealed a potential new treatment option for the genetic syndrome. Background...
Suppression of the estrogen receptor has proven to be an effective treatment for hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, but standard endocrine therapies have liabilities that are not limited to their pharmacokinetics or toxicity profiles, which allow for ligand-independent estrogen receptor...
Researchers have found that administering the anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib after surgery may improve disease-free survival in a subset of patients with PIK3CA-mutated stage III colorectal cancer, according to a study published by Nowak et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The findings...
Findings from a Spanish study on the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 infection among patients with cancer recommend administering additional doses of the vaccine to this at-risk population. These data were published by Neto et al in Nature Communications. Patients with cancer are at an...