The National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Psychosocial Distress Program is an educational program desgined to train cancer care clinicians over 2 years to develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive psychosocial distress screening programs. The 1st year of the Screening for Psychosocial...
On August 2, 2016, PharmaMar announced the start of a pivotal phase III ATLANTIS study evaluating the efficacy and safety of lurbinectedin (PM1183), a novel synthetic tetrahydroisoquinoline that targets active transcription. The study is evaluating lurbinectedin combined with doxorubicin vs...
A team of researchers, using a novel approach, found that while many cancer centers offer palliative and supportive care services, patients may face challenges when trying to access them. The study showed that expanding awareness and education to patient-facing cancer center employees about such...
A new multistate survey showed that nearly one-quarter to one-third of family caregivers of patients with high-mortality cancers experience high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms. The study also found that family caregivers can spend over 8 hours per day providing care and that as this time ...
A randomized clinical trial found that introducing palliative care shortly after a diagnosis of certain metastatic cancers greatly increases a patient’s coping abilities, as well as overall quality of life. Researchers also found that early integration of palliative care results in an...
An analysis of data from more than 1,200 caregivers in the United States finds that cancer caregivers report a higher burden and spend significantly more hours per week caregiving, as opposed to individuals who care for people with other conditions. The analysis was based on survey data from the...
Patients with cancer have heightened risks of unintentional and intentional injuries during the diagnostic process, revealed findings from a large study published by Shen et al in The BMJ. A range of injuries are common, and some are potentially life-threatening, the study showed. The authors...
University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers, by tracking p16INK4a, a molecular marker that has been shown to increase in white blood cells as people age, have uncovered clues suggesting that stem cell transplant is linked to a marked increase in the...
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) identified 14 genes regulating genome integrity that were consistently overexpressed in a wide variety of cancers. They then created a scoring system based upon the degree of gene overexpression. For...
Researchers funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) have shown that when the metabolite fumarate accumulates in a hereditary form of renal cancer, it leads to an epigenetic reprogramming that drives cancer, according to a study published by Sciacovelli et al in Nature. The tumor growth...
Genmab A/S announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental Biologics License Application for the use of ofatumumab (Arzerra) in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide for the treatment of patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia...
Retinoic acid may play a critical role in suppressing colorectal cancer in mice and humans, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Mice with the cancer have lower-than-normal levels of the metabolite in their gut, the researchers found. Furthermore, colorectal...
Researchers at Houston Methodist have developed artificial intelligence (AI) software that reliably interprets mammograms, assisting doctors with a quick and accurate prediction of breast cancer risk. According to a new study published by Patel et al in Cancer, the computer software intuitively...
Pediatric stem cell transplant and cancer patients often are discharged from the hospital with an external central venous line for medications that parents or other caregivers must clean and flush daily to avoid potentially life-threatening infections. If an outpatient develops a bloodstream...
A group of University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers is calling for an overhaul of the process that determines which cancer drugs used off-label—or beyond their approved use—are reimbursed by federally funded health insurance in the United...
A novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method that detects low levels of zinc ion can help distinguish healthy prostate tissue from cancer, The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center radiologists have determined. The findings were published by Clavijo Jordan et al in the Proceedings ...
Analysis of a large non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient cohort with stage IV M1a disease identified lymph node staging as having clinical significance and an impact on prognosis. Findings from the study were published by Dai et al in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. Lung cancer is...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Clovis Oncology’s New Drug Application (NDA) for accelerated approval of rucaparib and granted Priority Review status to the application with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of February 23, 2017. Rucaparib is an...
The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), a nonprofit organization established in 1953 to advance biomedical research with the goal of developing lifesaving immunotherapies for all forms of cancer, will bestow its highest honors on three scientists who have made fundamental contributions to the fields...
Radiation for prostate cancer typically requires 40 to 45 daily treatments, given over 8 to 9 weeks. Long fractionation schemes are chosen for most cancers, because they allow for tumor killing while reducing the potential for injury to normal tissue. However, the radiobiology of prostate cancer...
Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) may have unraveled the metastatic mechanism of melanoma. According to a paper published by Dror et al in Nature Cell Biology, scientists discovered that before spreading to other organs, a melanoma tumor sends out tiny vesicles containing molecules of...
A study of women receiving hormone therapies such as tamoxifen as part of their treatment for breast cancer found that the number and seriousness of side effects they experienced were influenced by their expectations. The study, published by Nestoriuc et al in Annals of Oncology, found that women...
Sarah B. Goldberg, MD, of Yale University School of Medicine, and colleagues found that pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was active in untreated or progressive brain metastases in melanoma and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a single-center phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology....
Patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) positive for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor T790M resistance mutation on a plasma assay had similar outcomes with the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib (Tagrisso) as did those who were positive ...
Lucio Crinò, MD, of the University Medical School of Perugia, Italy, and colleagues found that ceritinib (Zykadia) was active overall and in central nervous system (CNS) metastases in patients with ALK-rearranged advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with crizotinib...
In the phase I/II CheckMate 032 study, nivolumab (Opdivo) alone and with ipilimumab (Yervoy) demonstrated activity in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) progressing after at least one previous platinum regimen, as reported in The Lancet Oncology by Antonia et al. Study Details In the SCLC...
To accelerate breakthrough cancer research in the human genome, the Gene Editing Institute at Christiana Care’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute has entered into an agreement with The Wistar Institute. The agreement expands the historic partnership between the Graham Cancer...
Moffitt Cancer Center researchers recently received two National Cancer Institute (NCI) grants to further research in two areas of study: bone metastasis in prostate cancer and imaging biomarkers for early cancers. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers David Basanta, PhD, and Conor Lynch, PhD, have ...
The University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) will receive nearly $62.3 million over 5 years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to broaden its mission of speeding translation of scientific research into realistic treatments for the people who need them....
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named four outstanding young scientists as recipients of the prestigious Damon Runyon–Sohn Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship Award, committing nearly $1 million to help address a critical shortage of funding for pediatric cancer research. The...
In the July 25 issue of The ASCO Post, the Letter to the Editor titled “Revisiting Ovarian Ablation in Early Breast Cancer: A Mismatch Between Global Values and Clinical Practice Guidelines,” by Richard R. Love, MD, appeared without a complete reference list. The ASCO Post apologizes to Dr. Love...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an extended-release version of granisetron (Sustol) for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, according to a news release by Heron Therapeutics, the drug’s manufacturer. Granisetron is an extended-release, injectable...
AUGUST 16th World Congress on Cancers of the SkinAugust 31-September 3 • Vienna, AustriaFor more information: www.wccs2016.com 12th National Lymphedema Network International ConferenceAugust 31-September 4 • Dallas, TexasFor more information:https://cme.uchicago.edu/NLNIC16 SEPTEMBER ISOBM 2016...
The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare recently announced the launch of two comprehensive educational offerings informed by the Compassionate, Collaborative Care—“The Triple C”—Framework, a new interdisciplinary model focused on improving quality and outcomes. The new educational...
On August 5, 2016, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an anti–PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) therapy, for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with disease progression on or ...
BookmarkTitle: Breast Cancer Surgery and Reconstruction: What’s Right for YouAuthor: Patricia Anstett, with photography by Kathleen GalliganPublisher: Rowman & LittlefieldPublication date: June 2, 2016Price: $35.00; hardcover, 224 pages Over the past 2 decades, we have seen tremendous...
With the increasing population of older adults with cancer, there has been a commensurate need for more readily available and widely accessible educational and clinical resources in geriatric oncology. As part of the Cancer and Aging Research Group and ASCO’s Geriatric Oncology Special Interest...
A new study published online by JAMA Oncology examined the prevalence and significance of estrogen receptor mutations in patients with metastatic breast cancer.1 The activation of the estrogen receptor is a feature of most breast cancers in which estrogen receptor expression is detected. An...
Receiving an invitation to undergo screening for cervical cancer is associated with a greater likelihood of getting screened, according to a study published by Tavasoli et al in Preventive Medicine.1 The study explored the impact of invitation and reminder letters on cervical cancer screening...
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has released new consensus guidelines for the management of metastatic colorectal cancer that reflect an increasingly personalized approach to treatment. These guidelines were published by Van Cutsem et al in Annals of Oncology.1 “Management of...
Molly E. Collins, MD, has joined the Department of Hematology/Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, providing additional physician support for the Fox Chase Cancer Center–Temple University Hospital Pain and Palliative Care Program. She assumed this position on August 1, 2016. “We’re very excited to ...
The children of Indianapolis philanthropists Sidney and Lois Eskenazi have made a $2 million gift to the Indiana University School of Medicine to be used to recruit a highly accomplished researcher focused on discovering new ways to treat, diagnose, and prevent cancer. The gift, to honor their...
The effect of combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in increasing a woman’s risk of breast cancer is likely to have been underestimated by a number of previous studies, according to a new prospective study published by Jones et al in the British Journal of Cancer. HRT is used to treat...
New research links specific inherited genetic alterations to an increased risk for uveal melanoma, a rare form of melanoma that arises from pigment cells that determine eye color. These findings were published by Ferguson et al in Scientific Reports. Previous clinical data suggests uveal melanoma...
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has selected four early career scientists to receive a total of $275,000 in research awards, including one winner of the ASTRO Junior Faculty Career Research Training Award and three recipients of ASTRO Resident/Fellows in Radiation Oncology...
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has awarded Ethan Basch, MD, MSc, a 5-year, $5.45 million grant to support research into whether there are clinical benefits of having people with cancer self-report their symptoms while undergoing treatment. Dr. Basch, Director of the...
Arisk-stratified analysis of the Nordic Society for Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (NOPHO) protocol ALL2008 showed almost identical outcomes in adults and children aged 1 to 45 years with Philadelphia-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Nina Toft, MD, of the Herlev University Hospital...
Launched in 2014, ASCO’s Quality Training Program was developed to prepare oncology providers to design, implement, and lead successful quality-improvement activities in their practices. It is a 6-month program that includes a structured and facilitated improvement project selected by each...
After several dose-finding phase I and II studies in a variety of B-cell malignancies, the potential clinical role of the newer anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody obinutuzumab (Gazyva) remained unclear. These early trials tested low and high doses as well as weekly and every-3-week schedules of...
The combination of more precise diagnostic tools and advances in surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy in the treatment of cancer has led to unprecedented numbers of cancer survivors in the United States—more than 15.5 million, according to the latest figures from the...