The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the Art of Oncology, as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH City of Hope National Medical...
It was February 1996, and the first annual meeting of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) was drawing to a close, when Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bruce R. Ross, MD, invited comments from the floor. An oncologist who had attended at the urging of a friend—somewhat reluctantly—stood ...
Living in the era of COVID-19 has heightened fear and anxiety among patients with cancer. On the one hand, they are at higher risk of serious COVID-related illness. On the other hand, delaying cancer-focused treatment raises concerns of disease progression. This pandemic has led to dramatic...
A new study has found that a higher-than-expected proportion of young adults with cancer harbor genetic germline mutations that have implications for treatment, surveillance, and other family members who may be at risk. Patients with “early-onset cancers”—cancers that typically do not occur in...
Mustafa Raoof, MD, MS, a surgical oncologist and researcher specializing in gastrointestinal cancers at City of Hope, was recently awarded a Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award (PanCAN) and a Young Investigator Award from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN). “I’m ...
In the midst of a global pandemic, while the entire country grapples with recent events highlighting systemic racism, national breast cancer patient organizations are committing to an unprecedented health-equity initiative that focuses on diversity and inclusion. As a result, the San Antonio Breast ...
Invited discussant Juan W. Valle, MD, of the University of Manchester/The Christie, United Kingdom, reiterated the 50% response rate, the median progression-free survival of 7.1 months, and the median overall survival of 16.0 months achieved with entrectinib in patients who had gastrointestinal...
Although NTRK gene fusions occur in less than 5% of gastrointestinal cancers, it looks like they can be targeted successfully with NTRK inhibitors. In a pooled analysis of three clinical trials, 50% of such patients responded to entrectinib, in an updated analysis presented during the 2020 virtual...
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Deputy Director Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, announced the promotion of three staff members to leadership positions. “The dedication of this trio of physicians to their patients and Roswell Park’s mission is unmatched,” said Dr. Odunsi, who also...
David Sallman, MD, an assistant member of the Malignant Hematology Department of Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, commented on the IMerge and QUAZAR studies for The ASCO Post. As background, he noted the “predominant struggle” of patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic ...
Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System recently announced that Edward Chu, MD, MMS, has been named Director of the National Cancer Institute-designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Vice President for Cancer Medicine at Montefiore Medicine, Professor of Medicine and of...
Patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who are dependent on red blood cell transfusions have limited options, especially if they are no longer responding to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. Research presented during the virtual edition of the 25th European Hematology Association ...
A $4.5 million gift from the Huntsman family will fund the expansion of a unique program at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah that brings specialty cancer care directly to patients in their homes. With this gift, HCI’s Huntsman at Home will extend to rural Utah. The goal is...
Stephen M. Ansell, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine in the Department of Hematology at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, underscored the importance of the HD17 trial results. “These data show, in a randomized fashion, that a PET-directed approach when using more intensive chemotherapy allows for the...
The members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) have elected four new officers to ASTRO’s Board of Directors. Geraldine Jacobson, MD, MPH, MBA, FASTRO, will begin her term as President-Elect in October during ASTRO’s 62nd Annual Meeting, alongside Gopal K. Bajaj, MD, MBA,...
The overwhelming majority of patients with early-stage unfavorable Hodgkin lymphoma may no longer require radiotherapy to treat their disease, according to data presented during the virtual edition of the 25th European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Congress.1 The findings of the randomized,...
There is a strong rationale for incorporating immunotherapy into the treatment of early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), given the breakthrough results with PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors as monotherapy, combined with immunotherapy, or combined with chemotherapy in advanced-stage NSCLC. As...
Ludwig Cancer Research recently welcomed Juanita L. Merchant, MD, PhD, to the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Dr. Merchant is a practicing clinician and an accomplished researcher at the University of Arizona, Tucson, where she is Professor and Chief of...
As outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic spiked across the country earlier this year, federal health officials and cancer societies advised people to delay seeking routine cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies, to keep them out of medical centers and away from potential exposure to ...
More than 70% of women with multiple tumors in a single breast reported good or excellent satisfaction with the cosmetic results of breast-conserving therapy, Alliance (ACOSOG) Z11102 investigators reported at the 2020 American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) Virtual Scientific Session.1 In...
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) recently announced the establishment of the Marie-Josée Kravis Women in Science Endeavor (WiSE) to provide financial and professional support to women scientists pursuing biomedical research at MSK, pledging its commitment to gender equity in science and ...
Radiation oncologist Gita Suneja, MD, was born and reared in St. Louis, the first-generation daughter of two Indian immigrants. “My father came to the United States to pursue a degree in engineering and decided to remain here, feeling it offered greater opportunities for the family,” Dr. Suneja...
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center announced the addition of two new members to its Board of Trustees, along with a new Chair and Vice Chair. Kathy Surace-Smith, JD, will take over the Board Chair position from Matt McIlwain, MBA, who now becomes immediate Past Chair. Ms. Surace-Smith, who is...
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) held its 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting on July 11–14, during which officers for the current term were elected, including Alan B. Packard, PhD, as President, and Richard L. Wahl, MD, as President-Elect. Raising Recognition “SNMMI’s strength ...
Improvements in protocol-driven clinical trials and supportive care for children and adolescents with cancer have markedly reduced mortality rates over the past 5 decades. Yet, along with clinical advances, oncologists and their young patients with cancer face a host of ethical issues, made more...
This week, we'll review recommendations from a new guideline issued by the American Cancer Society on cervical cancer screening. Then, we'll discuss the FDA's approval of a triplet therapy for advanced melanoma. Lastly, we'll hear a summary of a panel discussion on telehealth for patients with...
Jessica Y. Islam, PhD, MPH, of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses findings from the COVID-19 Impact Survey, which showed that cancer survivors are adhering to many of the recommended COVID-19 preventive behaviors, such as wearing masks and social distancing.
Nancy E. Davidson, MD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, talks about a panel she moderated in which speakers discussed the importance of communicating with patients to ease their concerns about cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic, allocating protective gear for the most vulnerable...
A new study published by Minami et al in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that longer time from diagnosis to surgical treatment did not lower overall survival in women with early-stage breast cancer. These findings may be reassuring for women with early-stage breast cancer who...
Cancer-related anxiety has negative impacts on emotional, physical, and social well-being, with data indicating older patients are likely to remain undiagnosed, leading to poor outcomes. In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series, Drs. Trevino, Saracino, and Roth highlight...
Findings from a study published by Eisfeld et al in the journal Leukemia could refine an important set of prognostic and treatment recommendations for younger adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The retrospective study evaluated the molecular characteristics and outcomes of 863...
In the French phase II TROPHIMMUN trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Benoit You, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that avelumab normalized human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels in approximately half of women with gestational trophoblastic tumors resistant to single-agent...
In a 3-year follow-up analysis of the phase II I-SPY 2 trial reported in JAMA Oncology, researchers in the I-SPY 2 Trial Consortium found that pathologic complete response was associated with improved event-free and distant recurrence–free survival—irrespective of molecular subtype or neoadjuvant...
In a phase Ib trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Richard S. Finn, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab produced durable responses in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who had received no prior systemic chemotherapy. As...
Over the past few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued designations and accepted applications for novel agents, as well as approved companion diagnostics. We summarize these regulatory movements below. Breakthrough Therapy Designation for MK-6482 in von Hippel-Lindau...
In a subgroup analysis of an Australian phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Klein et al found that the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab was active in patients with advanced biliary tract cancers. Study Details The phase II trial is enrolling patients with advanced rare cancers. The...
In a pooled analysis of two parallel single-center phase I/II studies reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ramos et al found that anti-CD30 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy produced responses in a high proportion of patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. As...
In the phase III HALO 109-301 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Eric Van Cutsem, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that the addition of pegvorhyaluronidase alfa (PEGPH20) to nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (AG) did not improve overall survival or progression-free survival in patients...
On August 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to belantamab mafodotin-blmf (Blenrep), an anti-B-cell maturation antigen antibody-drug conjugate, for adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least four prior therapies,...
Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, summarizes the opening plenary session that addressed epigenetics and early detection, how the aging microenvironment governs response to therapy, AI-driven precision medicine, reprogramming...
Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the President of AACR, discusses this special conference that focused on emerging data related to COVID-19 and cancer, ways in which the coronavirus pandemic has altered treatment of...
Catherine H. Marshall, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins Hospital, discusses phase II trial results on bicalutamide, an oral antiandrogen used to treat prostate cancer. Bicalutamide may be helpful in downregulating the TMPRSS2 and ACE proteins needed for the SARS-CoV-2 virus; upregulating estradiol to help ...
Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD, of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health, summarizes a panel she moderated on telehealth, which included discussion of usage in urban vs rural populations, preventing the technology from becoming a new source of disparities in cancer care, and uncertainties ...
Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, of New York University–Langone Health, discusses the areas in cancer care that need to be improved in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, including a better definition of essential medical services based on the potential to save lives, offer good quality of life, and ease...
The ASCO guideline on the use of antiemetics has been updated to include new anticancer agents, antiemetics, and regimens.1 The guideline also addresses a growing concern among some oncologists that corticosteroids and their immunosuppressive abilities could potentially compromise the efficacy of...
Findings from a report published by Bass et al in JAMA Oncology show that childhood cancer survivors with severe hearing loss are at a significant increased risk for neurocognitive deficits, independent of what type of therapy they receive. This study is the first to objectively measure hearing and ...
In an analysis from the Blood or Marrow Transplantation Survivor Study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, McDonald et al found that total-body irradiation in women undergoing autologous or allogeneic blood or marrow transplantation for hematologic malignancies was associated with an...
In a French phase III trial (PROPHYLOCHIP–PRODIGE 15) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Goéré et al found that second-look surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) did not improve disease-free survival vs standard surveillance in patients at high risk of developing colorectal...
In a post hoc analysis from the phase III NRG Oncology/RTOG 9802 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bell et al found that postradiation chemotherapy was associated with a better outcome vs radiotherapy alone in patients with IDH-mutant, high-risk, low-grade glioma, irrespective of...