ASCO expert Corey Speers, MD, PhD, Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, provided thoughts on the IELSG37 trial at a press briefing. “The investigators should be congratulated for running the largest ever trial in primary mediastinal B-cell...
The use of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided daily adaptive stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) might make radiation therapy safer for patients with prostate cancer than standard computed tomography (CT)-guided SBRT by helping clinicians more accurately target the prostate while avoiding nearby...
A recent study published in Gastroenterology by Wani et al found that at least a quarter of all esophageal adenocarcinomas may be detected within a year of a negative upper endoscopy in patients with newly diagnosed Barrett's esophagus. The investigators proposed methods for improving the efficacy...
The invited discussant of the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG) meta-analysis, Ines Vaz-Luis, MD, PhD, of the Breast Cancer Survivorship Group, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, pointed out that the benefit of ovarian suppression or ablation in reducing breast cancer...
A meta-analysis of randomized trials has revealed a benefit to ovarian ablation or suppression in preventing breast cancer recurrence in premenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive tumors.1 The findings, based on almost 15,000 women in studies spanning several decades, were presented at the ...
Some patients who have received treatment for breast cancer may experience increased biological aging compared with those who have never been diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a new study published by Kresovich et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The findings showed that ...
De-escalation of chemoradiotherapy after induction chemotherapy yields excellent oncologic outcomes in patients with high-risk oropharyngeal cancer associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Results of the nonrandomized phase II Quarterback trial suggest that this subset of patients may be...
“Triple-negative breast cancer remains the most challenging subtype to treat because of its aggressive phenotype and limited treatment options,” stated Erica Michelle Stringer-Reasor, MD, who spoke at an education session on current approaches to treatment and future directions during the 2023 ASCO ...
Black patients may be 1.6 times more likely to believe medical information presented by a Black speaker than information presented by a White speaker, according to a new study published by Loeb et al in JAMA Network Open. The findings highlight the importance of increasing racial diversity among...
With a $35 million gift from researcher, philanthropist, and race car driver Theodore Giovanis, FHFMA, MBA, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine will study the biologic roots of the most fatal aspect of cancer: how it metastasizes through the body. The contribution, which is a 15-year commitment,...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on the use of...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with neurosurgeon Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, MD, FAANS, FACS, the James C. and Sarah K. Kennedy Dean of Research, Monica Flynn Jacoby Chair of Neurologic Surgery, and William J. and Charles...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Drs. Syed Ali Abutalib and L. Jeffrey Medeiros explore the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue...
The James P. Allison Institute at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has announced the appointment of its first members, including pioneering researchers who have made notable contributions to science as well as rising stars on the path toward important breakthroughs. This group will ...
A combination of the pancreatic cancer vaccine GVAX, the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab, and the anti-CD137 agonist antibody urelemab may be safe and increase the amount of immune T cells in the tumors of patients with operable pancreatic cancer when given 2 weeks prior to surgical tumor...
Researchers have uncovered how non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors may develop drug resistance over time and identified the APOBEC3A protein as a potential target for novel cancer therapeutics, according to a study published by Isozaki et al in Nature. The findings point to potential...
Assessments of the health impacts of the nonsugar sweetener aspartame were released today by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO)/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Citing “limited...
New research could warrant reconsideration of current screening guidelines to include a poorly recognized cause of Lynch syndrome, according to a novel study published by Hitchins et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The findings suggest that the guidelines leave a...
The novel Blood Cancer Awareness Measure tool could identify gaps in the public's knowledge of hematologic malignancy symptoms and aid in the development of future awareness campaigns designed to save lives, according to a new study published by Boswell et al in BMC Cancer and Whitaker et al in...
In an interim analysis of a Spanish pilot trial (CARTBCMA-HCB-01) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Oliver-Caldés et al found that an academically developed B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, ARI0002h, showed activity in patients with relapsed...
In a study of real-world prospective data—GOSAFE—reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Montroni et al found that the majority of patients aged ≥ 70 years undergoing colorectal cancer surgery showed maintained or improved quality of life and achieved functional recovery during follow-up....
The phase II PHERGain trial, which employed a response-adapted strategy in the treatment of early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer, has shown promising results for the selective use of HER2 blockade and de-escalation of chemotherapy.1 Nearly all patients assigned to skip chemotherapy prior to...
Researchers have found that fecal microbiota transplants from healthy donors may be safe and show potential in improving response rates to immunotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma, according to a phase I study published by Routy et al in Nature Medicine. Background While immunotherapy...
The invited discussant of the VERSATILE-002 and CUE-101-01 trials, Erminia Massarelli, MD, PhD, MS, said both are examples of a growing interest in evaluating immunotherapeutic strategies and treatment sequences in early-stage head and neck squamous cell cancer as well as in metastatic disease. Dr. ...
When I felt a large mass in my left breast as I was drying off from a shower on Thanksgiving Day, in 2007, I instinctively knew it was cancer. My mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 38, just 7 years older than I was at the time, and died 4 years later. I was 6 when she was...
Guest Editor’s Note: Psychological distress is highly prevalent in women diagnosed with premenopausal breast cancer and has a significant negative impact on their quality of life. Thus, effective strategies are urgently needed to reduce the symptom burden. In this installment of The ASCO Post’s...
The global population is aging rapidly. Currently, there are more than 703 million people worldwide aged 65 and older, representing 9.1% of the global population. It is estimated that this percentage will grow to 15.9%—1.5 billion people—by 2050.1 And with that growing aging population will come...
On August 1, 2023, Sara Hurvitz, MD, will assume the role of Senior Vice President of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch and as Head of the newly united Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Washington Department of Medicine in Seattle. Dr. Hurvitz will report directly...
After a 4-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, ASCO’s Breakthrough meeting is returning to Asia from August 3–5, 2023, in Yokohama, Japan, and will also be livestreamed (https://conferences.asco.org/breakthrough/welcome). Launched in 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand, “Breakthrough is ASCO’s...
Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, FASCO, Director of the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues conducted a randomized study to evaluate the impact of a telephone-based ...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology series, guest editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Isabel T. Rubio, MD, PhD, Head of Breast Surgical Oncology at Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Madrid. Dr. Rubio is active in many societies and is a founding member and...
Axillary management decisions made during surgery may be associated with aggressive treatment of limited nodal disease, according to data presented at a press briefing at the 2023 American Society of Breast Surgeons Annual Meeting.1 Results of a large National Cancer Database study revealed that...
At the ASCO session on the phase II DESTINY-PanTumor02 trial on T-DXd, the invited discussant, Kohei Shitara, MD, commented: “As expected, this trial demonstrated a very impressive response rate and duration of response” and “showed T-DXd [fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki] to be a potential new...
Formal discussant of the SWOG S1826 abstract, Ann S. LaCasce, MD, MMSc, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, said she was “excited” by these results. “The data speak for themselves. Nivolumab plus AVD [doxorubicin, vinblastine, dacarbazine] should be the treatment of choice, with more...
My father is deaf. Born deaf, he is now 75 years old. He uses his voice, but he sounds strange to a hearing person when he speaks. He uses lip-reading techniques to communicate. A year ago, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. We did his oncology itinerary together. My father cannot go alone to...
Commenting at a press briefing, Pamela L. Kunz, MD, Director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers and Chief of GI Medical Oncology at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, said the results of PROSPECT are “practice-changing” and “align incredibly well with the theme at...
The phase III ADAURA trial previously found that adjuvant use of osimertinib improved disease-free survival for completely resected EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients with stage IB, II, or IIIA disease.1 The final analysis of ADAURA, which was presented at the 2023 ASCO...
The expansion of Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act may be associated with the largest increases in critical palliative care services for patients with advanced cancers in the United States, according to a new study published by Han et al in Health Affairs. The findings uncovered how...
Researchers have found that repeated COVID-19 vaccination may increase the vaccine’s effectiveness at preventing the infections in patients with lymphoma, particularly after four doses, according to a new study published by Wijaya et al in The Lancet. Background Patients with lymphoma often have...
Performing a minimally invasive staging laparoscopy on patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer may help determine the stage and identify cancer metastases early, according to a novel study published by Gudmundsdottir et al in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The new findings ...
Investigators have called into question the health benefit of extended surveillance for patients whose pancreatic cysts have not changed size for at least 5 years and had no worrisome features, according to a new study published by Chhoda et al in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology....
The vast majority of cancer survivors may rely on primary care physicians for follow-up treatments, especially in rural areas, according to a new study published by Becevic et al in the Journal of Cancer Education. Background Patients often depend on their primary care physicians to help them...
Researchers have identified a new potential therapeutic target—the cell-surface tumor antigen CUB domain–containing protein 1 (CDCP1)—for patients with all subtypes of metastatic bladder cancer, according to findings presented by Chopra et al at the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular...
Researchers have created the world’s largest and most comprehensive atlas of normal breast tissue—the Human Breast Cell Atlas—which may provide an unprecedented understanding of mammary biology and help identify therapeutic targets for diseases such as breast cancer, according to a recent study...
In the phase III NRG Oncology/RTOG 0232 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jeff M. Michalski, MD, MBA, FASTRO, and colleagues found no significant benefit in 5-year freedom from disease progression with the addition of external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) to brachytherapy in...
Patients with polycystic ovary syndrome may not have a higher risk of ovarian cancer than those without the condition; however, postmenopausal patients with polycystic ovary syndrome may have twofold the risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to recent findings presented by Frandsen et al at...
Female survivors treated for Hodgkin lymphoma may face declining fertility at a younger age, according to recent findings presented by Drechsel et al at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) 2023 Annual Meeting (Abstract O-083). The new research also suggested that the...
Carmen E. Guerra, MD, MSCE, of the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center, discusses three key abstracts presented at ASCO: strategies to increase accrual of underrepresented populations in Alliance NCTN trials, how patient-clinician education can strengthen partnerships and improve...
About 50% of LGBTQ+ patients and survivors of cancer may be concerned about facing discrimination in a health-care setting, according to a new survey from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). The new findings demonstrated that these concerns and experiences with...
The combination of curettage and cryosurgery may be a safe and effective treatment method for patients with basal cell carcinoma, according to a novel study published by Backman et al in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Background The incidence of skin cancer is continuing to...