Pancreatic cancer is a rare disease, accounting for about 3% of all cancers in the United States. It is the deadliest of all solid malignancies, accounting for about 7% of all cancer deaths each year, and carries a 5-year survival rate of just 11.5%. According to the American Cancer Society, in...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Squifflet et al found that pathologic complete response (pCR) was a weak surrogate for event-free and overall survival in neoadjuvant trials of anti-HER2 therapy in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer. Study Details In the study,...
Researchers have provided strong evidence that a healthy lifestyle may significantly reduce mortality in adults who have survived pediatric cancer, according to a new study published by Dixon et al in The Lancet. The findings are among the first to reveal that the specific primary causes of...
In this installment of our Global Oncology series, Guest Editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Kelly M. McMasters, MD, PhD, who, for the past 27 years, has directed a basic and translational science lab studying adenovirus-mediated cancer gene therapy and melanoma biomarkers....
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will honor Nobel Laureate Carolyn R. Bertozzi, PhD, with the 2023 AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research during the 2023 AACR Annual Meeting on April 14–19 in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Bertozzi’s award lecture will be...
When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, in 2007, I asked the physician not to tell me the type, stage, or prognosis. I was about to start nursing school and was aware enough about the disease to know that not many people survived. I’ve since discovered that I had stage 3B small cell lung cancer,...
On March 3, 2023, abemaciclib was approved for use with endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor) for adjuvant treatment of patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative, node-positive early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence.1 Abemaciclib was previously approved...
In a Russian single-institution prospective cohort study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sheikh et al found that quitting smoking after a diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was associated with improved disease progression and survival outcomes among patients. Study Details The...
Penile cancer is a rare disease with an incidence that is rising globally. Driven by a goal to offer clinicians and patients guidance on the management of this rare condition, ASCO collaborated with the European Association of Urology (EAU) to develop new guidelines on its diagnosis and treatment....
The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) has announced the creation of the Kanti R. Rai, MD, Clinical Scholar Program to fund the ongoing study of lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Established in recognition of the global leadership of Kanti R. Rai, MD, in the field of lymphoma and CLL ...
Although advances in radiation therapy have rendered this treatment modality more tolerable, they have not completely eliminated the burden of radiation-related toxicity. In an ideal setting, clinicians would be able to identify patients whose risk of recurrence is sufficiently low that they can...
The management of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer has been evolving at a fast pace, thanks largely to the discovery that immune checkpoint blockade can be effective in this subtype. At the 2023 Miami Breast Cancer Conference, Priyanka Sharma, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of...
Researchers have demonstrated that patients with low-grade lymphomatoid granulomatosis who were treated with the immunotherapy interferon alfa-2b may survive for a median of 20 years after diagnosis, according to a novel study published by Melani et al in The Lancet Haematology. The findings...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announced that the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) has been named its newest member institution. With the addition, there are now 33 academic centers across the United States that have multidisciplinary subject...
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Julie E. Bauman, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that the combination of the antihepatocyte growth factor antibody ficlatuzumab and cetuximab was active in patients with cetuximab-resistant, recurrent or metastatic head and neck...
On April 3, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a National Cancer Plan, which calls for collaboration to realize the objectives laid out in the Cancer Moonshot to reduce cancer mortality by at least 50% over the next 25 years and “end cancer as we know it.” Developed by...
Menin inhibitors are making inroads in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). These drugs selectively target KMT2A-rearranged or NPM1-mutant AML, and early studies suggest they will be a welcome addition for patients with these aberrations. KMT2A rearrangements occur in about 5% of patients ...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Holt et al found that health insurance status was a substantial mediator in the diagnosis of advanced-stage vs early-stage cervical cancer across ethnicity and race in patients from the United States. Study Details The retrospective, cross-sectional,...
Adding immunotherapy to standard chemotherapy may result in significantly longer progression-free survival for patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, according to the findings from two novel studies presented by Eskander et al and Mirza et al at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology...
After comparing the efficacy of the anti–PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab prior to and concurrently with chemoradiation, researchers have indicated favorable outcomes for 2-year disease-free survival and demonstrated evidence of improved immunogenicity with neoadjuvant atezolizumab in patients with...
In a cohort study reported in a research letter in JAMA Surgery, Minami et al found that frailty status worsened in a sizable proportion of older patients receiving locoregional therapy—including lumpectomy or mastectomy—for early-stage breast cancer. Baseline robust status and mastectomy were...
Patients with early-stage esophageal adenocarcinoma from lower-income households may be significantly less likely to receive a potentially life-saving treatment and may be more likely to die from the disease, according to a new study published by Geng et al in Clinical Gastroenterology and...
On February 14, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) selected three models aiming to address high prescription drug costs for testing by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)....
As reported in The Lancet by Adrianus Johannes de Langen, MD, PhD, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, and colleagues, the phase III CodeBreaK200 trial has shown a small but significant improvement in progression-free survival with sotorasib vs docetaxel in previously treated advanced...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Paula Rodriguez-Otero, MD, PhD, of Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and colleagues, an interim analysis of the phase III KarMMa-3 trial has shown superior progression-free survival with the B-cell maturation antigen–directed...
March is widely recognized worldwide as Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. Several advocacy groups and professional organizations recognize Colorectal Cancer Awareness month by promoting screening for eligible individuals and working to increase awareness. Here, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, an...
In an analysis reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Cenjing Zhu, MPhil, of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale University, and colleagues found that Black patients with cancer in the United States were at increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality...
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the United States. However, it ranks second in cancer-related deaths overall and is the leading cause of cancer...
The addition of the poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor talazoparib to the androgen receptor signaling inhibitor enzalutamide achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in radiographic progression–free survival compared with placebo plus enzalutamide as...
The American Associationfor Cancer Research (AACR) will award Carl H. June, MD, FAACR, Fellow of the AACR Academy, with the 2023 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research during the 2023 AACR Annual Meeting, April 14–19 in Orlando, Florida. Dr. June is the Richard W. Vague Professor in ...
Alex F. Herrera, MD, of the City of Hope National Medical Center, discusses results from the POLARIX study, which showed that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis has prognostic value for patients with previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Patients who did not achieve 2.5 or...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Vratislav Strnad, MD, PhD, of University Hospital Erlangen and Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen, Germany, and colleagues, 10-year outcomes in a phase III GEC-ESTRO (Groupe Européen de Curiethérapie and European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) trial...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology series, guest editor, Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Satish Gopal, MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Global Health at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). In this role, he oversees the development of initiatives and...
Northwell Health has appointed Richard D. Carvajal, MD, a clinician and researcher in melanoma and early-phase drug development, as Deputy Physician-in-Chief and Director of Medical Oncology at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. He also was named the R. J. Zuckerberg Chair in Medical Oncology....
Cleveland Clinic has announced the opening of a new state-of-the-art cancer facility, named the Fatima bint Mubarak Center, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. “[This] marks the next step in fulfilling our mission to provide compassionate, complex care in the United Arab Emirates [UAE)]” said Tom...
“There is and always has been, more to me than medicine. Ever since the university, I have loved flying. Ever since school, I have adored choral singing,” writes John F. Smyth, MD, in his memoir Taming the Beast: Memoirs of a Pioneering Cancer Physician. Dr. Smyth is Emeritus Professor of Medical...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Vivek Subbiah, MD, Center Clinical Medical Director of the Clinical Center for Targeted Therapy, Cancer Medicine Division, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, ...
The addition of the androgen receptor inhibitor darolutamide to androgen-deprivation therapy and docetaxel reduced the risk of death by 30% compared with androgen-deprivation therapy plus docetaxel in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, according to a post hoc analysis of...
The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have elected Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), as the President-Elect for the 2023 to 2024 term. Dr. LoRusso will become President-Elect on Monday, April 17, during the Annual Business Meeting of Members at the AACR Annual Meeting...
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Daneshmand et al found that first-line retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) was associated with good outcomes in patients with testicular seminoma with clinically low-volume retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy. As stated by the...
The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC)—which represents more than 34,000 multidisciplinary oncology practitioners—outlined successful programs and initiatives in 2022 that advanced oncology care, according to the ACCC's 2022 Impact Report. These new programs and initiatives included...
Young women with breast cancer have many concerns about their future fertility. How confident are you in discussing their chances of a future pregnancy, the effect of breast cancer treatment and fertility interventions on these offspring, and their risk of a compromised oncologic outcome after...
Investigators have found that Black individuals’ trust in information provided by the government on cancer fell by almost 50% during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study published by Bispo et al in the Journal of Health Communication. The investigators stressed the need to assess whether ...
In a single-center phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Renata Ferrarotto, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of axitinib and avelumab showed evidence of activity in patients with recurrent or metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma. Study Details In the study, 28...
In the phase II NEOSTAR trial, adding ipilimumab to a neoadjuvant combination of nivolumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy resulted in a major pathologic response in half of all treated patients with early-stage, resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). New findings from the NEOSTAR study,...
In an article published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society, James L. Mulshine, MD, and colleagues maintained that the high frequency of emphysema newly identified during low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening presents an important opportunity to engage individuals with such ...
Investigators have found that patients undergoing treatment for cancer who have comorbidities, metastatic solid or non–B-cell hematologic malignancies, and those living in areas with lower levels of education and higher levels of unemployment may have lower rates of COVID-19 vaccination, according...
Researchers have revealed how the lack of genomic research for individuals with African ancestry—particularly those from the Sub-Saharan region—may be hampering efforts to reduce disparities for patients with prostate cancer, according to a new study published by Gheybi et al in JNCCN–Journal of...
Introducing hospitalists to cancer care comanagement may be associated with decreased lengths of hospital stays for patients, increased inpatient hospital capacity, and reduced stress levels among oncologists—all while maintaining high-quality inpatient care, according to a new study published by...
Patients with prostate cancer who undergo active monitoring may experience the same 15-year survival rates as those who undergo radiotherapy or surgery, according to new findings published by Hamdy et al in The New England Journal of Medicine and simultaneously presented at the 2023 European...