Breast cancer during pregnancy is relatively uncommon; however, it poses a significant clinical challenge to the patient and her multidisciplinary care team. To shed light on this difficult issue, The ASCO Post spoke with Carey K. Anders, MD, a medical oncologist and researcher at the University...
DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE has announced the opening of the new Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living. Increasing data have indicated that integrative therapies can help alleviate the side effects of cancer therapy. The Zakim Center, as it is commonly referred to,...
THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (AMA) recognizes influential female physician leaders as part of Women in Medicine Month each September. To showcase the accomplishments of these leaders, the AMA Women Physicians Section and the AMA Foundation recently announced the winners of the 2017 Joan F....
PATIENTS WITH DNA mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer display a high level of microsatellite instability (MSI-H)1 and demonstrate poor chemosensitivity and shorter overall survival than patients with mismatch repair–proficient (pMMR) metastatic metastatic colorectal...
ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to nivolumab (Opdivo) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who have been previously treated with sorafenib (Nexavar). CheckMate 040 APPROVAL WAS BASED on a 154-patient subgroup of ...
Studies show that only about one-third of patients with acute myeloid leukemia who have detectable amounts of cancer cells in their blood at the time of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation will be alive 3 years later, compared with nearly three-quarters of those patients without minimal...
IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE the largest blood-based biomarker study of a checkpoint inhibitor, an RNA transcript–based gene classifier was able to predict for melanoma patients’ response to tremelimumab. The study was recently published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.1 “Our study, in many...
FORMAL DISCUSSANT of ARIEL3, Sandro Pignata, MD, of the IRCCS National Cancer Institute, “Fondazione G. Pascale,” Naples, Italy, said: “This is new evidence for maintenance therapy with rucaparib [Rubraca]. These results are extraordinary, particularly in the BRCA mutation patients, but also in...
THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to copanlisib (Aliqopa) for the treatment of adults with relapsed follicular lymphoma who have received at least two prior systemic therapies. Copanlisib is a kinase inhibitor that works by blocking several enzymes that...
STAYING UP-TO-DATE in the fast-paced world of oncology literature is a daunting task at best. To assist with that task, The ASCO Post has assembled an assortment of studies recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Sorafenib Dosing and Outcomes in Hepatocellular Cancer IN A...
Palliative care professionals are invited to participate in a unique project sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. Collinge and Associates, Inc, is seeking interdisciplinary professionals to help develop and evaluate a new online continuing education (CE/CME) course on the use of integrative...
On September 26, Eisai Inc announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for lenvatinib (Lenvima) for potential use in the first-line treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. “Patients with...
PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT advance in the treatment of newly diagnosed primary melanoma has been the incorporation of sentinel lymph node biopsy as part of initial surgical management. The routine use of sentinel lymph node biopsy, often termed “sentinel lymphadenectomy,” in appropriately...
THE VALUE OF cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors in advanced breast cancer became ever more certain with the announcement of interim data from MONARCH 3, which evaluated abemaciclib in combination with endocrine therapy as first-line therapy for hormone receptor–positive/HER2-negative...
Historically, randomized controlled trials have served as the state-of-the-art method for determining the efficacy and safety of new, innovative treatment regimens for patients with cancer and other diseases. It is imperative that such trials are carefully designed to ensure that they are...
On September 22, Roche announced that the European Commission has approved obinutuzumab (Gazyvaro in Europe; available in the United States as Gazyva) in combination with chemotherapy, followed by obinutuzumab maintenance in patients achieving a response, as a new treatment for previously untreated ...
Oliver Press, MD, PhD, a blood cancer physician-scientist who made foundational contributions to the development of targeted cancer therapies, died Friday of complications from glioma. He was 65 years old. Dr. Press was the David and Patricia Giuliani/Oliver Press Endowed Chair for Cancer Research ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, recently took action against more than 500 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved versions of prescription medicines, including opioids, antibiotics, and...
On September 29, Roche announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company’s supplemental Biologics License Application and granted Priority Review for pertuzumab (Perjeta), in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy, for adjuvant treatment of...
Currently, two medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce the risk of breast cancer: tamoxifen and raloxifene. Both medications, selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), have been shown to reduce the risk for breast cancer by up to 50% in prevention...
Earlier this year, at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, former Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, PhD, launched the Biden Cancer Initiative, their new venture to continue the fight to make progress in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care. The Biden Cancer Initiative will...
A higher-dose, shorter form of radiation is safe, effective, and no more damaging to the breast tissue or skin of breast cancer patients under age 50 than it is in older patients. This is the finding of a study led by researchers from Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University (NYU)...
Investigators at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson uncovered potential new proteins that contribute to the development and progression of several types of lymphoma. Their findings were published by Adams et al in Clinical Cancer Research. The researchers focused their attention on...
On September 22, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) approved nivolumab (Opdivo) for the treatment of unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer which has progressed after chemotherapy. This approval was based on the phase III ...
A higher-dose, shorter form of radiation is safe, effective, and no more damaging to the breast tissue or skin of women with breast cancer under age 50 than it is in older patients, according to findings led by researchers from Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health, and presented at the...
My father, who was a physician, taught me at an early age to pay attention to any changes in my body. His advice has stood me in good stead for more than 83 years and probably saved my life more than once. In 1984, just before I turned 50, something was bothering me about my right breast. I could...
The text and photograph on this page are excerpted from a four-volume series of books titled Oncology Tumors & Treatment: A Photographic History, by Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS, and Elizabeth A. Burns. The photo below is from the volume titled “The Anesthesia Era: 1845–1875.” The photograph...
On September 22, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic, gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma whose tumors express programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) as ...
ASCO released a landmark strategic plan to guide future efforts for increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the oncology workforce. The ultimate goal is to develop a workforce that provides high-quality cancer care to racial and ethnic populations who experience persistent disparities in access...
Although significant progress has been made in cancer incidence and mortality in the United States over the past 2 decades—the death rate fell 23% between 1991 and 20121—not everyone is benefiting equally. According to the American Cancer Society, blacks have the highest death rate and shortest...
The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center of the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia has announced the receipt of two accolades by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Jefferson Oncology Medical Associates has been recognized by the NCQA for patient-centered specialty practice (PCSP)...
V. Craig Jordan, OBE, PhD, has been recognized by the Endocrine Society as the 2018 Laureate of the Gerald D. Aurbach Award for Outstanding Translational Research. Dr. Jordan is the Dallas/Fort Worth Living Legend Chair of Cancer Research in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at The...
The ASCO Post issue of June 25, 2017, did an excellent job of summarizing the results and controversy generated by the initial results of the APHINITY trial, reported at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting and published simultaneously online in The New England Journal of Medicine.1 With a median follow-up ...
At the 2017 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, Dan Sherman, MA, LPC, discussed potential solutions to the persistent challenge of financial toxicity in the oncology setting. Mr. Sherman is a clinical financial consultant and Founder and President of The Navectis Group, Caledonia, Michigan. Rather than...
ASCO will honor Anthony Back, MD, with its inaugural Walther Cancer Foundation Palliative and Supportive Care in Oncology Endowed Award and Lecture. Endowed by the Walther Cancer Foundation,* this award and lecture was established to recognize a distinguished lecturer and leader with multiple,...
The ASCO Post introduces this new department, Living a Full Life, in which we will share insightful narratives of oncology professionals highlighting personal aspects of these clinicians’ lives separate from the world of oncology. We also intend to open a dialogue about the challenges that today’s...
On September 27 and 28, more than 100 ASCO volunteers headed to Capitol Hill to participate in the 2nd Annual ASCO Advocacy Summit. During the Summit, advocates met with members of Congress and staff to educate them on critical issues affecting patients and providers and to encourage policymakers...
KAH POH (MELISSA) LOH, MBBCh BAO Institution: Fellow, University of Rochester Medical CenterMember since: 2013ASCO activities: Trainee Council Hematology and oncology fellowship training requires at least 3 years to complete. For fellows who wish to single board in either hematology or oncology, a ...
ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) are calling for the use of more inclusive eligibility criteria for cancer clinical trials in a new Special Series in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO). The series provides a comprehensive examination of eligibility criteria for cancer clinical...
ASCO submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on its proposed rule outlining changes to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) for 2018. In a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, ASCO President Bruce E. Johnson, MD, FASCO, made recommendations regarding the two...
ASCO has announced that the first three practices in Spain have received Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) certification through the QOPI Certification Program™, LLC (QCP). The accreditations were given on September 8, at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress in...
Provide your patients with ASCO-approved information on cancer. ASCO Answers materials are available as fact sheets and booklets, covering many types of cancer as well as treatments and side effects. Order printed copies online today through the ASCO Bookstore at www.cancer.net/estore. Enjoy free ...
Women Who Conquer Cancer is a group dedicated to advancing cancer research by supporting young female researchers early in their careers through Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) Young Investigator Awards (YIAs). These 1-year grants give promising researchers the boost they need to get started on...
RIZWAN ROMEE, MD Assistant Professor of Medicine & Clinical Director, Haploidentical Transplant Program Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri Acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, is the most common type of acute blood cancer in the adult population and can be very difficult to...
On July 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the indication for ipilimumab (Yervoy) injection for intravenous use now to include the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma in pediatric patients 12 years of age and older. Ipilimumab was evaluated in 2 trials of...
A new study found that Medicaid expansion enacted as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) improved coverage for care for patients with cancer receiving radiation therapy and potentially decreased health-care disparities. Analysis of more than 197,000 patient records from one ...
Radiation therapy following mastectomy for intermediate-stage, high-risk breast cancer can be shortened from 5 to 3 weeks while maintaining tumor control rates in the breast and surrounding region that are equivalent to conventional treatment, according to research presented by Sun et al at the...
William A. Hall, MD, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, discusses trial findings on androgen deprivation and radiation alone, compared with androgen deprivation, radiotherapy, and surgery in men with high-risk, nonmetastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate (Abstract 15).
Christopher R. Kelsey, MD, of Duke University Medical Center, discusses reducing the radiation dose from 30 Gy to 20 Gy for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Phase II findings show this approach may be effective in light of improved systemic treatment and better chemotherapy response...