ASCO has released the latest edition of ASCO-SEP®, a comprehensive resource designed to help medical providers assess and improve their level of knowledge in the various areas of oncology, enabling them to provide care that will optimize the quality of life for people with cancer. ASCO-SEP, 3rd...
In August 2011, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania published their breakthrough findings of a pilot study showing sustained remissions of up to 1 year in a small number of patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who had been treated with genetically engineered...
“Thirty-six months of hormone therapy is the standard of care for the treatment of high-risk prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy,” said formal discussant Anthony V. D’Amico, MD, PhD, Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Genitourinary...
Eighteen months of hormone therapy appears to be as safe and effective as 36 months when combined with radiation for patients with high-risk prostate cancer.1 Patients who received the shorter course of hormone therapy plus radiation had survival rates similar to those who received 36 months of...
At the recent American Academy of Dermatology 71st Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, researchers presented interesting findings regarding melanoma and other skin cancers. The ASCO Post brings you the following news briefs on these topics. Melanoma Incidence Decreases among Adolescents and Children An...
Last fall, a consortium of more than 300 researchers from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network published the results of their large-scale genetic analysis of squamous cell lung cancer in the journal Nature.1 The study, the first of its kind, compared the tumor cells from 178 untreated...
There are a few things about ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) on which everyone agrees: Incidence increased dramatically with the advent of mammography screening, not all cases detected will go on to cause symptoms in the patient’s lifetime, and there’s no proven way to tell which cases will...
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. Indication On February 22, 2013, ado-trastuzumab emtansine...
Dr. Resnick and colleagues are to be congratulated for following men on the PCOS study out to 15 years. The main result—“At 15 years, no significant relative differences in disease-specific functional outcomes were observed among men undergoing prostatectomy or radiotherapy”—should be interpreted...
Comparative longer-term functional outcomes of radical prostatectomy and external-beam radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer remain undefined. In a study recently reported in The New England Journal of Medicine,1 Matthew J. Resnick, MD, and colleagues at Vanderbilt University, Nashville,...
Axel Grothey, MD, Professor of Oncology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, said that classifying colorectal cancer by intrinsic subtypes is “the right route forward,” especially if subtypes can be reliably linked to therapeutic response and survival. “We will not be treating all colorectal...
Some 5% to 10% of patients with colorectal cancer harbor the BRAF mutation, placing them at risk for poor treatment response and worse outcomes. The ASCO Post interviewed S. Gail Eckhardt, MD, an expert in this area who is Professor and Head of the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of...
The 10th annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held recently in San Francisco, was jointly sponsored by ASCO, the AGA (American Gastroenterological Association), ASTRO (American Society for Radiation Oncology), and the SSO (Society of Surgical Oncology). “We seek to present the newest...
About 48% of all patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy have a discrepancy between their clinical stage and pathologic stage, according to the largest study to date to examine this issue. Upstaging after surgery is associated with reduced survival, while downstaging after...
Attendees at the 2013 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando, Florida, were brought up to date with the latest news on cancers of the prostate, testes, bladder, and kidney. Below are selected highlights from the meeting describing findings of noteworthy abstracts to extend our regular news...
First, a clarification: Homoharringtonine is a natural plant alkaloid derived from Cephalotaxus fortunei; from the 1970s until the present, it was the subject of intensive research efforts by Chinese investigators to clarify its role as an antileukemic agent.1-3 Omacetaxine mepesuccinate (Synribo)...
Studies show virtually all cancer survivors will experience some form of sexual dysfunction following a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Yet few cancer survivors seek help for physical problems they may be experiencing, such as vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, chemically induced menopause, reduced...
A growing body of evidence provides biologic and clinical evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents are protective against colorectal cancer. “It is fascinating for me as a medical oncologist and epidemiologist to see how the worlds of colorectal cancer treatment and epidemiology are...
The use of duloxetine (Cymbalta) for 5 weeks “was associated with a statistically and clinically significant improvement” in painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy when compared with placebo in a phase III randomized, double-blind crossover trial reported in the Journal of the American...
Among 3,919 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who did not undergo transplantation in first complete remission, 1,271 relapsed and 19% were successfully treated with salvage therapy, according to an analysis of three AML trials in the United Kingdom. This percentage can be improved with a...
Adding bortezomib (Velcade) to standard daunorubicin and cytarabine induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) “resulted in an encouraging remission rate” in previously untreated older adults, according to results of Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB/Alliance) study 10502. The...
First-line treatment with ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) “provided a significant improvement” in progression-free survival when compared to trastuzumab (Herceptin) plus docetaxel in a randomized phase II study among patients with HER2-positive metastatic or recurrent locally advanced breast...
Neurosurgeon and brain cancer researcher Eric Holland, MD, PhD, will be joining Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington in summer 2013. Dr. Holland will be Senior Vice President and Director of the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,...
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Survivorship Program and its Directors, K. Scott Baker, MD, and Karen Syrjala, PhD, have been selected to lead a nationwide study that aims to improve long-term health outcomes for cancer survivors between the ages of 18 and 39 years. Underway this spring, ...
Just 1 month after undergoing a mammogram that was deemed normal with some dense tissue in my left breast, my gynecologist felt a mass in that breast about the size of a cherry tomato during a routine well visit. After watching the lump for a month to see if it was cyclical, she sent me for another ...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) named the following as recipients of awards at the recent Annual Meeting. Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research Hagop Kantarjian, MD, Chair and Professor in The University of Texas MD Anderson...
“SEER data showed a small but statistically significant increase in the incidence of breast cancer with distant involvement for women aged 25 to 39 years,” concluded a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.1 “The trajectory of the incidence trend predicts that an...
The incidence of advanced breast cancer among women aged 25 to 39 years increased by an average of 2.07% per year from 1976 to 2009 and the trend seems likely to continue, according to an analysis of data for 936,497 women diagnosed with malignant breast cancer. The small but statistically...
Abbott announced that the ARCHITECT AFP assay, which may help doctors detect the progression of testicular cancer as well as serious birth defects, has received FDA approval. The ARCHITECT AFP assay is a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay for the quantitative determination of...
May 2013 Annual Paris Melanoma ConferenceMay 2-3 • Paris, FranceFor more information: www.primeoncology.org/parismelanoma2013 5th IMPAKT Breast Cancer ConferenceMay 2-4 • Brussels, BelgiumFor more information: www.esmo.org Florida Society of Clinical Oncology Third Annual AVBCC ConferenceMay 2-5 •...
Elekta recently received 510(k) clearance from the FDA, allowing the company to begin shipping and installation of all components of the Versa HD system within the United States. The Versa HD radiation system, featuring high-precision beam shaping and tumor targeting, is capable of delivering...
At the recent American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting in Miami, researchers presented interesting findings regarding melanoma and other skin cancers, as well as dermatologic effects of cancer agents. The following is a summary of one such study. While alopecia is a common side effect of many ...
In estimated 10,000 demonstrators filled the streets in front of Washington, DC’s historic Carnegie Library on April 8 to protest budget cuts at the National Institutes of Health. The Rally for Medical Research was held to “emphasize to our policymakers that medical research must become a national...
The following organizations will exhibit at the 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting as part of the ASCO-sponsored Patient Advocacy Booth: Alliance for Childhood Cancer American Brain Tumor Association BAG IT Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Blood &...
The ASCO-sponsored Patient Advocacy Booth, located near the entrance of the Oncology Professionals Hall at the ASCO Annual Meeting, is designed to give 26 nonprofit patient advocacy organizations an opportunity to promote their programs, services, and resources to the professional oncology...
Starting on May 15, direct your patients to Cancer.Net, ASCO’s patient information website, to find easy-to-read summaries of studies released in advance of this year’s Annual Meeting. In addition, encourage them to listen to a panel discussion and Q&A session about these latest advances in a...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation Grants and Awards Program has grown tremendously in 30 years, from supporting just one researcher in the United States to thousands working around the world. These investigators are performing breakthrough research in all aspects of cancer and making discoveries that...
ASCO’s pre–Annual Meeting seminar series continues this year, offering intimate, discussion-based seminars just before the start of the Annual Meeting in late May. The seminars are an excellent educational opportunity for health providers who are attending the Annual Meeting but would like to drill ...
ASCO and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine (AAHPM) recently announced a joint initiative to support delivery of high-quality palliative care in medical oncology. The initiative is funded by ASCO’s first-ever grant from the Agency for Health Care Research Quality. The...
The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have elected Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, as their President-elect for 2013-2014. Dr. Arteaga is Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where he holds the Donna S. Hall Chair in Breast Cancer...
In February 2013, FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designations for ibrutinib as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma and as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, both of which are also B-cell...
Early trial results in single-agent therapy with the oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib have produced excellent responses in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Moreover, ibrutinib is extremely well tolerated, allowing patients to remain on trial and receive the...
What factors determine who is referred to a medical oncologist and receives treatment for advanced cancers? Several articles in the Journal of Oncology Practice suggest that factors influencing referral and treatment go beyond the patient’s medical condition and preference and include such details...
Perhaps the most important take-home point of our study is that physicians should consider counseling colorectal cancer survivors to adopt a more physically active lifestyle that is consistent with a patient’s abilities and overall medical condition. Physicians should be reminded that most patients ...
In a study recently reported in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Peter T. Campbell, PhD, and colleagues from the Epidemiology Research Program of the American Cancer Society, Atlanta, found that more recreational physical activity before and after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer was associated with...
The so-called TML (Treatment across Multiple Lines) study reported by Bennouna and colleagues investigated the efficacy of bevacizumab (Avastin) beyond progression from first- to second-line therapy in advanced colorectal cancer, a strategy that was supported by data from observational cohort...
As reported recently in Lancet Oncology by Jaafar Bennouna, MD, of Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest, Nantes, France, and colleagues, the phase III ML18147 trial showed a survival benefit with continued bevacizumab (Avastin) treatment after first progression in metastatic colorectal cancer.1 The...
Is sentinel node biopsy in melanoma an essential component of care? Despite a large multinational trial and recently published or updated guidelines, the question is still a thorny one according to experts who debated the issue at the recent meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology in...
Medical oncologists are apt to underestimate the resectability of liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer and therefore often fail to refer potential surgical candidates for surgical consultation, according to a study presented at the 18th Annual Conference of the National Comprehensive ...
ASCO has unveiled the prototype of a computer system that will allow oncologists, from their desks, to leverage “big data” to measure the quality of care that their practices provide. The prototype is a major step in the development of CancerLinQ, a system that will eventually allow millions of...