My twin brother and I were adopted at 18 months old, so I don’t know the medical history of our biological parents and family. But for certain, cancer has played an integral—and heartbreaking—role in my life. Both of my adoptive parents were diagnosed with genitourinary cancers at relatively early ...
In earlier issues of The ASCO Post, we shared unique insights from recipients of the International Development and Education Award (IDEA), whose experiences at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (ASCO24) had a profound impact on their professional and personal growth. Here are more reflections from...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) introduced expanded NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) to account for the advanced understanding of hereditary cancer risk in breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.1 “The recently updated NCCN Guidelines for ...
Although improvements in the early detection and treatment of cancer have reduced cancer-related mortality rates and increased the number of cancer survivors in the United States to more than 18 million,1 not all patients with the disease are benefiting from these advances. Austin R. Waters, MSPH,...
At the 2024 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, Rebecca D. Kehm, PhD, of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, and colleagues presented some of the ...
Functional precision medicine—in which information is obtained from direct perturbations of tumor-derived living cells that enable immediate translatable, personalized data to guide patient therapy—has its roots dating back more than 50 years.1 However, advances in two- and three-dimensional...
The multicenter phase III -CARMEN-LC03 trial did not meet its dual primary endpoints of progression-free and overall survival with the CEACAM5-directed antibody-drug conjugate tusamitamab ravtansine vs standard chemotherapy with docetaxel in previously treated patients with advanced nonsquamous...
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) submitted comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in response to the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability (HTI-2) proposed...
Katherine Van Loon, MD, MPH, has been appointed as the next Editor-in-Chief of JCO Global Oncology (JCO GO). JCO GO is an online-only, open-access ASCO journal focusing on cancer research, care, and delivery in low-resource countries and settings. The journal aims to address the challenges faced...
Participants of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Minority Recruitment Initiative had lower attrition rates in graduate and medical programs, were more likely to pursue a career in hematology, and had high levels of engagement at ASH beyond their participation in the program, according to a ...
Based on results from the ongoing multicenter phase III CHIPOR trial, which were reported in The Lancet Oncology Jean-Marc Classe, MD, PhD, Head of the Oncological Surgery Department at the Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest, Saint Herblain, France, and colleagues, the addition of hyperthermic...
Firmonertinib (AST2818; formerly furmonertinib), a novel EGFR inhibitor, has shown activity and tolerability in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR P loop and aC-helix compressing (PACC) mutations, according to data presented at the International Association for ...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Sean Miller, MD, of Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, and colleagues found that immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment for cancer had similar efficacy and reduced toxicity in Black patients vs White patients in the U.S....
Investigators have found that firefighters may face occupational exposures to multiple chemicals that could increase their risk of developing breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Cardona et al in Toxics. Background Prior research has revealed that firefighters have significantly...
Vered Stearns, MD, is the Director for Translational Breast Cancer Research in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical School. Dr. Stearns talks about updates in the management of patients with triple-negative breast...
Investigators have found that among all cancer survivors, male adolescents and young adults (AYAs) may have the highest rate of suicide-related mortality, according to a recent study published by Matsuo et al in JAMA Network Open. Cancer is becoming more common among young patients, and cancer...
“While clinical trials emphasize improvement in cure rates for patients with advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma, an important goal is reducing the potential long-term effects of treatment,” commented Iris Isufi, MD, of the Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut, and ...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) took part in the 2024 International Congress of the Asian Oncology Society and the 2024 Chinese Congress on Holistic Integrative Oncology, which highlighted international collaborations to improve cancer therapy and outcomes across China and Asia....
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered computational program that may be capable of predicting the activity of thousands of genes within tumor cells based on standard microscopy images of a biopsy, according to a recent study published by Pizurica et al in Nature...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Zhu et al found that cancer-specific mortality rates have decreased overall among U.S. Asian and Pacific Islander populations during recent years, although increases in cancer-specific mortality have been reported for some cancers. Study Details The...
The treatment landscape for patients with prostate cancer, especially individuals with advanced disease, has dramatically changed in recent years. However, aside from drug or hormonal therapies, other targets to treat prostate cancer are still necessary to prolong life and slow the progression of...
A phase II clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of a triple combination of radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy in patients with unresectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma found that the therapy was effective in shrinking tumors, allowing for surgery, and ...
In a phase II trial (EV-202) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Swiecicki et al found that the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin showed activity in heavily pretreated patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer (HNC). Study Details In the study, 46 patients who...
In a phase II/III trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Sarkaria et al found that the addition of veliparib to temozolomide did not improve overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma with MGMT promoter hypermethylation. Study Details In the double-blind Alliance for Clinical Trials...
Just 50% of patients with early-onset cancers may report discussing fertility preservation options with their physicians prior to receiving oncology treatments, according to a recent study published by Keller et al in JAMA Network Open. Background “From an early-onset cancer diagnosis through to...
In addition to our in-depth analysis of important clinical trials presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024, there is always room for more coverage from The ASCO Post, including these brief summaries of other presentations of interest. They focus on a potential...
“Cancer in young adults is more complicated in part [because of the risk of] infertility and premature menopause,” commented Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, FASCO, Interim Chair, Department of Medical Oncology; the Eric P. Winer, MD Chair in Breast Cancer Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; and ...
In a prospective analysis reported in JAMA Network Open, Patel et al found that long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was poorer among patients with prostate cancer who received postprostatectomy radiotherapy vs those who did not, with little difference observed among patients with early ...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Jensen et al, the final analysis of the phase III Danish DBCG07-READ trial showed improved 10-year outcomes with the addition of epirubicin to docetaxel/cyclophosphamide adjuvant therapy in patients with TOP2A-normal breast cancer. The primary...
In a phase I study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Maruyama et al found that valemetostat—a novel dual inhibitor of EZH2 and EZH1—showed activity in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Study Details In the study, 90 patients from sites in Japan and the United States were...
Researchers have found that combining the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab with standard chemotherapy may improve treatment outcomes in patients with small cell bladder cancer and small cell/neuroendocrine prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Gu et al in Cell Reports Medicine....
Beyond the physical toll of the disease and its treatments, cancer often presents a host of legal and social issues that can significantly worsen a patient’s well-being and treatment outcomes. This column explains how medical-legal partnerships can offer a powerful tool to address these challenges ...
In a single-institution study reported in JAMA Oncology, Cinciripini et al found that patients with cancer who quit smoking after a smoking cessation intervention had improved overall survival after cancer diagnosis. Study Details and Results The study involved data on 4,526 patients who were...
A large cohort study investigating the long-term treatment-related adverse effects and complications from prostate cancer treatment compared to an untreated control group has found that treatment was associated with higher rates of 10 potential complications in the 12 years after treatment. Given...
A small study investigating tumor treating fields—an antimitotic electric fields therapy—in combination with pembrolizumab and temozolomide for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma was found to be a promising strategy, especially in patients with substantial residual tumor, according to the...
Researchers have uncovered insights into a novel investigational vaccine aimed at preventing triple-negative breast cancer. The findings by Rhoades et al were presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 2024 Annual Meeting (Abstract 631) and simultaneously published in the Journal...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T-cell immunotherapy obecabtagene autoleucel (Aucatzyl) for adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Efficacy and Safety Efficacy was evaluated in...
The antibody-drug conjugate ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd) showed clinically meaningful responses in pretreated patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in an interim analysis of the phase II IDeate-Lung01 study.1 The findings were presented at the International Association for...
The novel trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2)-directed antibody-drug conjugate datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) vs docetaxel conferred a numerical improvement in overall survival in previously treated patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the phase III,...
The multicenter phase III CARMEN-LC03 trial did not meet its dual primary endpoints of progression-free and overall survival with the CEACAM5-directed antibody-drug conjugate tusamitamab ravtansine vs standard chemotherapy with docetaxel in previously treated patients with advanced nonsquamous...
Two novel oral HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors have demonstrated promising efficacy in patients with HER2-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), potentially transforming the treatment landscape for this challenging subset of lung cancer cases. According to data presented at the International...
Firmonertinib (AST2818; formerly furmonertinib), a novel EGFR inhibitor, has shown activity and tolerability in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR P loop and aC-helix compressing (PACC) mutations, according to data presented at the International Association for ...
The combination of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib and the MET inhibitor savolitinib has demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements compared with osimertinib alone as a first-line treatment of patients with de novo MET-aberrant, EGFR-mutant advanced non–small cell lung cancer...
The combination of the EGFR-MET bispecific antibody amivantamab-vmjw and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor lazertinib continues to demonstrate superior efficacy compared with the kinase inhibitor osimertinib alone in the first-line treatment of EGFR-mutant advanced non–small cell lung cancer...
In a phase III study conducted in China, the bispecific antibody (targeting both PD-1 and the vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]) ivonescimab was compared with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as first-line treatment of PD-L1–positive advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ivonescimab ...
In the multiarm phase II NeoCOAST-2 trial, neoadjuvant treatment with datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) plus the monoclonal antibody durvalumab and single-agent platinum chemotherapy led to promising rates of pathologic complete and major pathologic responses in patients with early-stage non–small...
An examination of patient-level data from the phase III CheckMate 816 and CheckMate 77T trials supports the perioperative use of the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab plus chemotherapy, as compared with the neoadjuvant use of nivolumab plus chemotherapy without adjuvant therapy, in resectable non–small...
At the 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), more than 7,000 clinicians and scientists gathered in San Diego in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). In this supplement to The ASCO Post, we review impactful abstracts from...
In a single-institution phase II study reported in JAMA Oncology, Sehgal et al found evidence of activity of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients with aggressive thyroid carcinoma. Study Details In the trial, 49 evaluable patients enrolled at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute between October 2017 and...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) introduced expanded NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) to account for the advanced understanding of hereditary cancer risk in breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. The new guidelines followed the recent...