An ASCO clinical practice guideline update, reported by Khorana et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, includes the recommendation of gemcitabine-capecitabine doublet therapy as an adjuvant therapy option in potentially curable pancreatic cancer. The updated recommendation (4.1) modifies the...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) recently announced the appointment of Keith T. Flaherty, MD, as Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Cancer Research. Dr. Flaherty is Director of the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies and Director of Clinical Research at the Massachusetts General...
In the March 25, 2017, issue of The ASCO Post, Steven H. Lin, MD, PhD, shared his thoughts on the role of positron-emission tomography (PET) in assessing response to induction chemotherapy in patients with resectable esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer. He noted that complete pathologic...
An article that appeared in the April 10 issue of The ASCO Post (“Olaparib Maintenance Prolongs Progression-Free Survival in Ovarian Cancer”) suggests unwarranted conclusions from the phase III SOLO2 trial of olaparib (Lynparza) in patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer and...
In the phase II BERIL-1 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Soulières et al found that adding the pan-PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) inhibitor buparlisib to paclitaxel improved outcomes in patients with platinum-pretreated recurrent metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck....
In an Italian phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Marcello Tiseo, MD, of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Parma, Italy, and colleagues found that adding first-line bevacizumab (Avastin) to cisplatin/etoposide did not prolong overall survival in patients with...
In a population-based cohort study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Su-Hsin Chang, PhD, of the Washington University School of Medicine, and colleagues found that overweight and obesity were associated with an increased risk of transformation of monoclonal gammopathy of...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) awarded the 13th AACR–Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship to Leonard I. Zon, MD, Grousbeck Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Stem Cell Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, and a Howard Hughes...
Survivors of melanoma are more likely to limit their exposure to ultraviolet radiation than those who have not had the disease, but more than 10% continue to intentionally tan, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.1 The study surveyed 724 people diagnosed ...
Long-term survivors of melanoma are more likely than those who have not been diagnosed with the disease to use sunscreen, protective clothing, and other means to limit exposure to the sun, according to a survey of melanoma survivors and controls about ultraviolet radiation exposure and protective...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) honored Roger S. Lo, MD, PhD, with the first AACR–Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research during the 2017 AACR Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. The AACR established this award in recognition of AACR President...
Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) has translated its Metastatic Breast Cancer Series: Guide for the Newly Diagnosed into the five most-often-spoken languages in the United States after English: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and French. Jointly created by LBBC and the Metastatic Breast...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) recognized Carlo M. Croce, MD, FAACR, with the 11th Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research during the AACR Annual Meeting 2017 in Washington, DC. The Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and...
The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family consists of four members—epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HER2, HER3, and HER4—all transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases, which regulate cell growth and survival, differentiation, and migration, as well as other cellular responses.1 ...
The advent of successful monoclonal antibody therapy in the treatment of relapsed/refractory myeloma has dramatically improved the prognosis of patients for whom currently approved novel therapies have failed. In 2015, the approval of the combination of elotuzumab (Empliciti) with lenalidomide...
The total number of cancer cases diagnosed among people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is projected to decline in coming years, due mostly to declines in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma. Certain other cancers, such as prostate and lung, are expected to rise, according to ...
Alexandra Levine, MD, MACP, is Professor in the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope, Duarte, California, and has been on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic from the beginning—before the disease even had a name. Dr. Levine spoke with The ASCO Post about ...
Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has been honored by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) for outstanding achievement in clinical cancer research. Dr. Garber, a medical oncologist and clinical cancer...
The NCCN Foundation® has named Gena Cook, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of Navigating Cancer, as Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Foundation Board of Directors. Ms. Cook, who was elected to the Board in 2010, succeeds Ellen O. Tauscher, former U.S....
Read more in the Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP). Visit ASCOPubs.org/journal/jop Patients with stage I lung cancer are achieving excellent local tumor control, thanks to an evolution in radiotherapy and surgical approaches. Jeffrey A. Bogart, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of...
Momentum around immunotherapies for cancer continues to build, but the high cost of these therapies places them at the center of debate about how best to define and measure value in cancer care. As these therapies are increasingly integrated into practice, all stakeholders—providers, patients,...
Medical oncologist Ophira Ginsburg, MD, has joined New York University (NYU) Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center as Director of its new High Risk Program, which identifies, studies, and cares for patients with hereditary syndromes that increase cancer risk. Dr. Ginsburg also holds a faculty...
David M. Livingston, MD, a cancer biologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has won a major award for discoveries in cancer research from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). He received the Pezcoller Foundation–AACR International Award at the AACR Annual Meeting in Washington,...
Amrita Krishnan, MD, Director of the Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research at the City of Hope in Duarte, California, told The ASCO Post that the most exciting drug in the “New Agents” session she moderated at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting...
The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) has selected David M. Sabatini, MD, PhD, to receive its 5th annual Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences for discovery of the mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) cellular pathway as a key regulator of growth and metabolism in response to...
ASCO has announced that Alexander Chin, MD, MBA, and Joanna C. Yang, MD, have been selected for the 2017–2018 ASCO Health Policy Fellowship program, now entering its second year. The fellowship, aimed at early career oncologists, provides the skills necessary to monitor and shape the regulatory and ...
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common leukemia in adults. Each year, about 20,000 Americans will be diagnosed with AML, and roughly 10,000 people in this country will die of the disease. AML progresses quickly, and unless treatment begins soon and is effective , the prognosis is grim....
Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have begun to establish a biologic basis for the long-held but not well-tested theory that neighborhood exposures can impact health outcomes. Shannon Lynch, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase, led a team...
John Krolewski, MD, PhD, has been appointed as Chair of the Department of Cancer Genetics and Genomics and Co-Leader of the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) Genetics and Genomics Program at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. He will also hold the John & Santa Palisano Endowed Chair of Cancer...
Fox Chase Cancer Center has announced the hiring of Paula H. Finestone, PhD, a psychologist who has joined the Center’s Department of Medicine. Before arriving at Fox Chase, Dr. Finestone was a clinical psychologist at Bryn Mawr Rehab, where she worked with inpatients and outpatients facing...
Orthopedic surgeon Kristy L. Weber, MD, became the second Vice President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors at the organization’s 2017 Annual Meeting. Her new role is the first position in a 4-year term of volunteer service that includes Dr. Weber serving as...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has announced the election of Joanne Berger-Sweeney, PhD, MPH, President of Trinity College, to its Board of Trustees. “We are pleased to welcome Dr. Berger-Sweeney to the board of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Her leadership at premier academic institutions in the...
On March 21, 2017, Gravely et al published a study1 in Lancet Public Health on the 2003 global tobacco control treaty’s impact on the adoption of tobacco-reduction measures around the world, which has led to a 2.5% reduction in global smoking rates. The treaty obligates the 180 countries committed...
Not all cancer research will result in a positive outcome for patients, but all research does provide information that continues to advance the treatment of cancer care. Recent clinical trials, including one funded in part by the Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) of ASCO, show that most prostate...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) of ASCO recently announced the recipients of its 2017 International Innovation Grant. The 1-year grant of up to $20,000, given directly to each awardee’s nonprofit organization or government agency, funds research projects aimed at improving cancer care in low-...
Three clinical trials of the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) have shown that it is active against a rare subtype of skin cancer, mucosal melanoma. The findings were presented by Butler et al at the 2017 European Cancer Congress (ECCO).1 Mucosal melanoma has often been excluded from...
In this new booklet, patients and their caregivers explore the topic of cancer-related pain relief, including its causes, how it is diagnosed, and types of relief strategies. Pain medications are covered extensively, including: Types of medications Safe handling Common concerns Managing...
A test that measures the levels of five chemicals in the breath has shown promising results for the detection of cancers of the esophagus and stomach, in a large patient trial presented by Markar et al at the 2017 European Cancer Congress (Abstract 6LBA).1 Together, stomach and esophageal cancers...
As most oncology professionals know, the Quality Payment Program (QPP), established by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), began on January 1, 2017—but did you know that 2017 is a transition year, meaning you can “Pick Your Pace” when implementing QPP in your practice? “Pick...
The onset of diabetes, or a rapid deterioration in existing diabetes that requires more aggressive treatment, could be a sign of early, hidden pancreatic cancer, according to research presented by Autier et al at the 2017 European Cancer Congress (Abstract 540).1 Study Design and Key Findings...
ASCO and the Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) proudly announce the winners of ASCO’s Special Awards, the Society’s highest honors, and the CCF Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award. The recipients of these awards include researchers, patient advocates, and global oncology leaders who have worked ...
An accomplished urologic oncologist and longtime senior leader at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, James Mohler, MD, received the 2017 Rodger Winn Award at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 22nd Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Mohler is Associate Director and Senior Vice...
James Ewing Lecture: Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD, presented the 2017 James Ewing Lecture on “Immunologic Checkpoint Blockade: Exploring Combinations and Mechanisms.” Dr. Wolchok is the Lloyd J. Old and Daniel K. Ludwig Chair in Clinical Investigation, Chief of the Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics...
At this year’s ASCO Quality Care Symposium, Neeraj K. Arora, PhD, Associate Director at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, opened his presentation by stressing that integrating the patient’s voice and experience into the clinical setting produces better health outcomes.1 Dr. Arora,...
At this year’s ASCO Quality Care Symposium, Blase N. Polite, MD, MPP, Associate Professor of Medicine at The University of Chicago Medical Center, examined his practice’s experience with the Oncology Care Model, a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services test payment and delivery program...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted marketing of the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution (PIPS, Philips Medical Systems Nederland B.V.), as an aid to pathologists to review and interpret digital images of surgical pathology slides prepared from formalin-fixed paraffin...
On April 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to atezolizumab (Tecentriq) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who are not eligible for cisplatin chemotherapy. Atezolizumab was previously approved for people...
ASCO strongly supports increasing access to investigational new treatment options for patients with cancer, while raising serious concerns about recently proposed federal “right-to-try” legislation as well as state-enacted right-to-try laws. In a position statement released April 4, 2017, ASCO said ...
“The status quo for HPV [human papillomavirus]-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is not sufficient.… Our treatment is effective, but the toxicity associated with it is not tolerable.” And HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer “is a cancer of relatively younger patients,” said Nishant...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) presented an AACR Distinguished Public Service Award to W.E. “Ed” Bosarge, Jr, PhD, in honor of his generous, unstinting contributions to cancer research, innovative medical and environmental science, and the AACR. Dr. Bosarge is known for his...