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Showing 13501 - 13550Abiraterone: New Drug in the Treatment of Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
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 Abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) (an oral agent that...
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy Yields Complete Remission in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
Targeted therapies have markedly improved outcomes in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, with median overall survival of greater than 2 years having been observed with sunitinib (Sutent) treatment. Objective responses, consisting mostly of partial responses, are observed in approximately...
ASCO Membership Categories Offer a Place for Everyone
If your work touches those who have cancer, you have a place within ASCO. That’s the message that the organization, during its 48 years, has gotten across in many ways, not the least of which is its membership categories, which have expanded right along with the field of cancer care. “ASCO is...
Integration of QOPI® Helps Michigan Insurer Earn ‘Best of Blue’ Award
By working to improve oncology care in practices in Michigan through integration of ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) into its Physician Group Incentive Program, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) has been selected as a 2011 “Best of Blue Clinical Distinction Award” winner...
QOPI® Certifies 100th Practice for Delivering High-quality Cancer Care
Less than 2 years since launching the first national program to help oncology practices deliver the highest quality of cancer care, ASCO and its affiliate, the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) Certification Program, announced that more than 100 practices have achieved QOPI...
Epigenetic Therapy Shows Positive Results in Late-stage Lung Cancer
A small phase I/II clinical study from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found that epigenetic therapy with a combination of azacitidine (Vidaza) and entinostat (an investigational agent) produced responses in some patients with refractory advanced non–small cell lung cancer. The study results, ...
Lung Cancer Advocates Seek to Raise Awareness (and Research Funding)
Although lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women—nearly 157,000 deaths from lung cancer occurred in 2011, according to the American Cancer Society—survey results from the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) show that 60% of Americans are...
I Never Expected to Get Lung Cancer
When intermittent chest pains sent me to the emergency room nearly a decade ago, I worried that I was having some kind of cardiac event. The ER doctor wanted to make sure that I didn’t have a pulmonary embolism, so in addition to ordering a complete cardiac workup, she also ordered a chest x-ray to ...
Ablation of Small Primary Breast Tumors: The Next Step in Local Therapy?
Local treatment of breast cancer is trending toward less invasive procedures that achieve comparable outcomes to standard interventions. What will the next step along this continuum be? According to Michael S. Sabel, MD, a surgical oncologist at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer...
AVEREL Trial Shows Benefit of Bevacizumab in HER2-positive Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Breast Cancer
In findings likely to intensify the debate about the role of bevacizumab (Avastin) in advanced breast cancer, the AVEREL trial concludes that adding this antiangiogenic antibody to standard therapy prolongs progression-free survival by about 3 months in women with HER2-positive locally recurrent...
Subcutaneous Bortezomib Approved
The FDA has approved a supplemental new drug application for bortezomib (Velcade), updating the label to include the subcutaneous administration in all indications approved for intravenous administration, ie, multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma after at least one prior therapy. The approval...
Shared REMS Approved for all Transmucosal Immediate-release Fentanyl Products
The FDA has approved a new transmucosal immediate-release fentanyl Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) access program. The REMS is a single shared system for all transmucosal immediate-release fentanyl products. Among the goals of the REMS access program are to mitigate the risk of...
Glucarpidase Approved to Treat Methotrexate Toxicity
The FDA has approved intravenous glucarpidase (Voraxaze) to treat patients with toxic levels of methotrexate in their blood due to kidney failure. Glucarpidase is an enzyme that rapidly reduces methotrexate levels by breaking down the chemotherapy drug to a form that can be eliminated from the...
Axitinib Receives FDA Approval in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
The FDA has approved the kinase inhibitor axitinib (Inlyta) for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma after failure of one prior systemic therapy. The approval is based on an international, randomized, open-label trial that enrolled 723 patients: 361 were assigned to receive axitinib at 5 ...
Cost of Care: A Multidisciplinary Responsibility
I read the interview with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel (The ASCO Post, December 15, 2011) with much interest, as the health-care policy problems that America is currently experiencing have plagued other countries for some time. Despite proactive measures and attempts to amend those situations elsewhere,...
Drug Shortages Hit Oncology Hard: Experts Weigh in on Challenges and Solutions
Periodic drug shortages are an unavoidable reality in our complicated pharmaceutical supply chain; however, over the past several years, drug shortages have expanded to crisis levels, putting vulnerable patients at risk. In 2010, there were 178 drug shortages reported to the FDA, 132 of which were...
Expert Point of View: Maintenance Rituximab vs Retreatment Rituximab in Patients with Low–Tumor-Burden Follicular Lymphoma
The findings of RESORT1 have tremendous implications, both clinically and economically, commented Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, Chief of the Lymphoma Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, in an interview. “The maintenance arm received rituximab [Rituxan] every 3 months...
New Immunomodulatory Drug Produces Impressive Phase II Results in Multiple Myeloma
Data on pomalidomide, the novel oral immunomodulatory drug for multiple myeloma, was a major highlight of the 2011 ASH Annual Meeting, according to Kenneth D. Anderson, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, who called the drug “very, very exciting.” Paul Richardson, MD, also of Dana-Farber...
Expert Point of View: Next-generation Proteasome Inhibitors Will Improve Outcomes in Bortezomib-refractory Myeloma Patients
Myeloma experts agree that the new proteosome inhibitors are particularly welcome because they are at least as effective as bortezomib (Velcade) but produce much less neuropathy. Dramatic Results “The activity of MLN 9708 is very encouraging,” said Paul G. Richardson, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer...
Next-generation Proteasome Inhibitors Will Improve Outcomes in Bortezomib-refractory Myeloma Patients
The next-generation proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib is expected to gain FDA approval in the near future, offering a treatment option that may be as effective as and less neurotoxic than bortezomib (Velcade). Studies presented at the ASH Annual Meeting upheld benefits of the drug observed in...
Expert Point of View: Monoclonal Antibody Promising in Multiple Myeloma
With a wealth of new agents of various classes in the pipeline, “myeloma is going to become a chronic illness, with sustained complete responses achieved in a significant fraction of patients,” according to Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, ...
Three Novel Agents Show Promise in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Susan O’Brien, MD, Professor in the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, has a special interest in novel developments in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). At the 2011 ASH Annual Meeting, she discussed her picks of top newsmakers in ...
Expert Point of View: Ponatinib Continues to Impress in Patients with Leukemia
At the 2011 ASH Annual Meeting, Pierre Laneuville, MD, Director of Hematology at McGill University in Montreal, predicted that ponatinib may be “the drug that will replace them all” in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. Dr. Laneuville explained his rationale, recalling that in the pivotal...
Ponatinib Continues to Impress in Patients with Leukemia
Initial results from the PACE (Ponatinib Ph+ ALL and CML Evaluation) trial added to accumulating evidence that the tyrosine kinase inhibitor ponatinib should soon be considered for front-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). “Robust responses were observed in all patient cohorts,” said...
Expert Point of View: BELA Trial Reborn: Bosutinib Produces Improved Results in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Given the results of the BELA trial, with the problems of treatment side-effect management realized and seemingly resolved, Elias Jabbour, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, assumes bosutinib will be approved in chronic myeloid...
Everolimus plus Exemestane Significantly Prolongs Remission in BOLERO-2
Adding an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) to an aromatase inhibitor more than doubled the time to disease progression in patients with advanced, treatment-refractory breast cancer in the phase III BOLERO-2 trial, whose updated results were presented at the San Antonio Breast...
Expert Point of View #2: Can Molecular Profiling Identify ER-positive Patients Destined for Relapse?
Understanding the different relapse patterns within estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer is important for guiding treatment decisions, said Laura Esserman, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center. Women who fall into the two separate categories may have different ...
Expert Point of View: Can Molecular Profiling Identify ER-positive Patients Destined for Relapse?
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) trials have demonstrated that recurrence patterns are different for estrogen receptor (ER)-positive vs ER-negative breast cancer. While ER-negative disease carries a high risk for early recurrence—peaking around year 1.5 from diagnosis—risk steadily...
Benefits of Some Bisphosphonates Confirmed in Breast Cancer Outcomes, but Questions Remain
The story of bisphosphonates, and their disease-modifying potential in breast cancer, is still evolving. While some studies presented at the 2011 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium failed to show gains, others found benefits. The theme that is emerging is that bisphosphonates may be most...
Expert Point of View: Bevacizumab Progression-free Survival Benefit Upheld in AVEREL Trial
Modest benefit reported from AVEREL1 triggered comments among trialists about the future of bevacizumab (Avastin) in breast cancer. “Although there’s controversy about the recent revoking of FDA approval of bevacizumab for metastatic breast cancer, I think there is a consensus in our disappointment ...
Expert Point of View: Dual HER2 Blockade Substantially Delays Disease Progression
The availability of effective therapies for HER2-positive tumors has made breast cancer a better managed disease, but outcomes could be further enhanced through the targeting of other players in this pathway, emerging data suggest. C. Kent Osborne, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston,...
FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Biosimilar Product Development
The FDA recently issued three draft guidance documents on biosimilar product development to assist industry in developing such products in the United States. “When it comes to getting new biosimilar products on the market, FDA has taken an innovative approach to supporting their development at...
Facing the Future without Fear of Breast Cancer Recurrence
A year ago, I was living my dream. Married to a wonderful man, Danny, and with two young children to raise, Karl, 7, and Marcus, 4, I had given up a career in accounting to be a stay-at-home mom. At age 34, I was enjoying life, helping my children with their homework and going to their soccer and...
Addition of Bevacizumab to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Increases Pathologic Complete Response Rate in HER2-negative Disease
Two studies reported in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that the addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly increased the pathologic complete response rate in women with HER2-negative breast cancer. In one study, from the German Breast Group, the benefit...
A Patient with Cancer Saw a Need and Left a Living Legacy
It is well documented that the rigors of delivering cancer care can unintentionally supersede valuable doctor-patient communication. Before he died in 1995, Kenneth B. Schwartz, a patient with cancer at Massachusetts General Hospital, recognized this phenomenon and founded the Kenneth B. Schwartz...
SIDEBAR: Expect Questions from Your Patients
The possibility of reexcision after breast-conservation surgery should be discussed with patients before the initial surgery, advised Laurence E. McCahill, MD, lead investigator of the JAMA study on reexcision following breast-conservation surgery, which showed wide variability in reexcision...
Reexcision Rates Following Breast-conservation Surgery Vary Widely
In the News focuses on media reports that your patients may have questions about at their next visit. This continuing column will provide summaries of articles in the popular press that may prompt such questions, as well as comments from colleagues in the field. Reexcision rates for women with...
Which Is Better: Peripheral Blood or Bone Marrow as Unrelated Donor Stem Cell Source?
Over the past decade, the use of peripheral blood stem cells has increased, and now about 75% of unrelated living donor transplants are performed using peripheral blood stem cells without supportive data in the unrelated donor setting. This trend is called into question by results of a large phase...
Long-term Survival Benefit and Safety Confirmed for VMP Regimen in Multiple Myeloma in Patients Who Were Not Transplant Candidates
Five-year analysis of the VISTA trial confirms a survival advantage with VMP (bortezomib [Velcade], melphalan, and prednisone) for upfront treatment of multiple myeloma in patients who were not transplant candidates. At a median follow-up of 60.1 months, a 13-month improvement in overall survival...
What You Should Know about Peginterferon Alfa-2b for Adjuvant Treatment of Melanoma
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 Peginterferon alfa-2b (PegIntron, Sylatron) was recently ...
A Dose of Destruction and Tough Love for Health Care
Title: The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care Author: Eric Topol, MD Publisher: Basic Books Publication date: February 1, 2012 Price: $27.99 / $31.00 (CAN), Hardcover, 320 pages More information: http://creativedestructionofmedicine.com/...
Cancer.Net Mobile App 2.0: Available Now!
With the recent updates to the free Cancer.Net app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, your patients can use interactive tools to help manage their care. Patients with iCloud-enabled devices can use the cloud service to back up the questions, symptoms, and medications they’ve entered into the...
Starting Down the Path toward Electronic QOPI®: ASCO and US Oncology Collaborate in Quality Measurement
The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®), ASCO’s quality measurement program, is entering its 6th successful year and continuing to grow, both in number of participants and in quality measures evaluated. In the truest spirit of quality improvement, ASCO’s oncologist leaders have determined...
ASCO Seeks Better Access to Clinical Trials for Patients with Cancer
ASCO and other organizations submitted recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to influence development of a clinical trials coverage regulation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The health-care law requires insurers to cover routine care costs for...
SIDEBAR: Career Development Award
The Career Development Award (CDA) is a 3-year grant totaling $200,000 to provide funding to clinical investigators who have received their initial faculty appointment, to establish an independent clinical cancer research program. This research must have a patient-oriented focus, including a...
Career Development Award Recipient Susan K. Parsons, MD, Supports Next Generation of Researchers
Like all pediatric oncologists, Susan K. Parsons, MD, MRP, knows that when a child is diagnosed with cancer, it happens to the whole family. Siblings must cope with everything from disruption of routine to reduced parental attention, to the often-new possibility of mortality. Parents must navigate...
SWOG S0226 Findings Revive Interest in Combination Hormonal Therapy
Two hormonal therapies combined are more efficacious than one when used as first-line treatment for hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women, finds Southwest Oncology Group trial S0226. Results of the phase III trial, reported at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio...
Expert Point of View: Genomics Projects Plumb Breast Cancer’s Inner Workings
Charles M. Perou, PhD, the May Goldman Shaw Distinguished Professor of Molecular Oncology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, commented on the research being conducted by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). “The TCGA and ICGC efforts...
Genomics Projects Plumb Breast Cancer’s Inner Workings
Two large collaborative genomics projects are producing new and sometimes surprising findings about what makes breast cancers tick—information that may ultimately be applied to improve clinical outcomes. In a special session titled “Genome Data for the Masses: Presentation of TCGA and ICGC Breast...
Atypical Breast Lesions: How High Is the Cancer Risk?
Women with atypical breast lesions have approximately a 5% to 11% risk of developing breast cancer within 5 years, depending on histology, and this risk can be reduced with chemoprevention, according to a presentation at the 2011 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 Investigators tracked the...
