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Randy L. Wei, MD, PhD, on Radiation Oncologists and Palliative Care
Randy L. Wei, MD, PhD, of the University of California, Irvine, discusses findings from a survey that focused on ASTRO members who assessed their ability to deliver palliative and supportive care, and their access to continuing medical education on the topic (Abstract 105).
Sriram Yennu, MD, on Patient Perception of Curability
Sriram Yennu, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses findings from a study of an international cohort of patients with advanced cancer who received palliative care. Nearly half the patients incorrectly believed their cancer was curable (Abstract 5).
Jennifer S. Temel, MD, on The Changing Conversation Around Prognostication
Jennifer S. Temel, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses increasing prognostic uncertainty in light of targeted treatments and immunotherapies, and the difficulty predicting who will benefit.
ECOG-ACRIN Group Co-Chair Robert L. Comis, MD, to Step Down in 2019
The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) announced that Robert L. Comis, MD, Professor of Medicine at Drexel University, is stepping down from his position as Group Co-Chair of the organization. His departure, effective February 28, 2019, will coincide with the end of ECOG-ACRIN’s current ...
Limited Access to Radioimmunotherapy in the Community Setting May Lead to Extinction of a Unique Lymphoma Treatment
I am writing to ask the ASCO community for help in addressing a policy decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that requires oncologists to take a 700-hour course (on the full range of nuclear medicines) to give one medicine to their patients: prepackaged radioimmunotherapy. It’s...
Cyclophosphamide/Methotrexate Maintenance Shows No Benefit in Hormone Receptor–Negative Breast Cancer, but Subgroup May Benefit
Low-dose oral cyclophosphamide plus methotrexate maintenance therapy yielded no disease-free survival benefit in women with hormone receptor–negative early breast cancer, according to the phase III International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG) 22-00 trial. Some evidence of benefit was observed in ...
Impact of Adherence to Cancer Prevention Guidelines on Diet, Physical Activity on Cancer Risk and Mortality
According to the American Cancer Society’s 2016 Cancer Facts & Figures, behaviors such as poor diet choices, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, and unhealthy body weight account for about 20% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States and likely could be prevented with...
Immunotherapy Is Not a Replacement Therapy
Some patients who ask about immunotherapy do so because they don’t want to get chemotherapy. Immunotherapy “is not a replacement yet, especially for chemotherapy, which has a track record of curing cancer,” Anas Younes, MD, medical oncologist and Chief of the Lymphoma Service at Memorial Sloan...
FDA Warns of Risks Associated With the Use of Tests Marketed as ‘Ovarian Screening’
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting women about the risks associated with the use of tests being marketed as ovarian cancer screening tests. The agency is especially concerned about delaying effective preventive treatments for women who show no symptoms but who are still at...
Media Reports of Dramatic Responses to Immunotherapy After All Else Fails May Prompt Patients to Seek It Out
Immunotherapy has received “a lot of attention, mainly because of the media coverage,” Anas Younes, MD, medical oncologist and Chief of the Lymphoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said in an interview with The ASCO Post. “Many patients inquire, not about a specific...
Electronic Health Record Data May Help Identify Older Patients at Highest Risk of Early Death From Chemotherapy for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Although diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a curable disease in most patients aged 65 years or older, these patients are also at higher risk of chemotherapy-related death within the first 30 days of treatment. To quantify the risk of early fatality and identify risk factors, researchers led ...
Study Suggests Benefit of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy but Not Chemotherapy in Some Patients With Merkel Cell Carcinoma
In an analysis of National Cancer Data Base data reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Bhatia et al found that adjuvant radiotherapy was associated with a survival benefit in patients with stage I and II but not stage III Merkel cell carcinoma, with no benefit of adjuvant...
I’ve Survived Two Cancers
In 2012, my husband, Robert, and I were looking forward to starting the next phase of our lives and were feeling excited about the future. Although only in our 50s, we had decided to retire early from our full-time careers, move to our cabin in Hayward, Wisconsin, and find less stressful part-time ...
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Report Shows States Are Making Progress Implementing Policies to Reduce Toll of Cancer
While a majority of states are still missing important opportunities to pass and implement legislative solutions proven to prevent and fight cancer, progress is being made to move the nation closer to ending cancer as we know it, according to a report recently released by the American Cancer...
Oncologist’s Guilt
The best part of my day is hearing that little voice yell, “It’s Momma!” as my son rushes to greet me with a hug. It is humbling, and sometimes terrifying, to realize that I brought a little person into the world who is completely dependent on my husband and me for survival. Few would argue...
American Society of Hematology Recognizes Laurence Boxer, MD, and Ralph Nachman, MD, for Outstanding Mentorship
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will honor Laurence Boxer, MD, and Ralph Nachman, MD, with 2016 Mentor Awards at the 58th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, California, for their sustained, outstanding commitment to the training and career development of early-career...
New SSO, ASTRO, ASCO Joint Ductal Carcinoma in Situ Consensus Guideline Could Curb Unnecessary Breast Surgery and Reduce Health-System Costs
Three leading national cancer organizations have issued a consensus guideline for physicians treating women who have ductal carcinoma in situ treated with breast-conserving surgery with whole-breast irradiation. The new guideline has the potential to save many women from unnecessary surgeries,...
ESMO Publishes Results of European Consortium Study on the Availability of Antineoplastic Medicines
A major new study has found substantial differences in the formulary availability, out-of-pocket costs, and actual availability of anticancer medicines across Europe. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) European Consortium Study on the Availability of Antineoplastic Medicines was...
Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy Shown to Be Safe—and Increasingly Preferred
Prophylactic mastectomy that preserves a woman’s nipple is oncologically safe in patients with deleterious BRCA mutations, according to the largest study yet to evaluate this approach in this high-risk population. “In more than 500 risk-reducing nipple-sparing mastectomies in 348 deleterious...
Your Monthly Gift Can Have a Huge Impact
By contributing a monthly gift to the Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF), you can make a dramatic difference as we work to build a world free from the fear of cancer. An automatic charge to your credit card each month is the easiest way to complete your monthly donation. Secure and convenient, a...
ASCO University® Essentials Subscription Now Provided to CancerLinQTM Practices
CancerLinQ LLC, a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of ASCO, has announced an exciting new benefit for practices participating in CancerLinQ™. Current and future early adopters of CancerLinQ who sign up before ASCO’s 2017 Annual Meeting will receive a complimentary subscription to ASCO University...
ASCO Announces 14 Practices Participating in the 2016 Quality Training Program
On July 14, ASCO announced the 14 practices participating in the 2016 Quality Training Program. The program is designed to train oncology health-care providers to investigate and implement data-driven quality improvement and manage clinical and administrative processes and outcomes. “One of the...
Addressing the Significant Disparities and Barriers to Health Care Experienced by LGBT Cancer Survivors
In 2011, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published its landmark report “The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding,” which recognized the scarcity of research in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and the...
Venetoclax Produces High Response Rate in Relapsed or Refractory CLL With 17p Deletion
In a pivotal phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Stephan Stilgenbauer, MD, of Ulm University, Germany, and colleagues found that the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax (ABT-199) produced a high response rate in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with the 17p ...
Ronald McDonald House New York Names Ruth C. Browne, SD, MPP, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer
Ronald McDonald House New York has announced that Ruth C. Browne, SD, MPP, MPH, has been selected as President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization. Dr. Browne joins Ronald McDonald House New York from the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, where she served as CEO since 2004. She...
Study Examines Global Trends in Ovarian Cancer Mortality Rates
Deaths from ovarian cancer fell worldwide between 2002 and 2012, and are predicted to continue to decline in the United States, European Union (EU) and Japan by 2020, according to new research published by Malvezzi et al in Annals of Oncology. The main reason is the use of oral contraceptives and...
DNA Methylation Assay May Improve Diagnosis of Cancer of an Unknown Primary
As reported in The Lancet Oncology, Moran et al developed a classifier of cancer type based on microarray DNA methylation signatures (EPICUP assay), which has showed promise in diagnosing cancers of an unknown primary. Study Details The tumor type classifier was developed in a training set of...
Nivolumab in Recurrent Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: Refreshingly Supportive Data
It is commonly said that if something is too good to be true, it usually is. It is therefore quite refreshing when really good results are replicated in a subsequent study. As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Younes et al1 and reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, a phase II trial of...
Nivolumab Achieves Response in Most Patients With Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma After ASCT and Brentuximab Vedotin
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology by Anas Younes, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, treatment with the anti–PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) produced response in two-thirds of patients with...
Weight Watchers and the American Cancer Society Launch Initiative to Support Holistic Health for Breast Cancer Survivors
Weight Watchers International, Inc, has launched Project LIFT—Live Inspired, Fight Together—a new movement, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, to inspire and guide breast cancer survivors with free resources focused on tackling the unexpected weight gain that can follow breast...
Multitude of Mentors Help Shape an Illustrious Career in Oncology
Sumanta K. Pal, MD, has had a longer career in oncology than many other colleagues his age. Perhaps the reason for that may center on his starting college at the age 13 and medical school at the age of 17. Today this internationally recognized leader in genitourinary cancers is Assistant Professor ...
Management of Merkel Cell Carcinoma
A recent report regarding pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for advanced Merkel cell carcinoma ushered in a more optimistic era in the treatment of this rare but often lethal skin cancer.1 The ASCO Post spoke with one of the field’s leaders, Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD—the first author of the study—about the...
Use of Pembrolizumab in Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma After Platinum-Containing Therapy
On August 5, 2016, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was granted accelerated approval for treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy.1,2 As a condition of the accelerated approval, Merck is...
Effect of Radiosurgery Alone vs With Whole-Brain Radiotherapy on Cognitive Function in Patients With Brain Metastases
Physicians from Carolinas HealthCare System’s Neurosciences Institute and Levine Cancer Institute are among the authors of a recent study published by Brown et al in JAMA.1 The study showed how among patients with one to three brain metastases, the use of stereotactic radiosurgery alone, compared...
Global Curriculum in Surgical Oncology Outlined by Society of Surgical Oncology and European Society of Surgical Oncology
As reported by Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, and colleagues at the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO), the rising global burden of cancer and inequalities in surgical oncology education ...
ASCO 2016: Geriatric Oncology Highlights
Clinical trials focused on older adults with cancer were featured prominently at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting. There was a plenary session in glioblastoma, a clinical symposium on immunotherapy, and multiple educational lectures highlighting the growing literature and unique challenges in the...
Immune Analysis of On-Treatment Longitudinal Biopsies Predicts Response to Melanoma Immunotherapy
Immune response measured in tumor biopsies during the course of early treatment predicts which melanoma patients will benefit from specific immune checkpoint blockade drugs, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found in a report published by Chen et al in Cancer...
Posttreatment Problems Surveyed in African American Breast Cancer Survivors
Although there is some overlap, past research has shown that the challenges faced by African American breast cancer survivors differ somewhat from Caucasian women. But the studies that demonstrated difference were not designed to explore those challenges in depth. Now new research from Thomas...
Study Finds Minimal Residual Disease Assessment Improves Prediction of Outcome in CLL Responders
Assessment of minimal residual disease was associated with improved prediction of outcome in responders, as well as complete responders, in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who respond to treatment. Kovacs et al reported these findings, which are based on an analysis of two phase...
Does Intensified Postoperative Chemotherapy for High-Grade Osteosarcoma Benefit Poor Responders to Preoperative Therapy?
In a phase III trial (EURAMOS-1) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Marina et al found no improvement in event-free survival by adding postoperative ifosfamide/etoposide to cisplatin, doxorubicin, and methotrexate in patients with newly diagnosed high-grade osteosarcoma who responded poorly to...
Hypofractionated Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer: A New Standard of Care?
For at least the past quarter of a century, radiobiologists and radiation oncologists have debated the role of hypofractionation (fewer total fractions with a higher dose per fraction) for prostate cancer. The debate stems from the unique radiobiology of prostate cancer and the best means to...
Roundup of Selected Abstracts in Multiple Myeloma, Acute and Chronic Leukemia, and Advanced Lymphoma
In June 2016, the European Hematology Association Congress convened in Copenhagen, Denmark. The educational and scientific program highlighted state-of-the-art clinical practice and the latest findings in hematology research. The ASCO Post brings its readers brief summaries of some of the important ...
Learn How to Implement the Psychosocial Distress Screening Quality Care Standard at the 2017 APOS Annual Conference
The National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Psychosocial Distress Program is an educational program desgined to train cancer care clinicians over 2 years to develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive psychosocial distress screening programs. The 1st year of the Screening for Psychosocial...
For High-Grade and Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas, Treat Adults Like Children
Outcomes for adults with high-grade and aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) appear to be better when these patients are treated with pediatric-inspired protocols, according to Mitchell S. Cairo, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Maria...
Phase III Study Launches in Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer
On August 2, 2016, PharmaMar announced the start of a pivotal phase III ATLANTIS study evaluating the efficacy and safety of lurbinectedin (PM1183), a novel synthetic tetrahydroisoquinoline that targets active transcription. The study is evaluating lurbinectedin combined with doxorubicin vs...
Expert Point of View: Brian Burkey, MD, MEd
“This study pointed out what most head and neck/reconstructive surgeons know: Complex free flap reconstructions are associated with a relatively high readmission rate,” commented session co-moderator Brian Burkey, MD, MEd, Vice Chairman and Section Head of Head & Neck Surgery and Oncology, Head ...
Predictors of Readmission in Patients Requiring Free Tissue Reconstruction for Head and Neck Cancer
Certain factors increase the risk of unplanned readmission in the month after head and neck cancer resection requiring free tissue reconstruction, finds an analysis of data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) of the American College of Surgeons.1 Nearly 1 in 10 patients...
Benefits Seen From Extending Steroids After Transoral Robotic Surgery for Head and Neck Cancer
Patients undergoing transoral robotic surgery for head and neck cancer may experience improvements in some outcomes when given an extended course of corticosteroids, finds a randomized controlled trial reported at the 9th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer.1 Relative to peers given...
Nerve Stimulation During Oncologic Neck Dissection May Help to Preserve Shoulder Function
Electrical stimulation of the spinal accessory nerve during neck dissection for head and neck cancer may reduce the development of shoulder dysfunction, according to a double-blind randomized controlled trial.1 A year after surgery, patients given intraoperative electrical stimulation had...
Palliative Care 2016: 'Mystery Shopper' Study Finds Barriers to Accessing Palliative Care Services at Major Cancer Centers
A team of researchers, using a novel approach, found that while many cancer centers offer palliative and supportive care services, patients may face challenges when trying to access them. The study showed that expanding awareness and education to patient-facing cancer center employees about such...
