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Showing 13801 - 13850ASH Studies Confirm Benefit of Rituximab Maintenance in Follicular Lymphoma
Findings from two major studies presented at the 2013 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting not only confirm the benefit of rituximab (Rituxan) maintenance in follicular lymphoma, but also indicate that the longer the maintenance period, the greater the impact on progression-free survival....
Novel Agents Show Activity in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
PI3K-mediated activation of downstream effectors allows tumors to escape from negative growth control, and this action may be checked with PI3K inhibitors. At the 2013 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, researchers reported results in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma...
ASH Studies Refine Myeloma Treatment and Show Promise for New Agents
Multiple myeloma researchers moved the field forward at the 2013 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, presenting evaluations of treatment schedules and reports of encouraging activity with compounds in development. Alternating vs Sequential Regimens In 231 newly diagnosed elderly...
Switching Chemotherapy Based on Elevated Circulating Tumor Cells Does Not Change Outcome in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Elevated circulating tumor cells were prognostic for survival but did not pan out as a marker for switching after one cycle of chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The phase III Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) S0500 clinical trial, presented at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer...
Addition of Novel Antiangiogenic Agent of No Benefit in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Ramucirumab added to first-line docetaxel failed to improve progression-free survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer in the large, randomized, placebo-controlled ROSE/TRIO-12 trial.1 An interim analysis of overall survival showed no advantage for the addition of ramucirumab. This study,...
Postmastectomy Pain Effectively Treated With a Simple Injection
For postmastectomy neuropathic pain, perineural infiltration with a combination of bupivacaine and dexamethasone is a “simple, effective, practice-changing treatment that any surgeon can do,” according to Laura J. Esserman, MD, MBA, Professor of Surgery and Radiology at the University of...
SABCS Highlights Include Findings in Triple-Negative Disease, Protective Effects of Exercise, and the Adherence-Copay Link
The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium brings together specialists from all over the world who focus on management of breast cancer. We have covered many of the important presentations in the pages of The ASCO Post and in our online Evening News. Below are summaries of additional noteworthy...
Expert Point of View: Neal J. Meropol, MD
Neal J. Meropol, MD, Chief of Hematology and Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University, discussed the CAIRO3 results at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. He said there are three main lessons from CAIRO3: (1) It is feasible yet challenging to...
Maintenance Treatment With Capecitabine and Bevacizumab Is Effective in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, maintenance treatment with capecitabine plus bevacizumab (Avastin) after induction treatment with capecitabine, oxaliplatin, and bevacizumab (CAPOX-B) significantly delayed disease progression, compared to observation, according to the final results of ...
Expert Point of View: Manish Shah, MD
Manish Shah, MD, Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology and Associate Professor of Medicine at New York–Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, discussed the findings of the RAINBOW trial at the 2014 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Dr. Shah noted that in this “well sized” study,...
Perspective on the Politics of Tobacco
The tobacco industry has always been a major player in congressional races, especially in Southern tobacco-growing states. Moreover, the industry is notoriously bipartisan in their political donations, and members of both parties have returned the favor by voting for tobacco interests. “The 2014...
Expert Point of View: Rebecca Miksad, MD, MPH
Rebecca Miksad, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Attending Physician, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, discussed the findings at the symposium and the potential for immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer....
Immunotherapy Duo Improves Survival in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Overall survival was improved in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients through an innovative immunotherapy strategy in a multicenter study reported at the 2014 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.1 “This is the first time a randomized study has shown that immunotherapy is effective in pancreatic...
Overdiagnosis of Breast Cancer: New Research Directions
Currently, one of the most challenging problems in oncology is to accurately predict whether neoplastic lesions detected by screening tests will progress. The focus on developing ever-more sensitive cancer screening tests has produced the clinical dilemma of overdiagnosis. Overdiagnosis occurs when ...
The Canadian National Breast Screening Trial Had So Many Flaws That Its Results Should Not Be Used to Guide Screening Recommendations
If a randomized, controlled trial of therapy for breast cancer was submitted for publication in which 1. The drug being tested was old and ineffective, and 2. prior to randomization, the women underwent a clinical breast examination and the study coordinators knew who had the largest cancers, and...
Flaws in CNBSS Are Vast, Impact on Screening Recommendations Is Nil
The recent report from the Canadian National Breast Screening Study (CNBSS)—published in BMJ and reviewed in The ASCO Post, early release online—concluded that annual mammography in women aged 40 to 59 does not result in a reduction in mortality from breast cancer beyond that of physical...
2014 Oncology Meetings
MARCH 31st Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference®March 6-9 • Miami Beach, FloridaFor more information: www.gotoper.com/conferences/mbcc/meetings/31st-Annual-Miami-Breast-Cancer-Conference Hematology and Medical Oncology Board Review: Contemporary Practice from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer...
Leaders of ASCO, ASH, ASTRO, and NCCN Embrace Collaboration With Advanced Practitioners
Nearly 250 advanced practitioners assembled at the first annual JADPRO Live educational symposium in St. Petersburg, Florida, hosted by the Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology (JADPRO). Leaders from four prominent oncology organizations championed collaborative practice as not only...
Encouraging Early Results With Novel Agents in CLL
Two novel agents have shown promising activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), including poor-risk patients: the Bcl-2 inhibitor ABT-199 and the small-molecule PI3K inhibitor IPI-145. Both drugs achieved excellent response rates in heavily pretreated relapsed/refractory patients including...
First-Line Obinutuzumab/Chlorambucil Improves Outcomes Over Rituximab/Chlorambucil in Older CLL Patients With Comorbidities
Obinutuzumab (Gazyva) plus chloramubucil outperformed rituximab (Rituxan) plus chlorambucil (Leukeran) as first-line therapy in older patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and comorbidities in the large CLL 11 trial. Final results showed that obinutuzumab/chloramubucil improved overall...
FDA Approves Ibrutinib for the Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approved use of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have received at least one previous therapy. Ibrutinib, an oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was previously granted...
Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation Producing Good Outcomes, Expanding Transplant Pool
HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be performed safely, yield good outcomes, and greatly expand the number of patients with hematologic malignancies who can be treated with stem cell transplant, studies presented at the 2013 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual...
In Stage IV Breast Cancer, the Primary May Not Need to Be Removed
Mastectomy is unnecessary in many women with stage IV breast cancer, according to a study from Indian investigators, reported at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 The study randomly assigned 350 patients with metastatic breast cancer to mastectomy, complete axillary dissection, plus...
Amplifying the Signal: Foundation Donor Takes His Advocacy Into the Twittersphere
Michael A. Thompson, MD, PhD, a Medical Oncologist for Aurora Cancer Care and the Medical Director of Early Cancer Research at Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, has become something of an expert on the Conquer Cancer Foundation. It began in 2006, when he received a Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO...
Expert Point of View: Carlos L. Arteaga, MD
Commenting on the results of the HOPE Study presented at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, said, “We all know that this is the right thing to do. This important study provides us with new guidelines and a structure so that patients find it easier to follow the...
HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Patients With Small Tumors Benefit From Low-Toxicity Regimen
There may be a benefit for treating small HER2-positive tumors—a breast cancer subset for whom treatment recommendations have not been established but for whom there is still risk of recurrence—and this can be done with little toxicity, according to a multicenter study presented at the 2013 San...
GI Symposium Presentations Include Important Updates in Treatment and Prognosis of Pancreatic and Colorectal Cancers
More than 650 studies were presented at the 2014 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, which attracted a multidisciplinary group of more than 3,500 medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists and gastroenterologists. The following briefs highlight a handful of noteworthy studies from the meeting....
Biomarker-Defined Subgroup Benefits From Novel Approach to Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Promising efficacy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients was reported for a novel transforming growth factor–beta receptor type 1 (TGF-β1) kinase inhibitor, LY2157299 monohydrate, at the 2014 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.1 In particular, patients with moderate to...
Expert Point of View: Daniel J. Canter, MD
“We have a lot of options for first-line therapy [in renal cell carcinoma] these days. The question is, what do we do with first-line failures?” said Daniel J. Canter, MD, formal discussant of the SWITCH trial at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. Dr. Canter is Vice Chairman of the Urologic...
Sequencing Sorafenib and Sunitinib in Either Order Does Not Affect Survival in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
The explosion of new therapies for metastatic renal cell carcinoma is a welcome advance, but studies have not yet defined optimal sequencing of the newer therapies. According to the phase III SWITCH trial, it matters little whether therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma begins with sorafenib...
Expert Point of View: Daniel J. Canter, MD
“Cytoreductive nephrectomy is routinely used in metastatic renal cell carcinoma, but its use is not as firmly established in the targeted therapy era. And its use is not without risk,” said formal discussant of the International Metastatatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) trial,...
Cytoreductive Nephrectomy Improves Survival in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients With Longer Life Expectancy
Prior to the advent of targeted therapy, cytoreductive nephrectomy was associated with a 6-month improvement in overall survival in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. With new and better targeted therapies for the disease, the appropriate use of cytoreductive nephrectomy has been...
Congress Agrees on Repeal of Sustainable Growth Rate
The U.S. Congress recently did something rarely seen on Capitol Hill: Leaders from both sides of the aisle agreed on a piece of legislation. On February 6, 2014, the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees and the Senate Finance Committee announced its agreement on a bill—the SGR...
The Future of Biomedical Research
In January, Congress approved a $1 trillion appropriations bill for the rest of fiscal year 2014. While the new bill includes $29.9 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—$1 billion above FY2013 levels after sequestration—including $4.9 billion for the National Cancer Institute (NCI),...
Expert Point of View: Charles Ryan, MD
Charles Ryan, MD, moderator of the press conference at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium where the PREVAIL trial data were discussed, emphasized that this study breaks new ground for enzalutamide (Xtandi) in chemotherapy-naive patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. “The...
PREVAIL Trial Shows Enzalutamide to Be a Promising Option for Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Encouraging results of the large phase III PREVAIL trial represent another positive milestone for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Enzalutamide (Xtandi) improved overall survival by 29% and reduced the risk of radiographic progression of disease by 81% in men who had not...
The Author Replies
I read with interest the note from Jeff Boyd, PhD, Senior Vice-President for Molecular Medicine at Fox Chase Cancer Center, calling into question my recent commentary about the high costs of partly validated testing in the domain of molecular medicine. One of the oldest tricks in the book is to...
Cancer Genes and Molecular Medicine: More Education Needed
I read with interest and concern the Perspective piece, “Cancer Genes, Promiscuity, and the National Debt,” which appeared on page 1 of the February 1st issue of The ASCO Post. The underlying premise of this wide-ranging and provocative article would appear to be that in a rush to implement...
Task Force Recommends Against Beta-Carotene or Vitamin E Supplements for Primary Cancer Prevention
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against the use of beta-carotene or vitamin E supplementation for the primary prevention of cancer or cardiovascular disease, according to an updated recommendation statement published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “The USPSTF found...
Dietary Lycopene Linked to Reduced Risk of Lethal Prostate Cancer, Less Tumor Angiogenesis
“Dietary intake of lycopene was associated with reduced risk of lethal prostate cancer and with a lesser degree of angiogenesis in the tumor,” Ke Zu, MD, of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues concluded after reviewing dietary information and total and lethal prostate cancer...
Dermatologists Defend Mohs Surgery as Effective and Cost-Efficient With Low Rate of Recurrence
The headline, “Patients’ Costs Skyrocket, Specialists’ Incomes Soar,” aptly encapsulates the theme of a recent article in The New York Times,1 part of a series entitled, “Paying Till It Hurts.” “Oncologists benefit from the ability to mark up (and profit from) each dose of chemotherapy they...
Ongoing Clinical Trials Actively Recruiting Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancers
This Clinical Trials Resource Guide is meant to increase awareness of currently recruiting NCI- or academic institution–sponsored clinical studies for your patients with gastrointestinal cancers. All of the studies are listed on the National Institutes of Health website at ClinicalTrials.gov, and...
2014 Oncology Meetings
MARCH Society of Surgical Oncology Annual Cancer Symposium March 13 - 16 • Phoenix, ArizonaFor more information: www.surgonc.org 24th Annual Interdisciplinary Breast Cancer ConferenceMarch 15-19 • Las Vegas, NevadaFor more information: www.breastcare.org/ 9th European Breast Cancer ConferenceMarch ...
Cancer Has Allowed Me to Put My Goals First
Despite my family history of cancer—my father had colorectal cancer, his father had gallbladder cancer, and my father’s mother died of what was believed to be uterine cancer—when I complained to my gynecologist about postmenopausal bleeding in the spring of 2011, I was told not to worry about it....
Music Therapy Yields Positive Effects on Coping Skills, Social Integration, and Family Environment for Young Patients With Cancer
A collaborative multisite study has found that teens and young adults undergoing stem cell transplantation as part of cancer treatment gain coping skills and resilience-related outcomes when participating with a board-certified music therapist in a therapeutic music protocol that includes writing...
How to Approach the Problem of CNS Metastasis in HER2-Positive Patients
Central nervous system (CNS) metastasis is a pervasive problem in the setting of HER2-positive breast cancer. While some patients can be managed easily, others are challenging, said Eric P. Winer, MD, Chief of the Division of Women’s Cancers and the Thompson Senior Investigator for Breast Cancer...
Long-Term Decline in Neuropsychological Function Seen After Cranial Radiotherapy for Pediatric Lymphoid Malignancy
Central nervous system–directed chemotherapy and cranial radiotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoma have neurotoxic effects. In a study reported in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ilse Schuitema, MSc, of Leiden University, and colleagues evaluated white matter changes and...
The Ketogenic Diet in Cancer Control
Ketogenic (or very-low-carbohydrate) diets have been employed since the 1920s as nonpharmacologic therapies for epilepsy and, in some instances, have obviated the need for medication for that disease. Since the 1960s, the ketogenic diet has become better known as a means of managing obesity. This...
Telemedicine: Efficiency in Cancer Screening and Outreach
As defined by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration teleheath is “the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health, and health administration.” It has ...
Telephone Education and Counseling Effective in Programs Targeting Familial/Genetic Cancer Risk Screening
Two studies recently reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology indicate that telephone-based education or counseling initiatives can be successful in educating individuals at familial or genetic risk of cancer and in inducing these at-risk individuals to undergo recommended screening. In the...
