The search for biomarkers of response to immunotherapy is high on the list of cancer-related research efforts. A new classifier in triple-negative breast cancer is showing promise and is currently being validated in the I-SPY2.2 trial, according to Laura van ’t Veer, PhD, Professor of Laboratory...
Gender-affirming testosterone therapy may have a potential protective benefit in transmasculine patients at risk of breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Heng et al in Breast Cancer Research. Background To treat their gender dysphoria, some transmasculine patients undergo...
Investigators have demonstrated that the socioeconomic status of cell donors may impact the health outcomes of patients with hematologic malignancies who undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation, according to a recent study published by Turcotte et al in PNAS. Study Methods and Results In the...
In a Utah population–based cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Barnard et al found that women with ovarian endometriomas and/or deep-infiltrating endometriosis had a markedly increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. Those with such severe subtypes may represent an important population...
Researchers have developed new imaging guidelines, representing a major shift in the management of patients with head and neck cancers, according to a study published by Henson et al in The Lancet Oncology. The guidelines may lay the foundation for these patients to be treated with tailored...
Researchers have developed a novel prompt, embedded in electronic health records, to flag older patients with early-stage breast cancer who may be at risk of unnecessary sentinel lymph node biopsy, according to a recent study published by Carleton et al in JAMA Surgery. Background “In breast...
In patients with triple-negative early breast cancer deemed to be at high risk for recurrence, 1 year of adjuvant avelumab did not significantly improve disease-free survival but did significantly improve overall survival and risk of distant disease–free survival events. The results from the...
Female patients may become pregnant and give birth to healthy children despite treatment-related fertility challenges following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), according to a recent study published by Sockel et al in Blood. The findings highlighted the need for increased...
Hormone-modulating therapy used to treat patients with breast cancer may be associated with a 7% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias later in life, according to a recent study published by Cai et al in JAMA Network Open. Background About 67% of patients with breast...
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening aims to identify patients who may harbor potentially lethal prostate cancer, and those with high PSA results often require more extensive—and expensive—diagnostic testing to establish a diagnosis. New research reveals that the out-of-pocket costs for such...
A new survey conducted in the United Kingdom found two-thirds of the public say they are very or somewhat worried about being told they have cancer—a higher percentage than for any other medical condition, including dementia and having a heart attack—according to polling released today. The...
Cobimetinib and atezolizumab administered prior to surgery eliminated or shrunk tumors in 70% of patients with melanoma enrolled in the NeoACTIVATE trial. Results were published by Hieken et al in Nature Communications. Background Melanoma of the skin is the fifth most common cancer type in the...
A novel personalized cellular immunotherapy approach may be effective at treating certain patients with metastatic solid tumors, according to early findings from a recent study published by Parkhurst et al in Nature Medicine. Background Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has already...
In a single-center study reported in JAMA Network Open, Kerollos Nashat Wanis, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that women with breast cancer and a pathogenic BRCA1/2 variant who underwent breast-conserving therapy had a 71% rate of 10-year bilateral mastectomy–free survival. Study Details The study...
In a 5-year update of the phase II ATEMPT trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Tarantino et al found that 1 year of adjuvant ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) was associated with “outstanding” long-term outcomes in patients with stage I HER2-positive breast cancer. Study Details In...
In an Indian phase II trial (GECCOR-GB) reported in JAMA Oncology, Ostwal et al found that both adjuvant gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) and capecitabine and capecitabine given concurrently with chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) showed activity in patients with resected gallbladder cancer. Study Details In...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Blackford et al found that surveillance of individuals at high risk for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma allowed for detection of earlier-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma—with improved survival—compared with matched pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma...
A recent study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society has found that 4 in 10 cancer cases and about half of all cancer deaths in adults aged 30 and older in the United States (or 713,340 cancer cases and 262,120 cancer deaths in 2019) may be attributed to modifiable risk factors,...
Investigators have assessed whether RNAs can be used as a biomarker to predict which patients with stage II colorectal cancer may benefit from postsurgical chemotherapy, according to a recent study published by Korsgaard et al in The American Journal of Pathology. Background Colorectal cancer is...
Researchers have developed a novel tool that may help to predict the risk of experiencing peripheral neuropathy following treatment with taxanes in patients with breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Engvall et al in npj Precision Oncology. The findings may aid physicians in...
Recently, some experts have called for Gleason Grade Group 1 prostate cancer to be reclassified as benign. However, many patients diagnosed with this lowest grade of prostate cancer may have more aggressive disease than their biopsy alone suggests, according to a recent study published by Tilki et...
By examining the immune system during pregnancy, researchers have uncovered the mechanism that may contribute to oncofetal immune tolerance, according to a recent study published by Yu et al in Cell. Background “In pregnancy, the immune system does not reject the growing fetus, so we know there...
On May 30, 2017, 9 days before I turned 19 and soon after I had completed my sophomore year at college, I was diagnosed with aggressive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. But getting to the diagnosis was a tortuous process. I had been feeling fatigued and losing weight for several weeks prior to the...
Chronic graft-vs-host disease, an immune-mediated disorder that follows allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), is characterized by debilitating tissue injury with inflammatory and fibrotic pathology leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Historically, the treatment of...
For patients with cancer and cancer survivors, sexual dysfunction and reproductive health concerns are often the elephant in the exam room—a significant quality-of-life issue that both patients and clinicians struggle to discuss openly and effectively. At the recent NCCN Policy Summit on Sexual and ...
The antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab tirumotecan extended overall survival as well as progression-free survival vs chemotherapy in patients with previously treated triple-negative breast cancer, according to the results of OptiTROP-Breast01, a phase III study presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual...
In a Danish study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Schmidt et al, it was found that living alone and being unemployed were associated with reduced adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy among premenopausal women with breast cancer. Study Details The study involved data from a...
Targeting lactate with the epilepsy drug stiripentol may reverse chemotherapy resistance in patients with gastric cancer, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in Nature. Background Chemotherapy attacks cancer cells by damaging their DNA. The cancer cells then try to rapidly repair...
Patients with mantle cell lymphoma may be susceptible to certain diseases and may benefit from evaluation for the risk of infection, according to a recent study published by Abalo in HemaSphere. Background “Patients [with mantle cell lymphoma] live with an increased risk of infections for many...
Only a minority of adult cancer survivors may have access to specialized survivorship services such as those addressing fertility and sexual health issues, and having survivorship standards in place may help cancer centers better provide services that meet the distinct needs of these patients,...
Cancer survivors who adhere to a Mediterranean diet may survive longer and have a reduced risk of cardiovascular-related mortality compared with those who had lower adherence to the diet, according to a recent study published by Bonaccio et al in JACC: CardioOncology. Background The Mediterranean...
A novel algorithm may help physicians to identify which patients have a highly aggressive subtype of facial basal cell carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Ceder et al in Dermatology Practical & Conceptual. Background Basal cell carcinoma—the most common type of skin...
Investigators found that more than 50% of health-care providers surveyed might offer human papillomavirus (HPV) self-collection testing to their patients if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the procedure, according to a recent study published by Fontenot et al in Women’s Health...
Investigators have identified disparities in the rates of breast reconstruction following mastectomy among American Indian and Alaskan Native women compared with non-Hispanic White women, according to a recent study published by White et al in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Background Breast...
Physical exercise may help prevent nerve damage in patients receiving chemotherapy, according to a recent study published by Streckmann et al in JAMA Internal Medicine. Background Cancer therapies have improved in recent years. Physicians are no longer concerned just about survival; patients’...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Gupta et al, the phase III Children’s Oncology Group ARST1431 trial showed no event-free survival benefit with the addition of temsirolimus to chemotherapy in previously untreated children, adolescents, or young adults with intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma....
The hypoglycemic agent metformin failed to slow disease progression in men with low-risk localized prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance, according to the results of the randomized, controlled MAST trial reported at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 In addition, the use of metformin was...
As a first-line treatment of advanced melanoma, the triplet immunotherapy regimen of nivolumab, relatlimab-rmbw, and ipilimumab produced high response rates and promising progression-free and overall survival in the nonrandomized phase I/II RELATIVITY-048 trial, as reported by Paolo Antonio...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Byoung Chul Cho, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III MARIPOSA trial has shown improved progression-free survival with amivantamab-vmjw plus lazertinib vs osimertinib in previously untreated patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non–small cell...
Transgender women receiving hormone therapy may skew artificially low on prostate cancer screening tests, thereby providing false reassurance and potentially delaying diagnosis and treatment, according to a recent study published by Nik-Ahd et al in JAMA. The findings indicated that transgender...
Researchers have uncovered the long-term effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy on the hearing of cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Sanchez et al in JAMA Oncology. Background Cisplatin is commonly used in chemotherapy to treat a variety of cancer types, including...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Allaf et al, a planned interim analysis of the phase III PROSPER ECOG-ACRIN EA8143 trial showed no recurrence-free survival benefit with perioperative nivolumab vs observation in patients undergoing nephrectomy for high-risk renal cell carcinoma. Study ...
Both tai chi and cognitive behavioral therapy may reduce insomnia and inflammation and bolster antiviral defenses in breast cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Irwin et al in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Background Chronic insomnia—one of the most prominent symptoms...
Patients with treatment-refractory tumors who received eligibility and testing waivers to participate in a large basket/umbrella oncology trial demonstrated similar rates of clinical benefit and adverse events compared with patients who participated in the trial without waivers, according to recent ...
In patients with advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer and disease control after oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, “switch” maintenance with paclitaxel plus ramucirumab in the phase III ARMANI trial significantly improved both progression-free and overall survival,...
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) are applauding efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to broaden eligibility criteria for cancer clinical trials in order to include more diverse patient populations. In joint comments submitted on ...
Second-line therapy with the KRAS inhibitor adagrasib modestly improved progression-free survival and objective response rate over docetaxel in previously treated patients with advanced KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the primary analysis of the phase III...
Researchers have demonstrated that spatial gene signatures may enhance the prediction of immunotherapy outcomes in patients with melanoma, according to a recent study published by Aung et al in Clinical Cancer Research. The current gene signatures used to predict immunotherapy outcomes may lack...
Milana Bergamino Sirvén, MD, PhD, of Spain’s Institute of Cancer Research, discusses her findings on molecular profiling of patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-positive early-stage breast tumors after short-term preoperative endocrine therapy. This study suggests that such profiling may...
Researchers have uncovered the impact of chemotherapy on the gut microbiome in patients with breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Otto-Dobos et al in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Background Chemotherapy is known to cause behavioral side effects, including cognitive decline....