As reported in The British Medical Journal (BMJ) by Lise M. Helsingen, MD, PhD, and colleagues, a clinical practice guideline on colorectal cancer screening published as a BMJ Rapid Recommendations guideline indicates that previously unscreened individuals aged 50 to 79 years old with 15-year...
In a cohort biomarker study reported in JAMA Oncology, Jeanne Tie, MD, and colleagues showed that the circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-positive status after surgery and chemotherapy was associated with an increased risk of disease recurrence in patients with stage III colon cancer. Study Details The...
At the recent 2019 Symposium on Clinical Interventional Oncology (CIO) in Miami, course directors Constantino Peña, MD, FSIR, and Ripal Gandhi, MD, FSIR, FSVM, had a lot to say about this burgeoning field of oncology. In particular, interventional oncology is making inroads in therapeutic...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Richard T. Lee, MD, describes the symptoms associated with colorectal cancer...
An unanticipated result of a randomized phase II study was the improvement in overall survival achieved with the investigational CDK4/6 inhibitor trilaciclib in women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. The drug was not being evaluated for its anticancer effects, but rather as a means of ...
In an individual patient-level meta-analysis reported in the Annals of Surgery, Syn et al found that laparoscopic resection vs open surgery was associated with significantly improved overall survival as treatment for colorectal liver metastases. Study Details The meta-analysis included data from...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Dung T. Le, MD, and colleagues, the phase II KEYNOTE-164 trial demonstrated activity of pembrolizumab in previously treated metastatic microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer. Findings from the...
Over the past few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted reviews or designations to treatments for gastrointestinal cancers and lymphoma, and also provided authorizations for products designed to screen for malignancies and tumor mutational burden. Priority Review for Nivolumab...
Nicholas J. Petrelli, MD, Bank of America Endowed Medical Director of ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, received the Tilton Award from the Medical Society of Delaware in October. The award is named after James Tilton, MD, the first U.S. Army Surgeon General...
The National Academy of Medicine has announced the election of 90 regular members and 10 international members during its Annual Meeting. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding ...
Early in 2019, trifluridine/tipiracil tablets were approved for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma previously treated with at least two prior lines of chemotherapy that included a fluoropyrimidine; a platinum; either a taxane or...
Earlier this year, ASCO published the results of its new study on oncologists’ perceptions and practice behaviors regarding obesity, weight management, and related lifestyle factors in their patients both during and after cancer treatment.1 The findings from the online survey of 971 oncology...
Circulating tumor DNA in the blood could serve as a marker of prognosis in patients with colon cancer receiving adjuvant oxaliplatin, according to a subanalysis of the IDEA trial, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019.1 After 2 years of adjuvant...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Osorio et al found that responses to programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor therapy tended to be consistent across metastases and occur simultaneously in metastatic lesions of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mismatch...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Gary Deng, MD, PhD, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on the herbal extract...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Marabelle et al, the phase II KEYNOTE-158 trial has shown robust activity of pembrolizumab in patients with noncolorectal microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) solid tumors. Findings in the study supported the...
The invited discussant of BEACON CRC, Alfredo Falcone, MD, of the Department of Oncology and Translational Medicine at the University of Pisa, Italy, commented: “The ‘story’ of BEACON represents a good example of the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress theme: Translating Science Into...
For patients with metastatic colorectal cancer harboring BRAF V600E mutations, three drugs seem to be better than two, the most recent analysis of the phase III BEACON CRC study has shown.1 The results, presented at the 2019 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, were concurrently...
Results from a preliminary research study showed the majority of patients aged 85 years and older were still alive in the short-term after undergoing segmental colectomy for stage II and III colon cancer. Kaur et al presented these findings at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress...
Although stem cells throughout the body acquire genetic mutations over time, usually these alterations do not affect how the stem cells function or cause disease. However, recent research in clonal hematopoiesis and aging has found an association between clonal expansion of hematopoietic cells with ...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) initiative known as AACR Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE) is launching a 5-year, $36 million research collaboration with a coalition of nine biopharmaceutical companies. The goal of the project is to obtain clinical ...
A study using a technique called Mendelian randomization to investigate the causal role played by bacteria in the development of colorectal cancer was presented at the 2019 National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference. First study author Kaitlin Wade, PhD, of the University of...
This week, we’ll review an interim analysis of the CASPIAN trial, which evaluated the addition of durvalumab to etoposide plus platinum chemotherapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Then, we’ll talk about two recently issued guidelines on screening for colorectal cancer. Lastly, we’ll...
The American College of Physicians has issued a new guidance statement on colorectal cancer screening, which recommends screening for average-risk adults who do not have symptoms and are between the ages of 50 and 75 years. The guidelines were published by Qaseem et al in Annals of Internal...
In a cohort biomarker study reported in JAMA Oncology, Tie et al showed that the circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-positive status after surgery and chemotherapy was associated with an increased risk of disease recurrence in patients with stage III colon cancer. Study Details The Australian multicenter ...
A study published by Yonemura et al in The American Journal of Surgical Pathology has shown a correlation between the poorly differentiated cluster grade in primary colorectal cancer tumors and metastatic lesions in the liver. The researchers wrote, “[Grade of] poorly differentiated clusters in...
The investigational KRAS G12C inhibitor MRTX849 yielded clinical responses in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colorectal cancer harboring KRAS G12C mutations, according to data from a phase I clinical trial presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular...
In the German phase II VOLFI trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Modest et al found that panitumumab plus modified FOLFOXIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) used as first-line therapy improved the objective response rate in patients with RAS wild-type...
In a research letter published in JAMA Oncology, Feng Wang, MD, PhD, and colleagues identified the frequency of mutations in DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) and delta 1 (POLD1) genes across cancer types and found that these mutations were associated with better survival outcomes among patients...
A recent study1 finding significantly longer progression-free survival and reduced risk for treatment-related toxicities among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer being treated with chemotherapy can have immediate application, albeit with some caveats related to the observational nature of...
Patients who were being treated with chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer and who reported engaging in physical activity had a significantly longer progression-free survival and reduced risk for treatment-related adverse events than did those reporting less physical activity, according to...
City of Hope has opened a first-in-human clinical trial for patients with recurrent glioblastoma. The trial is the first to combine City of Hope’s chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells that target the IL13Rα2 antigen common on brain tumor cells in combination with nivolumab and ipilimumab. To...
As reported in The British Medical Journal (BMJ) by Helsingen et al, a clinical practice guideline on colorectal cancer screening published as a BMJ Rapid Recommendations guideline indicates that previously unscreened individuals aged 50 to 79 years old with 15-year colorectal cancer risk of ≥ 3%...
In a meta-analysis published by Deng et al in Cancer Medicine, researchers found parenchymal-sparing hepatectomy was associated with better perioperative outcomes vs extended hepatectomy for the treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases, without compromising long-term oncologic outcomes. The...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Morano et al assessed prognostic/predictive role of tumor sidedness and presence of uncommon molecular alterations in anti-EGFR treatment primary resistance in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer. Study Details The...
Let’s face it, men don’t go to the doctor as often as we should. At least that has been my experience. I felt compelled to finally make an appointment with my primary care physician after I began working as a research assistant at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in 2014, as it felt...
The management of rectal cancer has evolved over the past decades, yielding several major practice changes that have substantially improved outcomes. However, rectal cancer treatment remains challenging and even with improved outcomes can result in life-altering morbidity. To shed light on the...
The ASCO eLearning Multidisciplinary Molecular Tumor Boards (MMTBs) offer participants an opportunity to learn from experts and from each other on a variety of tumor-based topics. MMTB formats alternate between slide-based and discussion forum-based layouts. The discussion-based MMTBs are an...
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms of action, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On August 15, 2019, the oral TRK, ROS1, and ALK kinase...
Studies show that people suffering from serious mental illness are at increased risk for poor cancer outcomes and mortality due to inequities in their cancer care. Although psychiatric care at the time of diagnosis may improve care, current models for integrating psychiatric interventions and...
In an interim analysis of the phase III BEACON CRC trial reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019 (Abstract LBA32) and in The New England Journal of Medicine, Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD, and colleagues found improved overall survival and overall response rate in...
End-of-Life Oncology is a new occasional column in The ASCO Post that will explore how to ensure the care received by terminally ill patients is in alignment with their end-of-life goals and wishes. In this inaugural installment, The ASCO Post talked with Lillie D. Shockney, RN, BS, MAS,...
The term “sexual and gender minorities” encompasses people whose sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or reproductive development varies from traditional, societal, cultural, or physiologic norms1 and includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. More than 3 ...
In a Danish population-based cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Bertelesen et al found that complete mesocolic lymph node excision was associated with reduced risk of recurrence vs noncomplete excision approaches among patients with stage I to III right-sided colon adenocarcinomas....
Patients with advanced colon cancer and plasma samples containing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) were less likely to achieve 2-year disease-free survival with oxaliplatin-based adjuvant treatment than patients with ctDNA-negative samples, according to findings presented at the European Society for...
This week, we review a presentation on the benefit of daratumumab across populations with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. We also talk about a study on racial disparities in colorectal cancer mortality. Lastly, we discuss the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of apalutamide in...
Through its community grants program, the Prevent Cancer Foundation is supporting 10 projects that are focused on increasing cancer prevention and early detection in communities across the United States, from Honolulu to Baltimore. The projects were selected through a competitive grants process,...
Medicare patients from lower socioeconomic groups and several ethnic minority groups were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer following an emergency department visit, according to results of a study presented at the 12th American Association for Cancer Research Conference on The Science of...
According to the American Cancer Society, excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women in the United States and the second most common cause of cancer deaths. This year, it is expected that more than 51,000 people will die of the malignancy....
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test Cologuard for eligible average-risk individuals aged 45 years and older, expanding on its previous indication for those aged 50 years and older. Cologuard is a stool DNA-based colorectal...