People with intermediate-risk, localized prostate cancer may be treated as effectively using fewer and higher doses of radiation therapy delivered over five treatment sessions as they can with lower doses delivered over several weeks, a new phase III randomized trial suggested. The findings, which...
Researchers have found that low-grade intestinal inflammation may be a side effect of radiotherapy, according to a recent study published by Devarakonda et al in eBioMedicine. Background Radiotherapy is often necessary to cure cancer or slow down cancer development. Although today’s radiotherapies...
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy may be effective prior to surgery in multiple types of cancers, according to a recent study published by Topalian et al in Cancer Cell. Background Neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockades have been a rapidly growing area of research and are currently being tested across...
Fifty-two years ago, President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act of 1971 into law, which established the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in its current form. At the time, the budget was $1.6 billion. Today, it is $7.8 billion, $4.5 billion less than the amount needed to keep up with...
Gender inequalities and discrimination may adversely impact women’s rights and opportunities to avoid cancer risk factors and impede their ability to seek and obtain timely diagnoses and quality cancer care, according to The Lancet Commission on Women, Power, and Cancer published by Ginsburg et al...
The novel imaging agent gallium (Ga)-68–ABY-025 may help to predict early metabolic response to HER2-targeted treatment in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Alhuseinalkhudhur et al in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. These findings...
Researchers have singled out mutations in 11 genes associated with aggressive types of prostate cancer, according to a novel study published by Darst et al in JAMA Oncology. The new findings may lead to improvements in diagnosis and treatment. Background Currently, oncologists use genetic tests to...
In patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR mutations, the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors following disease progression with tyrosine kinase inhibitors has been unclear. Several studies reported at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2023 ...
Regular and intense aerobic exercise may be effective at reducing the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with Lynch syndrome by improving the immune system's ability to detect and remove potentially harmful cells, according to a novel study published by Deng et al in Clinical Cancer Research....
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and New Orleans–based Ochsner Health recently announced a partnership to create Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center in southeastern Louisiana. Patients with cancer in the region now will have access to treatments that are among the most advanced in...
Researchers at City of Hope were awarded $32.3 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support three novel phase I clinical trials evaluating innovative cell and gene therapies for patients with HIV, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and severe aplastic anemia. Beckman ...
The management of sarcoma presents several challenges because of its rarity and diverse subtypes, making accurate diagnosis and specialized treatment crucial. A multidisciplinary approach involving various experts from different cancer specialties is the optimal strategy to improve survival and...
In the summer of 2012, I was living my dream. At 28 years old, I had gone from an impoverished childhood in South Central Los Angeles to the high life in the city of Los Angeles. Unable to afford to go to college, an after-school program helped launch me into a career in the hospitality industry. I ...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology series, Guest Editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, the Jerald L. & Carolynn J. Varner Professor of Surgical Oncology & Global Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, spoke with Héber Salvador, MD, PhD,...
Adam Wolfe, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, has received a $583,200 grant from the American Cancer Society (ACS) to study radiation resistance in pancreatic cancer, a lethal disease with the highest...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Gil Morgan, MD, a clinical oncologist formerly at the Division of Medical and Radiation Oncology at Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden and now full-time Director of the OncoAlert...
Investigators have found that residing in areas with high levels of particulate air pollution may be associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to a recent study published by White et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Background Particulate matter...
The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) and ASCO have partnered to develop a new guideline on integrative oncology care of symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults with cancer. The guideline reviews the evidence for a range of integrative approaches, including mindfulness-based...
ASCO joined the President’s Cancer Panel on September 7, 2023, to highlight the numerous ways ASCO is working to advance the National Cancer Plan and achieve President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot goal of “ending cancer as we know it.” This all-day, virtual event was the first public meeting in support...
ASCO recently released a new rapid recommendation update that addresses the use of olanzapine to treat cancer-related cachexia, a topic originally addressed in its 2020 guideline on the management of cancer cachexia in adults with advanced cancer.1,2 At that time, there was insufficient evidence to ...
On August 9, 2023, the bispecific GPRC5D (G protein–coupled receptor, class C, group 5)-directed CD3 T-cell engager talquetamab-tgvs was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at...
On August 11, 2023, the fixed-dose combination of the PARP inhibitor niraparib and the CYP17 inhibitor abiraterone acetate plus prednisone was approved for patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious BRCA-mutated castration-resistant prostate cancer, as determined by a U.S. Food and Drug...
Andrea Porpiglia, MD, MSc, FACS, Associate Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been promoted to Assistant Program Director for the Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship. “Dr. Porpiglia has been an instrumental part of teaching the next generation ...
Researchers have discovered that the combination of the CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab and the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab may be an effective second-line therapy in patients with PD-1 blockade–refractory metastatic melanoma, according to a recent study conducted by the SWOG Cancer Research Network and...
The 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting again demonstrated the Society’s commitment to improving cancer care for all older adults. Pertinent questions related to treatment and management in this population were addressed in educational and oral abstract sessions, clinical science symposia, and case-based...
Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia is a rare and incurable low-grade B-cell lymphoproliferative disease defined by specific genotypic subtypes that have implications for treatment response and long-term outcomes. Treatment—and there is no established standard—is mainly focused on controlling symptoms...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical specialties became familiar with supply chain interruptions resulting in drug, equipment, and personnel scarcity. Intensive care unit beds, staff, and essential medicines were at times in short supply. The federal government, individual states, and...
Cancer—and the quest to accelerate more effective treatments and potential cures for all life-threatening diseases—has perhaps shaped the life of financier Michael Milken more than his legendary career on Wall Street. In the early 1970s, Mr. Milken’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with metastatic...
Researchers have uncovered the vital role that the immune system may play in determining the duration of remission and progression-free survival in patients with multiple myeloma, according to a recent study published by Coffey et al in Nature Communications. The new findings suggested that the...
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. In 2023, the disease is expected to cause an estimated 52,550 deaths. Studies show that receiving a clinician recommendation is the strongest and most consistent...
Investigators reported that the tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib, commonly used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), was associated with nephrotoxicity in 10% of 32 patients with CML being treated with dasatinib in a multicenter, retrospective clinical study conducted to determine the...
Breast milk from women with breast cancer who were diagnosed during pregnancy or postpartum may contain circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), according to researchers at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in Barcelona. The investigators noted that ctDNA can be detected through liquid biopsy in ...
Researchers have revealed that non–English speakers who seek information from hospitals across the United States may face a concerning lack of access to cancer care services, according to a new study published by Chen et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Background...
On September 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved momelotinib (Ojjaara) for the treatment of intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis, including primary myelofibrosis or secondary myelofibrosis (post–polycythemia vera and post–essential thrombocythemia), in adults with anemia....
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is recognized every September to help shine a light on the realities of pediatric cancer and raise awareness of the important work being done to make a difference for the children who are diagnosed with cancer. September 15 also marked the start of Hispanic Heritage ...
The remarkable progress in medical research—primarily supported by federal investments in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)—over the past 3 decades, coupled with advances in cancer prevention and early detection, has led to a 33% reduction in cancer...
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is recognized every September to help shine a light on the realities of pediatric cancer and raise awareness of the important work being done to make a difference for the children who are diagnosed with cancer. September 15 also marked the start of Hispanic Heritage ...
Head and neck cancer specialist Priyanka Bhateja, MD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Medical Oncology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, was encouraged by the findings of the Quarterback trial. As she noted in her comments for The ASCO Post, human papillomavirus...
De-escalation of chemoradiotherapy after induction chemotherapy yields excellent oncologic outcomes in patients with high-risk oropharyngeal cancer associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Results of the nonrandomized phase II Quarterback trial suggest that this subset of patients may be...
Discussing this study in her Highlights of the Day at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting was Barbara Burtness, MD, the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine and Chief Translational Research Officer at Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut. She noted that the premise of the FRAIL-IMMUNE trial...
As a first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab plus weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel provided clinically significant efficacy in the phase II FRAIL-IMMUNE (GORTEC 2018-03) trial.1 This regimen may prove to be an effective...
In patients with N2 and N3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma, adjuvant treatment with concurrent gemcitabine and cisplatin significantly improved progression-free survival, with acceptable toxicity, over fluorouracil plus cisplatin, according to a phase III trial reported from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer...
Nabil F. Saba, MD, FACP, Professor and Vice Chair of Hematology and Medical Oncology, the Lynne and Howard Halpern Chair in Head and Neck Cancer Research, and Director of the HNCA Medical Oncology Program at the Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, was invited to discuss the...
Head and neck cancers comprise approximately 4% of all new cancer diagnoses globally and represent approximately 110,000 new cancer diagnoses and 17,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States. Head and neck cancers are a heterogenous group of malignancies where prognosis and treatment varies...
The invited discussant of the VERSATILE-002 and CUE-101-01 trials, Erminia Massarelli, MD, PhD, MS, said both are examples of a growing interest in evaluating immunotherapeutic strategies and treatment sequences in early-stage head and neck squamous cell cancer as well as in metastatic disease. Dr. ...
Immunotherapeutics that target human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype 16 appear to boost the activity of pembrolizumab in advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Two examples were presented in posters at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.1,2 The phase II VERSATILE-002 trial evaluated PDS0101,...
The first-in-class bifunctional antibody BCA101—which inhibits both the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)—given with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, is showing activity and tolerability in recurrent or metastatic head and neck...
The ASCO Post asked for comment from Glenn J. Hanna, MD, Director of the Center for Salivary and Rare Head and Neck Cancers, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hanna said it is important to put the findings of KEYNOTE-4121 into context...
The addition of perioperative durvalumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be associated with a tolerable surgical safety profile and may not adversely impact surgery in patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to new findings presented by Mitsudomi et al at the...
The newly renamed Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) has been awarded comprehensive designation by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health. As a result, MECCC was awarded a 5-year, $20 million Cancer Center Support Grant to advance the...