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Showing 14651 - 14700Seventeen ASTRO Members Awarded Fellows Designation
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has selected 17 distinguished members to receive the ASTRO Fellows designation. The 2015 class of Fellows will receive the recognition at the Awards Ceremony at ASTRO’s 57th Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 20 in San Antonio, Texas. ASTRO...
COMBI-d Trial and the Need to Guide Progress in Melanoma Treatment
As reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, Long et al1 have reported the final overall survival analysis of the COMBI-d phase III trial comparing combination therapy with the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and the MEK inhibitor trametinib (Mekinist) to monotherapy with dabrafenib alone,...
Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib Improves Overall Survival vs Dabrafenib in BRAF V600–Mutant Melanoma
Overall survival results of the phase III COMBI-d trial reported in The Lancet by Georgina V. Long, MD, and colleagues showed that the combination of the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib (Tafinlar) with the MEK inhibitor trametinib (Mekinist) resulted in significantly prolonged overall survival vs...
ASCO Guidelines: A Collaborative Effort
The ASCO Guidelines Program has worked with other professional societies and guideline development organizations in an effort to expand the ASCO guideline portfolio and harmonize recommended care options across prominent guideline development groups. For ASCO, this effort began with a systematic...
Roswell Park Cancer Institute Partners With Cuban Scientists to Develop Lung Cancer Vaccine
Just 4 months after President Barack Obama’s announcement in December 2014 that there would be an easing of the trade embargo between the United States and Cuba, a deal was struck between Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, and the Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) in Havana,...
Resilient New Orleans: 10 Years After Katrina
It’s been 10 years since floodwaters washed away lives in New Orleans—for most, figuratively or temporarily, but for more than 1,800, literally. We who call this place home all lost something—homes, possessions, jobs, pets, loved ones, our sanity. Mold and muck marked our days for a long time, but...
State-of-the-Art Management of Germ Cell Tumors Produces High Cure Rates
Pasquale W. Benedetto, MD, the Leonard M. Miller Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, recently spoke at the 2015 New Orleans Summer Cancer Meeting about his approach to diagnosing and treating germ cell tumors in men.1 The ASCO Post was there to...
Emerging Technology Will Help Tackle Tumor Complexity
Emerging laboratory technology will be “moving the bar forward” in terms of molecular markers, genomics, and gene-expression profiling, with the potential for huge payoffs to oncologists and patients, according to Mark Pegram, MD, the Susy Yuan-Huey Hung Professor of Medicine at Stanford School of...
Genetic Testing in Breast Cancer Offers Much Information but Poses Challenges in Interpretation
For breast cancer patients with robust family histories, medical oncologists should be testing not only for BRCA1/2 mutations, but also for large duplications and deletions as well as for PALB2 mutations. “These [findings] have proven utility in testing breast cancer patients,” said Louise E....
Novel Combination Increases Progression-Free Survival in CLL Patients Who Are Not Candidates for Fludarabine
In the phase III COMPLEMENT 1 trial reported in The Lancet, Peter Hillmen, MB, ChB, of St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, and colleagues found that the addition of the anti-CD20 antibody ofatumumab (Arzerra) to chlorambucil (Leukeran) increased progression-free survival among patients with...
NCI and Sage Bionetworks Present: Up for A Challenge?
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences is partnering with Sage Bionetworks for “Up for a Challenge (U4C): Stimulating Innovation in Breast Cancer Genetic Epidemiology.” This prize competition aims to explore the genomic basis of breast cancer in...
New Techniques in Oncologic Surgery and Radiology: Some Worth the Expense, Some Not So Much
In recent years, patients with cancer have had the benefit of much high technology: proton-beam radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, various minimally invasive surgery techniques, and robots in the operating room. They all receive hype in the professional and public press, and...
Brentuximab Vedotin for Consolidation Therapy in High-Risk Hodgkin Lymphoma
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On August 17, 2015, brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) was approved...
Coping With Aging and Cancer: Psychosocial Factors and Geriatric-Specific Interventions
You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails,” said Mindy Greenstein, PhD, consulting psychologist and author, to begin her talk at the 2015 World Congress of Psycho-Oncology, held in July in Washington, DC. The sense of this proverb pervaded the entire session on cancer and aging....
Suicide After Cancer: Understanding the Challenges Across the Treatment Trajectory
Suicidal thoughts and impulses are among the most challenging symptoms in patients with cancer, and they may occur both during and after treatment. It has long been known that a cancer diagnosis carries an increased risk for suicide, but the problem is not widely addressed. Suicide is one of the...
HPV16 DNA in Post-Treatment Oral Rinses Signals Poor Prognosis in Oropharyngeal Cancer
Detectable oral HPV16 DNA in oral rinses post treatment for oropharyngeal cancer appears to be a harbinger of poor prognosis and can predict recurrence. Oral HPV16 DNA rinses are a potential tool for long-term tumor surveillance, according to a study selected for the Best of ASCO® 2015.1 “The goal ...
Role of Surgery and Adjuvant Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Breast Cancer Explored
Two separate retrospective studies have further refined our understanding of the respective contributions of surgery and radiotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer. However, these studies are not definitive, and “gold standard” trials are needed to arrive at definitive recommendations. Both...
Optimal Timing of Hormonal Therapy for Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer Remains Unclear
There is no consensus as to whether it is better to treat immediately or to delay androgen-deprivation therapy in patients with a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level (“biochemical relapse”) after curative therapy for prostate cancer. A phase III study, selected for the Best of ASCO® 2015,...
Secondary Prevention in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Benefits of Vitamin D and Aspirin Explored
Two low-cost, low-tech options may lead to a survival benefit in metastatic colorectal cancer, according to separate retrospective studies selected for the Best of ASCO® 2015. The first study suggested that vitamin D supplementation is worthy of investigation in this regard,1 and the second study...
Colorectal Liver Metastases: Thumbs Up for Radiofrequency Ablation, Jury Still Out for Selective Internal Radiotherapy
Two “firsts” in studies of colorectal liver metastases were highlighted at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting: the first prospective randomized trial to evaluate radiofrequency ablation plus chemotherapy1 and the first large randomized phase III trial to study liver-directed selective internal radiation...
Indolent Lymphoma: A More Complex Malignancy Than Once Thought
With a growing number of options for follicular lymphoma, clinicians may wonder whether there is one best regimen. James O. Armitage, MD, FACP, FRCP, Professor of Medicine at the University of Nebraska, Omaha—and Editor-in-Chief of The ASCO Post—tackled this question and offered recommendations at...
Positioning Targeted and Immunotherapy-Based Approaches in Lung Cancer
With immunotherapy changing the face of lung cancer, is there still a place for targeted therapy? Two experts from Emory University debated this issue at the 2015 Debates and Didactics in Hematology and Oncology Conference held in Sea Island, Georgia. Fadlo Khuri, MD, was recently named President...
Our Patients Are the True Heroes of Cancer Research
A few weeks ago, I read an op-ed1 in The New York Times written by Stan Collender, a patient with Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive type of skin cancer. In his article, he described his participation in a clinical trial for a new drug he is hoping will stem progression of his cancer and...
Elotuzumab Ushers in a New Era in Myeloma Therapy
The long wait for monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of multiple myeloma is over. In the landmark ELOQUENT-2 study, reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, Lonial and colleagues convincingly demonstrate the effectiveness of elotuzumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against SLAMF7, in the...
Azacitidine Increased Median Overall Survival Among Patients Aged 65 and Older With > 30% Blasts
A multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase III trial among the difficult-to-treat population of patients aged aged 65 and older with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with > 30% bone marrow blasts “showed that azacitidine was associated with a clinically meaningful improvement” in median overall...
Patient Guides Available Through ASCO University Bookstore
ASCO Answers: Managing the Cost of Cancer Care explains the various costs associated with cancer treatment, including health-care coverage through the Affordable Care Act. It also provides a list of financial resources available to help offset expenses related to care and tips for organizing...
Let It Be Hard
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the “Art of Oncology” as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO). These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
ASCO Policy Statement Update: Genetic and Genomic Testing for Cancer Susceptibility
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Mark E. Robson, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, ASCO has issued a policy statement update on genetic and genomic testing for cancer susceptibility.1 The statement, commissioned by ASCO’s Cancer Prevention and Ethics...
In Search of a Good Ending for a Life Well Lived
BOOKMARK Title: The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-life CareAuthor: Angelo E. Volandes, MDPublisher: BloomsburyPublication date: January 13, 2015Price: $26.00; hardcover, 240 pages A quick Google search on books about end-of-life care will yield pages of hits on the subject. The...
An Unvarnished, Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Hospital Nurse
BOOKMARK Title: The Nurses: A Year of Secrets, Drama, and Miracles With the Heroes of the HospitalAuthor: Alexandra RobbinsPublisher: Workman Publishing CompanyPublication date: April 14, 20155Price: $17.53; hardcover, 368 pages Florence Nightingale, the most famous and influential figure in...
Microbes by the Trillions
BOOKMARK Title: 10% Human: How Your Body’s Microbes Hold the Key to Health and HappinessAuthor: Alanna CollenPublisher: Harper CollinsPublication date: April 27, 2015Price: $39.99; hardcover, 400 pages "As I walked back through the forest that night in the summer of 2005, with twenty bats in...
Why It Is Important to Have a Physiatrist on a Cancer Care Team
Physical medicine and rehabilitation in oncology care explores the benefits of cancer rehabilitation in oncology clinical practice to screen survivors for physical and cognitive impairments along the care continuum to minimize survivors’ disability and maximize their quality of life. According to a ...
ASCO 2015: Geriatric Oncology Highlights
The theme of the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting, Illumination and Innovation, is especially appropriate as we consider the field of geriatric oncology. For too long, the elderly cancer patient has remained in the dark regarding treatment planning, clinical trial enrollment, and shared decision-making....
Statin Use at Start of Androgen-Deprivation Therapy Increases Time to Progression During Treatment of Prostate Cancer
Statin use has been associated with improved outcomes in prostate cancer. In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Lauren C. Harshman, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and colleagues found that statin use at the time of the initiation of androgen-deprivation therapy was associated with...
Updated Analysis of Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk
As reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, Chlebowski and colleagues1 reported differing patterns of breast cancer risk during or after hormonal therapy with estrogen plus progestin2 or estrogen alone,3 in an analysis of two Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trials. This recent update on risk...
Conquer Cancer Foundation Donor Spotlight: Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation
When Tucker Davis was diagnosed with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FL-HCC) in 2008, there was very little information about this very rare cancer and, as Tucker would soon discover, even fewer treatment options available. An annoying cough and sharp pain radiating down his back leg...
ASCO University® Releases 2015 Curricula for Advanced Practice Providers (ACAPP™)
ASCO University has released an updated version of ASCO’s Curricula for Advanced Practice Providers (ACAPP™). This popular series assists with the orientation of advanced practice providers (APPs) into oncology practices—a growing need as increasing numbers of APPs are hired to meet the demand for...
FDA Approves Rolapitant for Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved rolapitant (Varubi) to prevent delayed-phase chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Rolapitant is approved in adults in combination with other antiemetic agents that prevent nausea and vomiting associated with initial and repeat courses of...
Bevacizumab Plus Standard Chemotherapy Improves Survival in Mesothelioma
The standard of care for malignant pleural mesothelioma may be poised for change, judging by results from a study by the French Cooperative Thoracic Intergroup. The addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) in the first-line setting to the current standard of care, pemetrexed (Alimta)/cisplatin, improved...
Managing High-Risk Patients With Febrile Neutropenia
Febrile neutropenia is of particular concern in high-risk patients who have undergone stem cell transplant, according to William J. Hogan, MB, BCh, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Hogan delivered an update on febrile neutropenia management in this...
Rolapitant for Prevention of Delayed Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On September 2, 2015, rolapitant (Varubi) was approved for use in...
HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancer: When Can Chemotherapy Be Omitted?
Are there patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) for whom chemotherapy can be omitted? Experts debated this question at the 2015 Debates and Didactics in Hematology and Oncology Conference in Sea Island, Georgia,...
Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Is Transplantation Still Necessary?
Autologous stem cell transplantation has played a critical role in the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma, but in the age of novel treatments, is it always warranted? Two experts in the field explored the question at the 2015 Debates and Didactics in Hematology and Oncology Conference sponsored by...
Double-Hit Lymphoma: Many Treatment Strategies, No Standard of Care
"Double-hit lymphoma” represents a challenging malignancy without a standard-of-care treatment, although outcomes for some patients are better than was once believed, according to Jonathon B. Cohen, MD, Assistant Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University, Atlanta. Dr. Cohen...
Making Their Voices Heard: 118 Oncologists Speak Out About Stemming the High Cost of Cancer Drugs
In a bold move to shed light on the ramifications of the ever-increasing cost of cancer drugs for patients with cancer and for the health-care system, 118 prominent oncologists came together to write a commentary in Mayo Clinic Proceedings detailing their concerns.1 To learn more about these...
Our Children’s Future Is Our Responsibility
Cancer prevention is a child-care issue. With many of cancer’s instigators planting their seeds during childhood, we—as a profession and as a nation—must seize this important window of opportunity to protect the health and well-being of future generations. Current estimates suggest that up to...
Diagnosis of Additional Small Cancers Suggests Screening Mammography Leads to Overdiagnosis
A study of screening mammography across U.S. counties found that “the clearest result of mammography screening is the diagnosis of additional small cancers” but without a “concomitant decline in the detection of larger cancers, which might explain the absence of any significant difference in the...
Scotty’s Gift
The following essay by Emil J. Freireich, MD, is adapted from The Big Casino: America’s Best Cancer Doctors Share Their Most Powerful Stories, which was coedited by Stan Winokur, MD, and Vincent Coppola and published in May 2014. The book is available on Amazon.com and thebigcasino.org. I learned...
A Practical Guide to Surviving Breast Cancer and Its Treatments
BOOKMARK Title: Bald Is Better With Earrings: A Survivor’s Guide to Getting Through Breast CancerAuthor: Andrea HuttonPublisher: Harper CollinsPublication date: July 7, 2015Price: $17.99; paperback, 224 pages There are a plethora of books written by breast cancer survivors, and there are sure to...
Extraordinary Medical Advances and the Conundrum They Pose
BOOKMARK Title: Ordinary Medicine: Extraordinary Treatments, Longer Lives, and Where to Draw the LineAuthor: Sharon R. KaufmanPublisher: Duke University PressPublication date: May 29, 2015Price: $26.95 paperback, 336 pages Medicine has changed radically over the past 15 years. Who doesn’t welcome...
