It was a hot and humid Tuesday in July, and I distinctly remember being grateful for the air conditioning in the pastel-shaded waiting room of the oncology outpatient clinic. My father sat silently beside me. We knew this room well, as we did the doctor we had arrived to see. He had been my...
The risk of developing mental health issues may be higher among patients who have rare cancers compared with those who have common cancers, according to a recent study published by Low et al in eClinicalMedicine. Background Rare cancers—those affecting fewer than 6 out of 100,000 individuals per...
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Verheijden et al found that higher peak corticosteroid doses for patients with immune-related adverse events were associated with poorer outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for solid tumors. Study Details...
With the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has become a chronic disease for most patients. Furthermore, we now know that some patients can successfully stop treatment and remain in remission. “Stopping tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy is something we get a...
Women whose fallopian tubes are removed during sterilization via laparoscopy may have only marginally more surgical complications compared with those whose tubes are cut during tubal occlusion, according to a recent study published by Strandell et al in The Lancet Regional Health–Europe. The...
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Detecting this disease in its early stages significantly improves survival rates, making low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening an essential component in the fight against lung cancer. Recent studies, particularly from...
Researchers may have uncovered the mechanisms behind fungal bloodstream infections in patients who receive bone marrow transplants, according to a recent study published by Zhai et al in Nature Medicine. Background A phenomenon known as heteroresistance occurs when a tiny fraction of bacteria...
Most patients with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) are overtreated, according to Emanuele Zucca, MD, of the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland and Institute of Oncology Research in Bellinzona and the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. “Aggressive therapy is not needed in...
Investigators examined whether nonstatin cholesterol-lowering drugs may affect the risk of hepatic cancer, according to a recent study published by Zamani et al in Cancer. Background Hepatic cancer is the sixth most common cancer type across the world and the third leading cause of cancer-related...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, I interviewed Dario Trapani, MD, a medical oncologist at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan and Assistant Professor at the Department of Oncology and Haemato-Oncology of the University of Milan, in Italy. Dr. Trapani is a...
The oral KRAS G12C inhibitor glecirasib has emerged as a therapeutic option for previously treated KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It may potentially improve efficacy and tolerability compared with current U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved agents, according to data...
When health-care providers, including oncologists, fail to promptly diagnose a medical condition or communicate their diagnosis to their patients, it can have devastating consequences for those patients. In such cases, patients may seek legal recourse through medical malpractice lawsuits, creating...
Two hallmark toxicities of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may be rare after 2 weeks following infusion in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), supporting a shorter, more flexible toxicity monitoring period., according to a recent study published by Ahmed et al in...
Eliminating racial disparities in colorectal cancer testing may reduce the rate of colorectal cancer incidence and mortality among Black patients in the United States, according to a recent study published by Alagoz et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Background Although both the ...
In a U.S. study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Steven J. Katz, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that many women with early breast cancer and indications for genetic testing do not undergo said testing. Study Details The study involved data from 1,412 women aged 20 to 79 years...
Researchers have found that many eligible breast cancer survivors may not be receiving genetic counseling and testing, according to a recent study published by Katz et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Background A growing proportion of cancer treatment and survivorship care relies on...
Research has consistently shown that Native American and Alaska Native individuals are among the most underserved minority populations in the United States and are disproportionately affected by cancer. The results from a 50-year report by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Alaska Native...
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,...
Initiating surveillance soon after recognizing a pediatric patient has a genetic predisposition for cancer may improve the identification of early-stage asymptomatic tumors, according to a recent study published by Blake et al in JAMA Oncology. The findings may inform clinical practice following...
The Melanoma Research Alliance is on a mission to cure and prevent melanoma, a skin cancer that is diagnosed in more than 100,000 people each year and is expected to take the lives of more than 8,000 individuals in 2024.1 We invite stakeholders across all fields, including medicine, science, and...
Air pollution may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, mortality, and health disparities in patients with cancer, according to a recent study published by Zhu et al in JACC: CardioOncology. Background Although modern therapies may help extend the lives of patients with cancer, cancer...
Measuring ethylene oxide levels using mobile optical instruments in Louisiana’s southeastern corridor may help to improve cancer risk assessments, according to a recent study published by Robinson et al in Environmental Science & Technology. Background Louisiana’s southeastern corridor is...
Facing mortality can be a paralyzing experience for some people, but for others, it may ignite a passion to accelerate life. One such person is Kathy Giusti, cofounder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), where she served as Chief Executive Officer and President for nearly 20 years....
Several years ago, a visit to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, so fascinated and inspired Mace L. Rothenberg, MD, FASCO, about the history of flight, he wondered why there was not a similar museum showcasing the past and present achievements in science and medicine. The result...
Intensity-modulated proton therapy may achieve similar clinical outcomes and offer significant benefits compared with traditional intensity-modulated radiation therapy in patients with oropharyngeal cancer, according to preliminary data from a multi-institutional phase III trial presented by Frank...
A novel ultrasensitive liquid biopsy may be predictive of breast cancer recurrence up to years prior to relapse in high-risk patients with early breast cancer, according to recent findings presented by Garcia-Murillas et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1010). Background Circulating...
Miriam Mutebi, MD, MSc, FACS, was born and reared in the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. “The suburb I grew up in (Langata), has seen a lot of development over the past couple of decades. When I was a child, it was a smaller community, where you would go and play at somebody else’s house and have...
Deputy Editor of The ASCO Post, Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, recently spoke with gynecologic cancer expert Sharmila K. Makhija, MD, MBA, about her journey to her current position as Founding Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, Bentonville, Arkansas. Raised by...
Like many young boys, David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, loved sports and dreamed about playing college football. He attained that dream, but along the way, family tragedy and a personal battle with a life-threatening disease reshaped his worldview and accelerated his ambitions as a...
Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, was born and reared in Kerala, a tropical state in southwestern India. Situated on the Malabar Coast, Kerala was named as one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler. “Along with its natural beauty, Kerala is a true melting pot. Over centuries,...
ASCO President for the 2024–2025 term, Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO, was born and reared in Cheektowaga, a town in the western part of New York. “Cheektowaga is the Native American name for ‘land of the crabapple tree.’ Western New York was first settled by one of seven tribes belonging to the...
Leukemia expert Eunice S. Wang, MD, is the daughter of first-generation immigrants, whose work ethos inspired in her a world without boundaries. “My parents were born in China during the communist era, and they immigrated to Taiwan when the communists took over in the 1940s and then subsequently...
I’m not prepared. It could be a few months, a few years, maybe longer. I don’t know how bad the verdict will be, but whatever it is, I’m not prepared. They always told us to be prepared. That was our motto. At age 7, I joined the Brownies, the beginning of 12 years of being molded by Girl Scout...
Investigators have found that patient characteristics such as age and race may influence false-positive results from artificial intelligence (AI)-interpreted screening mammograms, according to a recent study published by Nguyen et al in Radiology. Background Although preliminary data suggested that ...
The profound progress in cancer care since President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act of 1971 into law is evidenced by the soaring number of cancer survivors since the law went into effect. In the 1970s, there were 3 million cancer survivors1; today, there are more than 18 million, and...
On behalf of 2024 International Development and Education Award (IDEA) awardees, we received the decision of our acceptance in this outstanding training program offering mentorship and educational opportunities for early-career oncologists and cancer researchers with great interest. This will...
About 3 years ago, I woke up from a sound sleep and was having a hard time breathing. It felt like someone was sitting on my neck, constricting my airways. I could feel prominent swelling in my lymph nodes along my neck and clavicle, and I was scared. A trip to the emergency room proved fruitless, ...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) in 1996, covering eight tumor types. Currently, guidelines are available for more than 60 tumor types, subtypes, and related topics. The NCCN’s 29th Annual Conference...
In the fall of 2023, Justin Baker, MD, took on the role of Chief of the Division of Quality of Life and Pediatric Palliative Care and Director of the Quality of Life for All Program, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, Stanford, California. He formerly worked at St. Jude Children’s Research...
Despite the extraordinary progress against cancer in the United States—illustrated by the continuing decline in the overall mortality rate, which fell by 33% between 1991 and 2020, and the increasing numbers of cancer survivors (over 18 million and climbing)—the burden of cancer remains...
According to Google Chief Executive Officer Sunder Pichai, artificial intelligence (AI) is “the most profound technology humanity is working on—more profound than fire or electricity or anything that we’ve done in the past.” The impact of AI on health care and especially cancer care will not be...
Two studies presented at the 2024 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium added support for the deintensification of radiotherapy in early-stage oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV), a subtype typically more responsive to therapy compared to...
Adding the phosphatidylserine-targeting antibody bavituximab to the immunotherapy agent pembrolizumab may improve response rates without compromising safety in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Hsieh et al in Nature Communications. The findings...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication,1 which was updated2 on March 22, 2023, informing the public that there have been reports of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and various lymphomas of the breast in the capsule or scar of breast implants. These lymphomas are ...
A novel MDM2 inhibitor has demonstrated antitumor activity in progressive salivary cancer, particularly adenoid cystic carcinoma, according to data presented at the 2024 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium. Results of the phase I/II trial showed an overall response rate of 13% and a...
Researchers may have uncovered the mechanisms behind the development of targeted therapy resistance in melanoma, according to a recent study published by Aya Moreno et al in Cell Reports. Background The global incidence of melanoma—the deadliest type of skin cancer—is rising, making novel...
Undergoing a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test every 5 years may be adequate for screening low-risk men for prostate cancer, according to recent findings presented by Albers et al at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress 2024 and simultaneously published in European Urology....
SYNC-T—an investigational therapy that combines a device-induced vaccination at the tumor site with an intratumoral infusion of a multitarget biologic drug—led to numerous clinical responses in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, according to results reported at the...
There is much debate about the necessity of treating women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with surgery or radiotherapy.1,2 It is disconcerting to many that patients with DCIS are treated in the same way as are women with early-stage invasive breast cancer. Many patients with DCIS have...
About 8 years ago, I was just a few years into menopause when I noticed blood in my urine. It wasn’t accompanied by pain, frequent urination, or any other troubling symptoms, so initially I wasn’t too concerned. But when I started passing pieces of tissue, I became alarmed and made an appointment...