Patients with metastatic breast cancer who took part in a 9-month structured exercise program reported less fatigue and an improved quality of life compared to those who did not participate in the exercise program, according to results from the PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial presented at the 2023 San...
Researchers have uncovered that the regular consumption of navy beans may help modulate markers linked to obesity and disease and improve the gut microbiome in colorectal cancer survivors, according to a novel study published by Zhang et al in eBioMedicine. Background Obesity, poor diet, and...
The results of a recent study from the United Kingdom could spell the end of a long-standing treatment strategy for mesothelioma, according to data presented during the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer.1 When combined with...
The management of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies has evolved significantly over the past decade. Thanks to many scientific advancements in the field, new therapeutic options, and improvements in screening and early detection, more patients are being cured, and many others are living...
A retrospective cohort study by Liu et al published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention investigated the prevalence and reasons for an unsatisfactory fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Researchers found that over 10% of the tests used for routine colorectal cancer screening contained...
Diagnosing early-stage lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening may improve 20-year survival rates, according to a recent study published by Henschke et al in Radiology. The new findings demonstrated the significance of routine early screenings to detect tumors when they are...
In the phase II DeLLphi-301 trial—presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract LBA92) and reported by Ahn et al in The New England Journal of Medicine—tarlatamab, a bispecific T-cell engager targeting delta-like ligand 3 and CD3, exhibited activity in...
Researchers have found that a text message–based program in combination with routine laboratory testing could safely accelerate patients to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, eliminate the need for in-person assessments with their physicians, and save them about 1.5 hours in total wait...
Yoga-based supportive care may help alleviate the negative side effects of radiation treatment, decrease the use of feeding tube placements, and reduce emergency department visits in patients with head and neck cancer, especially when family caregivers participate, according to new findings...
Helena Linardou, MD, PhD, Director of the 4th Department of Oncology and the Comprehensive Clinical Trials Center, Metropolitan Hospital, Athens, served as discussant of the session on antibody-drug conjugates at the 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer. Calling antibody-drug conjugates “the next...
In an analysis from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort (SJLIFE) and Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Chen et al found that among long-term survivors of childhood cancers, carriers of germline cancer-predisposing variants were at an increased risk of late mortality...
On October 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor entrectinib (Rozlytrek) for pediatric patients aged 1 month and older with solid tumors that have a neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusion...
Researchers have found that long-term use of chemical hair relaxers may be associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer in postmenopausal Black women, according to a recent study published by Bertrand et al in Environmental Research. Background Chemical hair relaxers are heavily marketed to...
On October 9, HistoSonics, the manufacturer of the Edison System and novel histotripsy therapy platforms, announced the marketing authorization of its platform via the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) De Novo Classification Request process, a rigorous premarket review pathway for medical...
On August 14, 2023, the Hepzato Kit—melphalan for injection/hepatic delivery system—was approved as a liver-directed treatment for adults with uveal melanoma with unresectable hepatic metastases affecting less than 50% of the liver.1 Patients must have either no extrahepatic disease or extrahepatic ...
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, Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on ...
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...
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 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...
It seems that exercise is good for almost everything, including prostate cancer. In fact, exercise had a positive effect on sexual function and enjoyment in men with prostate cancer, according to a recent study presented at the 2023 ASCO Breakthrough meeting by lead study author Daniel Galvão, PhD, ...
Guest Editor’s Note: Insomnia is common in patients with cancer and cancer survivors, and it has significant negative consequences. Cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective approach for managing insomnia but is not easily available to many patients. In this installment of The ...
Aaron C. Tan, PhD, MBBS, of the National Cancer Centre Singapore, discusses new findings on early evaluation of circulating tumor DNA via low-pass whole-genome sequencing. The results of his study suggest this method may represent an early pharmacodynamic biomarker of therapeutic response...
Improving hospital care pathways may help reduce inpatient opioid use by 50% and cut the median opioid prescription volumes at discharge to zero in patients undergoing pancreatic cancer surgery, according to a recent study published by Boyev et al in JAMA Surgery. The new findings could help reduce ...
Targeted treatment with the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor erdafitinib significantly improved overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rates compared with investigator’s choice of chemotherapy in patients with advanced urothelial cancers and FGFR2/3...
On August 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the HEPZATO KIT, a melphalan hepatic delivery system, as a liver-directed treatment for adult patients with metastatic uveal melanoma and unresectable hepatic metastases affecting less than 50% of the liver and no extrahepatic...
Zanubrutinib—a next-generation Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor—achieved high response rates and durable disease control with a low incidence of cardiac effects in patients with relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma, according to updated findings from the final analysis of the phase ...
Preparing and running a medical conference is usually a complex but rewarding mission. It is a demanding job that is typically done voluntarily by physicians and educators who are dedicated to professional and community service; advancement of research and education; as well as the dissemination of ...
On June 15, 2023, the bispecific CD20-directed CD3 T-cell engager glofitamab-gxbm was granted accelerated approval for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)–not otherwise specified or large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) arising from follicular lymphoma after at least two lines of...
Targeted treatment with the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor erdafitinib significantly improved overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rates compared with investigator’s choice of chemotherapy in patients with advanced urothelial cancers and FGFR2/3...
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, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on the use of...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Seagle et al identified the prevalence of germline colorectal cancer susceptibility gene variants according to race and ethnicity among patients with early-onset colorectal cancer. Study Details The study involved patients aged 15 to 49 years ...
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,...
On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to end race-conscious college admissions. In reaction to the Court’s ruling, and its potential effect on reversing progress toward increasing diversity in the nation’s physician workforce, ASCO released the following statement from Chief Executive Officer...
Cervical cancer is a serious problem in many low- and middle-income countries such as the African country of Rwanda. Although the cervical cancer rate in Rwanda remains more than twice the U.S. rate, there has been improvement in recent years that cancer research organizations can learn from to...
The immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab achieved high response rates in patients with unresectable metastatic desmoplastic melanoma, a rare invasive tumor type, according to the results of the phase II SWOG S1512 trial presented at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)...
For patients with fully resectable pancreatic cancer, a minimally invasive surgical approach—laparoscopic or robotic—was shown to be comparable to open distal pancreatectomy in the multicenter randomized phase III DIPLOMA trial. These results were presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting and at a...
In a Chinese phase III trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Liu et al found that adjuvant cisplatin/gemcitabine improved progression-free survival vs cisplatin/fluorouracil following chemoradiotherapy in previously untreated patients with N2 or N3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Study Details In the...
In an analysis from the phase III VISION trial reported in The Lancet Oncology by Karim Fizazi, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the addition of lutetium (Lu-177) vipivotide tetraxetan to standard of care was associated with improved health-related quality of life in patients with prostate-specific...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Aslakson et al found that perioperative surgeon/palliative care team co-management did not improve health-related quality of life vs surgeon team management alone in patients undergoing curative-intent surgery for upper gastrointestinal cancers. Study...
For some precancerous cells, traveling from the bone marrow to the skin can trigger genetic transformations that can result in leukemia, according to a novel study published by Griffin et al in Nature. The new findings may have shed light on what researchers have termed the “genetic travelogue” of...
In the phase II VIRO-15 trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Holloway et al found that virotherapy with the modified oncolytic vaccinia virus olvimulogene nanivacirepvec plus platinum-based chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab showed activity in patients with platinum-resistant or...
On April 19, 2023, polatuzumab vedotin-piiq was approved for use with a rituximab product, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (R-CHP) for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)–not otherwise specified or those with high-grade B-cell lymphoma who have an International...
Prior authorization of medical procedures, services, and medications has been a standard requirement of health-care providers for decades. Rising health-care costs, specifically the escalating prices of cancer drug therapies, have led to a new focus by payers, providers, and policymakers on prior...
On March 22, 2023, the anti–PD-1 antibody retifanlimab-dlwr was granted accelerated approval for adults with metastatic or recurrent locally advanced Merkel cell carcinoma.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in POD1UM-201 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03599713), a...
Specialized exercise and wellness programs significantly elevated physical well-being and quality of life among patients with breast cancer while reducing the use of health-care resources in new research presented at the 2023 American Society of Breast Surgeons Annual Meeting. In one multicenter...
In a small single-institution phase I trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Sonabend et al found that an implantable device for low-intensity pulsed ultrasound with concomitant administration of intravenous microbubbles (LIPU-MB) may be safely used to open the blood-brain barrier to permit...
In an analysis of the phase III NRG Oncology/RTOG 0815 study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Benjamin Movsas, MD, and colleagues found few differences in patient-reported outcomes among patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer receiving short-term total androgen suppression...
Debra L. Richardson, MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Section of Gynecologic Oncology, Oklahoma TSET Phase I Program, at the Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, discussed the emerging field of antibody-drug conjugates at a session on platinum-resistant ovarian...
The addition of a checkpoint inhibitor to standard chemotherapy as first-line treatment of advanced endometrial cancer reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 70% in patients with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) tumors in two recent phase III studies. The results of the two...