Investigators used low recurrence scores on a genomic assay as guidance for selection of favorable-risk patients, and they found most postmenopausal patients (aged 50–69) with stage I hormone receptor–positive breast cancer who omitted adjuvant radiation therapy but continued endocrine therapy for...
Invited discussant Laura Huppert, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, Comprehensive Cancer Center, focused her remarks on the need for biomarkers for selection of immunotherapy as part of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. “Hormone...
Pembrolizumab added to neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab plus endocrine therapy improved pathologic complete responses in patients with early-stage, high-risk, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to updated results of the phase III...
At a median follow-up of 8.4 years, adjuvant use of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) continued to improve invasive disease–free survival and overall survival compared with trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer with residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant therapy. These ...
Heather Han, MD, Research Director, Department of Breast Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, commented on the latest update from the NATALEE trial: “Despite the established standard adjuvant therapy, many patients with hormone receptor–positive, early-stage breast cancer (including stages...
Invasive disease–free survival continued to be significantly improved for patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, early-stage breast cancer who received the CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib plus a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor compared with a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor alone....
The addition of inavolisib to first-line treatment with palbociclib plus fulvestrant more than doubled progression-free survival in patients with recurrent PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, according to a late-breaking primary analysis of the phase III ...
Adding the antibody-drug conjugate ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) to the HER2-targeted agent tucatinib extended progression-free survival by about 2 months vs treatment with T-DM1 alone among patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, according to...
In a retrospective case series reported in JAMA Network Open, Hashmi et al found that more than one-third of pediatric patients receiving treatment for newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL/LL) developed COVID-19 infection during a recent 2-year period. Study...
In a long-term analysis of the EORTC 10041/BIG 03-04 MINDACT trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Alaeikhanehshir et al found that the 70-gene signature was not independently predictive of locoregional recurrence among women undergoing breast-conserving surgery for early breast...
Investigators have found that the families of subfertile men may have a higher risk of developing certain types of cancers at younger ages compared with the families of fertile men, according to a recent study published by Ramsay et al in Human Reproduction. Background Previous research has shown...
The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy ciltacabtagene autoleucel may offer benefit in patients with multiple myeloma who experienced disease progression or relapse following initial therapy, according to new findings presented by Hillengass et al at the 2024 Tandem Meetings:...
Guest Editor’s Note: The use of mistletoe extract to support systemic therapy and improve quality of life for patients with cancer, though common, remains controversial. Promising results have been reported, but largely in trials that were not placebo-controlled nor properly randomized. In this...
ASCO is deeply saddened by the death of oncology luminary, health equity champion, and ASCO Humanitarian Award honoree Edith P. Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCCP, FRCP (London), on January 21, 2024. At the time of her passing, Dr. Mitchell was Director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities,...
My family first suspected we might have inherited the BRCA1/2 gene mutation after my father was diagnosed with his third cancer, colorectal cancer, following multiple bouts of squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma beginning in his 30s and later prostate cancer. But the high risk of...
Belzutifan is a first-in-class, oral hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2α inhibitor, and active HIF-2α is a key oncogenic driver in clear cell renal cancer. The manufacturer has filed a new drug application for the treatment of adults with RCC who experienced disease progression after PD-1/PD-L1– and...
Investigators used low recurrence scores on a genomic assay as guidance for selection of favorable-risk patients, and they found most postmenopausal patients (aged 50–69) with stage I hormone receptor–positive breast cancer who omitted adjuvant radiation therapy but continued endocrine therapy for...
Updates of two key phase III trials presented at the 2024 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium showed the benefit of adding a checkpoint inhibitor to standard perioperative chemotherapy with FLOT (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, docetaxel) in locally advanced, resectable gastric and...
Patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma derived significant benefit from the addition of the monoclonal antibody durvalumab and the angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), which alone has been a standard of care for 20 years. Investigators of the...
About 4 years ago, I [Jo Cavallo] wrote about the death of my brother Dom from multiple myeloma in 2011 and my subsequent enrollment in the PROMISE trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03689595). My goal for enrolling in the study was twofold: to honor Dom and others with the cancer and to make ...
In a single-center retrospective study reported as a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Zang et al found that high tumor mutational burden (TMB) was associated with better outcomes of checkpoint inhibition in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Study Details The study...
As reported by Katims et al in JAMA Oncology, long-term follow-up of a single-center phase II study showed benefit with two induction courses of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) without maintenance in patients with high-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The strategy markedly reduced the number ...
Preventive use of the oral antibiotic vancomycin may be effective at reducing the risk of Clostridioides difficile infections but may increase the risk of gram-negative bacteremia in stem cell transplant recipients, according to new findings presented by Vartanov et al at the 2024 Tandem Meetings:...
ASCO has released a guideline rapid recommendation update addressing radiotracers used for prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron-emission tomography (PET) diagnostic imaging for selecting patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) to receive...
An all-oral regimen for newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was shown to be “highly effective and safe,” eliminating the need for chemotherapy altogether in many patients, Hong Kong researchers reported at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting &...
On February 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the supplemental biologics license application for teclistamab-cqyv (Tecvayli) for a reduced dosing frequency of 1.5 mg/kg every 2 weeks in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have achieved and maintained a...
In a Dutch study (HONEY) reported in JAMA Oncology, van der Molen et al found that patients with breast cancer and late local toxic effects after adjuvant radiotherapy who completed hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) had reductions in pain and fibrosis. However, only a minority of patients offered...
Investigators may have identified colorectal cancer screening programs in Latin America, according to a recent systematic review and meta-analysis published by Montalvan-Sanchez et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Colorectal cancer—the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality...
In patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), perioperative treatment with the checkpoint inhibitor tislelizumab plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy led to a statistically significant benefit in event-free survival and a favorable trend for overall survival, investigators for the...
In a Swedish study reported in JAMA Oncology, Rodriguez et al identified characteristics of interval breast cancers—those diagnosed between two screening examinations—compared with screen-detected cancers on the basis of analysis of rare germline genetic deleterious protein-truncating variants. As...
Investigators have found that risk-reducing mastectomy decreases the risk of receiving a breast cancer diagnosis and the likelihood of mortality in female patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic variants, according to a recent study published by Metcalfe et al in the British Journal of Cancer....
Reducing doses and adjusting chemotherapy schedules in older patients with advanced cancer may help improve treatment tolerability without compromising its efficacy, according to a recent study published by Mohamed et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Standard chemotherapy regimens—mostly based...
On February 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to lifileucel (Amtagvi), a tumor-derived autologous T-cell immunotherapy, for adult patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who were previously treated with a PD-1 blocking antibody, or, if they have...
Researchers have found that neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be safe and effective in patients with locally advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Rose et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The findings may help address a critical gap in...
Researchers have found that ablative stereotactic magnetic resonance (MR)-guided adaptive radiation therapy may improve local control and overall survival in patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, according to a recent study published by Chuong et ...
Two experts in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) discussed the findings on the combination of venetoclax plus azacitidine in the treatment of higher-risk MDS with The ASCO Post. David A. Sallman, MD, Assistant Member in the Department of Malignant Hematology, Moffit Cancer Center, Tampa, provided...
For the treatment of high-risk, treatment-naive myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), the regimen of venetoclax plus azacitidine led to high response rates, durable responses, and encouraging overall survival, in a phase Ib study reported at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting...
Prithviraj Bose, MD, Professor in the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, shared his thoughts on MANIFEST-2 and TRANSFORM-1 with The ASCO Post. While both were international phase III trials that showed similar benefits with two different...
In two international phase III trials in myelofibrosis, drugs given in combination with the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor ruxolitinib in JAK inhibitor–naive patients significantly improved outcomes vs ruxolitinib alone. Both studies were presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual...
A four-drug targeted therapy regimen proved safe and effective as the first-line treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), achieving a 100% response rate after four cycles, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, reported at the 2023 American Society...
For patients with gastric MALT (mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue) lymphoma, an “ultra-low dose” of radiotherapy was as effective as the higher, standard dose in providing local control and freedom from distant relapse, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported at...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will award Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD, Fellow of the AACR Academy, with the 2024 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research during the AACR Annual Meeting, to be held April 5–10 in San Diego. His award lecture will be presented on...
At the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, researchers from Emory University presented a real-world comparison of the largest cohort of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma consecutively treated with either bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone ...
Hordes of classical and malignant hematologists returned to the tranquil city of San Diego for the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition this past December. The packed agenda lit the Gaslight District up with neuron-searing data, creating an environment for...
Michael Crump, MD, of the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, expressed some concerns about the study presented by Shadman et al in patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). “These data should be interpreted with caution. The patient...
For patients with relapsed large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) in complete remission, outcomes were better after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) than with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in a retrospective analysis of a large database presented at the 2023 American Society of...
In a patient-reported outcomes analysis from the phase III OlympiA trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Patricia A. Ganz, MD, FASCO, and colleagues found no clinically important differences in fatigue—the outcome of primary interest—between adjuvant olaparib and placebo in patients...
Thoughts on the study by Othman et al were provided by William G. Blum, MD, Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and Director of the Acute Leukemia Program at Winship Cancer Institute, and Mikkael Sekeres, MD, MS, Professor of...
In patients with NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the presence of molecular measurable residual disease (MRD) in the peripheral blood following induction chemotherapy can aid decision-making about postremission therapy. More specifically, MRD status in the peripheral blood can identify...
Patients with multiple myeloma treated in the “real world” had worse outcomes than patients who received the same treatment on clinical trials, according to research presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1 In a pooled analysis of clinical trial...