Human papillomavirus (HPV)–positive head and neck squamous cell carcinomas can be divided into two distinct subtypes that may help determine how well patients will respond to therapy, according to a novel study published by Schrank et al in PNAS. The findings also identified a new mechanism of HPV...
Researchers in Japan have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based diagnostic tool for colposcopy examinations that may accurately identify cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and subsequently suggest appropriate biopsy sites. The research will be presented by Ueda et al at the 2023...
A combination of resistance and aerobic exercise may improve sexual function in patients with prostate cancer, according to a new study conducted in Australia. The research was presented by Galvao et al at the 2023 ASCO Breakthrough meeting (Abstract 71) in Yokohama, Japan. “Sexual dysfunction is a ...
As presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting, the phase III IMerge trial of imetelstat1 and the phase III COMMANDS trial of luspatercept2 met their primary endpoints of transfusion independence. The findings suggest that lower-risk patients with transfusion-dependent, non-del(5q) myelodysplastic...
In the primary analysis of the phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled IMerge trial, in those achieving the primary endpoint of 8-week transfusion independence, treatment with imetelstat significantly reduced transfusion dependence—for a median duration of 1 year—and improved a...
On July 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) with carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by single-agent dostarlimab for patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer that is mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR), as determined by an...
Investigators have found that just 4.5 minutes of vigorous activity per day could reduce the risk of some cancer types by up to 32%. The results of the recent study were published by Stamatakis et al in JAMA Oncology. Background Vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity describes very...
Patients who reside in lower-income communities may be less likely to undergo colorectal cancer screenings with computed tomography (CT) colonography than those who reside in higher-income communities, according to a new study published by Christensen et al in the American Journal of ...
Matthew J. Frank, MD, PhD, of Stanford University School of Medicine, discusses new findings showing that CD22 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is an effective and safe salvage therapy for patients with CAR19-refractory large B-cell lymphoma. A multicenter phase II clinical trial is...
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 a phase I study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), New York, the combination of cabozantinib and cetuximab showed antitumor efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer.1 Antoine Desilets, MD, an advanced oncology fellow ...
Increased skin cancer screenings may not reduce disparities in the survival rates of patients with melanoma who have darker skin tones, according to a recent study published by Smith et al in JAMA Dermatology. Background Although melanoma—the leading cause of skin cancer mortality—is most common...
Investigators have proposed that cancer centers may be uniquely positioned to protect communities and patients with cancer from climate-driven disasters by bolstering climate change–associated emergency preparedness, according to a recent study published by Espinel et al in the Journal of the...
A novel artificial intelligence (AI) model may be able to accurately predict the risk of death from lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other causes by using data from low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans of the lungs, according to a recent study published by Xu et al in Radiology....
Long-term follow-up of selinexor maintenance therapy in patients with p53 wild-type endometrial cancer has demonstrated anticancer activity, according to data presented by Brian M. Slomovitz, MD, and colleagues during the ASCO Plenary Series: July 2023 Session (Abstract 427956). Results of the...
Syrian migrants, including refugees, may be more likely to be diagnosed with a more advanced stage of breast cancer at a younger age when compared with individuals from Jordan, according to a recent study published by Hazra et al in JAMA Network Open. The new findings suggest the trauma associated...
The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines may be an effective strategy for reducing COVID-19–related hospitalizations and mortality in patients with cancer, according to a recent study published by Starkey et al in Scientific Reports. Study Methods and Results In this study, investigators analyzed the...
Investigators have found that overall survival rates may not vary significantly among patients with gallbladder cancer who have had different volumes of their livers resected, as long as the cancer is completely removed, according to a study published by Vega et al in the Annals of Surgical...
Black cancer survivors in the United States may experience a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and associated mortality than White cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Sung et al in the International Journal of Epidemiology. The investigators also found that...
The statistics are chilling. According to estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in the fields of health care and social services are five times more likely to suffer from a workplace violence injury than workers overall.1 The Bureau statistics show that the rate of injuries...
ASCO issued a statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision on affirmative action on June 29. A statement from ASCO Chief Executive Officer, Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FASCO, FACP, follows: “[The] U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action threatens to reverse hard-won gains in diversity...
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has released its first-ever Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Blueprint Report, highlighting ASCO’s 2022 advancements in the EDI space. The report provides information on 22 initiatives that ASCO launched across the mission pillars of research,...
After direct advocacy from the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and its members, in December 2019, Congress enacted the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act, which requires all states and territories to cover and reimburse routine costs of care for treating a Medicaid enrollee who is participating in a...
In partnership with the College of American Pathologists (CAP), ASCO has affirmed findings from its 2018 practice guideline on the use of HER2 testing in breast cancer. Notably, the ASCO/CAP expert panel found there is currently no justification for a new designation of HER2 test results for...
As chemotherapy drug shortages continue to delay patient care and alter treatment plans, 70 bipartisan members of Congress sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking for more information on the shortages and for ways...
Barbara Pistilli, MD, Head of the Breast Cancer Unit in the Medical Oncology Department of Gustave Roussy Cancer Center, Villejuif, France, was invited to discuss the TROPiCS-02 updated analysis. She began by pointing out that the target landscape of antibody-drug conjugates is “expanding...
Additional follow-up of the phase III TROPiCS-02 trial has upheld the progression-free and overall survival benefit seen with sacituzumab govitecan-hziy compared with physician’s choice of treatment in patients with endocrine-resistant, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast...
Investigators reported that patients with head and neck cancer who had an overweight body mass index (BMI) may have had better outcomes, longer overall and progression-free survival, and lower rates of locoregional failure than those patients with a normal or obese BMI, according to a recent study...
The 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting featured thousands of abstracts. In addition to our in-depth coverage of pivotal research from the meeting, The ASCO Post highlights the following studies of novel therapies for gastrointestinal cancers. Addition of Anti-TIGIT Agent in Unresectable Liver Cancer In the...
“Clinically, the implications [of the THOR trial] are clear in that all metastatic urothelial cancers should be tested for FGFR mutations,” stated invited discussant Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, of Yale School of Medicine. “This should be done at the beginning of treatment for metastatic disease, as it...
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...
ASCO expert Corey Speers, MD, PhD, Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, provided thoughts on the IELSG37 trial at a press briefing. “The investigators should be congratulated for running the largest ever trial in primary mediastinal B-cell...
In the largest prospective study of patients with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, radiation therapy was omitted in complete responders to immunochemotherapy without compromising outcomes. These findings were presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 “Mediastinal radiotherapy may be safely...
The use of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided daily adaptive stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) might make radiation therapy safer for patients with prostate cancer than standard computed tomography (CT)-guided SBRT by helping clinicians more accurately target the prostate while avoiding nearby...
A recent study published in Gastroenterology by Wani et al found that at least a quarter of all esophageal adenocarcinomas may be detected within a year of a negative upper endoscopy in patients with newly diagnosed Barrett's esophagus. The investigators proposed methods for improving the efficacy...
In a phase II trial (NCI Protocol 10250) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ingham et al found that the combination of olaparib and temozolomide showed activity in previously treated patients with advanced uterine leiomyosarcoma. Study Details In the multicenter trial, 22 evaluable...
The 6-year follow-up of a landmark study has revealed significant treatment-free remissions and safety findings in elderly patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and coexisting medical conditions.1 Long-term results of the CLL14 trial, presented during the European Hematology Association...
The invited discussant of the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG) meta-analysis, Ines Vaz-Luis, MD, PhD, of the Breast Cancer Survivorship Group, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, pointed out that the benefit of ovarian suppression or ablation in reducing breast cancer...
A meta-analysis of randomized trials has revealed a benefit to ovarian ablation or suppression in preventing breast cancer recurrence in premenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive tumors.1 The findings, based on almost 15,000 women in studies spanning several decades, were presented at the ...
On July 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved quizartinib (Vanflyta) with standard cytarabine and anthracycline induction and cytarabine consolidation, and as maintenance monotherapy following consolidation chemotherapy, for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed acute...
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...
In the final overall survival analysis of the phase III JUPITER-02 trial, first-line treatment with toripalimab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin resulted in a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival and progression-free survival vs chemotherapy alone in...
Investigators revealed that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy and other psychedelics may effectively ease symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with late-stage gynecologic cancers, according to a new commentary published by Yaniv et al in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. ...
Some patients who have received treatment for breast cancer may experience increased biological aging compared with those who have never been diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a new study published by Kresovich et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The findings showed that ...
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...
“Triple-negative breast cancer remains the most challenging subtype to treat because of its aggressive phenotype and limited treatment options,” stated Erica Michelle Stringer-Reasor, MD, who spoke at an education session on current approaches to treatment and future directions during the 2023 ASCO ...
The first sign that pancreatic cancer was stalking my family was in 1982, when my mother was diagnosed with stage IV disease. She was just 54 years old and died several months later. After two more family members in their early 50s were also diagnosed with the cancer, I began to worry that I would...
Investigators have addressed the need to improve access to oncology drugs designed to increase the survival and quality of life of patients in sub-Saharan Africa and combat the significant health-care disparities many of these patients continue to face, according to a new study published by Sharma...