Hormone receptor–positive breast cancer represents the largest therapeutic subgroup of the disease. The development of endocrine therapies has shaped the treatment paradigm for both advanced- and early-stage disease for decades.1 Still, despite their significant impact, advanced breast cancer...
ASCO recently announced that the Contemporary Oncology Team of Athens, Greece, as part of the new international pilot project, is the first international practice to receive Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) certification through the QOPI Certification Program, LLC (QCP). “Achieving...
It is more and more common for people to wait until their 30s or 40s to have children. Consequently, many young adults have not completed their desired childbearing when they are diagnosed with cancer. Cancer treatments can impair fertility directly (usually via gonadotoxicity from chemotherapy,...
The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has announced that Richard J. O’Reilly, MD, has been named the inaugural recipient of The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize. Founded in 1946, The Society of MSK is a volunteer-led organization within MSK dedicated to promoting the ...
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the world’s largest private funder of melanoma research, has named Michael Kaplan as its new leader. For the past 20 years, Mr. Kaplan has headed various nonprofits and patient advocacy groups, including his most recent position as President and CEO of...
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), has received the Ovarcome Excellence 2016 Award in recognition of her accomplishments in the field of cancer research, and her commitment to increasing public awareness about cancer...
Sagar Lonial, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine, and Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discuss newly reported findings on rituximab maintenance therapy in hematologic malignancies (Abstracts 7503, 7504, and 7505).
Low-grade gliomas account for 15% of all primary brain tumors and represent a heterogeneous group of glial neoplasms. Although these tumors have been termed low-grade, this is a misnomer, especially for some grade II gliomas, which may exhibit a more aggressive behavior and variable natural...
Lisa A. Carey, MD, of the University of North Carolina (UNC), and Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, have been appointed Co-Chairs of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Breast Committee. The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology develops and conducts cancer...
Oophorectomy was the first proposed form of endocrine therapy for women with breast cancer. Over 100 years ago, Thomas Nunn reported a relationship between menopause and regression of breast cancer.1 This incited interest in the induction of menopause as an anticancer therapy, and in 1986, a...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and colleagues, ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline update on ovarian suppression as part of the extant guideline on adjuvant endocrine therapy in hormone...
ASCO President Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) move to regulate electronic cigarettes. “ASCO applauds the FDA for exercising its congressionally mandated authority to regulate cigars, hookah tobacco,...
On June 2, 2016, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, issued the following statement on the release of the final individual patient expanded access form. “Today, the FDA finalized its efforts to streamline the process used by physicians to request expanded...
A Century of Progress The text and photograph on this page are excerpted from a four-volume series of books titled Oncology Tumors & Treatment: A Photographic History, by Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS. The photo below is from the volume titled “The Antiseptic Era: 1876–1900.” To view additional...
Seattle Children’s announced that 39 of 42 patients treated in a phase I clinical trial using genetically reprogrammed T cells to treat relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have achieved complete remission, showing no detectable leukemia cells. Phase II of this trial, known as...
Fabrice Denis, MD, PhD, of the Institut Inter-regional de Cancérologie Jean Bernard, discusses findings from a phase III trial on an app used between visits for early detection of symptomatic relapse and complications in high-risk lung cancer patients (Abstract LBA9006). To see the English...
Sagar Lonial, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine, and Paul G. Richardson, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discuss the top presentations on multiple myeloma delivered at this year’s meeting.
In 2012–2013, members of the President’s Cancer Panel (prescancerpanel.cancer.gov) focused their efforts on accelerating widespread acceptance of and use of approved human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines to prevent cancer. The topic is important, because HPVs cause most cases of cervical cancer and...
Celestia S. Higano, MD, of the University of Washington, and Chris Parker, MD, of the Royal Marsden Hospital, discuss findings from this confirmatory study evaluating the accuracy of MRI and TRUS biopsy in men with an elevated PSA (Abstract 5000).
Lisa A. Carey, MD, of the University of North Carolina, and Nicholas C. Turner, MD, PhD, of The Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research, discuss the efficacy of palbociclib plus fulvestrant in patients with ESR1 mutations in circulating tumor DNA, and palbociclib and letrozole for...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) congratulates Saverio Candido, PhD, on receiving the fourth Margaret Foti Scholar-in-Training Award from the University of Catania in Italy. Dr. Candido is being recognized for his research on biomarkers of bladder cancer development and...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Howard H. Bailey, MD, of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, and colleagues, ASCO has released a statement on increasing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to prevent HPV-related cancers in the United States.1 In the United...
Breast surgeon Deanna Attai, MD, is a virtual mighty mouse as a spokesperson for her professional organization, the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS). She is as big on ideas as she is petite in stature and for actively tweeting on medical topics (@DrAttai). Assistant Clinical Professor...
Vice President Joe Biden offered remarks on the White House’s National Cancer Moonshot Initiative on Monday, June 6, to attendees at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. Essential Elements “The Moonshot Initiative can be a vehicle for major new progress against cancer, and ASCO’s Annual...
An adjuvant chemotherapy regimen improved overall survival in early-stage pancreatic cancer patients, in the large phase III European ESPAC-4 study reported at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The combination of gemcitabine and capecitabine almost doubled the 5-year survival rate, compared to...
Formal discussant of this trial Stuart A. Grossman, MD, of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, commented that the trial did not include a best standard-of-care arm. The pivotal trial defined optimal radiotherapy as 60 Gy over 6 weeks, but this...
JUNE IARC: Global Cancer: Occurrence, Causes, and Avenues to PreventionJune 7-10 • Lyon, FranceFor more information: http://iarc-conference2016.com WCIO 2016June 9-12 • Boston, MassachusettsFor more information: www.wcioevents.org International Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer 2016June 9-12 •...
The combination of short-course radiotherapy and temozolomide followed by maintenance with temozolomide significantly improved survival compared with short-course radiotherapy alone in newly diagnosed elderly patients with glioblastoma, according to the results of a global cooperative group trial...
Ronald David Alvarez, MD, Ellen Gregg Shook Culverhouse Chair in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and Vice Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has been named Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt...
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has announced the hiring of Steve Stadum as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Stadum, currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute, will join Fred Hutchinson as ...
ASCO President Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, issued this statement on May 10. “In comments1 submitted yesterday to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), ASCO underscored the urgent need to advance a more fair and responsible payment system for oncology than what is proposed in...
The incidence of new cases of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is rising, and it will take a concerted effort from the international cancer community to counteract this troubling upward trend. It has been estimated that of the 15 million cancer ...
According to a new survey of more than 1,500 consumers and nearly 600 physicians conducted for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), only 35% of Americans indicated that they were “likely” to enroll in a clinical trial. Clinical research is increasingly dependent upon larger numbers of...
“There is a tremendous interest in longer aromatase inhibitor therapy. The Oxford Overview data, presented at ASCO, show the substantial risk of recurrence in years 5 to 15, despite an initial 5 years of adjuvant endocrine treatment. “Women with lower-risk breast cancer will be less inclined to...
Jeffrey Sosman, MD, melanoma expert and researcher, will join the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University as Co-Leader of the Translational Research in Solid Tumors (TRIST) Program and Director of the Melanoma Program. He will also serve as Director for Faculty...
Five years of aromatase inhibitor as upfront therapy or after tamoxifen is the current standard of care for postmenopausal women with early hormone receptor–positive breast cancer. A new trial suggests that extending aromatase inhibitor therapy with letrozole for an additional 5 years may improve...
Richard L. Schilsky, MD (right), Chief Medical Officer of ASCO, talks with incoming ASCO CEO Clifford A. Hudis, MD (left) and outgoing CEO Allen S. Lichter, MD (center) about the passing of the torch and their perspectives on past accomplishments and future goals of the society.
On June 27, 2016, Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO, will begin his tenure as Chief Executive Officer of ASCO, succeeding Allen S. Lichter, MD, FASCO, who presided over the Society and the Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO since 2006. Dr. Hudis’ dedication to ASCO dates back more than 25 years...
For relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, daratumumab (Darzalex), combined with bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone, reduced relapses by 61% in the phase III CASTOR study reported at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 “The results are unprecedented in a randomized study comparing a novel...
Treating head and neck cancer patients with recurrent or metastatic disease with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) achieved significant clinical responses in nearly one-fifth of the patients from a phase II clinical trial, researchers from Dana-Farber...
During the 2016 Annual Meeting, ASCO announced the creation of the Allen S. Lichter Visionary Leader Award to recognize ASCO members who have transformed the oncology field or significantly advanced the mission of ASCO, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, or CancerLinQ, LLC, through their leadership,...
Duke Cancer Institute researchers have found that a hypothetical leukemia patient buying the life-extending drug therapy for his condition would reach his annual out-of-pocket maximum in a month on most of the bronze policies and half of the silver policies offered through the Affordable Care Act...
Costs associated with different breast cancer chemotherapy regimens can vary significantly, regardless of effectiveness, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Understanding cost differences should help guide informed discussions between patients and...
Skin cancer screenings performed by primary care physicians during routine office visits improve the detection of potentially deadly melanomas and find them in earlier stages, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The results were presented by Ferris et al...
Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, of the University of Southern California, and Marc Ychou, MD, of the Centre Régional de Lutte Contre Le Cancer, discuss study findings on FOLFIRINOX combined with targeted therapy according to RAS status for colorectal cancer patients with initially nonresectable liver...
Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, of the University of Southern California, and Jonathan R. Strosberg, MD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, discuss efficacy and safety results in patients with midgut neuroendocrine tumors treated with lutetium Lu-177 dotatate (Abstract 4005).
Anthony J. Olszanski, RPh, MD, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Michael A. Davies, MD, PhD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discuss this phase III study of dabrafenib plus trametinib vs dabrafenib monotherapy in patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAF V600E/K-mutant...
Anthony J. Olszanski, RPh, MD, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Michael A. Postow, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discuss findings from this phase III trial of nivolumab combined with ipilimumab in treatment-naive patients with advanced disease (Abstract 9505).
Anthony J. Olszanski, RPh, MD, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy and Paris-Sud University, discuss study findings on pembrolizumab and the overall survival benefit for patients with advanced disease (Abstract 9503).
Lisa A. Carey, MD, of the University of North Carolina, and Tuya Pal, MD, of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, discuss the racial disparities in cancer risk management among BRCA carriers across a diverse sample of young black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white breast cancer...