Data from a new study show that patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) taking direct-acting antiviral treatments who have previously been diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma had a high rate of redeveloping their illness. The large retrospective cohort study (Abstract LBP506), presented by...
Previous studies have shown that married patients with cancer fare better than unmarried patients with cancer, surviving more often and longer. In a new study, published by Martínez et al in Cancer, researchers at University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine reported that the...
Merck today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for pembrolizumab (Keytruda), a monoclonal antibody and anti–programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) therapy, for the treatment of...
Wide variability exists in radiation treatment decisions following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery for breast cancer, according to a review of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) Z1071 trial. These findings were published by Haffty et al in the International Journal of...
Prostate cancer patients and their doctors may want to think twice about the best timing for chemotherapy or radiation therapy in conjunction with a common nonsurgical treatment, based on international research findings led by UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators. Researchers using mouse...
Use of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines should be rapidly expanded to protect thousands of young people in the United States—and millions worldwide—from life-threatening cancers, ASCO said April 11 in a policy statement. Published by Bailey et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,...
On April 11, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved venetoclax (Venclexta) for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with 17p deletion, as detected by an FDA-approved test, who have received at least one prior therapy. Venetoclax is the first...
While stem cells have shown promise for treating brain regions damaged by cancer radiation treatments, University of California, Irvine (UCI) researchers have found that microscopic vesicles isolated from these cells provide similar benefits without some of the risks associated with stem cells....
A metabolic pathway that is upregulated in certain breast cancers promotes the disease's progression by activating a cell-signaling protein called Arf6, according to findings published by Hashimoto et al in the Journal of Cell Biology. The study, conducted by a team of researchers at Hokkaido...
Cancer risk increases with one's age as accumulated damage to our cells and chronic inflammation occur over time. Now, an international team of scientists led by The Wistar Institute has shown that aged tumor cells in melanoma behave differently from younger tumor cells, according to study results...
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center of Keck Medicine of USC and Clalit National Israel Cancer Control Center have found that coffee consumption may be inversely associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. The findings by Schmit et...
A review of major studies and the current literature underscored the role of geriatric assessment in making treatment recommendations for patients aged 80 years and older with early and metastatic breast cancer. The review was published in the Journal of Oncology Practice. The corresponding author...
The Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute is a collaborative initiative of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the Brady Urological Institute, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the School of Medicine. It aims to develop new clinical strategies for combating bladder cancer...
David B. Roth, MD, PhD, has been appointed Director of the new Penn Center for Precision Medicine. In his new role, he will lead efforts to accelerate the implementation of precision medicine into clinical care. Dr. Roth is an expert in DNA repair and mechanisms of programmed gene rearrangements...
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), CEO of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), was recognized during the plenary session at the 69th Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Annual Cancer Symposium with the James Ewing Layperson’s Award for her dedication to the prevention and cure of cancer;...
Sadik Esener, PhD, has been recruited to the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute to lead the first large-scale early cancer detection program of its kind. Dr. Esener will be the Director of the Institute’s Center for Early Detection Research and has been awarded...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) primary concern in the drug approval process is to ensure that the drug is safe and effective. For the past several decades, the advocacy groups have vociferously painted the agency as a stodgy bureaucracy that prevents desperate patients access to...
The adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” is true, but authors still need to be aware of the importance of first impressions. The title of science writer Travis Christofferson’s book Tripping Over the Truth: The Return of the Metabolic Theory of Cancer Illuminates a New and Hopeful Path to ...
APRIL European Lung Cancer ConferenceApril 13-16 • Geneva, SwitzerlandFor more information:www.esmo.org/Conferences/ELCC-2016-Lung-Cancer American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) Annual MeetingApril 13-16 • New Orleans, LouisianaFor more...
The Claudia Cohen Research Foundation and the Foundation for Women’s Cancer announced Michael J. Birrer, MD, PhD, as the 2016 recipient of the Claudia Cohen Research Foundation Prize for Outstanding Gynecologic Cancer Researcher. The $50,000 prize was presented at the Society of Gynecologic...
With new funding awarded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), Lili Yang, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics and the Eli & Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research (BSCRC) at the...
The 2016 Pezcoller Foundation-American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) International Award for Cancer Research will be presented to Joan Massagué, PhD, Director of the Sloan Kettering Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, at the AACR...
The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this special feature on the worldwide cancer burden. In this issue, we feature a close look at the cancer incidence and mortality rates in Israel. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of the world. For...
The oncology research team at HonorHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, is spearheading a phase Ib/II trial that is demonstrating promising results with a novel regimen in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. “The patients we are treating have advanced adenocarcinoma of the...
Itai Yanai, PhD, whose in-depth study of how embryos develop has led to breakthroughs in the analysis of gene composition and expression, has been named the inaugural Director of the newly created Institute for Computational Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center. He officially takes his new...
Susan Block, MD, an institute physician in the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Harvard Medical School Professor, and Director of the Serious Illness Care Program at Ariadne Labs, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American...
The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) announced the addition of cancer researcher Robert Hromas, MD, Chair of Medicine at University of Florida Health, to its scientific advisory board (SAB). Dr. Hromas, who continues his position at the University of Florida Health, will join his...
Hartford HealthCare has named Past ASCO President Peter Paul Yu, MD, FASCO, the first Physician-in-Chief of Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute. As Physician-in-Chief, Dr. Yu will be responsible for working closely and collaboratively with physicians and nurses who practice within the Hartford...
African American patients with esophageal cancer survive fewer months after diagnosis than white patients, but only if they also have low incomes, according to a study presented by Loretta Erhunmwunsee, MD, at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Dr. Erhunmwunsee led the study...
Here is the final installment of selected abstracts from the proceedings of the 2015 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, focusing on Hodgkin lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. For other selected abstracts...
On March 30, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved defibrotide sodium (Defitelio) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with hepatic veno-occlusive disease, also known as sinusoidal obstructive syndrome, with renal or pulmonary dysfunction following hematopoietic...
Patrick Moore, MD, MPH, has received the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Outstanding Investigator Award, and was awarded $6.4 million to further his work into the link between viruses and cancer. This NCI grant provides 7 years of secured support, giving the investigator freedom from the pressure...
Jennie R. Crews, MD, FACP, became the new President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) during the recent ACCC 42nd Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Dr. Crews brings more than 18 years of experience in advancing quality oncology care, currently as the Medical Director for Cancer ...
Sarah L. Blair, MD, of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, discusses surgical resection of breast cancer, which has the best chance of cure and is better than hormonal treatment alone, even in patients over age 80.
Direct your patients to the Cancer.Net Blog, www.cancer.net/blog, to listen to a podcast from the 2016 Quality Care Symposium on research highlighting efforts to make sure patients are getting the most appropriate care while also addressing the costs of cancer care. Also on the blog, learn more...
ASCO has joined members of the health-care community in pledging to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to commit to principles that will advance interoperability among health information systems. A formal announcement of the initiative was delivered by HHS Secretary Sylvia M....
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) was passed in April 2015, introducing comprehensive changes to how Medicare pays physicians for services. As the policies passed in MACRA are rolled out over the coming years, they will profoundly impact reimbursement and care...
The Foundation’s Donor Lounge is the perfect space to recharge or meet with friends and colleagues during ASCO’s Annual Meeting. It’s where industry leaders network and enjoy access to complimentary light refreshments and where busy attendees escape for a quiet place to relax. Make accessing this...
A study in the Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP)1 measured the level of cultural competence among surgeons from six hospitals in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, home to a large population of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. According to the study, “Assessing Cultural Competence...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2016 Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Merit Awards in Gastrointestinal Cancer, Genitourinary Cancer, Cancer Survivorship, and Quality Care. The following 74 young investigators, recognized for the scientific merit...
A recent study by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine showed that a microRNA called miR-181a dampens signals from the cancer-driving NFκB protein pathway in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). By reducing NFκB...
On April 4, 2016, The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced a Blue Ribbon Panel of scientific experts, cancer leaders, and patient advocates that will inform the scientific direction and goals at NCI of Vice President Joe Biden’s National...
At this year’s ASCO Quality Care Symposium, Craig Earle, MD, MSc, of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, used Donabedian’s Triad—structure, process, and outcome—to set the stage for his presentation on the science of quality. “The theory behind Donabedian’s Triad is that structure...
Jeffrey Fowler, MD, John G. Boutselis Chair in Gynecologic Oncology and Professor and Vice-Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, started his 1-year term as the 48th President of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) at the conclusion of the...
Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, Chief of the Breast Medicine Service, Vice President for Government Relations, and Chief Advocacy Officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, has been named the next Chief Executive Officer...
Today’s medical oncologist is increasingly challenged to stay current with the latest developments in cancer treatment. I have been fortunate to speak with many oncologists over the past quarter-century on how professional life has evolved since the 1990s. These conversations have left me with a...
Louis Burt Nabors, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses improvements in the 2016 NCCN Guidelines for glioma, anaplastic oligodendroglioma, and glioblastoma.
Kenneth Anderson, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses how the many advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma affect current and future clinical practice.
Judith Paice, PhD, RN, of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, discusses strategies for safe opioid prescribing: making a comprehensive assessment, stratifying risk, using universal precautions, and educating practitioners on safe storage and disposal.
Douglas E. Wood, MD, of the University of Washington, discusses best practices, which enable a complete workup in 1 to 2 weeks in almost all patients, saving unnecessary testing.