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Showing 15401 - 15450A New Era in the Management of Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Approximately 20% of all breast cancers are human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive. Prior to the era of HER2-targeted therapy, HER2-positive breast cancer was characterized by a poor prognosis.1,2 The development of the first HER2-targeted therapy, trastuzumab (Herceptin), led to...
Conquering Cancer With 2013 Career Development Award Recipient Rebecca A. Gardner, MD
Rebecca A. Gardner, MD is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington and Attending Physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital. She received a 2013 Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Career Development Award (CDA) for her project “Autologous T cells genetically modified to express a CD19...
FDA Approves Radioactive Diagnostic Imaging Agent to Help Determine the Extent of Head and Neck Cancer in the Body
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new use for technetium 99m tilmanocept (Lymphoseek Injection), a radioactive diagnostic imaging agent used to help doctors determine the extent to which squamous cell carcinoma has spread in the body’s head and neck region. In 2013, tilmanocept...
FDA Approval of Siltuximab for Multicentric Castleman’s Disease
INSIDE THE BLACK BOX is an occasional column providing insight into the FDA and its policies and procedures. In this installment, FDA hematologist/oncologist Albert Deisseroth, MD, PhD, discusses the recent approval of siltuximab for patients with multicentric Castleman’s disease who are human...
Many Patients With Colorectal Cancer Fail to Receive Adjuvant Chemotherapy
Data from the National Cancer Data Bank (2010–2011) suggest that 30% of patients with colorectal cancer who are eligible for adjuvant chemotherapy fail to receive it, but their odds increase by 30% when surgery is performed by laparoscopy, rather than laparotomy.1 “In this large national database...
Colorectal Cancer Screening Poised for Change
New screening modalities and the customization of the screening population could soon change the way that screening for colorectal cancer is done. At Digestive Disease Week 2014, the largest gathering of gastrointestinal disease specialists in the world, researchers presented data suggesting that...
Preoperative Breast MRI: Does Higher Sensitivity Equal Better Outcomes?
Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is superior to more commonly used imaging modalities in preoperative breast cancer staging and should be a key element in routine workup. But despite its high sensitivity for catching cancers, breast MRI still does not deliver maximum value for the patient....
Research Insights From the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer still kills 40,000 Americans a year out of approximately 44,000 diagnosed. While advances in diagnosis and treatment are extending the lives of patients with other cancers, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains the second most lethal tumor (behind lung cancer). While a magic...
Chemotherapy Plus Ramucirumab Provides Survival Advantage Over Chemotherapy Alone in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Ramucirumab (Cyramza) added to docetaxel improved overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has progressed on one prior therapy, according to results of a phase III trial presented at the 50th ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The...
Immune-Related Genes Predictive of Trastuzumab Benefit
Improved relapse-free survival following treatment with adjuvant trastuzumab (Herceptin) appears to be associated with a heightened state of immunologic function, according to genomic analysis that resulted in a 14-gene profile predictive of outcomes in the landmark NCCTG (Alliance) N9831 trial.1...
Oral Two-Drug Regimen Appears Promising in Phase II Trial of Recurrent Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer
An all-oral combination of the investigational agents olaparib and cediranib nearly doubled progression-free survival in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer in a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored randomized phase II trial reported at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The toxicity...
Pieces of the Puzzle in Treating Early Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Separate studies in early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) found that the addition of consolidation chemotherapy to concurrent chemoradiotherapy did not improve survival and that adjuvant erlotinib (Tarceva) did not improve survival. There was a suggestion of benefit for adjuvant erlotinib...
Ibrutinib Surpasses Ofatumumab as Second-Line Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Ibrutinib (Imbruvica) significantly improved progression-free survival, overall survival, and response when compared with ofatumumab (Arzerra) as second-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) in the phase III RESONATE study. The study results were...
Expert Point of View: Steven J. O’Day, MD, Don S. Dizon, MD, Michael Birrer, MD, PhD
Steven J. O’Day, MD, Director, Clinical Research, Beverly Hills Cancer Center and Director, Los Angeles Skin Cancer Institute, Beverly Hills, California, commented on cervical cancer study by Hinrichs et al from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) during a press briefing at the ASCO Annual Meeting. ...
Early Study Explores New Approach to Treating Advanced Cervical Cancer
A small, federally funded study of nine patients treated with human papillomavirus (HPV)-targeted adoptive T-cell therapy gives reason to hope that this type of therapy may be a new effective approach for patients with metastatic cervical cancer and possibly other solid tumors.1 In the study, two...
Expert Point of View: Cora N. Sternberg, MD, FACP
Despite the availability of hormonal therapy for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer and the high response rates for these agents, most patients eventually experience progression to castration-resistant disease. “Multidisciplinary team approaches have contributed to the enormous progress...
Expert Point of View: Scott T. Tagawa, MD
Formal discussant Scott T. Tagawa, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Urology at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, had the task of putting the three prostate cancer trials—PREVAIL, ELM-PC 4, and SWOG S0925—into context. “Since the approval of docetaxel, we have learned much...
Updated Information on Prostate Cancer Drugs: Enzalutamide, Orteronel, and Cixutumumab
Three separate studies of treatments for prostate cancer reported at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago showed excellent, intermediate, and disappointing results. An update of the previously reported PREVAIL trial (see March 1 issue of The ASCO Post, page 1) was overwhelmingly positive for the ...
Combined With Chemotherapy, Cetuximab and Bevacizumab Found Comparable for First-Line Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treatment
Call it a draw: Cetuximab (Erbitux), an EGFR inhibitor, and bevacizumab (Avastin), a VEGF inhibitor, confer comparable benefits as first-line treatment with chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer, according to the phase III Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)/Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) ...
Advancing Immune Checkpoint Targeting in Cancer Treatment
James P. Allison, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Immunology, Executive Director of the Moon Shots Immunotherapy Platform, and Deputy Directory of the David H. Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinary Cancers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, is...
Expert Point of View: Nancy E. Davidson, MD, and Claudine Isaacs, MD
This study provides key insights into the longstanding and vexing debate about optimal systemic therapy for these young women. We wonder about the role of tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, chemotherapy, and ancillary therapies like bisphosphonates,” said Nancy E. Davidson, MD, Director of the...
Exemestane/Ovarian Suppression Reduces Recurrence vs Tamoxifen/Ovarian Suppression in Premenopausal Breast Cancer
A joint analysis of two important phase III clinical trials—TEXT (Tamoxifen and Exemestane Trial) and SOFT (Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial)—showed that exemestane plus ovarian function suppression was superior to tamoxifen plus ovarian suppression in preventing recurrence in premenopausal...
Coping With the Aftermath of Cancer
Even now, 3 years after I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I’m still struggling with how it is possible to have a normal mammogram and 6 months later be confronted with stage II estrogen/progesterone–positive, HER2-positive breast cancer. The news was especially devastating to hear because it...
Modest Improvement in Progression-Free but Not Overall Survival With Selumetinib vs Chemotherapy
Patients with uveal melanoma treated with selumetinib had modestly improved progression-free survival and response rate compared to patients treated with chemotherapy, but no improvement in overall survival, according to results of a randomized, open-label, phase II trial. “Improvement in clinical...
Underuse of Trimodality Treatment for Patients With Inflammatory Breast Cancer Negatively Impacts Survival
Analysis of data for 10,197 women treated for nonmetastatic inflammatory breast cancer treated over a 12-year-period found that the use of trimodality treatment (chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy) fluctuated annually between 58.4% and 73%. “Underutilization of trimodality therapy...
Discontinuing Statins Near the End of Life Is Safe, Can Reduce Symptom Burden, and Is Generally Acceptable to Patients
Discontinuing statins for patients near the end of life is safe, saves money, spares patients from swallowing yet another pill and from the symptoms associated with statins, and is generally welcomed by patients. That last bit might come as a surprise to some physicians who worry that discontinuing ...
Siltuximab for Multicentric Castleman’s Disease
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On April 23, 2014, the anti–interleukin (IL)-6 monoclonal antibody...
ASTRO Names Three Radiation Oncologists as Recipients of Society’s 2014 Gold Medal
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has announced the names of three recipients of the Society’s highest honor, the ASTRO Gold Medal. Mary K. Gospodarowicz, MD, FASTRO, Leonard L. Gunderson, MD, MS, FASTRO, and Nancy J. Tarbell, MD, FASTRO, will receive the ASTRO Gold Medal...
Diagnostic Imaging Agent Approved for Use in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a new use for technetium 99m tilmanocept (Lymphoseek Injection), a radioactive diagnostic imaging agent used to help doctors determine the extent to which squamous cell carcinoma has spread in the body’s head and neck region. Earlier...
'Physician Education Is Key' to Continued Advances in Geriatric Oncology
Several times during his lecture at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting, Stuart M. Lichtman, MD, FACP, FASCO, the recipient of the B.J. Kennedy Award for Scientific Excellence in Geriatric Oncology, emphasized, “Physician education is the key” to continued advances in geriatric oncology. He specified that ...
ASCO Convenes Think Tank to Tackle Disparities in Cancer Care
Despite advances in cancer screening and in more effective therapies to treat the disease, which have led to improved outcomes and increased survival rates for millions of people with cancer, not every American is reaping the benefits of these advances. Disparities in health-care access, quality of ...
Stronger Nicotine Dependency Associated With Higher Lung Cancer Risk
A study by investigators at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has indicated that people who are highly addicted to nicotine, ie, those who smoke their first cigarette within 5 minutes after awakening, are at higher risk of developing lung cancer than those who wait for 1 hour or more to smoke....
Importance of Using Multiplex Testing for Oncogenic Drivers to Select Targeted Drugs in Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the world as well as in the United States, where it is the leading cancer killer in both men and women. The majority of lung cancer patients present with metastatic (stage IV) disease that cannot be cured with current therapies. Standard cytotoxic ...
Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium Finds Oncogenic Drivers in Majority of Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinomas
The Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium (LCMC) was formed to test adenocarcinomas of the lung for 10 oncogenic drivers in order to enable clinicians to select targeted treatments and enroll patients into suitable clinical trials. As recently reported in JAMA by Mark G. Kris, MD, William and Joy Ruane...
Following ‘Fruitful’ Year of Collaboration, Advocacy, and Growth, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Moves to Next Level
Finishing up a 2-year term as President of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO), A. Kim Ritchey, MD, summarized ASPHO’s achievements in advocacy, education, and professional development in his State of the Society address at the ASPHO 27th Annual Meeting in Chicago. He also ...
Panitumumab Plus FOLFOX for KRAS Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. Panitumumab (Vectibix) was recently approved by the U.S. Food and...
Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine as a Late Treatment for HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer—Better and Less Toxic Than Physician’s Choice
TH3RESA is a randomized phase III open-label study, reported in The Lancet Oncology and summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post, which examined the activity of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla) in heavily pretreated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.1 Formerly known as T-DM1,...
Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine Improves Progression-Free Survival vs Physician’s Choice in Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
There are few treatment options for breast cancer patients with progressive disease after two or more HER2-directed regimens for recurrent or metastatic disease. In the open-label phase III TH3RESA trial reported in The Lancet Oncology by Ian E. Krop, MD, PhD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,...
Navigating Cancer in the Era of Personalized Medicine: Rev 2014 Explores Emerging Issues, Ideas for Action
Diagnosed with stage IV non–small cell lung cancer in 2011, Stephen Wright turned to patient support groups where he learned about the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutation and a new drug that targeted it, crizotinib (Xalkori). He asked—then insisted—that he be tested for the mutation. He found ...
FDA Advisory Committee Votes Against Accelerated Approval for Olaparib in Ovarian Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 11 to 2 that current evidence from clinical studies does not support an accelerated approval for use of olaparib as a maintenance treatment for women with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer who have...
Concurrent Immunotherapy Pays Off in Advanced Melanoma
In advanced melanoma, two immune checkpoint inhibitors may be better than one, according to the promising outcomes of a study reported at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting. Concurrent treatment with the anti–CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab, an antibody targeting the programmed death...
‘R-Squared’ Regimen Delivers a Punch to Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Subtype
The combination of lenalidomide (Revlimid) and rituximab (Rituximab), dubbed the “R-squared” regimen, has gained attention lately, and ongoing trials are evaluating whether chemotherapy with R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, prednisone) can be improved by adding a...
Expert Point of View: Eleni Efstathiou, MD, PhD
The magic of this research is that it requires a liquid biopsy [circulating tumor cells in the blood]—a simple blood collection,” said Eleni Efstathiou, MD, PhD, Associate Professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, commenting on the study presented by Antonarakis and...
AR-V7 Predicts Resistance to Enzalutamide and Abiraterone in Men With Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Androgen receptor (AR) splice variant 7 (V7) appears to be a new biomarker for response and disease progression in patients treated with enzalutamide (Xtandi) or abiraterone (Zytiga). The presence of AR-V7 in circulating tumor cells predicted resistance to both drugs in men with metastatic...
Expert Point of View: Martin Reck, MD, PhD
Martin Reck, MD, PhD, Head of Thoracic Oncology at the Hospital Grosshansdorf in Germany, discussed the anti–PD-1 abstracts at the ASCO Annual Meeting. “We have seen tremendous results for immunotherapies for the reactivation of the immune system in patients with advanced melanoma. The question...
Strong Showing for Anti–PD-1 Agents in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Monoclonal antibodies targeting the programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) pathway are expected to answer an unmet need in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). With first-line platinum-doublets, 1-year overall survival is 30% to 50%, and while treatments targeting sensitizing mutations are more...
Long-Term Follow-up of Phase I Nivolumab Trial
In the longest follow-up to date of any programmed death (PD)-1 receptor inhibitor in previously treated advanced melanoma, one-third of patients are demonstrating durable responses to the investigational agent nivolumab, and in some cases, these persist following discontinuation of the drug,...
Ipilimumab Reduces Recurrences as Adjuvant Treatment of Melanoma
Ipilimumab (Yervoy) has transformed the treatment of metastatic melanoma, producing long-term responses in about 20% of patients. A phase III study has now evaluated its impact in the adjuvant setting, and the results are a bit less striking. Primary Endpoint The European Organisation for Research...
IOM Workshop Explores Growing Problems in Patient Access to Cancer Drugs
Cancer patients’ out-of-pocket costs are rising dramatically, and insurance premiums, cost sharing, and ancillary expenses can be devastating. Many people go bankrupt as a result of the high costs of health care. Drugs are among the most serious economic culprits. They grow more expensive every...
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
The ASCO Annual Meeting in June confirmed—and expanded—the excitement of the oncology community about molecular medicine and its future. The complex molecular pathways were pictured in living color on many slides in many large auditoriums. Newspapers across the country were equally enthusiastic as...
