ASCO, along with more than 100 medical organizations and societies, sent a letter to members of the U.S. House and Senate leadership urging Congress to prioritize and advance several bills and legislative proposals that would provide greater fiscal stability for physicians and reform key elements...
The survival rates of patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have improved since the introduction of the first immunotherapeutic in this population in the United States in 2015, according to a recent study published by Wang et al in Cancer. NSCLC accounts for up to 90% of all...
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rare and aggressive malignant head and neck cancer that is highly prevalent in the southern and southwestern provinces of China. Although the incidence of the cancer is less than 1 per 100,000 in Europe, the United States, and the Pacific, data from the International...
Although esophageal cancer in the United States is relatively rare—affecting about 22,400 people each year and making up about 1% of all cancer cases—the disease is common in East and Central Asian countries. Nearly 90% of patients with esophageal cancer in Asia are diagnosed with the squamous cell ...
U.S. adults who use e-cigarettes daily and smoke combustible cigarettes may be more likely to quit smoking traditional cigarettes compared with those who smoke but use e-cigarettes less frequently, according to a recent study published by Kasza et al in JAMA Network Open. The findings suggest that...
In a population-based retrospective cohort study (Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Survivor Study; TYACSS) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Sunguc et al identified risks of adverse obstetric outcomes among female survivors of adolescent and young adult cancers in England and Wales. Study Details The...
In the phase II INSIGHT 2 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Yi-Long Wu, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of tepotinib plus osimertinib showed clinically meaningful activity in patients with advanced or metastatic EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with MET...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Alessandro D. Santin, MD, and colleagues, findings in the endometrial cancer cohort of the phase II multicohort TROPiCS-03 trial indicated activity of the Trop-2–directed antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan-hziy in pretreated patients...
The results of routine blood tests could be used to speed up cancer diagnoses among patients with abdominal symptoms, according to a recent study published by Rafiq et al in PLOS Medicine. Background Most patients who report symptoms of abdominal pain or bloating to their physicians are referred...
A novel artificial intelligence (AI) model may prove to be effective at predicting which patients with breast cancer are likely to develop chronic pain, according to a recent study published by Park et al in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. The findings may help physicians to better understand...
Most patients with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) are overtreated, according to Emanuele Zucca, MD, of the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland and Institute of Oncology Research in Bellinzona and the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. “Aggressive therapy is not needed in...
In an updated analysis of a single-center phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hagop Kantarjian, MD, and colleagues found that the simultaneous combination of ponatinib and blinatumomab continued to be associated with good outcomes in newly diagnosed patients with...
Certain patients with colorectal cancer that has metastasized to the liver may experience improved progression-free survival with liver transplantation compared with standard therapies, according to a recent study published by Byrne et al in JAMA Surgery. Background Colorectal cancer often...
People who use e-cigarettes in conjunction with cigarette smoking are four times more likely to develop lung cancer than people who just smoke cigarettes, according to new study published by Harris et al the Journal of Oncology Research and Therapy. These findings were consistent across gender and...
I first met Lyn Denny, MD, PhD, in Ghana, in 2004, when she became the Secretary Treasurer of AORTIC and brought the organization back to life. We’ve been friends ever since. I equate Lyn’s unwavering dedication to bringing health equity to women in Africa to Nelson Mandela’s fight for social...
The global oncology and public health communities are mourning the death of Lynette Ann Denny, MD, PhD, a world-renowned gynecologic oncologist and a leading researcher in the prevention of cervical cancer in low-resource settings. Dr. Denny died on June 9, 2024, in Cape Town, South Africa, of...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, I interviewed Dario Trapani, MD, a medical oncologist at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan and Assistant Professor at the Department of Oncology and Haemato-Oncology of the University of Milan, in Italy. Dr. Trapani is a...
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Shaffer et al found that use of post–allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) cyclophosphamide (PTCy)-based graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis resulted in comparable overall survival and GVHD-free, relapse-free survival...
In the phase III ECOG-ACRIN E1910 trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Mark R. Litzow, MD, and colleagues found that the addition of blinatumomab to consolidation chemotherapy improved overall survival among adult patients with BCR-ABL fusion–negative B-cell precursor acute...
On July 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Guardant Health’s Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening in adults aged 45 years and older who are at average risk for the disease. It is the first blood test to be approved by the FDA as a primary screening option for...
Patients with BRCA1- or BRCA2-mutated ovarian cancer may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer following treatment, according to a recent study published by Evans et al in Genetics in Medicine. Background Previous research has estimated that the risk of developing breast cancer by the age...
Based on the results of a retrospective cohort study published by Demissei et al in JACC: CardioOncology, Black patients with prostate cancer who received systemic androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) seemed to have a significantly greater likelihood of experiencing adverse cardiovascular disease...
Guest Editor’s Note: Chemotherapy and its side effects can lead to decreased physical activity and poor diet quality, resulting in unfavorable changes in physical functioning and quality of life. However, adopting healthy behaviors during cancer treatments can be challenging because of physical,...
In a long-term analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gleeson et al found that initial salvage treatment for germ cell tumors with paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (TIP) was associated with positive long-term outcomes in both favorable- and unfavorable-risk disease. Study...
Agricultural pesticides may carry a similar risk as smoking for some types of cancers, according to a recent study published by Gerken et al in Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society. Background In modern agriculture practices, pesticides are essential to ensure high enough crop yields and food...
The publisher and editorial staff of The ASCO Post are happy to share an exciting announcement. While our company was formerly known as Harborside, powered by BroadcastMed, earlier this summer we announced a new name and platform for our business, Conexiant. Importantly, we continue our essential...
Iron Dad: A Cancer Survivor’s Story of Discovering Strength, Life, and Love Through Fatherhood by Paul Weigel is an inspiring and deeply moving memoir that transcends the traditional boundaries of parenthood and personal transformation. This story begins with a sense of discontent and a desire for...
As reported in The Lancet by Martin Dreyling, MD, PhD, of Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital Munich, and colleagues, results in the European Mantle Cell Lymphoma Network phase III TRIANGLE trial indicate that the addition of ibrutinib to immunochemotherapy and autologous stem cell...
A new update to the ASCO guideline on managing cancer-related fatigue recommends that health care providers urge their patients to exercise, as well as use cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based programs to help prevent and treat this prevalent symptom.1 It is estimated that between 30% ...
The anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin is a standard of care for certain types of lymphomas, including classical Hodgkin lymphoma in combination with multiagent chemotherapy. Brentuximab vedotin has also shown efficacy and safety in combination with lenalidomide and rituximab in...
The phase III ESOPEC trial, conducted in Germany, compared two regimens for locally advanced esophageal cancer and found an overall survival benefit with the perioperative FLOT protocol over the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy CROSS regimen. The results were presented during the Plenary Session of...
The international meeting in Madrid of the newly formed Alliance for Global Implementation of Lung and Cardiac Early Disease Detection and Treatment (AGILE) was held in May 2024. This diverse forum included health-care professionals, public health leaders, industry representatives, and patient...
Two hallmark toxicities of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may be rare after 2 weeks following infusion in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), supporting a shorter, more flexible toxicity monitoring period., according to a recent study published by Ahmed et al in...
In a retrospective study reported in JAMA Oncology, Fulgenzi et al found evidence that immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based treatment may improve survival vs best supportive care as first-line therapy in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and Child-Pugh class B (CP-B) liver...
The results of a cross-sectional study reported in JACC: CardioOncology by Nwana et al revealed a significant association between the extent to which a neighborhood facilitates walking and the burden of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors among patients with a history of cancer. “[The findings...
Experts from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), American Statistical Association (ASA), and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have outlined considerations for clinical trial designs to enhance the collection and analysis of overall survival data in the context of modern-day...
In a U.S. study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Steven J. Katz, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that many women with early breast cancer and indications for genetic testing do not undergo said testing. Study Details The study involved data from 1,412 women aged 20 to 79 years...
Advancements in cancer therapies have led to increased survival rates, but this progress has come with a cost: many life-saving treatments may impair fertility, leaving patients and cancer survivors grappling with the potential loss of their reproductive abilities. Oncofertility, a field that...
Research has consistently shown that Native American and Alaska Native individuals are among the most underserved minority populations in the United States and are disproportionately affected by cancer. The results from a 50-year report by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Alaska Native...
The search for biomarkers of response to immunotherapy is high on the list of cancer-related research efforts. A new classifier in triple-negative breast cancer is showing promise and is currently being validated in the I-SPY2.2 trial, according to Laura van ’t Veer, PhD, Professor of Laboratory...
Gender-affirming testosterone therapy may have a potential protective benefit in transmasculine patients at risk of breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Heng et al in Breast Cancer Research. Background To treat their gender dysphoria, some transmasculine patients undergo...
In a Utah population–based cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Barnard et al found that women with ovarian endometriomas and/or deep-infiltrating endometriosis had a markedly increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. Those with such severe subtypes may represent an important population...
In a Chinese phase I trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ma et al found that BL-B01D1—a first-in-class EGFR-HER3 bispecific antibody-drug conjugate—was active in previously treated patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. Study Details In the multicenter trial, 195 patients...
The members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recently elected five new officers to ASTRO’s Board of Directors: Neha Vapiwala, MD, FACR, FASTRO, FASCO, President-Elect Jean Wright, MD, FASTRO, Clinical Affairs and Quality Council Vice Chair Andrea Ng, MD, MPH, FASTRO,...
Researchers have developed new imaging guidelines, representing a major shift in the management of patients with head and neck cancers, according to a study published by Henson et al in The Lancet Oncology. The guidelines may lay the foundation for these patients to be treated with tailored...
In a single-center phase I trial reported in The Lancet, Frank et al found that CD22-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (CAR22) showed activity in patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) whose disease progressed on CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy (CAR19). CD22 is a nearly...
In selected patients with unresectable colorectal liver metastases, liver transplantation plus chemotherapy significantly boosted overall survival as compared with chemotherapy alone in the multicenter, European TRANSMET trial, presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The combined approach led...
Female patients may become pregnant and give birth to healthy children despite treatment-related fertility challenges following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), according to a recent study published by Sockel et al in Blood. The findings highlighted the need for increased...
Hormone-modulating therapy used to treat patients with breast cancer may be associated with a 7% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias later in life, according to a recent study published by Cai et al in JAMA Network Open. Background About 67% of patients with breast...
In an Australian single-center trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ramchand et al found that denosumab prevented bone loss vs placebo in premenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer receiving estradiol suppression therapy. Study Details In the double-blind...