Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may transform disease monitoring and guide treatment for soft-tissue sarcomas, according to data presented at the 2023 Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) International Conference on Surgical Cancer Care.1 Findings of a retrospective review showed that 85% of patients...
The GLOW study’s invited discussant, Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, Chief of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, said the GLOW findings are “practice-changing,” validating that high claudin-18.2 (CLDN18.2) expression as an important biomarker in...
“Endometrial cancer is the most frequently diagnosed gynecologic malignancy in the United States, and it is the only one where the mortality has actually risen over the past 40 years,” noted Rebecca Arend, MD, MSH, Associate Professor at the University of Alabama and Associate Scientist in the...
The addition of a checkpoint inhibitor to standard chemotherapy as first-line treatment of advanced endometrial cancer reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 70% in patients with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) tumors in two recent phase III studies. The results of the two...
An interim analysis of the Neotorch study highlighted the potential of immunotherapy for the treatment of early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data presented by Lu et al during the ASCO Plenary Series: April 2023 Session (Abstract 425126). The findings showed a significant...
In three new clinical trials, researchers have found that the novel fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor pemigatinib and new poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP)/ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) inhibitor combinations may be effective at treating patients with multiple...
Investigators have uncovered factors contributing to the COVID-19 pandemic’s destabilization of the usual patterns of cancer care, described specific ways that National Cancer Database data models were impacted by the pandemic, and offered guidance to cancer centers across the United States on how...
On this episode, we are sharing news presented during the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, which was held earlier this month in Orlando. We feature three researchers discussing their findings in non–small cell lung cancer, early-stage breast cancer, and solid tumors...
Researchers have discovered that co-occurring mutations in three tumor-suppressor genes—KEAP1, SMARCA4, and CDKN2A—may be linked with poor clinical outcomes in patients with KRAS G12C–mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with the KRAS G12C inhibitors adagrasib or sotorasib,...
The yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional enhancer activator domain (TEAD) inhibitor VT3989 may have been well tolerated with durable antitumor responses in patients with advanced malignant mesothelioma as well as other NF2-mutated solid tumors, according to new findings presented by Yap et...
Karriem S. Watson, DHSc, MPH, of the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program, discusses the importance of engaging in clinical trials for those who are underrepresented in biomedical research. Community engagement is a proven and effective tool, Dr. Watson says, to enhance...
Sherry X. Yang, MD, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute, discusses findings from the TAILORx trial, which showed that, despite chemotherapy, patients with high recurrence scores continue to have a poor prognosis. This result suggests the need to develop new management strategies for patients with ...
Researchers revealed that 39.2% of patients who consented to whole-exome sequencing and were identified as carriers of predisposition genes for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer or Lynch syndrome did not qualify for genetic screening under current guidelines, according to new findings presented...
An investigational deep learning model requiring one histopathologic slide may be effective at predicting the risk of distant recurrence in patients with endometrial cancer, according to novel findings presented by Fremond et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting...
In an Indian trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Badwe et al found that peritumoral infiltration of local anesthetic prior to surgery in patients with early breast cancer was associated with improved disease-free and overall survival. As stated by the investigators, “Preventing...
Although plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) tests represent a promising approach for cancer screening, different methodologies vary in performance and many liquid biopsy tests show decreased performance in detecting early-stage or low-shedding DNA tumors. However, the results from a retrospective...
Sherry X. Yang, MD, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute, discusses findings from the TAILORx trial, which showed that, despite chemotherapy, patients with high recurrence scores continue to have a poor prognosis. This result suggests the need to develop new management strategies for patients with ...
Adjuvant therapy with atezolizumab and bevacizumab improved recurrence-free survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following surgical resection or ablation, according to results from the phase III IMbrave050 clinical trial, which were presented by Chow et al at the American...
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have outlined opportunities for achieving President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s Cancer Moonshot national goal of reducing the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years. A study published by Shiels et al in Cancer...
Hereditary cancer syndromes are caused by a pathogenic variant in cancer susceptibility genes, which overall account for approximately 10% of all cancers. Carriers of pathogenic variants are at an increased risk of developing cancer during their lifetime. Genomic cancer risk assessment makes it...
Pancreatic cancer is a rare disease, accounting for about 3% of all cancers in the United States. It is the deadliest of all solid malignancies, accounting for about 7% of all cancer deaths each year, and carries a 5-year survival rate of just 11.5%. According to the American Cancer Society, in...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Squifflet et al found that pathologic complete response (pCR) was a weak surrogate for event-free and overall survival in neoadjuvant trials of anti-HER2 therapy in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer. Study Details In the study,...
Researchers have provided strong evidence that a healthy lifestyle may significantly reduce mortality in adults who have survived pediatric cancer, according to a new study published by Dixon et al in The Lancet. The findings are among the first to reveal that the specific primary causes of...
In this installment of our Global Oncology series, Guest Editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Kelly M. McMasters, MD, PhD, who, for the past 27 years, has directed a basic and translational science lab studying adenovirus-mediated cancer gene therapy and melanoma biomarkers....
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will honor Nobel Laureate Carolyn R. Bertozzi, PhD, with the 2023 AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research during the 2023 AACR Annual Meeting on April 14–19 in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Bertozzi’s award lecture will be...
When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, in 2007, I asked the physician not to tell me the type, stage, or prognosis. I was about to start nursing school and was aware enough about the disease to know that not many people survived. I’ve since discovered that I had stage 3B small cell lung cancer,...
On March 3, 2023, abemaciclib was approved for use with endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor) for adjuvant treatment of patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative, node-positive early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence.1 Abemaciclib was previously approved...
In a Russian single-institution prospective cohort study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sheikh et al found that quitting smoking after a diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was associated with improved disease progression and survival outcomes among patients. Study Details The...
Penile cancer is a rare disease with an incidence that is rising globally. Driven by a goal to offer clinicians and patients guidance on the management of this rare condition, ASCO collaborated with the European Association of Urology (EAU) to develop new guidelines on its diagnosis and treatment....
The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) has announced the creation of the Kanti R. Rai, MD, Clinical Scholar Program to fund the ongoing study of lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Established in recognition of the global leadership of Kanti R. Rai, MD, in the field of lymphoma and CLL ...
Although advances in radiation therapy have rendered this treatment modality more tolerable, they have not completely eliminated the burden of radiation-related toxicity. In an ideal setting, clinicians would be able to identify patients whose risk of recurrence is sufficiently low that they can...
The management of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer has been evolving at a fast pace, thanks largely to the discovery that immune checkpoint blockade can be effective in this subtype. At the 2023 Miami Breast Cancer Conference, Priyanka Sharma, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of...
Researchers have demonstrated that patients with low-grade lymphomatoid granulomatosis who were treated with the immunotherapy interferon alfa-2b may survive for a median of 20 years after diagnosis, according to a novel study published by Melani et al in The Lancet Haematology. The findings...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announced that the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) has been named its newest member institution. With the addition, there are now 33 academic centers across the United States that have multidisciplinary subject...
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Julie E. Bauman, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that the combination of the antihepatocyte growth factor antibody ficlatuzumab and cetuximab was active in patients with cetuximab-resistant, recurrent or metastatic head and neck...
On April 3, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a National Cancer Plan, which calls for collaboration to realize the objectives laid out in the Cancer Moonshot to reduce cancer mortality by at least 50% over the next 25 years and “end cancer as we know it.” Developed by...
Menin inhibitors are making inroads in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). These drugs selectively target KMT2A-rearranged or NPM1-mutant AML, and early studies suggest they will be a welcome addition for patients with these aberrations. KMT2A rearrangements occur in about 5% of patients ...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Holt et al found that health insurance status was a substantial mediator in the diagnosis of advanced-stage vs early-stage cervical cancer across ethnicity and race in patients from the United States. Study Details The retrospective, cross-sectional,...
Adding immunotherapy to standard chemotherapy may result in significantly longer progression-free survival for patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, according to the findings from two novel studies presented by Eskander et al and Mirza et al at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology...
After comparing the efficacy of the anti–PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab prior to and concurrently with chemoradiation, researchers have indicated favorable outcomes for 2-year disease-free survival and demonstrated evidence of improved immunogenicity with neoadjuvant atezolizumab in patients with...
In a cohort study reported in a research letter in JAMA Surgery, Minami et al found that frailty status worsened in a sizable proportion of older patients receiving locoregional therapy—including lumpectomy or mastectomy—for early-stage breast cancer. Baseline robust status and mastectomy were...
Patients with early-stage esophageal adenocarcinoma from lower-income households may be significantly less likely to receive a potentially life-saving treatment and may be more likely to die from the disease, according to a new study published by Geng et al in Clinical Gastroenterology and...
On February 14, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) selected three models aiming to address high prescription drug costs for testing by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)....
As reported in The Lancet by Adrianus Johannes de Langen, MD, PhD, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, and colleagues, the phase III CodeBreaK200 trial has shown a small but significant improvement in progression-free survival with sotorasib vs docetaxel in previously treated advanced...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Paula Rodriguez-Otero, MD, PhD, of Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and colleagues, an interim analysis of the phase III KarMMa-3 trial has shown superior progression-free survival with the B-cell maturation antigen–directed...
March is widely recognized worldwide as Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. Several advocacy groups and professional organizations recognize Colorectal Cancer Awareness month by promoting screening for eligible individuals and working to increase awareness. Here, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, an...
In an analysis reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Cenjing Zhu, MPhil, of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale University, and colleagues found that Black patients with cancer in the United States were at increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality...
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the United States. However, it ranks second in cancer-related deaths overall and is the leading cause of cancer...
The addition of the poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor talazoparib to the androgen receptor signaling inhibitor enzalutamide achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in radiographic progression–free survival compared with placebo plus enzalutamide as...
The American Associationfor Cancer Research (AACR) will award Carl H. June, MD, FAACR, Fellow of the AACR Academy, with the 2023 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research during the 2023 AACR Annual Meeting, April 14–19 in Orlando, Florida. Dr. June is the Richard W. Vague Professor in ...