THE NATIONAL Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) debuted three sets of completely new guidelines for treating patients with uveal melanoma, for treating patients who have cancer and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and for managing immune-related toxicities. Cancer in People Living With...
FOUR RANDOMIZED trials have shown improvements in recurrence-free survival in patients with high-risk melanoma with the administration of adjuvant therapy over the past 3 years, noted formal discussant of the EORTC 1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial, Antoni Ribas, MD, Director of the Tumor Immunology Program...
ADJUVANT THERAPY with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) significantly prolonged recurrence-free survival compared with placebo for patients with resected high-risk stage III melanoma, according to the results of the EORTC 1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial.1 Patients who received pembrolizumab had a 43% reduction in...
A RECENT article in The New England Journal of Medicine explored the nuances of minimal/measurable residual disease testing after induction treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML)1 and David P. Steensma, MD, and Benjamin L. Ebert, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical...
Dr. Shulman is Deputy Director, Clinical Services, and Director of the Center for Global Cancer Medicine, Abramson Cancer Center; and Professor of Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. IN 2008, WHEN ALLEN LICHTER, MD, FASCO, then Chief Executive Officer of ASCO,...
FORMAL DISCUSSANT of the KEYNOTE-189 trial, Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, Chief of Medical Oncology at Smilow Cancer Hospital, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, heartily endorsed the new triplet combination of pembrolizumab, pemetrexed, and a platinum in advanced nonsquamous non– small cell lung cancer...
ADDING THE IMMUNE checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to standard chemotherapy with pemetrexed (Alimta) and a platinum as first-line therapy was superior to chemotherapy alone in the KEYNOTE-189 trial.1 Induction and maintenance therapies with the new triplet therapy improved overall...
In a study reported in Annals of Oncology, Andersen et al found that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes isolated from metastatic melanoma lesions in patients with disease progression after checkpoint inhibitor therapy remain functional. Moreover, they concluded these tumor-infiltrating...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Degnim et al have developed a model for predicting breast cancer risk among women with atypical hyperplasia on breast biopsy. Study Details The risk model (AH-BC) was developed using retrospective cohorts of women aged 18 to 85 years with...
In a phase Ib trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Omuro et al found evidence of activity of carboxyamidotriazole orotate plus temozolomide in patients with recurrent anaplastic gliomas or glioblastoma and previously untreated glioblastoma. Carboxyamidotriazole orotate is an...
Parenting concerns contributed significantly to the psychological distress of mothers with late-stage cancer, according to a study by University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers published by Park et al in the journal Cancer. Cancer is the leading cause of...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently accepted a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) and granted Priority Review for atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in combination with bevacizumab (Avastin), paclitaxel, and carboplatin for the first-line treatment of metastatic nonsquamous...
Early, ongoing screening of lymphatic function and immediate patient-administered therapies as needed are highly effective in improving outcomes for women at high risk for breast cancer–related lymphedema (BCRL). These were the findings of a new study presented at the American Society of ...
Modern, multimodality lumpectomy treatment significantly reduces the incidence of breast cancer recurrence at the original tumor site compared to historical protocols, according to a new study presented at the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) 19th Annual Meeting (Abstract...
A large population-based study by Soisson et al examining the long-term cardiovascular outcomes among survivors of endometrial cancer has found that women were at higher risk for a number of cardiovascular risks, including hypertension; diseases of the arteries, arterioles, and capillaries;...
In an article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Stilgenbauer et al reported findings from the full population of the phase II trial that supported the 2016 approval of venetoclax (Venclexta) in the treatment of previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with 17p deletion....
Researchers have found that women with advanced triple-negative breast cancer with a BRCA mutation were twice as likely to benefit from carboplatin as docetaxel—the current standard of care for these patients. These findings were published by Tutt et al in Nature Medicine. The trial is set...
On April 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted for priority review the biologics license application (BLA) for cemiplimab for the treatment of patients with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma or patients with locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma who...
In a meta-analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, Yamada et al found that patients with cystic fibrosis are at increased risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers vs the general population. Improved management of cystic fibrosis has led to increased life expectancy and increased incidence of...
In an Australian trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sherman et al found that use of a structured online writing exercise (My Changed Body) was associated with reduced body image distress and improved body appreciation among breast cancer survivors. Study Details My Changed...
On April 30, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dabrafenib (Tafinlar) in combination with trametinib (Mekinist) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test, and lymph node involvement following...
The latest news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccination rates in the United States for human papillomavirus (HPV) is disappointing. It shows that in 2016, just 43.4% of adolescents (49.5% of females and 37.5% of males) were up-to-date with the recommended 3-dose HPV...
Updated results of a phase I/II study of durvalumab (Imfinzi) in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma were reported by Thomas Powles, MD, of Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues in JAMA Oncology. Data from the ongoing study supported the recent...
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist), administered together, for the treatment of unresectable, metastatic, BRAF V600E mutation–positive anaplastic thyroid cancer. Anaplastic thyroid cancer accounts for about 1% to 2% of all...
Nearly 85% of patients surveyed 6 or more months after completing radiotherapy as part of their treatment for breast cancer reported the side effects were not as bad as they had feared or expected. Approximately 92% of the 269 patients treated with breast conservation and 81% of the 58 patients...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and colleagues, ASCO has issued a clinical practice guideline update on the role of bone-modifying agents in multiple myeloma.1 The update was performed by an expert panel systematic...
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the “Art of Oncology” as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
Virginia G. Kaklamani, MD, Professor of Hematology/Oncology at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio and leader of the center’s breast cancer program, was born and reared in Athens, Greece. “I spent my formative years in Athens, where I attended school. My father is a physician and my mom’s a...
In an Israeli case-cohort study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hamood et al found that hormone therapy in breast cancer survivors was associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes. The study involved a cohort of 2,246 women from the Leumit health-care fund diagnosed with...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Schäfer et al, little difference in quality of life was observed over long-term follow-up between women receiving accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) with interstitial brachytherapy vs whole-breast irradiation (WBI) after breast-conserving...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies commonly used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus attention on chamomile ...
Primo Nery Lara, Jr, MD, has been named Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated University of California (UC) Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. He will lead a team of more than 300 scientists, with an estimated $90 million in annual research funding, and a clinical enterprise...
On December 20, 2017, nivolumab (Opdivo) was granted regular approval for adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with lymph node involvement or metastatic disease who have undergone complete resection.1,2 Nivolumab was previously approved for the treatment of patients with unresectable or...
In 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened an advisory committee that recognized metastasis-free survival as a clinically relevant endpoint for nonmetastatic prostate cancer due to shorter trial readout times and acknowledgment that a substantial delay in the transition to a...
In rapid succession, the SPARTAN study results were presented at the 2018 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, the data were published in The New England Journal of Medicine,1 and the drug apalutamide -(Erleada) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for men with previously...
GUEST EDITOR Addressing the evolving needs of cancer survivors at various stages of their illness and care, Palliative Care in Oncology is guest edited by Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD. Dr. Von Roenn is ASCO’s Vice President of Education, Science, and Professional Development. Research shows that...
On December 22, 2017, the product label for nilotinib (Tasigna) was updated to include information on nilotinib discontinuation, postdiscontinuation monitoring, and guidance for treatment reinitiation in patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have...
In a dose-finding, dose-expansion phase Ib trial (JAVELIN Renal 100) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Toni K. Choueiri, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and colleagues determined the maximum tolerated dose of the immune checkpoint inhibitor avelumab (Bavencio)...
In a phase Ib trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Wrangle et al found evidence of activity of the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and the interleukin (IL)-15 superagonist ALT-803 in patients with previously treated advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ALT-803 targets the shared...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dowsett et al have developed a clinicopathologic tool for predicting risk of late distant recurrence in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer treated with 5 years of endocrine therapy. Study Details In the study, a prognostic score for...
On May 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted orphan drug designation to the cancer vaccine BN-Brachyury for the treatment of chordoma. Chordoma is a rare type of cancer that develops along the spine, with presentation occurring at one of three main sites: sacrum, mobile spine, or...
Skin cancer survivors know firsthand that the disease is most treatable when detected early, so they’re more likely to be vigilant about skin exams—and new research shows that such vigilance pays off. After studying more than 900 cases of melanoma reported through the Health...
While effective antiretroviral therapy, which suppresses HIV replication and improves immune function, has resulted in increased longevity for people living with HIV and reduced the risk of certain cancers, including Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, other cancers are expected to become more ...
On May 1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) suspension for intravenous infusion for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma—including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), high-grade B-cell lymphoma, and...
A study by Landgren et al in JAMA Oncology has found that New York City firefighters exposed to the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site face an increased risk for developing monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a myeloma precursor disease. The study was conducted...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Nielsen et al found significant associations between higher proportions of cancer cell nuclei with high chromatin entropy (associated with genomic instability) and poorer outcomes in gynecologic cancers. Study Details In the...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Wheeler et al found that black women experience significantly worse financial impact from breast cancer compared with white women, which may contribute to barriers to treatment compliance and worse outcomes. Study Details The...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Maurer et al found that a shorter interval between diagnosis and treatment was associated with adverse prognostic features and that a longer interval was associated with greater event-free survival in the first-line treatment of diffuse large ...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hwang et al found little difference in the efficacy and safety of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-designated breakthrough vs nonbreakthrough cancer drugs and found that breakthrough drugs were not more likely to represent a novel...
In a report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Weil et al found that splenectomy and splenic radiation significantly increased the risk of infection-related late mortality among 5-year survivors of childhood cancer. Study Details The study...