A new method for early, more accurate breast cancer screening has been developed by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center using commercially available technology. Their findings were published by Herman-Saffar et al in Computers in Biology 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 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 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...
In the phase II PrE0102 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Kornblum et al, the addition of everolimus to fulvestrant (Faslodex) improved progression-free survival in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer resistant to...
Tesaro recently announced results from the QUADRA study, which was designed to assess the clinical benefit of niraparib (Zejula) treatment in heavily pretreated patients with ovarian cancer. Results successfully achieved the prespecified primary endpoint and demonstrated niraparib monotherapy...
AstraZeneca and MedImmune have announced high-level results from the phase III ARCTIC trial in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have received at least two prior treatments. This randomized, open-label, multicenter trial assessed the efficacy...
On April 30, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regular approval to dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) in combination for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations (as detected by an FDA-approved test) and involvement of...
On April 23, Epizyme, Inc, announced that U.S.-based enrollment of new patients into tazemetostat clinical trials is temporarily on hold. Following a safety report of a pediatric patient who developed a secondary lymphoma, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a partial clinical hold...
Eli Lilly and Company recently announced additional results from its global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III RANGE trial evaluating ramucirumab (Cyramza) in combination with docetaxel in patients with locally advanced or unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma whose...
Research from the Yale School of Public Health has found that the majority of published papers analyzing the cost-effectiveness of a widely used test for breast cancer used a study design that can increase bias. These findings were published by Wang et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology....
In a propensity-score matching analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Polanco et al found that adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a survival benefit vs observation among patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent resection after pathologic complete response following neoadjuvant ...
In a Swedish study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jansson et al identified an increased risk of non–low-risk prostate cancer among men with prostate cancer who had with brothers diagnosed with non–low-risk disease. Study Details The study involved 4,262 pairs of...
In a report from the Children’s Oncology Group AREN0533 study published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dix et al found improved survival outcomes with a modified approach to treatment of favorable-histology Wilms tumor with lung metastases. Study Details The National Wilms Tumor Study...
Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital, speaks during Panel 5: Legal and Policy Issues Associated With Cutting-Edge Cancer Treatments at The Policy, Politics and Law of Cancer, presented by The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale...
Very small differences in the way a patient lies during radiotherapy treatment for lung or esophageal cancer can have an impact on survival, according to research presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) 37 Conference (Abstract OC-0322). These differences of only a...
Radiotherapy given in high doses over a shorter period of time is safe and effective for patients with prostate cancer, according to research from a phase III trial presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) 37 Conference (Abstract OC-0599). The...
A simple test of handgrip strength may be a good indicator of short- and long-term survival in patients with stage I non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to new findings presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) 37 Conference (Abstract PV0041)....
An analysis of elderly patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated in a phase II trial of radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy has shown that they were less likely to benefit than younger patients if the two treatments were given at the same time. These findings were presented ...
A rare but potentially serious complication following radiation treatment for cervical cancer is a narrowing of the tube that takes urine from the kidneys to the bladder (the ureter), which can lead to kidney damage and sometimes life-threatening infections. This is called ureteral stricture and,...
Although literature demonstrates a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease in individuals with various cancers—including squamous cell cancers (SCC) and basal cell cancers (BCC)—there is a paucity of literature to substantiate an association between malignant melanoma and...
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) have a survival advantage if they receive treatment at a pediatric cancer center vs an adult center, according to a study published by Muffly et al in Blood Advances. The findings also suggest that treatment at a center...
In an update from the WECARE (Women’s Environmental Cancer and Radiation Epidemiology) study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Reiner et al found that women with invasive breast cancer are at increased risk of contralateral breast cancer even in the absence of deleterious...
NORMAN WOLMARK, MD, and Bernard Fisher, MD, received the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Distinguished Service Award for their work leading the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP). Dr. Wolmark, who succeeded Dr. Fisher as Chair of the NSABP and is currently Group Chair...
ASCO AND THE ONCOLOGY COMMUNITY mourn the loss of Karen Durham, who passed away on March 26, 2018, in Tyler, Texas. Karen was a highly respected and beloved advocate for people living with cancer. Karen was diagnosed with stage II invasive breast cancer in 1989 and began volunteering with Susan...
ASCO AND THE ONCOLOGY COMMUNITY are deeply saddened by the loss of James F. Holland, MD, FASCO, who passed away on March 22, 2018. He was 92. Dr. Holland was a Distinguished Professor of Neoplastic Diseases in the Department of Medicine at the Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at...
As reported in JAMA Oncology by Alexander N. Shoushtari, MD, of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, a single-center experience has shown a very high rate of clinically significant immune-related adverse events with nivolumab (Opdivo) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy) for advanced...
The final overall survival analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-006 trial showed maintained superiority of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) vs ipilimumab (Yervoy) in advanced melanoma. The results were reported by Jacob Schachter, MD, of the Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Melanoma, Sheba Medical Center, Tel...
THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) have announced that the 2018 Heine H. Hansen Award was given to Fabrice Barlesi, MD, PhD. The award was presented at the 2018 European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC 2018) in early...
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, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, reviews the current data on the use of massage to...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kerns et al found that approximately 20% of testicular cancer survivors treated with cisplatin-based regimens had high cumulative burden of morbidity (CBM) scores and identified factors associated with risk for increased morbidity. Study...
In a phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jonasch et al found evidence that a 2-weeks-on/1-week-off (2/1) schedule of sunitinib (Sutent) might be an option in frontline treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Study Details In the study, 59 patients with previously...
A new study published by Banegas et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has found that cancer care costs in the United States are higher for people under age 65—and that costs increase with disease stage. Despite the fact that nearly half of new cancer...
On April 18, Calithera Biosciences, Inc, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to CB-839 in combination with cabozantinib (Cabometyx) for the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have received one or two prior lines ...
On April 19, Polyphor announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation for its novel immuno-oncology candidate balixafortide (POL6326) in combination with eribulin (Halaven) for the treatment of patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Drs. Abutalib and Landgren review the underlying data that shaped the updated International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) diagnostic criteria for...
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends several screening tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) in adults aged 50 to 75, including fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2017, there were an estimated 95,520 cases ...
Barbara McAneny, MD, Co-Founder and CEO, New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants; President-Elect, American Medical Association, speaks during Panel 2: The Business of Cancer at The Policy, Politics and Law of Cancer, presented by The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School,...
The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) has released the 2018 Community Oncology Practice Impact Report, which tracks data on the changing landscape of cancer care in the United States. It details a decade-long trend of closure and consolidation in the U.S. cancer system that has resulted in a...
A new type of cancer vaccine has yielded promising results in an initial clinical trial conducted at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The personalized vaccine is made from a patient’s own immune ...
In the Scandinavian phase III CRITICS trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Cats et al found no benefit of postoperative chemoradiotherapy vs chemotherapy among patients with gastric cancer who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Compliance with postoperative regimens was poor in both groups....
On April 12, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital launched the St. Jude Cloud, an online data-sharing and collaboration platform that provides researchers access to the world's largest public repository of pediatric cancer genomics data. Developed as a partnership among St. Jude,...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently finalized two guidances to drive the efficient development of next-generation sequencing, which scans a person’s DNA to diagnose genetic diseases, and guide medical treatments. The guidances provide recommendations for designing,...
Pfizer recently announced that the independent data monitoring committee for the phase III ATLAS trial, which is evaluating axitinib (Inlyta) as adjuvant therapy for patients at high risk of recurrent renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after nephrectomy, recommended stopping the trial at a planned interim...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Kutluk Oktay, MD, PhD, of Yale University School of Medicine, and colleagues, ASCO has issued a clinical practice guideline update on fertility preservation in adults and children with cancer. The update was informed by an update panel systematic...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Herr et al found that patients with specific types of primary lymphoid neoplasms were at increased risk of second primary cutaneous melanoma, with the reciprocal association also being observed. Occurrence of second primary...
On April 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved osimertinib (Tagrisso) for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations, as...
Norman Sharpless, MD, Director, National Cancer Institute, presents the Keynote Address at The Policy, Politics and Law of Cancer, presented by The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School, in collaboration with Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center.
Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, presents the Keynote Address at The Policy, Politics and Law of Cancer, presented by The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School, in collaboration with Smilow Cancer Hospital...