Breast density may not be a strong independent factor for breast cancer risk, according to a new study presented (BR267-SD-THA1) by Katavic et al December 2, 2015, at the Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago. Prior research has shown an association between...
In a phase III trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Gay et al found that progression-free survival was shorter with lenalidomide (Revlimid) plus chemotherapy vs high-dose melphalan plus autologous stem cell transplantation in transplant-eligible patients with multiple myeloma, with no significant ...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cai et al found intratumoral genetic heterogeneity of ALK rearrangement and coexisting ALK rearrangement and EGFR mutation in lung adenocarcinomas. Study Details The study involved evaluation for ALK fusions and EGFR mutations in 629...
Comprehensive molecular characterization of primary papillary renal cell carcinoma, reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network, showed that type 1 and 2 papillary renal cell carcinomas were distinct types of disease based on differences in genetic...
Low-income women in Medicaid expansion states in the United States are more likely to have a breast screening performed than those in nonexpansion states, according to a study (HP207-SD-MOA2) by Fazeli Dehkordy et al presented November 30, 2015, at the Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of...
Postmenopausal African American women who use female hormone supplements containing estrogen and progestin (“combination” therapy) are at an increased risk for estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer. The study, published by Rosenberg et al in the Journal of the National Cancer...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for elotuzumab (Empliciti) in combination with two other therapies to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have received one to three prior medications. “We are continuing to learn about the ways the immune system interacts...
Additional breast cancers found with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are sometimes larger and potentially more aggressive than those found on mammography, according to a study published by Iacconi et al in Radiology. Researchers said that in some cases, MRI findings of additional cancers not seen...
University of Southern California (USC) researchers have developed a mathematical model to forecast metastatic breast cancer survival rates using techniques usually reserved for weather prediction, financial forecasting, and surfing the Web. For decades, medical schools have taught doctors that...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) as a single agent for the treatment of patients with BRAF V600 wild-type unresectable or metastatic melanoma. Clinical Trial Results The approval is based on data...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved necitumumab (Portrazza) in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin for first-line treatment of patients with metastatic squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Necitumumab is not indicated for treatment of nonsquamous NSCLC....
A study that tracked tens of thousands of middle-aged and older men for more than 20 years has found that vigorous exercise and other healthy lifestyle habits may cut their chances of developing a lethal type of prostate cancer by up to 68%. While most prostate cancers are clinically indolent, a...
In a phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Catenacci et al found no benefit of adding vismodegib (Erivedge) to gemcitabine in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Sonic hedgehog (SHH), an activating ligand of the smoothened receptor (SMO) inhibited by vismodegib, has...
Minimally invasive gynecologic surgeries have advantages for patients, including shorter hospital stays, quicker recoveries, and less pain. However, power morcellation, a technique that cuts the uterus or fibroid into small pieces in order to extract them from the abdomen through a small incision,...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Miglioretti et al found that diagnosis of breast cancer after biennial vs annual mammography screening was associated with a higher risk of less favorable tumor prognostic characteristics among premenopausal women. They also noted a nonsignificantly higher risk ...
In a prospective observational cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Efficace et al found that a self-reported fatigue score provides independent prognostic information on overall survival in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. Fatigue assessment should be included in...
In a retrospective analysis of data from 130 patients with pancreatic cysts, scientists at Johns Hopkins have used gene-based tests and a fixed set of clinical criteria to more accurately distinguish precancerous cysts from those less likely to do harm. The findings may eventually help some...
Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), in collaboration with researchers from University of California Merced and Davis, have found that a secreted protein predominantly expressed in bone inhibits prostate cancer metastasis to bone. Their research was published recently by...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Johung and colleagues identified factors that distinguished survival rates among patients with ALK-rearranged non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and brain metastasis. The study included 90 patients from six institutions. Of them, 84...
A study analyzing data from a large, nationally representative U.S. health survey population comparing biomarkers of tobacco exposure in smokeless tobacco users and cigarette smokers has found the exclusive smokeless tobacco users have higher observed levels of exposure to nicotine and a...
Ten-year results of the MOSAIC trial, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by André et al show a continued overall survival benefit with adjuvant FOLFOX4 (fluorouracil [5-FU] leucovorin plus oxaliplatin) vs 5-FU/leucovorin in patients with stage III colon cancer and in the entire...
Although urothelial cancer of the bladder is sensitive to platinum-based chemotherapy, the vast majority of patients treated with these therapies will develop progressive disease within 8 months of treatment, and the median survival is reported to be between 13 and 15 months, according to a new...
Disparities in colorectal cancer death rates take a large toll on the national economy, with poorer, less-educated communities bearing the greatest burden, according to data presented at the Eighth American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer Health...
The likelihood of receiving curative-intent surgery for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) varies substantially from state to state, according to data presented at the Eighth American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer Health...
“Anemia was highly prevalent and independently associated with functional disability” among older adults with cancer, according to an analysis of data conducted by Owusu et al. “Older patients with anemia were more than twice as likely to have functional disability than those...
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate had an increased risk of a second nonmelanoma skin cancer, and adding anti–tumor necrosis factor (TNF) may increase that risk, according to results of a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Dermatology. A similar association...
Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for daratumumab (Darzalex) to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior treatments, including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent, or who are double-refractory to a proteasome ...
In a single-institution retrospective analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Tao et al found that use of higher radiotherapy doses was associated with prolonged local control and overall survival in patients with inoperable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Overall survival was...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for an oral medication to treat patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Osimertinib (Tagrisso) is now approved for patients whose tumors have a specific epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation ...
Scientists have developed a highly sensitive blood test that can spot when breast cancers become resistant to standard hormone treatment, and have demonstrated that this test could guide further treatment. The test gives an early warning of resistance to aromatase inhibitors, which are used to...
Backed by a growing body of research, investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are calling for all hospitals to establish bereavement programs for families of deceased patients. In a report published by Morris and Block in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, researchers say such...
An evaluation of national treatment trends for ductal carcinoma in situ from 1991 to 2010 and their impact on survival revealed “a substantial shift in locoregional treatment patterns for ductal carcinoma in situ,” Mathias Worni, MD, of Duke University Medical Center, Durham North...
Patients who develop ovarian cancer appear to have better outcomes if they have a history of oral contraceptive use, according to a study by Mayo Clinic researchers published by Jatoi et al in BMC Cancer. “Multiple studies from a variety of sources have indicated that oral contraceptives are ...
A phase I study evaluating the safety, pharmacokinetic profile, pharmacodynamic effects, and antitumor activity of the first-in-class investigational NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor pevonedistat (TAK-924/MLN4924) in patients with relapsed/refractory lymphoma or multiple myeloma has found...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Prince et al found that the hospitalization rate among patients receiving systemic therapy for metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was much higher in observational studies vs clinical trials among studies reporting hospitalization rates. Study...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved cobimetinib (Cotellic) to be used in combination with vemurafenib (Zelboraf) to treat metastatic or unresectable melanoma, with the BRAF V600E or V600K mutation. “As we continue to advance our knowledge of tumor biology, we have...
Job applicants who are cancer survivors are less likely to receive callbacks from potential retail employers than those who did not disclose their health history, according to a recent study by Rice University and Pennsylvania State University researchers. Study Findings The study, published by...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Weigel et al in the Children’s Oncology Group, a strategy of dose intensification and interval compression, use of the most active agents determined in phase II window studies, and use of irinotecan as a radiation sensitizer has been found to ...
In the ABOUT study reported in JAMA Oncology, Armstrong et al found that the majority of BRCA-tested women in a commercially insured population responding to a questionnaire about their experience had not received genetic counseling from a genetics clinician prior to testing. The study was...
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Shah et al in the U.S. Gastric Cancer Consortium found that a modified regimen of docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (5-FU) (mDCF) improved toxicity and survival vs a standard DCF regimen plus growth factor support as first-line...
A team of researchers, including scientists from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), has reported that analyzing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can track how a patient's cancer evolves and responds to treatment. In a study published in Nature Communications, Muhammed Murtaza, PhD, ...
In a Canadian population-based study reported in JAMA Oncology, Arnaout et al found that breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly used in preoperative evaluation of women with breast cancer and that its use is associated with increased likelihood of confirmatory breast imaging,...
In a phase II trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Mateo et al found that the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) produced a high response rate in patients with previously treated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with tumors exhibiting defects in DNA repair genes....
Patients with metastatic breast cancer who have higher insulin levels than normal, but are not diabetic, have a significantly worse prognosis compared with those who have normal insulin levels, according to data being presented (Abstract BP129) at the Advanced Breast Cancer Third International...
Organizations that issue “damaging messages” about advanced breast cancer need to be identified and educated to change the way they talk about the disease, a patient told the Advanced Breast Cancer Third International Consensus Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 5, 2015. In...
In a Canadian phase III trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Chow et al found that prophylactic dexamethasone reduced the incidence of radiation-induced pain flare compared with placebo in patients receiving palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases. Study Details In this double-blind trial,...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Renfro et al found that low but not high body mass index (BMI) was associated with poorer progression-free and overall survival in patients receiving first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. The analysis included individual...
In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine, Kim and Prasad found that few oncology drugs receiving FDA approval on the basis of surrogate endpoints currently have evidence of an overall survival benefit. In the study, all approvals from January 1, 2008, through December 31, ...
Mantle cell lymphoma, which is characterized by CD5-positive, CD23-negative follicular mantle B cells with t(11:14)(q13;q32) translocation and cyclin D1 overexpression, is generally incurable and associated with a median survival of between 4 and 5 years. Although front-line treatment for mantle...
In a trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Baron et al found that daily vitamin D and calcium supplementation did not reduce recurrence of colorectal adenomas in patients with recently diagnosed adenomas and no known polyps remaining after complete colonoscopy. Study Details In...