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...
After breast cancer surgery, women are prescribed adjuvant therapies such as chemotherapy and endocrine drugs to reduce the risk of the cancer returning. It has been assumed that the treatment effects of these therapies remain constant over time, but a new study from the Cancer Therapy &...
A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team, in collaboration with investigators at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, may have found a reason why the use of antiangiogenic drugs—which has improved outcomes for patients with several types of cancer—fails to benefit some breast...
In the phase III BEACON trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Perez et al found that etirinotecan pegol was not associated with a significant increase in overall survival compared with physician’s choice of treatment in women with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer previously...
Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered a gene associated with Cowden syndrome, an inherited condition that carries high risks of thyroid, breast, and other cancers, and a subset of noninherited thyroid cancers. These findings were published by Yehia et al in the American Journal of Human...
Although white women have historically had higher incidence rates of breast cancer than African American women, a new report by the American Cancer Society (ACS) finds that, in 2012, the rates converged. The incidence rates were significantly higher in black women than in white women in seven...
Regular physical activity could play a role in helping women at high-risk of breast cancer delay the need for drastic preventive measures such as prophylactic mastectomy, according to new research led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Results of the WISER Sister...
In a UK-based phase III trial (AML17) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Burnett et al found that a chemotherapy-free regimen of arsenic trioxide plus all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) did not improve quality of life, the primary endpoint, vs ATRA plus idarubicin in patients with acute promyelocytic...
As reported by King et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, 29-year longitudinal experience at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center indicates an annual 2% risk of breast cancer in women with lobular carcinoma in situ. Risk was reduced with chemoprevention. Study Details The study involved...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approved use of ipilimumab (Yervoy) to include a new use as adjuvant therapy for patients who have cutaneous melanoma with pathologic involvement of regional lymph nodes of more than 1 mm and have undergone complete resection, including total...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the biologics license application for talimogene laherparepvec (Imlygic), a genetically modified oncolytic viral therapy indicated for the local treatment of unresectable cutaneous, subcutaneous and nodal lesions in patients with melanoma...
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Motzer et al found that the combination of the multi–tyrosine kinase inhibitor lenvatinib (Lenvima) plus the mTOR inhibitor everolimus (Afinitor) significantly improved progression-free survival vs everolimus alone in patients with...
In a multi-institutional phase II trial (ACOSOG Z6041) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Garcia-Aguilar et al found that neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and local excision was associated with an acceptable disease-free survival rate, albeit not so high as anticipated, in patients with clinical stage...
Prostate cancer patients who face recurrence after radical prostatectomy have better overall survival rates with a combination of salvage radiation therapy and 24 months of antiandrogen therapy than with radiation therapy alone, according to research (Abstract LBA5) presented by Shipley et al on...
Hypofractionated radiation therapy results in similar rates of cure and side effects compared to a longer treatment schedule for some men with low-risk prostate cancer, according to research (Abstract LBA6) presented by Lee et al October 19, 2015, at the American Society for Radiation Oncology...
For men with prostate cancer who have had a prostatectomy and salvage radiation therapy, analyzing their tumor genome provides clues as to whether their cancer will metastasize, thereby enabling clinicians to better personalize treatment options, according to research presented by Den et al...
Outcomes for pediatric patients as young as 12 months old with ependymoma who are treated with immediate postoperative radiation therapy are favorable and consistent, based upon tumor surgical resection and tumor grade, according to research presented by Merchant et al (Abstract 1) on October...
Long-term patient-reported outcomes indicate that for some men with localized prostate cancer, hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) may be a reasonable treatment option and result in similar quality-of-life outcomes, compared to conventional radiation therapy, according to...
Patients with intermediate meningiomas treated with radiation therapy after surgery experienced a 96% 3-year progression-free survival rate and had minimal adverse events, according to research presented by Rogers et al October 21, 2015, at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s...
A long-term follow-up of RTOG 9202 indicated that for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, an additional 24 months of long-term androgen-deprivation therapy after radiation therapy plus short-term androgen-deprivation therapy improved disease-free survival by 60%, compared to patients...
For patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, radiation therapy that targets only the involved lymph node regions results in less toxicity without causing a statistically significant difference in locoregional lymph node recurrence, distant failure, and...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved irinotecan liposome injection (Onivyde), in combination with fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin, to treat patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who have been previously treated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. According to the National...
Patients with stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who receive intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) have 44% fewer cases of severe pneumonitis and improved likelihood of completing consolidative chemotherapy after radiation, compared to patients who receive three-dimensional...
A collaborative, patient-reported outcome–based approach by palliative care and radiation oncology teams results in better outpatient symptom management and a decrease in end-of-life hospitalizations and costs for late-stage cancer patients, according to research presented by Read et al...
For cervical cancer patients undergoing postsurgical radiation therapy, image-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) resulted in a 14% reduction in moderate-to-severe bowel side effects when compared to conventional three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT), according to...
For high-risk patients who receive chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer, frequent follow-up appointments conducted by advance practice nurses (APNs) in a clinical outpatient setting allowed for more intensive symptom management, resulting in fewer post-treatment emergency room visits and...
A nationwide online survey of 776 pediatricians and family physicians assessing the quality of their human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine recommendations to parents has found that a sizable minority of physicians—27%—said they do not strongly endorse HPV vaccination, and 26% and 39%...
The steroid dexamethasone reduces radiation-induced pain flare in cancer patients with painful bone metastases, according to research presented by Chow et al (Abstract LBA1) October 18, 2015 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO’s) 57th Annual Meeting in San Antonio,...
For some patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancer of the tonsils and tongue, reduced-intensity radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be as effective as standard-dose radiation and chemotherapy, and result in fewer acute side effects, according to research presented by Chera et al...
Immunotherapy combined with palliative radiation therapy for a subset of patients with metastatic melanoma reduces the growth and spread of the cancer, according to research presented by Hiniker et al (Abstract 215) on October 20, 2015 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s...
In a UK phase III noninferiority trial reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Hoskin et al found similar effects of single-dose ibandronate and single-dose radiotherapy on localized metastatic bone pain in patients with prostate cancer. Study Details In the open-label trial,...
Researchers at King's College London have investigated a new method that could be used by general practitioners to quickly determine the number of moles on the entire body by counting the number found on a smaller “proxy” body area, such as an arm. These findings were published by...
A study led by Johns Hopkins researchers has linked the immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil to an increased risk of central nervous system lymphoma in solid organ transplant patients. But the same study also found that another class of immunosuppressive drugs, calcineurin inhibitors, given ...
In a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine, Hamadani et al describe near-complete and complete responses with the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in two heavily pretreated patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma. Patient 1 The first patient was a 28-year-old...
Among children with intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma that is negative for a fusion gene, those who had a high score for expression of a specific gene signature called MG5 had poorer survival outcomes compared with those who had a low MG5 score, according to a study published by Hingorani et al in ...
As reported by Falini et al in a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine, dactinomycin treatment resulted in morphologic and molecular complete remission ongoing at 14 months in a patient with NPM1-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML). NPM1-mutated AML may account for one-third of AML in...
While most cancer survivors in the United States are motivated to seek information about food choices and dietary changes to improve their health, a new study comparing their dietary patterns to federal guidelines indicates that they often fall short. By Zhang et al in Cancer, the findings point to ...
Badly designed studies may lead to the efficacy of drugs being overestimated and money being wasted on trials that prove fruitless, according to new a study from McGill University in Montreal. The findings, published by Henderson et al in eLife, highlight the importance of ensuring that other...