A phase I/II study testing the safety and antitumor activity of nivolumab (Opdivo) in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma has revealed one of the first signs that immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors will have a role in the treatment of liver cancer. The results and potential implications...
A phase II study identified the first genomic marker—mismatch repair deficiency—to predict clinical benefit of immune checkpoint blockade with the anti–PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab (Keytruda). Among 50 patients with colorectal cancer, 62% of the 25 patients with mismatch...
Being very overweight in your teens may double the risk of developing bowel cancer by the time you are middle-aged, suggested research published by Kantor et al in the journal Gut. A high level of an indicator of systemic inflammation—erythrocyte sedimentation rate—at this age is...
The current annual report of cancer statistics by the American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, and North American Association of Central Cancer Registries includes a focus on breast cancer incidence by subtype using new national-level data. The ...
In a preplanned interim analysis of the international open-label STEVIE trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Basset-Seguin et al have provided safety data and efficacy outcomes with the use of vismodegib (Erivedge) for 1 year in patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma. STEVIE was designed to...
Cancer patients with brain metastases who develop blood clots may safely receive blood thinners without increased risk of dangerous bleeding, according to a study published by Donato et al in Blood. Cancer increases a patient’s risk of developing blood clots, and an anticoagulant is often...
A large study evaluating the relationship of dietary patterns with prostate cancer–specific and all-cause mortality among men diagnosed with nonmetastatic prostate cancer has found that the men who ate a Western-style diet of foods rich in processed meats, red meats, and high-fat dairy...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Chavez-MacGregor et al found that the majority of older breast cancer patients receiving trastuzumab (Herceptin)-based chemotherapy do not receive adequate cardiac monitoring. Study Details The study involved 2,203 patients aged ≥...
African American patients have a disproportionately high rate of cancer and yet are less likely than Caucasian patients to participate in oncologic clinical trials that can significantly improve quality of life. Researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple University explored the differences ...
In the UK phase III CHORUS trial reported in The Lancet, Kehoe et al found that a strategy of three cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy followed by delayed surgery and three additional cycles of chemotherapy was associated with overall survival noninferior to that achieved with surgery followed...
In a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Konecny et al found that the multi–tyrosine kinase inhibitor dovitinib appeared to delay progression in some patients as second-line treatment in fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2)-mutant and -nonmutant advanced or metastatic...
Researchers at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered that for women with a relatively common inherited mutation, known as the KRAS-variant, abrupt lowering of estrogen may increase their breast cancer risk and impact breast cancer biology. Scientists also found that women with...
In the phase III CONCUR trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Li et al found that the multikinase inhibitor regorafenib (Stivarga) improved overall survival vs placebo in Asian patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer. Regorafenib has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug...
In the phase II BOLT trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Migden et al found that the hedgehog pathway signaling inhibitor sonidegib produced responses in patients with locally advanced or metastatic basal cell carcinoma at 200-mg and 800-mg dose levels. The lower dose appeared to be associated...
In men who experience biochemical disease recurrence after local therapy for prostate cancer, docetaxel, bevacizumab (Avastin), and androgen-deprivation therapy may be beneficial, according to a study by McKay et al in Cancer. Further evaluation of this combination treatment is warranted to...
Patients with advanced colorectal tumors without mutations in the RAS genes derive substantial benefit from anti-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) therapies; however, the disease eventually progresses, leaving these patients with few alternative therapeutic options. Over the past decade, some ...
In a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Phan et al found that the VEGFR-1, -2, -3 inhibitor pazopanib (Votrient) plus depot octreotide produced responses in patients with advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors. No responses were observed in patients with carcinoid tumors....
In a Polish prospective cohort analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, Cybulski et al found that PALB2 mutation carriers had increased risk of breast cancer and that those with breast cancer had significantly reduced long-term survival. Study Details In the study, genotyping for two...
Nearly 20% of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma “wait more than 3 months from presentation to diagnosis, which can contribute to interval tumor growth,” Patel et al concluded in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. They based their conclusions on a review of...
In the SWOG S0927 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hershman et al found that both omega-3 fatty acids and placebo resulted in marked persistent reductions in aromatase inhibitor–related arthralgia among patients with early breast cancer, with no difference between...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted Fast Track designation to AG-120 for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia who harbor an isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutation. Agios Pharmaceuticals’ AG-120 is a first-in-class, oral, selective, potent inhibitor of the...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation to Immunomedics’ lead antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have failed two prior lines of ...
Patients’ preference for how they receive biopsy results “has shifted from face-to-face visit to discussion over the telephone because of a desire for rapid notification,” according to a survey of 301 patients recruited at three different melanoma clinics. A total of 67.1% of the...
Active surveillance has become a viable option for many men with low-risk prostate cancer who choose not to undergo active treatment such as surgery or radiotherapy. Four studies evaluating effectiveness, trends, and other considerations for active surveillance in managing prostate cancer were...
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in American men, yet controversy over the utilization and frequency of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening methods remains, due to the overdiagnosis and overtreatment of men with low-grade, less-aggressive forms of the disease. At the 110th...
Fertility counseling for men with cancer, prior to initiating treatment, can increase the rate of sperm preservation, according to a new survey by Rotker et al presented during the 110th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA; Abstract PD52-11). Chemotherapy can...
Patients with operable stage I non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) could achieve better overall survival rates if treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy rather than the invasive surgery, the current standard of care, according to research from a phase III randomized international...
In the Dutch PACES trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, van Waart et al found that both a moderate/high-intensity supervised exercise program and a low-intensity home-based program provided benefits vs usual care in women undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Benefits,...
To provide guidance on high-value cancer care screening strategies, the American College of Physicians (ACP) recently reviewed clinical guidelines issued by various medical organizations for screening strategies in five common cancers for asymptomatic, average-risk adults. The five cancers focused...
In a population-based study reported in JAMA Oncology, Thomas and colleagues found significantly poorer disease-specific survival among melanoma patients with stage ≥ T2b tumors with NRAS or BRAF mutation. Study Details The study included data from 912 U.S. or Australian patients in the...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Holter et al found that 4.6% of a large clinic population of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma harbored pathogenic germline BRCA mutations. The study involved analysis of 306 unselected, consecutive, incident patients with pancreatic...
A large prospective study investigating the association between dense breast tissue and the risk for interval breast cancer has found that breast density alone should not be the sole criterion for recommending supplemental breast imaging, because not all women with dense breasts have high interval...
Individuals who had cancer as a child may be at increased risk of being obese due to the therapies they received during their youth. The finding comes from a new study published early by Wilson et al in Cancer. The study’s results suggest the need for effective counseling and weight loss...
In patients with recurrent/persistent uterine or ovarian/primary peritoneal/fallopian tube cancers, ixabepilone (Ixempra), especially with the addition of biweekly bevacizumab (Avastin), appears to be safe and effective, according to a study by Roque et al in Gynecologic Oncology. Further...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Wolfe et al, the Pediatric Quality of Life and Evaluation of Symptoms Technology (PediQUEST) study found a high prevalence of disease symptoms in children with advanced cancer, with most symptoms being associated with high distress level. Study...
Two phase III Children’s Oncology Group studies found that augmenting therapy with additional drugs improved outcomes for children with a high-risk form of Wilms tumor. These patients have a specific chromosomal abnormality associated with a poorer prognosis. In prior research, such patients...
The UK-led STAMPEDE trial found that adding docetaxel chemotherapy to standard hormone therapy markedly improved survival for men with newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer not previously treated with hormone therapy (hormone-naive). Men who received docetaxel plus standard therapy lived on...
The Australian ONTRAC trial showed that a form of vitamin B3 called nicotinamide significantly reduced the rates of new skin cancers in people at high risk of the disease. Taken as a twice-daily pill, nicotinamide reduced the incidence of new nonmelanoma skin cancers by 23%. These findings were...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Advani et al, a subset analysis of the phase III North American Intergroup E2496 trial showed no significant difference in failure-free or overall survival between ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) plus radiotherapy vs the...
In a single-center study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Armenian et al found that childhood cancer survivors who had received potentially pulmonary toxic treatment were at a significantly increased risk of long-term pulmonary dysfunction compared with healthy controls. Study Details ...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Araujo et al used targeted massively parallel sequencing to produce an in-depth molecular profile of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in African Americans. Comparison with findings in patients of European/white ancestry with NSCLC...
A large, phase III international study of the oral agent TAS-102 in patients with heavily pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer has found that the therapy improved overall survival by 1.8 months and also delayed disease progression. TAS-102 had few side effects and was also effective in patients...
In a German study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Brämswig et al found that women treated for Hodgkin lymphoma during childhood or adolescence had a good prognosis for achieving parenthood. Study Details This prospective longitudinal study included 467 female patients aged < 18 years at...
Using brain tumor samples collected from children in the United States and Europe, an international team of scientists found that the drug panobinostat (Farydak) and similar gene-regulating drugs may be effective at treating diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), an aggressive and lethal form of...
A survey sent to medical and radiation oncologists to identify factors contributing to observed disparities in cancer treatment between patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and those not infected found that 21% of physicians would alter their treatment recommendations based on...
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Rapp et al found that the neurotransmitter modulator donepezil may modestly improve some cognitive function domains in patients undergoing cranial irradiation for brain tumors. Improvements were greater in patients with greater...
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine recently found that pancreatic cancer rates are highest in countries with the least amount of sunlight. These findings were published by Garland et al in The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. “If...
African Americans and Africans who swapped their typical diets for just 2 weeks similarly exchanged their respective risks of colon cancer, as reflected by alterations of their gut bacteria, according to an international study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of...
In a phase I cohort expansion trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gettinger et al found that monotherapy with the anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) checkpoint inhibitor antibody nivolumab (Opdivo) produced durable responses and promising survival rates in patients...
A study by Sineshaw et al has found that black men with early-stage breast cancer who were younger than age 65 had a 76% higher risk of death than whites. However, the disparity was significantly reduced after adjusting for differences in insurance and income, suggesting the importance of...