In the phase II PACE trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Erica L. Mayer, MD, MPH, and colleagues found no improvement in progression-free survival with the addition of palbociclib to fulvestrant—but a numeric improvement with the further addition of avelumab—in patients with hormone ...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Layman et al, findings in dose-expansion groups of a phase Ib trial indicated activity of the pan-PI3K–mTOR inhibitor gedatolisib in combination with palbociclib and endocrine therapy in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative advanced...
High levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) within the tumors of patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer may be associated with a lower risk of cancer recurrence and greater rate of survival, even without chemotherapy, according to a recent study published by Leon-Ferre et...
In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Stassen et al developed a model for the prediction of recurrence-free and melanoma-specific survival after sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with melanoma. Study Details The study involved a development cohort of 4,071 patients aged > 13...
In a phase II trial (SPEARHEAD-1) reported in The Lancet, D’Angelo et al found that the T-cell therapy afamitresgene autoleucel showed activity in patients with previously treated HLA-A*02 and MAGE-A4–expressing advanced synovial sarcoma or myxoid round cell liposarcoma. As related by the...
Investigators have found that combining a prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density test may help diagnose clinically significant prostate cancer and avoid unnecessary biopsies, according to a recent systematic review and meta-analysis published...
The risk of certain types of cancer may be higher in patients currently or previously diagnosed with tuberculosis, according to new findings to be presented by Kim et al at the upcoming 2024 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) annual congress. Background...
In the phase II acelERA BC trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Miguel Martín, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that the selective estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist and degrader giredestrant did not significantly improve progression-free survival vs physician’s choice of endocrine...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Egbert F. Smit, MD, and colleagues, primary analysis in the HER2-overexpressing unresectable or metastatic non–small cell cancer (NSCLC) cohorts of the phase II DESTINY-Lung01 trial show activity of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in this setting. Prior ...
There is much debate about the necessity of treating women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with surgery or radiotherapy.1,2 It is disconcerting to many that patients with DCIS are treated in the same way as are women with early-stage invasive breast cancer. Many patients with DCIS have...
In a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Sorin et al found that neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy was associated with better outcomes than neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Study Details A search of published studies reported...
Investigators have assessed medical malpractice trends related to active surveillance as a treatment strategy across different types of cancers, according to a recent study published by Chang et al in the Annals of Surgery. Background Active surveillance is a less invasive approach that reserves...
Nearly 21,000 new cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are diagnosed each year in the United States, about 80% of which occur in individuals aged 60 years and older. The cancer has the highest mortality rate among the different types of leukemia, and, in 2024, it is predicted that about 11,220...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Domenica Lorusso, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III ENGOT-cx11/GOG-3047/KEYNOTE-A18 trial has shown that the addition of pembrolizumab to chemoradiotherapy improved progression-free survival in patients with newly diagnosed, high-risk, locally advanced...
In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA Network Open, Henderson et al identified prevalence of lung cancer screening in the United States in 2022 using U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) 2021 and 2013 recommendations for screening eligibility. The USPSTF 2013 guidelines...
On March 1, 2024, amivantamab-vmjw (Rybrevant) was approved for use with carboplatin and pemetrexed for first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, as detected by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved...
On December 13, 2023, eflornithine (Iwilfin), an ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, was approved for adult and pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma with at least a partial response to prior multiagent, multimodality therapy including anti-GD2 immunotherapy. This represents the first U.S. ...
In a Danish single-institution phase III trial (MyHealth) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Saltbæk et al found that nurse-led individualized follow-up was associated with significantly better breast cancer–specific quality of life compared with usual care after completion of primary...
Researchers have found that venetoclax in combination with azacitidine may be effective at treating patients with multiple myeloma, according to a recent study published by Flanagan et al in Haematologica. Background Despite recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma, the disease remains ...
In an analysis of two trials (SCOT and IDEA-HORG) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Domingo et al identified the predictive value of Immunoscore for disease-free survival in patients with stage III colorectal cancer treated with adjuvant mFOLFOX6 (modified fluorouracil, leucovorin, and...
In a report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Francois-Xavier Mahon, MD, PhD, and colleagues provided the final analysis of the European Stop Kinase Inhibitors (EURO-SKI) study. The trial evaluated the effect of stopping tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment in patients with chronic myeloid...
In a phase III trial reported in The Lancet, Jennifer Steel, PhD, and colleagues found that an integrated screening and stepped collaborative care intervention (CARES) improved health-related quality of life vs standard of care in patients with cancer. Study Details In the study, 459 patients from ...
The composition of the gut microbiome may reveal distinct signatures associated with race, ethnicity, and age of onset in patients with colorectal cancer, according to a recent study published by Hein et al in the Journal of Immunotherapy and Precision Oncology. The findings provide insights into...
Researchers have found that a specific subtype of Fusobacterium nucleatum may be capable of growing within colorectal cancer, driving cancer progression, and leading to poorer outcomes following colorectal cancer treatment, according to a recent study published by Zepeda-Rivera et al in Nature. The ...
Statistically significant and clinically meaningful overall survival results from Part 1 and progression-free survival results from Part 2 of the RUBY/ENGOT-EN6/GOG3031/NSGO phase III trial in adult patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer were presented in a late-breaking...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, and colleagues, interim analysis of the phase III NATALEE trial has shown improved invasive disease–free survival with the addition of adjuvant ribociclib to a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) in patients with...
Researchers have found that a low-dose radiotherapy boost in addition to whole-breast radiotherapy may prevent local recurrence in young patients with breast cancer, according to new findings presented by Bosma et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC) (Abstract 4LBA) and...
Extensive removal of the lymph nodes may be safely avoided in patients with breast cancer that has metastasized to the axillary nodes if treatment is tailored to their response to therapies such as chemotherapy prior to surgery, according to new findings presented by van Hemert et al at the 2024...
A combined positron-emission tomography–magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) scanning technique could improve the treatment of some patients with early-stage breast cancer, according to new findings presented by Di Micco et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC) (Abstract 9) and...
About 8 years ago, I was just a few years into menopause when I noticed blood in my urine. It wasn’t accompanied by pain, frequent urination, or any other troubling symptoms, so initially I wasn’t too concerned. But when I started passing pieces of tissue, I became alarmed and made an appointment...
On October 13, 2023, nivolumab was approved for adjuvant treatment of completely resected stage IIB/C melanoma in patients aged 12 years and older.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the double-blind CheckMate 76K trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04099251), in which...
Although more than 85% of childhood cancer survivors will achieve a 5-year survival,1 that does not tell the whole tale for these individuals who move into adulthood. They are at excess risk of late mortality, even 40 years out from a cancer diagnosis, from non–cancer-related causes,1 and related...
On January 19, 2024, erdafitinib (Balversa) was approved for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with susceptible FGFR3 genetic alterations, as determined by a U.S. Food & Drug Administration–approved companion diagnostic test, whose disease has progressed on or...
In Kathy Giusti’s empowering and deeply personal book Fatal to Fearless: 12 Steps to Beating Cancer in a Broken Medical System (HarperCollins, 2024), she details the shock of being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, in 1996, at the age of 37. Told she had 3 years to live, the book recounts how Ms....
In 1996, at the age of 37, Kathy Giusti was diagnosed with the incurable blood cancer multiple myeloma and told she had about 3 years to live. In the mid-1990s, effective therapies for this second most common blood cancer were nearly nonexistent. Standard of care for myeloma consisted of oral...
The findings from RATIONALE-315 were discussed at the ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology) Virtual Plenary by Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, Head of the Medical Oncology Service at the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid. He noted that inhibitors of PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1, as...
In patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), perioperative treatment involving the checkpoint inhibitor tislelizumab led to a statistically significant benefit in event-free survival and a favorable trend for overall survival, investigators for the phase III RATIONALE-315 trial...
It is currently acknowledged that hypofractionated radiotherapy, an increasingly favored approach in prostate cancer treatment, delivers higher radiation doses over fewer sessions compared with conventional fractionation schedules. This approach is supported by the recognition that prostate cancer ...
In the phase III MORPHO trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Mark J. Levis, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib showed activity as post–allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) maintenance among patients with FLT3-ITD–mutated acute myeloid...
The addition of atezolizumab to postsurgery chemotherapy may not benefit patients with triple-negative breast cancer, according to findings recently presented by McArthur et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC; Abstract 1LBA). Background Triple-negative breast cancer is often...
Taking part in an exercise program may improve pain, fatigue, and quality of life in patients with metastatic breast cancer, according to recent findings presented by Hiensch et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC; Abstract 1). Background “Although there’s been quite a lot of...
A novel genetic test may predict how patients with triple-negative early-stage breast cancer will respond to immunotherapy, according to new findings presented by Wolf et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC) (Abstract 2LBA). The research may help patients who are unlikely to...
The addition of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to chemotherapy prior to and following surgery may lead to improved outcomes in patients with breast cancer regardless of their age or menopausal status, according to new findings presented by Cardoso et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Kater et al, the phase IIIb VENICE-1 trial has shown activity of venetoclax monotherapy in adult patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, including those with prior B-cell receptor–associated kinase (BCR) inhibitor treatment. Study...
The combination of the small molecule inhibitor of VEGFR fruquintinib and the chemotherapy paclitaxel presents a potential new second-line treatment of patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, according to data presented during the ASCO Plenary Series: February...
On February 13, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved liposomal irinotecan (Onivyde) for use with oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin in the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on the open-label NAPOLI 3...
The optimal management of high-risk prostate cancer remains a topic of ongoing investigation. The quest for therapy that maximizes cancer control while minimizing toxicity is constant. Over the past decade, there has been mounting evidence that the addition of a brachytherapy boost to external-beam ...
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and lumbar puncture may not always be necessary for diagnosing and managing a serious neurologic complication associated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, according to a new study published by Mauget et al in Blood Advances. Findings further...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Battaglin et al, an analysis from the phase III CALGB/SWOG 80405 trial of first-line chemotherapy plus bevacizumab or cetuximab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer showed differences in outcomes according to HER2 gene–expression status....
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kwak et al found that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels ≥ 0.1 ng/mL within 6 months after completion of radiotherapy were prognostic for poorer outcomes in patients with localized prostate cancer who did or did not also receive...