Laurie Helen Sehn, MD, MPH, of the British Columbia Cancer Centre for Lymphoid Cancer, discusses phase II study findings on polatuzumab vedotin with bendamustine and rituximab in relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (Abstract 7507).
Rebecca A. Dent, MD, of the National Cancer Centre Singapore, discusses phase II study findings on first-line ipatasertib plus paclitaxel for locally advanced/metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (Abstract 1008).
Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori–Fondazione Pascale, discusses phase III study findings on encorafenib plus binimetinib vs vemurafenib or encorafenib in BRAF-mutant melanoma (Abstract 9504).
David M. O’Malley, MD, of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, discusses phase Ib study findings on mirvetuximab soravtansine, a folate receptor alpha-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, in combination with bevacizumab in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (Abstract 5549).
Danny Rischin, MD, of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, discusses phase II study findings on cemiplimab, a human monoclonal anti–PD-1 antibody, in patients with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (Abstract 9519).
Raymond U. Osarogiagbon, MBBS, of Baptist Cancer Center, discusses a kit used in non–small cell lung cancer resection that improves staging quality and overall survival without adding to morbidity of curative surgery (Abstract 8502).
Naoki Furuya, MD, PhD, of the St. Marianna University School of Medicine, discusses phase III study findings on a comparison of bevacizumab plus erlotinib to erlotinib in patients with untreated non–small cell lung cancer with activating EGFR mutations (Abstract 9006).
Tony Mok, MD, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, discusses study findings on dacomitinib vs gefitinib for first-line treatment of advanced non–small cell lung cancer, a final overall survival analysis.
An updated analysis of a randomized phase III trial showed that taking a high dose of the acid-reducing medicine esomeprazole with low-dose aspirin for at least 7 years can moderately reduce the risk of developing high-grade dysplasia or esophageal cancer and delay death from any cause in people...
A randomized, phase III trial found that patients who received chemoradiotherapy before pancreatic cancer surgery had better disease-free survival than those who started their treatment with surgery, which is the current standard of care. In addition, the 2-year survival rate was higher for those...
In a randomized phase III trial, patients with surgically removed pancreatic cancer who received mFOLFIRINOX (a modified regimen containing oxaliplatin, leucovorin, irinotecan, and fluorouracil) lived a median of 20 months longer and were cancer-free 9 months longer than those who received the...
A randomized phase III clinical trial showed that people with advanced colorectal cancer may not need a frequently considered component of treatment—heated chemotherapy delivered to the abdomen during surgery. There was no difference in survival between patients with metastases in the abdomen ...
Nathan A. Pennell, MD, PhD, of the Cleveland Clinic, discusses the economic impact of next generation sequencing vs sequential single-gene testing modalities to detect genomic alterations in newly diagnosed metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (Abstract 9031).
Sumanta K. Pal, MD, of City of Hope, and A. Oliver Sartor, MD, of Tulane University School of Medicine, discuss the implications of findings on black and white patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer treated with abiraterone acetate and prednisone (Abstract LBA5009).
Danh Pham, MD, of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, discusses his findings using a registry on the low rates of screening with low-dose computed tomography, despite its potential to prevent thousands of lung cancer deaths each year (Abstract 6504).
Joseph A. Sparano, MD, of Montefiore Medical Center, discusses phase III study results on chemoendocrine treatment vs endocrine treatment alone in hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, node-negative breast cancer and an intermediate prognosis 21-gene recurrence score (Abstract LBA1).
Gilberto Lopes, MD, MBA, of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami, discusses phase III findings on pembrolizumab vs platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced/metastatic non–small cell lung cancer with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score ≥ to 1%...
The randomized phase III Carmena trial showed that many people with advanced kidney cancer can avoid nephrectomy without compromising survival. The median overall survival for people who received the targeted therapy sunitinib (Sutent) alone was 18.4 months, compared with 13.9 months for those who...
The federally funded, phase III TAILORx clinical trial showed that most women with hormone receptor (HR)–positive, HER2-negative, axillary node–negative early-stage breast cancer and a mid-range score on a 21-tumor gene expression assay (Oncotype DX® Breast Recurrence Score) do not...
A new chemotherapy strategy seems to improve cure rates for children with rhabdomyosarcoma who are at high risk for cancer recurrence. In a randomized phase III clinical trial, adding 6 months of low-dose maintenance chemotherapy after initial treatment increased the 5-year overall survival rate...
A large, randomized phase III trial shows that the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is a more effective initial treatment than chemotherapy (the current standard of care) for the majority of patients with the most common type of lung cancer. People with advanced non–small cell lung...
Manisha H. Shah, MD, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, summarizes a session she chaired on progress in tailored treatments for medullary and anaplastic thyroid cancers as well as salivary gland cancer.
Meletios A. Dimopoulos, MD, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, discusses phase III findings on ibrutinib/rituximab vs placebo/rituximab in Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (Abstract 8003).
Supriya G. Mohile, MD, of the University of Rochester Medical Center, discusses study findings on ways to improve communication with older cancer patients using geriatric assessment (Abstract LBA10003).
Martee L. Hensley, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses phase III study findings on adjuvant gemcitabine plus docetaxel followed by doxorubicin vs observation for uterus-limited, high-grade leiomyosarcoma (Abstract 5005).
In a phase III clinical trial, the investigational PI3K inhibitor taselisib combined with standard hormone therapy fulvestrant (Faslodex) halted the growth of advanced breast cancer growth by 2 months longer than hormone therapy alone. In addition, the novel combination decreased the chance of...
An initial report from the large, ongoing Circulating Cell-Free Genome Atlas (CCGA) study provides preliminary evidence that a blood test may be able to detect early-stage lung cancer. This is one of the first studies to explore blood tests analyzing free-floating or cell-free DNA as a tool for the ...
Initial findings from a randomized phase III clinical trial showed that patients with advanced squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) benefit more from initial treatment with the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-targeted immunotherapy atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and chemotherapy than...
A genomic study of more than 15,000 tumor samples showed that people who have tumors with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H)—a genomic marker associated with a large number of genetic mutations in the tumor—are more likely to have Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that...
Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of consecutive, prospectively molecularly profiled patients with advanced cancer who participated in a large, personalized medicine trial. They found that using molecular tests of tumors to select targeted therapy resulted in slower cancer growth and...
Jed A. Katzel, MD, of Kaiser Permanente, discusses his team’s findings on the disparities in head and neck cancer treatment for women and the possible missed opportunities to take a more aggressive and beneficial approach (Abstract LBA6002).
Susan Halabi, PhD, of Duke University Medical Center, discusses an analysis that showed an increase in overall survival in African American men vs Caucasian men, all of whom had metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with docetaxel/prednisone or a regimen containing those agents...
Daniel J. George, MD, of Duke University, discusses findings from a multicenter study of black and white patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer treated with abiraterone acetate and prednisone (Abstract LBA5009).
An analysis of pooled data from 9 randomized phase III trials of more than 8,000 men with advanced prostate cancer who received chemotherapy shows chances of survival are as good for black men as white men. The median survival was the same in black men and white men overall (21 months), but black...
In a prospective clinical trial of 100 men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, the response to the hormone treatment abiraterone (Yonsa, Zytiga) was greater and longer-lasting in black men than in white men. Black men were more likely to have a decline in prostate-specific antigen ...
An analysis of cancer registry data from a California hospital system showed that women with head and neck cancer were less likely to receive intensive chemotherapy (35% vs 46%) and radiation (60% vs 70%) compared to men. Controlling for factors such as age and serious medical conditions, a...
A federally funded randomized study demonstrated that the use of geriatric assessment in routine care of older adults with advanced cancer significantly improved doctor-patient communication about age-related concerns as well as patient satisfaction with the communication. The study was featured in ...
An analysis of health claims data from two demographically similar regions on either side of the U.S./Canada border shows that a common treatment for advanced colorectal cancer costs twice as much in Western Washington State than in British Columbia—$12,345 vs $6,195 monthly per patient....
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, released the following statement today: For patients with serious or immediately life-threatening diseases, the FDA remains committed to enhancing access to promising investigational medicines for those unable to access...
An updated American Cancer Society guideline now says colorectal cancer screening should begin at age 45 for people at average risk, based in part on data showing rates of colorectal cancer are increasing in young and middle-aged populations. The updated recommendations were published by Wolf et al ...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Leonardi et al found that programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor monotherapy in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and autoimmune disorders worsened such disorders in a...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Kurian et al found that use of germline multiple-gene sequencing has become more common than BRCA1/2-only sequencing after breast cancer diagnosis in clinical practice, with an associated increased detection of pathologic variants not...
On May 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted for filing the supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for cabozantinib (Cabometyx) tablets as a treatment for patients with previously treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The filing has been assigned a Prescription Drug...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a new drug application (NDA) and granted Priority Review for larotrectinib in the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors harboring a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase (NTRK) gene fusion. ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted, with Priority Review, a new drug application (NDA) for gilteritinib for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and a mutation in the FLT3 gene, as detected by an FDA-approved test....
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted Orphan Drug designation to galinpepimut-S for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The drug is licensed from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and targets the Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) protein, which is present in an array of tumor...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the ASCO recently announced the recipients of its 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Awards, Medical Student Rotations for Underrepresented Populations (MSR), Resident Travel Awards for Underrepresented Populations (RTA), and Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe)....
Nationally regarded radiation oncologist Karen M. Winkfield, MD, PhD, was born and reared in Wheatley Heights, a suburban hamlet on Long Island, New York, that shares borders with the prosperous community of Dix Hills and one of the Island’s lowest-income towns, Wyandanch. “I was fortunate to live ...
India, with the world’s second-largest population and more than 2,000 ethnic groups, is a vastly complex nation, noted for its rich history and boundless intellectual capital, but also for its poverty and inequities in areas such as access to health care. The State of Kerala, situated in the...
ASCO and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) have announced that they are working to co-create a pathway to provide doctors with a flexible way to maintain board certification. The work with ASCO reflects real progress in ABIM’s efforts to collaborate with medical societies. Beginning in ...