During my Presidency, we decided to increase ASCO’s size to give clinical investigators a better position in the medical world. To that end, I decided that the Society needed its own journal. At that time, we sent our papers to Blood or Cancer Research, where, in my estimation, they received poor...
My year as President was a busy one. Aside from continuing my research and directing the activities of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, I was drowned by the vast amount of information that was sent to me by ASCO headquarters. At the onset of my Presidency, I discovered...
My Presidency was a transitional year; it was the first time that ASCO had a meeting separate from the American Association for Cancer Research. Since ASCO was thought to be simply a science-light organization that focused solely on clinical trials, the pressure was on to establish an independent...
Under my leadership as President, ASCO initiated the largest quality of cancer care study ever done. Called the National Initiative for Cancer Care Quality (NICCQ), we looked at more than 60 quality measures for stage I to III breast cancer and stage II to III colorectal cancer. We identified areas ...
One highlight of serving as ASCO President is working with the outstanding staff—to name just a few, Executive Vice President Charles M. Balch, MD; Chief Operating Officer Ron Beller, PhD; Jean Colvard; Roseanna Thoman; and all the Department heads. During my Presidency, we undertook some very...
Ten years ago, at ASCO’s Annual Meeting, we were celebrating 40 Years of Quality Cancer Care. We have certainly seen many improvements in cancer care quality since then, especially in more effective agents and patient-centeredness care. When I joined ASCO in 1984, I never imagined that I would be...
As my Presidency gradually fades into the past, it is sobering to reminisce on how exciting it was. ASCO is a great organization with an amazing staff and a solid mission. Chairing the Board meetings was clearly a highlight of my Presidency because of the vast talent and collective wisdom that is...
My Presidential theme was One Community. I think that theme continues to express much of our goal in oncology, which is to make sure that all members of the cancer care team work together—oncologists, nurses, scientists, nutritionists, psychologists, social workers, administrators, and others. I...
Durng my Presidency we completely revamped the way the ASCO Board of Directors works by creating various subcommittees and a much more deliberate strategic planning process. In effect, the Board members took more ownership of ASCO’s agenda, planning the future of the Society rather than dealing...
My year as President of ASCO was one of momentous change, not just for ASCO, but for health care and for cancer biology as well. The theme of my Presidency was Patients, Pathways, and Progress. “Pathways” referred to the molecular pathways that are becoming increasingly important in the targeted...
Serving as ASCO’s President was one of the most exciting years of my professional career. Although that year presented a number of challenges, it also marked a number of accomplishments, including a record number of new ASCO members, which then reached more than 30,000 in 122 countries (today,...
One of the pleasures during my year as President was the ability to bring personal and professional passions and a sense of what really matters into focus for the work of our membership. My Presidential theme, Building Bridges to Conquer Cancer, reflected my particular interest in outreach to...
The last 50 years have been marked by significant advances in cancer research and in more effective therapy for patients. Once viewed as a largely untreatable, fatal disease, today a number of cancers are being converted into chronic diseases that can be managed for long periods of time. The result ...
MAY ASPHO’s 27th Annual MeetingMay 14-17 • Chicago, Illinois For more information: www.aspho.org Oral Oncology: Oncologic Dentistry and Maxillofacial Prosthetics SymposiumMay 15-17 • Houston, TexasFor more information: www.mdanderson.org/conferences 2014 State of the Art Radiation Therapy:...
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has announced that it has passed the $1 billion mark in research investment, a significant milestone in the cancer research landscape as the Society continues its 65-year pursuit of advancing breakthrough therapies, finding cures, and ensuring access to...
Duquesne University’s newly established biomedical engineering initiative has received a $1.4 million, 5-year grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute to detect, capture and analyze circulating melanoma cells. John Viator, MD, Biomedical Engineering Program Director...
Is pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree a good idea for ambitious surgical oncologists who want to advance their careers? The ASCO Post recently spoke with Martin J. Heslin, MD, MSHA, Chief, Section of Surgical Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medical Center, ...
Clinical research is vital for the development and improvement of methods designed to prevent and treat cancer. The majority of clinical trials take place in the developed world through sponsored pharmaceutical research companies.1 The corresponding lack of research in developing countries results...
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 3.5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, with the incidences of skin cancer outnumbering all cases of breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancers combined. Of the three most common types of skin cancer—basal cell carcinoma, squamous...
ASCO’s State Affiliate Council is composed of the State Society Presidents and/or designated physician Council Representatives as well as the Executive Directors of each state and/or regional oncology society. The Council convened in late February to address the most relevant issues affecting...
New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center has opened the Irving Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, a state-of-the-art facility for comprehensive bone marrow transplant (BMT) care. The new unit features 18 inpatient rooms, a high-tech nurses station for individual patient monitoring, and a...
Bert Howard O’Neil, MD, has been named the inaugural Joseph W. and Jackie J. Cusick Professor of Oncology and a Professor of Medicine at the Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine, in Indianapolis. He is also the Phase I Director and Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Program at...
Becky L. DeKay, MBA, became President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) at its 40th Annual National Meeting in April. She is Director of Oncology Services at the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Shreveport, in Louisiana. “I am honored to...
In an effort to reduce cancer health disparities among Asian Americans, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center now offers individual, in-language education and culturally sensitive materials for every Asian American cancer patient. New brochures and 5-minute videos were debuted during the National...
The number of cancer survivors has been steadily increasing in recent years. According to the Ministry of Health National Cancer Registry, in 2010 there were 254,000 cancer survivors in Israel (3.3% of the population) compared with 15,700 (0.4% of the population, P < .005) in 1975.1 Forty years...
When Barrie R. Cassileth, MS, PhD, began researching complementary medicine and its potential for use in oncology care over 30 years ago, not much was known about the importance of complementary therapies for the well-being of patients with cancer. She chose to conduct her doctoral dissertation...
The American Association for Cancer Research welcomed Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, as President of the Organization for 2014–2015. Dr. Arteaga was inaugurated during the AACR’s Annual Meeting. Dr. Arteaga is Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he...
CancerCare recently announced Patricia J. Goldsmith has been named the organization’s Chief Executive Officer. CancerCare is a national nonprofit organization providing free, professional support services to anyone affected by cancer. The announcement comes as the group celebrates 70 years of...
Genetic screening of cancer can help doctors customize treatments so that patients with melanoma have the best chance of beating it, according to the results of a clinical trial by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. The trial, funded by the National Institutes of...
In January, Eric S. Lander, PhD, Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his colleagues published the results from their landmark study,1 which explored the feasibility of creating a comprehensive catalog of cancer genes. The researchers collected and...
More than 2 decades ago, Deane L. Wolcott, MD, helped develop comprehensive patient-centered psycho-oncology care in cancer centers across the country. Today, many aspects of that patient-centered care, including psychiatric, dietary, pain management, cancer rehabilitation medicine, survivorship,...
Patients with cancer are extremely interested in discussing the cost of treatment, especially their share of the cost, but some oncologists are still hesitant to enter into these conversations, according to a study reported at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 2014 Conference.1 “We...
The ASCO Cancer Research Committee recently convened four disease-specific working groups—in pancreas, breast, lung, and colon cancers—to “consider the design of future clinical trials that would produce results that are clinically meaningful to patients.” An ASCO perspective statement, reported in ...
In 2012, just 1 year after taking the reins as President of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Ronald A. DePinho, MD, announced his plans to launch the Moon Shots Program, the most ambitious endeavor undertaken by the cancer center to dramatically accelerate the pace of reducing...
The Gairdner Foundation of Canada has named James P. Allison, PhD, for one of its 2014 Canada Gairdner International Awards. Dr. Allison is Chair and Professor of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The honor, announced recently by the Gairdner Foundation,...
Douglas Hanahan, PhD, Director of the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Lausanne, Switzerland, was recently honored with the 11th annual American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research. The award ...
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society recently announced that its Canadian affiliate, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, has named Shelagh Tippet-Fagyas as its new President. Ms. Tippet-Fagyas will lead the Canadian Society in its efforts to find cures and ensure access to therapies for...
Direct your patients to Cancer.Net, ASCO’s patient information website, to find easy-to-read summaries of studies released on May 14 in advance of this year’s Annual Meeting. In addition, encourage them to listen to a panel discussion and Q&A session about these latest advances in a recording...
The work that we do at the Conquer Cancer Foundation would not be possible without the support of generous donors who share our vision to create a world free from the fear of cancer. Conquer Cancer Foundation supporters are invited to visit the Donor Lounge during the ASCO Annual Meeting, held May...
As the obesity epidemic takes its toll on the nation’s health, ASCO is making strides to address this growing concern as it relates to cancer. ASCO has developed a suite of educational resources designed to help oncology providers educate their patients about the negative effects of obesity on...
Sarah K. Tasian, MD (2011 Young Investigator Award) The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Predicting Biochemical and Genetic Responses to JAK Inhibitor Therapy in Patients With CRLF2-Overexpressing Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Kasey Leger, MD (2012 Young Investigator Award) University of...
Envision a world where a diagnosis of pediatric cancer is met with the same reaction as a diagnosis of the common cold. In this idyllic world, the word “cancer” no longer carries with it the same traumatic response or stigma that it does today. This hopeful vision is what drives Craig Breslow in...
Leaders in cancer care will be recognized as part of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Special Awards Program at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting. The Special Awards recognize the dedication and significant contributions of researchers, patient advocates, and leaders of the global oncology...
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has been awarded two grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The funding, totaling more than $1.25 million, will be used to improve the adoption of evidence-based laboratory testing guidelines and to standardize reporting of...
Noah M. Hahn, MD, has been selected as Associate Professor of Oncology and Urology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Before joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Hahn was the Director of the Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program at Indiana University. He is an...
Project Data Sphere, which launched on April 8, is a “giant digital laboratory, an enormous library containing data about tens of thousands of patients and hundreds of clinical trials, all of which will be in the public domain,” said Martin J. Murphy, Jr, DMedSc, PhD, FASCO, Chief Executive Officer ...
Michael S. Gordon, MD, has been named the new Medical Director for the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials program at Scottsdale Healthcare in Phoenix. Dr. Gordon will oversee the center’s phase I clinical trials program. Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials at Scottsdale...
Cornelia Ulrich, PhD, and Bruce A. Edgar, PhD, scholars in the fields of cancer prevention and molecular biology, respectively, will join Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah as early as September 1, 2014. Dr. Ulrich is currently serving as a Director of the National Center for...
A phase III clinical trial has shown that noninvasive magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound treatment that heats the cancer within the bone, relieves pain and improves function for most patients when other treatment options are limited. The results were published recently in the Journal of...
Data from trials conducted mostly in the 1970s and 1980s established the paradigm that optimal treatment of rectal cancer requires a combination of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.1 Virtually all of these trials, however, demonstrated that radiotherapy added only to the local control...