The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Amgen’s Biologics License Application for blinatumomab for the treatment of adults with Philadelphia chromosome–negative relapsed/refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As part of the acceptance, the FDA granted ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a combination of netupitant and palonosetron (Akynzeo) to treat nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy. The new drug, also known as NEPA, is a fixed-combination capsule comprised of two agents: oral palonosetron, which ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved bortezomib (Velcade) injection for previously untreated patients with mantle cell lymphoma. This is the first treatment in the United States to be approved for use in previously untreated patients with mantle cell lymphoma. Bortezomib was...
For the first time, studies show that a drug is effective in treating several domains of cancer-related cachexia. Oral anamorelin increased lean body mass, achieved weight gain, and improved quality of life in patients with cancer-related cachexia in two pivotal phase III studies presented together ...
A growing number of oncologists in Greece are female, but women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions, according to a survey reported at the ESMO 2014 Congress. “In Greece, and across Europe, women oncologists still find it hard to access leadership or academic positions,” said...
Oncologists are now “in the luxury position of having two highly potent agents to treat BRAF V600–mutated melanoma,” noted Christian Blank, MD, PhD, Group Leader of Immunology at The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, who discussed the two papers at the ESMO 2014 Presidential Symposium....
A record number of 19,859 attendees at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2014 Congress discussed changes to oncology that will soon have a positive impact on the care of patients around the world. “We are particularly pleased to see participants from 131 countries at the congress...
Smoking took an $18.1 billion toll in California in 2009—$487 for each resident—and was responsible for more than one in seven deaths in the state, more than from AIDS, influenza, diabetes, or many other causes, according to the first comprehensive analysis in more than a decade on the financial...
BRCA mutations may occur in nearly one-third of breast cancer patients who would have been described as having triple-negative cancer except that their tumors express low levels of estrogen receptor, so the tumors are described as ER–low positive, according to researchers from The University of...
Women with atypical hyperplasia have an absolute risk of about 1% per year for developing breast cancer—a level of risk that has been underappreciated. Not enough is being done to protect these women, according to Lynn C. Hartmann, MD, Professor of Oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,...
Progress has recently been swift in the development of new drugs to improve the response to hormone therapy in breast cancer, according to Hope S. Rugo, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education at the University of California, San Francisco, Helen...
Last fall, Richard R. Barakat, MD, FACS, the Ronald O. Perelman Chair in Gynecologic Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, was named to the new position of Deputy Physician-in-Chief for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Regional Care Network and Cancer Alliance, a new initiative meant to...
Recent articles on developments and controversies in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia include the following features from The ASCO Post, which are also available at www.ascopost.com: “Recent FDA Approvals Foster Growing Treatment Armamentarium for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Rare ...
Recent discoveries in biology, therapy, and (most importantly) the interplay between these two have led to groundbreaking advances in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These advances underline the impact of the “translational” approach to cancer management in general. Standard of Care...
In the final overall survival analysis of the phase III CLEOPATRA trial, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients lived 15.7 months longer if they received pertuzumab (Perjeta) in addition to trastuzumab (Herceptin) and docetaxel, investigators reported at the European Society for Medical...
Dr. Watson states that my assertion that physicians gain profit from the administration of chemotherapy in private practice is “absurd.” Recent reports from the Oncology Circle practices [a data-sharing collaborative of best-in-class oncology practices from across the country] suggest that current...
I took exception to a number of the comments made by Rena Conti, PhD, in The ASCO Post (“Health-Care Reform Is Changing the Oncology Landscape,” October 15, 2014, page 1). I realize that The ASCO Post is not a peer-reviewed and indexed publication, but as an ASCO member, I also recognize that the...
The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded with one half to John O’Keefe, PhD, of University College London, and the second half jointly awarded to May-Britt Moser, PhD, and Edvard I. Moser, PhD, of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, for their...
The 56.5-month overall survival for women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer receiving first-line treatment with pertuzumab (Perjeta) in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and docetaxel in the CLEOPATRA trial represents a 15.7-month survival advantage for those receiving pertuzumab...
"Impressive,” “outstanding,” and “unprecedented” are among the terms used to describe the 56.5-month overall survival for women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer receiving first-line treatment with pertuzumab (Perjeta) in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and docetaxel in the...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), with the support of the NCCN Foundation, recently announced the availability of printed versions of the NCCN Guidelines for Patients for order on Amazon.com for the following cancer types: Breast (Stages 0–IV), Colon, and Pancreatic Cancers;...
The following essay by Julie Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, is adapted from The Big Casino: America’s Best Cancer Doctors Share Their Most Powerful Stories (May 2014), coedited by Stan Winokur, MD, and Vincent Coppola. The book is available on Amazon.com and thebigcasino.org. When I met Cindy, she was...
In December 2014, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute will open the doors of a new 1.1 million square foot, 21-floor freestanding cancer hospital—making Columbus, Ohio, home to the third largest cancer hospital in the United ...
NOVEMBER EORTC-NCI-AACR International Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer TherapeuticsNovember 18-21 • Barcelona, SpainFor more information: www.aacr.org ESMO Symposium on Immuno-OncologyNovember 21-22 • Geneva, Switzerland For more information: www.esmo.org/Conferences/Immuno-Oncology-2014...
BOOKMARK Title: Shrinkage: Manhood, Marriage, and the Tumor That Tried to Kill MeAuthor: Bryan BishopPublisher: Thomas Dunne BooksPublication date: April 29, 2014Price: $25.99; hardcover, 336 pages At 30 years old, Bryan Bishop was having the time of his life. Known to millions of radio fans as...
BOOKMARK Title: The Good Doctor: A Father, a Son, and the Evolution of Medical EthicsAuthor: Barron H. Lerner, MDPublisher: Beacon PressPublication date: May 13, 2014Price: $25.95; hardcover, 240 pages One morning in 1996, an infectious disease specialist was making rounds when he and his team...
Martine Extermann, MD, PhD, Senior Member of the Senior Adult Oncology and Health Outcomes & Behavior Programs at Moffitt Cancer Center, was the recipient of the 2014 Paul Calabresi Award. Named after the first president of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG), the award...
Richard C. Zellars, MD, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has been named Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, pending approval by the Indiana Univerity trustees. He will begin his new duties in January. A breast cancer...
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has announced the names of 70 new members and 10 foreign associates during its 44th Annual Meeting held in October. Election to the IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated...
Ronald McDonald House® New York announced that Tina Lundgren has been elected to serve as Chairman of its Board of Directors. Mrs. Lundgren will succeed Stanley B. Shopkorn, Managing Director of Hilltop Park Associates LLC, who has served as chairman since 2006. Mrs. Lundgren will serve a 3-year...
As part of the Lilly Oncology On Canvas Art Competition, Lilly Oncology and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship created the Ellen Stovall Award in honor of Ellen Stovall, a tireless advocate for cancer survivors and former president and CEO of NCCS. The award recognizes those who use...
The 10th anniversary of the Lilly Oncology On Canvas Art Competition was celebrated with the presentation of awards and display of winning entries on October 23 in New York’s Grand Central Terminal. The competition, which is presented by Lilly Oncology and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship ...
Personalized medicine is an established treatment concept for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and molecular characterization of tumors is crucial for choice of (first-line) therapy. As of right now, we have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs for two...
ASCO has endorsed the recently developed joint College of American Pathologists (CAP), International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), and Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) guideline on molecular testing for selection of patients with lung cancer for EGFR and ALK inhibitor...
Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD)—BUILD is a set of experimental training awards designed to learn how to attract students from diverse backgrounds into the biomedical research workforce and encourage them to become future contributors to the NIH-funded research enterprise. The...
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the award of more than $30 million in fiscal year 2014 funds to develop new approaches that engage researchers, including those from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical sciences, and prepare them to thrive in the NIH-funded workforce. These...
The outcome for adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is inferior to that in children, and the outcome for children with ALL who experience relapse is dismal. Therefore, new therapeutic options are urgently needed to improve survival rates for this high-risk ALL...
Half of all premature deaths from colorectal cancer (described as deaths in people ages 25 to 64) in the United States are linked to ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic inequalities, and therefore could be prevented according to a new study by American Cancer Society researchers. The report,...
As reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post (page 155), the RAINBOW trial is an international phase III study demonstrating improved overall survival with ramucirumab (Cyramza) plus paclitaxel as second-line therapy for patients with advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma over...
Researchers at The Penny George Institute for Health and Healing in Minneapolis have found that integrative medicine therapies can decrease pain and anxiety for hospitalized cancer patients. Their findings were published recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs.1...
In assessing a cancer treatment, cost and value are two key factors. So how, the moderator asked, do they enter into your everyday decisions? Tanisha Carino, PhD, Executive Vice President of Avalere Health, was speaking to a clinical oncologist, a patient advocate, a pharma executive, and a health...
One hundred years ago, primary lung cancer was considered a rarity, with only a few hundred cases acknowledged in the world literature. Until the middle of the 1920s, medical textbooks by noted authors continued to label the disease “rare,” although metastatic lung disease was recognized and...
Diseases and cancers of the face were so visible and disfiguring that they were usually brought to the attention of a physician in their early stages. The effect and success produced by Finsen’s light therapy on lupus, eczema, psoriasis, other skin diseases and even infections, such as...
This is a rare photograph of an older patient with a primary ocular tumor. These tumors are uncommon in old age so most photographs of retinoblastoma or rhabdomyosarcoma featured children. As a rule, there was no attempt to surgically remove these tumors and the children were only given supportive...
Dartmouth researchers say lung cancer computed tomographic (CT) screening in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) meets a commonly accepted standard for cost-effectiveness as reported recently in The New England Journal of Medicine.1 The screening test uses annual low-dose CT scans to spot lung ...
In September, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life. The report argues that the U.S. health-care system subjects patients to too many—and often futile—interventions near the end of life, often ...
New Century Health, a leading specialty management company focused on oncology and cardiovascular care, has announced that Andrew Hertler, MD, FACP, has joined its executive leadership team as the Chief Medical Officer. A highly experienced oncologist and physician executive, Dr. Hertler is one of...
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recently announced the selection of Stephen P. Hunger, MD, a nationally prominent specialist in children’s cancer, as its new Chief of the Division of Oncology and the Director of the Center for Childhood Cancer Research. Dr. Hunger assumed his new position...
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) has announced an initiative designed to accelerate the evaluation of new investigational therapies for multiple myeloma. The MMRF, in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), pharmaceutical,...
In an important recent study by Dr. Antonio Palumbo and colleagues,1 reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post (page 128), 273 patients aged ≤ 65 years were randomly assigned to early transplant or consolidation therapy using MPR (melphalan, prednisone, and lenalidomide [Revlimid]) after successful...