New diagnoses of six major cancer types in the United States fell abruptly in early 2020, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to findings from part 2 of the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.1 The volume of pathology reports also declined sharply...
Aaron T. Gerds, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Hematology and Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, served as a press briefing moderator at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. He was enthusiastic about the potential for an all-oral AAA...
An all-oral regimen for newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was shown to be “highly effective and safe,” eliminating the need for chemotherapy altogether in many patients, Hong Kong researchers reported at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting &...
Investigators may have identified colorectal cancer screening programs in Latin America, according to a recent systematic review and meta-analysis published by Montalvan-Sanchez et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Colorectal cancer—the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality...
Investigators have found that annual breast cancer screening beginning at age 40 and continuing to at least 79 may result in the greatest reduction in mortality with minimal risks, according to a recent study published by Monticciolo et al in Radiology. Background Breast cancer is the second most...
In patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), perioperative treatment with the checkpoint inhibitor tislelizumab plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy led to a statistically significant benefit in event-free survival and a favorable trend for overall survival, investigators for the...
In a Swedish study reported in JAMA Oncology, Rodriguez et al identified characteristics of interval breast cancers—those diagnosed between two screening examinations—compared with screen-detected cancers on the basis of analysis of rare germline genetic deleterious protein-truncating variants. As...
In a study reported in JAMA, Wang et al found that individuals with a weight loss of more than 10% during the prior 2 years had a higher risk of cancer diagnosis over the subsequent 12 months vs those with no weight loss. Study Details The retrospective cohort analysis included women aged at least...
Researchers have found that ablative stereotactic magnetic resonance (MR)-guided adaptive radiation therapy may improve local control and overall survival in patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, according to a recent study published by Chuong et ...
For the treatment of high-risk, treatment-naive myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), the regimen of venetoclax plus azacitidine led to high response rates, durable responses, and encouraging overall survival, in a phase Ib study reported at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting...
In two international phase III trials in myelofibrosis, drugs given in combination with the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor ruxolitinib in JAK inhibitor–naive patients significantly improved outcomes vs ruxolitinib alone. Both studies were presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual...
The ASCO Post obtained comments on the Smart Stop study from Dipenkumar Modi, MD, a medical oncologist and hematologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor of Oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit. Dr. Modi applauded the investigators for...
A four-drug targeted therapy regimen proved safe and effective as the first-line treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), achieving a 100% response rate after four cycles, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, reported at the 2023 American Society...
For patients with gastric MALT (mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue) lymphoma, an “ultra-low dose” of radiotherapy was as effective as the higher, standard dose in providing local control and freedom from distant relapse, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported at...
In a press briefing at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Cynthia E. Dunbar, MD, ASH Secretary and Chief of the Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, Intramural Research Program of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, offered her thoughts on...
At the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, researchers from Emory University presented a real-world comparison of the largest cohort of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma consecutively treated with either bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone ...
In a Dutch study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, van der Sluis et al found that continuous dosing of PEGasparaginase was associated with a significantly reduced incidence of hypersensitivity reactions vs standard noncontinuous dosing in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with...
Ajay K. Nooka, MD, MPH, Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University, and Dan Vogl, MD, MSCE, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, shared their thoughts on the PERSEUS trial for The ASCO Post. Dr. Nooka noted that ...
Hordes of classical and malignant hematologists returned to the tranquil city of San Diego for the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition this past December. The packed agenda lit the Gaslight District up with neuron-searing data, creating an environment for...
For patients with relapsed large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) in complete remission, outcomes were better after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) than with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in a retrospective analysis of a large database presented at the 2023 American Society of...
In the phase III IsKia trial in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, therapy incorporating the CD38-directed monoclonal antibody isatuximab-irfc with a carfilzomib-based regimen led to high rates of minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity at postconsolidation cutoffs, as reported at the 2023...
Among Black patients with prostate cancer, racial representation may be a key factor affecting their trust in websites offering information on the disease, according to a recent study published by Loeb et al in The Journal of Urology. Background Black men may have higher rates of prostate cancer...
A novel three-drug combination achieved notable responses in patients with advanced HER2-negative breast cancer, according to new research published by Roussos Torres et al in Nature Cancer. The regimen included a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor combined with two types of checkpoint...
Research shows that about half of adults near the end of life in the United States are too ill to participate in decisions about whether to accept life-prolonging treatment,1 requiring family members and other proxies to serve as surrogate decision-makers for their critically ill loved ones....
Patients with soft-tissue sarcoma treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy had very little residual tumor at the time of surgery and promising long-term survival, according to phase II trial results published by Roland et al in Nature Cancer. Background About 13,000 new cases of soft-tissue...
In a Chinese single-institution phase II trial (FUTURE-SUPER) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Fan et al found that molecular subtype–based therapy produced promising results in the first-line treatment of metastatic or recurrent triple-negative breast cancer. Study Details In the open-label...
On February 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved irinotecan liposome (Onivyde) with oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin for the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. NAPOLI-3 Efficacy was evaluated in NAPOLI-3 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
Plant-based diets may be linked to a lower risk of erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and other common side effects experienced by patients receiving treatment for prostate cancer, according to a new study published by Loeb et al in Cancer. The findings indicated that nutrition may lead to ...
In a pilot study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Eunice S. Wang, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of crenolanib and intensive chemotherapy produced high response rates in adults with newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Crenolanib is a...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Xu et al identified incidence of primary invasive breast cancer according to race/ethnicity, disease stage, and hormone receptor status among U.S. women with breast cancer aged 20 to 49 years diagnosed between 2000 and 2019. Study Details The study used...
Aaron T. Gerds, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Hematology and Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, served as a press briefing moderator at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. He was enthusiastic about the potential for an all-oral AAA...
An all-oral regimen for newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was shown to be “highly effective and safe,” eliminating the need for chemotherapy altogether in many patients, Hong Kong researchers reported at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting &...
Elevated N-terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels may be associated with a higher risk of mortality among cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Cao et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. NT-proBNP—produced in response to the stretching of...
Men with high-risk localized prostate cancer had a significant survival benefit when treated with a more intensified regimen of dose-escalated radiation therapy plus long-term androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) vs standard radiation therapy plus ADT, according to long-term follow-up from the...
In a Scandinavian study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Tobiasson et al found that individual-patient measurable residual disease (MRD) could be assessed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) to predict outcomes in patients with...
In September 2023, ASCO announced the establishment of its fourth regional council, the Central and Eastern European Regional Council, which includes representatives from 17 countries, with the goal of expanding ASCO’s mission globally to “conquer cancer through research, education, and promotion...
Positive results were reported for belantamab mafodotin-blmf plus bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to data from the phase III DREAMM-7 study presented at the ASCO Plenary Series: February 2024 Session (Abstract 439572). DREAMM-7...
Investigators may have found a significant unmet need for improved analyses and reporting of patient-reported outcomes in genitourinary cancer clinical trials, according to a recent study published by Paravathaneni et al in eClinicalMedicine. Background Genitourinary cancers affect over 444,000...
Over the past 2 years, my family and I have experienced firsthand the challenges of cancer. In the spring of 2021, my mother was diagnosed with stage IIB pancreatic cancer. She died in mid-2023 after developing metastatic disease, including peritoneal carcinomatosis. The experience has caused me to ...
In a single-center phase I/II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nicholas J. Short, MD, and colleagues found that treatment with azacitidine, venetoclax, and gilteritinib produced a high response rate in newly diagnosed patients with FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML);...
In a small phase I/II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Schenk et al found that treatment with tacrolimus, prednisone, and nivolumab without or with ipilimumab produced few responses in kidney transplant recipients with advanced skin cancers, with treatment-related allograft loss...
Researchers have identified a next-generation Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) degrader that could help patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and related hematologic malignancies overcome treatment resistance, according to a recent study published by Montoya et al in Science. The findings...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Aggarwal et al, interim analysis of the phase III PRESTO trial showed that the addition of apalutamide as well as the addition of apalutamide plus abiraterone acetate/prednisone (AAP) to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) improved prostate-specific ...
In a single-institution phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nancy Y. Lee, MD, and colleagues found that tumor hypoxia is a promising marker for radiotherapy dose among patients receiving chemoradiotherapy for human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal carcinoma. As...
It has been almost 20 years since the approval of trastuzumab for the treatment of early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer. I remember returning from the 2005 ASCO Annual Meeting excited to offer patients a treatment that led to significant improvement in clinical outcomes. However, within a short ...
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), has released updated findings of the current global burden of cancer alongside World Cancer Day on February 4, 2023. The WHO indicated that a majority of countries do not adequately finance...
In a retrospective study (WARMTH Act) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Sathekge et al found that actinium-225–prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioligand therapy showed activity in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Study Details The study consisted of 448...
In a U.S./Canadian phase IIb trial (PREVENT-HF) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Armenian et al found that the beta-blocker carvedilol did not significantly improve cardiac function—measured as standardized left ventricular wall thickness–dimension ratio Z score (LVWT/Dz)—vs placebo in survivors of ...
In January 2021, two of us wrote in these pages about our field’s pressing need to pivot away from identifying and deploying the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) when it comes to targeted oncology therapies.1 We argued that, instead, one should be looking for the “optimal dose”—the dose that best...
We have been taught that early cancer detection and treatment save lives. The way to cure cancer is to find it early and treat it aggressively. The public has subscribed to this approach in our struggle to “eradicate cancer.” In certain disease types, there is merit to this philosophy. The ability...