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Showing 19501 - 19550Needle Biopsies for Noninvasive Breast Cancer: Routine Analysis Wastes Millions
For patients with the most common type of noninvasive breast cancer, routine testing for estrogen and progesterone receptors in tissue taken at the first needle biopsy is both unnecessary and wasteful, according to results of a study led by Johns Hopkins pathologists. The results for people with...
Study Finds United States Ranks First in Health-Care Spending, but Cancer Outcomes Do Not Reflect the Investment
The U.S. health-care system is characterized—on a global level—by its unsustainable spending, which does not necessarily correlate to better outcomes in patients with cancer. With $2.9 trillion spent in 2013, the United States ranks first in health-care spending among the world’s...
Study Identifies Novel Treatment Resistance Mechanism in BRAF-Mutant Melanoma
A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team has identified an additional mechanism for resistance to targeted treatment for BRAF-mutant melanoma. Their findings, published by Shen et al in Nature Medicine, report that inactivating mutations in two genes responsible for regulating key...
Study Finds Venetoclax Monotherapy Safe and Clinically Active in AML
A phase II study has found venetoclax (Venclexta) to be clinically active in patients with high-risk relapsed/refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or those unfit for intensive chemotherapy, with an overall response rate of 19% and a tolerable safety profile. The study results, which were...
CA-125 Tests and CT Scans Still Routinely Used for Surveillance in Ovarian Cancer, Yet Benefit Remains Unproved
As reported by Esselen et al in JAMA Oncology, cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) tests and computed tomography (CT) scans for surveillance in women with ovarian cancer continue to be used routinely, although their benefit has not been proven and the practices have significant quality-of-life and economic ...
New Study Shows Breast Tumors May Evolve in Response to Hormone Therapy
Many breast tumors grow in response to female hormones, especially estrogen. Drugs that reduce estrogen levels in the body often are effective in reducing tumor size and preventing recurrence of the cancer. But some tumors become resistant to these therapies and continue to grow and spread. A new...
Similar Functional Outcomes Reported With Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic and Open Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy
Robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy and open radical retropubic prostatectomy yielded similar domain-specific quality-of-life or pathologic outcomes at 12 weeks in men with newly diagnosed, clinically localized prostate cancer, according to the results of a randomized phase III trial reported ...
FDA Approves Extended-Release Granisetron Injection for the Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
Heron Therapeutics, Inc, announced on August 10, 2016, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved granisetron (Sustol) extended-release injection. Granisetron is a serotonin-3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist indicated in combination with other antiemetics in adults for the prevention ...
Higher Exposure to Radical Local Treatment Linked to Lower Mortality in Men With Very High-Risk Prostate Cancer
Men with very high-risk prostate cancer treated at hospitals with a high proportion of administered radical local treatment (radiotherapy or prostatectomy) have half of the mortality risk of men who are treated at hospitals with the lowest proportions, according to a new study conducted by...
Hypofractionated Radiotherapy Not Inferior to Conventional Radiotherapy in Low-Risk Prostate Cancer
In a phase III noninferiority trial (NRG Oncology RTOG 0415) reported by Lee et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, W. Robert Lee, MD, MS, Med, of Duke University Medical Center, and colleagues found that hypofractionated radiotherapy was not inferior to conventional hypofractionated...
Insurance Status Impacts Survival, According to Two New Studies
Men with testicular cancer who were uninsured or on Medicaid had a higher risk of death from what is normally a curable disease than insured patients, a new study found. The findings, published by Markt et al in Cancer, add to growing evidence that differences in health insurance status can affect...
ASCO and SGO Issue New Guideline on Ovarian Cancer Treatment
ASCO and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) today issued a joint clinical practice guideline on ovarian cancer treatment. The guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on whether to use neoadjuvant chemotherapy or surgery as the initial treatment for women with stage IIIC and IV...
Internationally Renowned Geneticist, Alfred George Knudson, MD, PhD, Dies
Considered a visionary in cancer research, Alfred George Knudson, MD, PhD, was internationally recognized for his “two-hit theory” of cancer causation, which explained the relationship between hereditary and nonhereditary cancer types, predicting the existence of tumor suppressor genes. Dr. Knudson ...
Dabrafenib Plus Trametinib in BRAF V600E–Mutant Metastatic NSCLC
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Planchard et al found that combined MAPK pathway inhibition with the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and the MEK inhibitor trametinib (Mekinist) resulted in a high response rate in patients with BRAF V600E–mutant non–small cell lung cancer...
Adding Pertuzumab to Chemotherapy in Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
According to the European phase III PENELOPE trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Christian Kurzeder, MD, of Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Essen, Germany, et al found that adding pertuzumab (Perjeta) to investigator’s choice chemotherapy did not improve progression-free survival in women...
Ipilimumab Combined With Antigen-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes in Metastatic Melanoma
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Chapuis et al, concurrent use of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) antigen-4 (CTLA-4) blockade with ipilimumab (Yervoy) and adoptively transferred antigen-specific CTLs produced enduring responses in patients with stage IV melanoma. Cassian Yee, ...
Low-Dose CT Screening: New Solid Nodules and Lung Cancer Probability
As reported by Walter et al in The Lancet Oncology, incidence screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) in high-risk individuals detected new solid nodules in approximately 5% to 7% at second and third screenings in the ongoing Dutch-Belgian NELSON trial. Larger nodule size was associated...
Anti–PD-L1 Antibody Durvalumab in Advanced Urothelial Bladder Cancer
In a phase I/II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Massard et al found that the anti–PD-L1 (programmed cell death ligand 1) antibody durvalumab was active in patients with previously treated advanced urothelial bladder cancer. Objective response appeared to be confined to patients...
Quality of Life With Nivolumab vs Everolimus in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
Patients with previously treated advanced renal cell carcinoma receiving nivolumab (Opdivo) in the phase III CheckMate 025 trial had improved health-related quality of life compared with those receiving everolimus (Afinitor), as reported by David Cella, PhD, of Northwestern University, Chicago, et...
Final Results of METEOR Trial: Cabozantinib vs Everolimus in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
As reported by Toni K. Choueiri, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, et al in The Lancet Oncology, the final results of the phase III METEOR trial indicate significantly improved overall survival with cabozantinib (Cabometyx) vs everolimus (Afinitor) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma...
I’m the Luckiest Person in the World
July 2009 was the start of the worst 5-year period of my life, and I’m just grateful I am still here to tell you about it. I was preparing for brain surgery to remove an acoustic neuroma on the right side of my brain when I noticed a lump on my left thigh. Thinking I had pulled a muscle while...
Late Effects of Blood and Marrow Transplantation: Consensus Conference Maps Research Directions
More than 60,000 blood and marrow transplants are performed each year worldwide, and the number of long-term survivors is increasing rapidly. But with success has come a host of new issues for patients, providers, and researchers. “Back when transplants were new, the 1-year mortality rate was high, ...
ASTRO Members Elect Five New Officers to Board of Directors
Members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) have elected five new officers to the Society’s Board of Directors, including President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer-Elect, and Vice-Chairs of three of ASTRO’s five councils (Clinical Affairs and Quality, Education, and Government...
Multiple Means to Realize the Benefits of Colorectal Cancer Screening
In an updated recommendation statement, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) continues to strongly recommend screening for colorectal cancer for asymptomatic adults aged 50 through 75; but rather than emphasize specific screening strategies, it notes there are multiple screening...
A Ruby Anniversary
On July 16, 1975, at 26 years of age, after almost 6 months of observing a left epididymal mass slowly enlarge, with workup for epididymal tuberculosis, I finally underwent a left inguinal orchiectomy and resection of what proved to be a pure seminoma. A subsequent lymphangiogram was reported to...
The Building Block of Life, Brick by Brick
BookmarkTitle: The Gene: An Intimate HistoryAuthor: Siddhartha Mukherjee, MDPublisher: ScribnerPublication date: May 2016Price: $32.00; hardcover, 608 pagesOn February 28, 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick entered The Eagle, a favorite watering hole for researchers working at the University of...
David LeDuc Named Executive Director of Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) has announced that it has appointed David LeDuc as its new Executive Director. Mr. LeDuc most recently served as the Senior Director of Strategic Alliances for the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI), a partner foundation to ALCF, where ...
Reference Laboratory Identifies Change in Pattern of Breast Cancer HER2 Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization Results
The most recent (2013) ASCO/College of American Pathologists (AC) guidelines for HER2 testing resulted in different rates of HER2 positivity compared with the use of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or 2007 AC guidelines, according to a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology...
Photonics and the Cancer Moonshot Initiative: Partnership Highlights Role of Technology and IT Infrastructure in Reaching Goals
Photonics—the science of light—may not be associated with cancer in most people’s minds. But photonic technologies are: CT (computed tomography) scans and digital x-rays, for instance, are in everyday use, and next-generation oncology applications are in development. As the White House’s National...
Measures of Success
I was raised to be an engineer. I grew up in an industrial community, worked summer jobs in a U.S. Steel chemical plant, and was good at science and math. My career choice was straightforward: I went to an engineering university. My first semester freshman year included a mandatory introduction...
Integrating Early Palliative Medicine Into Oncology Care to Improve Patients’ Quality of Life
At the 2015 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium in Boston, Vicki Jackson, MD, MPH, Chief in the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, Co-Director of the Harvard Center for Palliative Care, and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School,...
FDA Approves Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Epclusa (sofosbuvir at 400 mg/velpatasvir at 100 mg) on June 28, 2016, to treat adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus both with and without cirrhosis. For patients with moderate to severe cirrhosis (decompensated cirrhosis),...
Juno Therapeutics to Resume JCAR015 Phase II ROCKET Trial After FDA Clinical Hold
Juno Therapeutics, Inc., announced on July 12, 2016, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed the clinical hold on the phase II clinical trial of JCAR015 (known as the ROCKET trial; clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02535364) in adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell...
Maryland Proton Treatment Center Appoints Charles B. Simone II, MD, New Medical Director
Charles B. Simone II, MD, has been named the new Medical Director of the Maryland Proton Treatment Center (MPTC). Dr. Simone will begin work in November 2016. As Medical Director, Dr. Simone will continue to define and implement processes ensuring that MPTC is integrated into the radiation...
New Analysis Shows Advertising by U.S. Cancer Centers Has Soared Over Past Decade
American cancer centers promoting their services dramatically increased their advertising spending from 2005 to 2014, with the bulk of the spending by for-profit organizations, according to the results of a study published by Vater et al in JAMA Internal Medicine.1 Small Percentage Responsible for...
Phase III Trial Finds No Survival Benefit of Adding Ipilimumab to Etoposide/Platinum in Extensive-Stage SCLC
The addition of the anti–CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated protein 4) checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab (Yervoy) to etoposide/platinum did not improve overall survival in the first-line treatment of patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to a phase...
Educating People About Clinical Trials May Improve Their Likelihood of Participation
The facts are well known: Although clinical trials are regarded as the gold standard to investigate whether a new treatment is safe and effective in patients—and have resulted in advances in cancer cures and increases in cancer survivorship—only 3% to 5% of patients enroll in these studies.1 The...
Making a Difference in the Lives of Others
Quyen D. Chu, MD, MBA, FACS, this year’s recipient of ASCO’s Humanitarian Award, lives by the axiom that “One person can make a positive difference in the lives of others.” Although the term has become cliché, the experiences in Dr. Chu’s life and oncology career prove just how profound and...
Safety Concerns Weigh Heavily in Elderly Patients With Cancer
Active pharmacovigilance in detecting and assessing the safety signals related to drugs and devices, and disseminating those findings to relevant stakeholders, is an important component in delivering safe, high-quality care in the cancer setting. To reach a better understanding of this issue,...
Effectiveness of Organized National Breast Cancer Screening: The Israeli Experience
Recent years have seen the publication of a considerable amount of scientific literature questioning the effectiveness of mammography screening in decreasing breast cancer mortality.1-4 This article explores how the Israeli experience has demonstrated the efficacy of organized national...
Genetic Characteristics of Recurrent and Metastatic Head and Neck Cancers
Next-generation sequencing of recurrent or metastatic head and neck tumors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has provided insight into the molecular characteristics of these tumors, which may aid in the implementation of precision treatment. Morris et al reported these findings in...
High-Intensity Local Treatment May Improve Survival in Patients With Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder
In a National Cancer Data Base analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Seisen et al found that high-intensity local treatment was associated with an overall survival benefit in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. Study Details The study included data from...
Vemurafenib Active in BRAF V600E–Positive Papillary Thyroid Cancer Refractory to Radioactive Iodine
In a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Brose et al found that vemurafenib (Zelboraf) had antitumor activity in patients with BRAF V600E–positive recurrent or metastatic papillary thyroid cancer refractory to radioactive iodine. Study Details In the study, 26 patients without...
Is Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide Disruptive Technology?
There was a time when transplantation across human leukocyte antigen (HLA) barriers was fraught with so much difficulty that many thought it was impossible and we should stop trying. However, most patients do not have an HLA-matched sibling donor, and death was therefore certain if they had a...
Reduced-Intensity Related-Donor Haploidentical vs HLA-Matched Sibling-Donor Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Lymphoma
In an analysis of the observational database of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nilanjan Ghosh, MD, PhD, of Levine Cancer Institute, Carolinas Healthcare System, Charlotte, North Carolina, and colleagues found that...
Study Finds Low Engagement in Internet-Based Research in Underrepresented Population
A large study by Hartz et al examining whether Internet-based research approaches effectively engage participants from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds has found engagement in this type of research to be low among participants without a high school education, those living below the...
Effects of the Global Economic Crisis on Cancer Care
The global economic crisis beginning in 2008 was associated with substantial public health effects, especially with respect to mental health.1–3 Nevertheless, there is also evidence of a paradoxical association between recessions and reduced all-cause mortality, in part because of reductions in...
Economic Crisis Associated With Increased Cancer Mortality
The global economic crisis has been associated with increased unemployment and reduced public-sector expenditure on health care. In a study reported in The Lancet, Mahiben Maruthappu, MA, of Imperial College London, and colleagues found that the global economic crisis beginning in 2008 was...
Making a Difference in Cancer Care With You: Daniel Hayes’ Presidential Theme
“Are you a member of ASCO?” I distinctly remember being asked that question in 1984, during my second year as a fellow at what was then the Sidney Farber (now Dana-Farber) Cancer Institute. My first reaction: “What’s an ASCO?” Turned out it was a) the Society that many of my mentors had or would...
Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO, Leader in Translational Research, Begins Term as ASCO President
In 1995, Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO, gathered with several other oncologists at a conference center in San Francisco to begin writing the first-ever ASCO guidelines on cancer treatment. He and his colleagues felt like pioneers scouting uncharted frontier. “I’ll never forget, that first hour or so, ...
