In selected patients with unresectable colorectal liver metastases, liver transplantation plus chemotherapy significantly boosted overall survival as compared with chemotherapy alone in the multicenter, European TRANSMET trial, presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The combined approach led...
Investigators have assessed whether RNAs can be used as a biomarker to predict which patients with stage II colorectal cancer may benefit from postsurgical chemotherapy, according to a recent study published by Korsgaard et al in The American Journal of Pathology. Background Colorectal cancer is...
In a Dutch single-center phase I/II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, van ‘t Land et al found that adjuvant autologous dendritic cell vaccination was associated with promising recurrence-free survival in patients who had undergone resection and standard-of-care treatments for...
A new ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline recommends several vaccinations (eg, seasonal, herpes zoster, human papillomavirus [HPV], and others) for adults with solid or hematologic malignancies because of heightened infection risks from vaccine-preventable illnesses.1 The guideline covers the...
In a German-Austrian phase II trial (RIST-rNB-2011) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Corbacioglu et al found that the combination of dasatinib plus rapamycin and irinotecan plus temozolomide (RIST) improved progression-free survival vs irinotecan/temozolomide alone in patients with high-risk...
Physical exercise may help prevent nerve damage in patients receiving chemotherapy, according to a recent study published by Streckmann et al in JAMA Internal Medicine. Background Cancer therapies have improved in recent years. Physicians are no longer concerned just about survival; patients’...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Gupta et al, the phase III Children’s Oncology Group ARST1431 trial showed no event-free survival benefit with the addition of temsirolimus to chemotherapy in previously untreated children, adolescents, or young adults with intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma....
As a first-line treatment of advanced melanoma, the triplet immunotherapy regimen of nivolumab, relatlimab-rmbw, and ipilimumab produced high response rates and promising progression-free and overall survival in the nonrandomized phase I/II RELATIVITY-048 trial, as reported by Paolo Antonio...
Both tai chi and cognitive behavioral therapy may reduce insomnia and inflammation and bolster antiviral defenses in breast cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Irwin et al in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Background Chronic insomnia—one of the most prominent symptoms...
In a French study (CANTO) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Soldato et al found that increasing pretreatment exercise levels was associated with a longer distant recurrence–free interval up to a threshold exercise level in patients with primary breast cancer. The benefit of exercise...
Investigators have uncovered the potential benefit of undergoing alcohol rehabilitation and maintaining abstinence in patients with alcohol dependence at risk of developing alcohol-associated cancers, according to a recent study published by Schwarzinger et al in The Lancet Public Health. The...
In a single-center phase I/II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Douglas Adkins, MD, and colleagues found that the recommended phase II dose of ramucirumab combined with pembrolizumab was active in the first-line treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell...
Research examining fertility and attempts at pregnancy among young women after a breast cancer diagnosis has been hampered by short-term follow-up and a lack of prospective assessment of pregnancy attempts. However, a long-term study investigating fertility outcomes among young women who reported...
Recent phase III findings support the antibody-drug conjugate belantamab mafodotin-blmf as a treatment option for patients with multiple myeloma in early relapse. Belantamab mafodotin is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) expressed on multiple myeloma cells,...
As reported at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 9500) and in The New England Journal of Medicine by Georgina V. Long, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the final, 8-year follow-up analysis of the phase III COMBI-AD trial has shown continued improvements in relapse-free and distant metastasis–free...
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who undergo frequent immunoglobulin G testing may be less likely to experience severe infections than those who don’t undergo frequent testing, according to a recent study published by Soumerai et al in Blood Advances....
Researchers have found that brigatinib may be effective in treating patients with NF2-related schwannomatosis, according to a recent study published by Plotkin et al in The New England Journal of Medicine. The findings revealed a potential new treatment option for the genetic syndrome. Background...
As reported in The Lancet by Ken Kato, MD, and colleagues, the Japanese phase III JCOG1109 NExT trial showed that neoadjuvant triplet chemotherapy was associated with superior overall survival vs doublet chemotherapy among previously untreated patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell ...
As reported at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract LBA105) and in The New England Journal of Medicine by Meletios Dimopoulos, MD, and colleagues, an interim analysis from the phase III DREAMM-8 trial has shown significantly improved progression-free survival with belantamab mafodotin-blmf,...
A novel positive psychology approach may help improve stress, fatigue, physical function, and quality of life in patients with hematologic malignancies who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, according to a new study published by Amonoo et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National...
In a study reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, Bandi et al found that only 18% of eligible individuals in the United States were considered up to date—defined as undergoing screening within the past year—for recommended annual lung cancer screening in 2022. As stated by the investigators, “The U.S. ...
The novel therapy INB-200 in combination with concomitant temozolomide may improve survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme, according to preliminary findings from a phase I clinical trial presented by Lobbous et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 2042). “For far too long, there...
Claudio Cerchione, MD, PhD, of Italy’s Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, discusses preliminary findings from a prospective trial suggesting that by adding whole-body MRI to fludeoxyglucose-18 (FDG) PET/CT scans, clinicians may detect bone lesions earlier and more...
In a UK trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Stone et al found that the stimulant methylphenidate did not significantly improve fatigue vs placebo in patients with advanced cancers receiving palliative care. Study Details In the double-blind multicenter study, 159 patients with...
“Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), once a rare entity, now comprises 20% to 30% of newly diagnosed breast cancers detected on mammography and is appreciated to be a widely heterogeneous disease,” said E. Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, the Mary and Deryl Hart Distinguished Professor at Duke University, who ...
The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab may offer benefit in patients with soft-tissue sarcoma, according to recent findings presented by Mowery et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 11504). Background Soft-tissue sarcoma is a rare type of cancer affecting muscles, fat, and other connective...
In an analysis from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (SJLIFE) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Hammoud et al found that survivors of childhood cancer had a greater risk of major adverse cardiovascular events vs matched community controls, and that an increasing burden of nonmajor events increased ...
Telemedicine visits for cancer care are not only more convenient and possibly easier to schedule than in-person appointments—they may also be better for the planet. These findings were presented by Andrew Hantel, MD, and colleagues at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1522) and simultaneously...
Over the past 2 decades, the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting the ATP-binding site of the constitutively activated tyrosine kinase in the fusion BCR::ABL1 protein has resulted in markedly improved treatment outcomes among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)....
In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Lüchtenborg et al found that the incidence of cancer increased in the prison population in England between 1998 and 2017; those with cancer were less likely to receive curative treatment and had poorer overall survival vs patients with cancer in the...
On May 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the RET inhibitor selpercatinib (Retevmo) for pediatric patients aged 2 years and older with the following: Advanced or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer with a RET mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved...
In a Swedish cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Liang et al found that among individuals with no family history of colorectal cancer and a negative first screening colonoscopy, the interval to repeat colonoscopy could be extended beyond the currently recommended 10 years. Study Details The...
Investigators found that fragmented care may be more prevalent among patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who receive single-modality neoadjuvant therapy compared with those who receive total neoadjuvant therapy, according to findings presented by Taylor et al during Digestive Disease Week (DDW) ...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Marie Plante, MD, of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, and colleagues, the phase III CX.5 SHAPE trial has shown noninferiority of simple vs radical hysterectomy in the frequency of pelvic recurrence in women with low-risk cervical...
Research examining fertility preservation and pregnancy attempts among young women following a breast cancer diagnosis has been hampered by short-term follow-up and a lack of prospective assessment of pregnancy attempts. A new long-term study investigating fertility outcomes among young women who...
A longitudinal cohort study published by Gottschlich et al in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention investigated the optimal interval between screening tests and the long-term risk of cervical precancer or worse (CIN2+). Researchers found that the risk of cervical precancer 8 years after ...
Gallbladder cancer rates have been stable or declining for most Americans over the past two decades, but cases have steadily risen among Black Americans, with growing numbers of cases not being diagnosed until later disease stages, according to a study presented at Digestive Disease Week 2024...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) in 1996, covering eight tumor types. Currently, guidelines are available for more than 60 tumor types, subtypes, and related topics. The NCCN’s 29th Annual Conference...
On May 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to tarlatamab-dlle (Imdelltra), a bispecific T-cell engager immunotherapy targeting delta-like ligand 3 and CD3, for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with disease progression on or after...
A plant-based diet may help reduce the risk of disease progression in patients with prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Liu et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men. Plant-based diets—which are becoming increasingly...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Xu et al found that higher levels of preoperative plasma kidney injury molecule-1 (pKIM-1) distinguished renal cell carcinoma from benign renal masses. As stated by the investigators, “Both clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinoma...
On May 15, Roche announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its human papillomavirus (HPV) self-collection solution—one of the first of such tests available in the United States. Screening for HPV can help identify women who are at risk of developing cervical cancer so that...
In a phase Ib study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Van Tine et al established the recommended phase II dose of oral unesbulin in combination with dacarbazine for patients with locally recurrent, unresectable or metastatic, relapsed or refractory leiomyosarcoma. Unesbulin is a small...
The incidence of colorectal cancer has risen significantly among younger U.S. patients over the past 2 decades, according to new findings presented by Mohamed et al at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2024 (Abstract Mo1149) and simultaneously published in Gastroenterology. Background “Colorectal cancer ...
Standard-of-care treatment comprising venetoclax plus hypomethylating agents was found to be safe and effective in some patients aged 80 years and older with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a recent study published by Madarang et al in Blood Neoplasia. Background Older adult patients...
In an analysis of data from the PORTEC-1, -2, and -3 trials reported in The Lancet Oncology, Wakkerman et al found that older age was associated with more aggressive tumor features and poorer outcomes in patients with endometrial cancer. Study Details The analysis included data from 1,801...
Exposure to certain chemicals while on the job may increase the risk of prostate cancer among firefighters, according to a recent study published by Quaid et al in Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis. Background Prostate cancer has the highest incidence of any cancer type among U.S. male...
In updated findings from the phase III KEYNOTE-756 trial, the addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting improved the rates of pathologic complete response for patients with high-risk estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, regardless of their age or...
According to Google Chief Executive Officer Sunder Pichai, artificial intelligence (AI) is “the most profound technology humanity is working on—more profound than fire or electricity or anything that we’ve done in the past.” The impact of AI on health care and especially cancer care will not be...
A recent survey by ASCO measuring postpandemic burnout among oncologists in the United States shows that professional satisfaction and work-life balance have significantly deteriorated over the past decade, with 59% of respondents reporting one or more symptoms of burnout, compared with 34% in...