Earlier this year, the first interim analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-689 trial showed that the use of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as part of a perioperative treatment regimen with standard-of-care surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy (with or without cisplatin alone) improved event-free...
In an Australian phase II trial (De-Squamate) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ladwa et al found that the use of pembrolizumab produced a high rate of clinical or pathologic complete response in patients with resectable cutaneous squamous cell cancer (cSCC), suggesting the potential to ...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Syed Ali Abutalib, MD, and L. Jeffrey Medeiros, MD, explore the impact of the prognostic marker RUNX1::RUX1T1 fusion on the diagnosis and treatment of...
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–cleared artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm was able to detect and correctly localize almost one-third of interval breast cancers in a retrospective evaluation of screening digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), findings published in Radiology showed. The...
As reported in The Lancet by Agarwal et al, the final overall survival analysis of the phase III TALAPRO-2 trial showed that the addition of talazoparib to enzalutamide resulted in a significant benefit in a cohort of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) unselected...
The PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab in combination with an induction chemoradiotherapy regimen free of concurrent cisplatin demonstrated noninferior efficacy and superior safety compared with the same regimen plus concurrent cisplatin in patients with high-risk, locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal...
As reported in JAMA Network Open by Sugumar et al, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials comparing neoadjuvant therapies in rectal cancer showed no trial-level association between pathologic complete response and survival. “Our study’s findings suggest a recommendation ...
In August 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a negotiated price for the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib that is 38% lower than the manufacturer’s list price. This new price will go into effect in January 2026. Negotiations began following passage...
This is Part 2 of First-Line Systemic Treatment of Advanced Hepatobiliary Cancers, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Laura Goff, Kristen Spencer, and Mark Yarchoan discuss the treatment of advanced hepatocellular...
ASCO has issued a new update to its living guideline regarding therapy for stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without driver alterations, based on results of three studies published recently.1 The update (the first since a previous version in February 2025) includes discussion of...
ASCO has issued a new update to its living guideline on treatment of stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with driver alterations based on two recent studies.1 The update, which amends the most recent version published in February 2025, includes a discussion of osimertinib therapy options in ...
Nothing about us without us is a centuries-old value that is a cornerstone of meaningful patient engagement in clinical research. Such engagement has not been automatic and is still largely absent in geriatric oncology research, where older patients traditionally have been excluded from clinical...
Higher ambient exposure to a type of inhalable, fine particulate matter was found to be associated with an increased risk of cancer-related death for patients who were diagnosed with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) while living in California—a state where wildfires are becoming more prevalent,...
Continuing its efforts to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced plans to significantly enhance Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) auditing in Medicare Advantage. Beginning immediately, CMS will audit all eligible...
Systemic amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is characterized by the deposition of immunoglobulin light chains, produced by clonal CD38-positive plasma cells, as insoluble amyloid fibrils in vital organs. It is a disease that can progress rapidly and is fatal without treatment. The past decade...
This is Part 2 of Targeted Treatment Options in Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Oladapo Yeku, Fernanda Musa, and Ying Liu discuss the treatment of HER2-positive...
The 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting included the presentation of data from more than 7,000 abstracts and clinical trials set to advance research, uncover findings, and in some cases change the standard of practice across multiple tumor types, moving science forward and improving care for the more than 2...
In patients with resectable gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma, perioperative treatment with the checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab in combination with standard chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 29% in the phase III MATTERHORN trial. The...
In long-term results from the CARTITUDE-1 trial, investigators had found that the autologous cellular immunotherapy ciltacabtagene autoleucel was potentially curative for one-third of patients with heavily pretreated relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.1 These patients remained progression-free ...
In a prospective study (POSITIVE) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Peccatori et al investigated breastfeeding patterns among women who had a live birth after treatment of hormone receptor–positive breast cancer. Study Details Between December 2014 and December 2019, 518 women who...
Researchers have discovered that most cancer survivors do not make significant improvements to their diet or eating habits after their cancer diagnosis, according to findings published in Public Health Nutrition. Despite their cancer diagnosis, there was no significant difference in diet-related...
In an analysis from the phase III DREAMM-7 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Hungria et al compared survival outcomes with belantamab mafodotin, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (BVd) vs daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (DVd) in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma...
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significantly impacted treatment options for a wide range of cancers given their efficacy, especially among cancer types that are considered immunologically “hot.” With this broad benefit across many tumor types, researchers continue to look for ways to...
In a UK population-based study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Watling et al examined the relationship between ever use vs never use of oral contraceptives and the risk of liver cancer. Some findings suggested the possibility of slightly increased risk with longer-term use. As noted by the...
Researchers have developed a novel AI-powered online platform for diagnosing endocrine cancers with speed and accuracy. The AI models achieved diagnostic accuracy of 99% or more in recognizing multiple endocrine tumors. Reports of the development and validation of the models were presented at ENDO...
Teclistamab-cqyv is the first bispecific T-cell engager antibody that targets both B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) proteins on myeloma cells and CD3 proteins on T cells. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2022 for treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple...
Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that has metastasized to the brain were safely and successfully treated with targeted stereotactic radiation (SRT) rather than whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) in a phase II trial, demonstrating the practicality of a less-invasive approach for...
The TRUST trial is the first phase III randomized study to show improved progression-free survival for primary cytoreductive surgery compared with interval surgery without compromising short-term or long-term quality of life, although the study failed to meet its primary endpoint of overall...
In two Japanese studies (SURF-RCT and SURF-Cohort) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kawaguchi et al compared the outcomes of surgery vs radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Study Details Two multicenter studies were performed, with...
From Dr. Bruce Cheson’s electric speech on how it all started with pentostatin in hairy cell leukemia, to the introduction of bendamustine in indolent lymphoma, to the development of R-squared (an innovative chemotherapy-free approach to treating lymphoma)—the nostalgia at the International...
An update of staging guidelines from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) for human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive throat cancer—now more common in the United States than cervical cancer, according to the American Cancer Society—aims to make treatment of early-stage disease more consistent...
Over the past 20 years, increased understanding of the biological mechanism of disease has led to improved treatment options for all malignancies. Within each disease subtype, we have molecularly characterized tumors and developed specific treatment algorithms to optimize patient outcomes. Among...
Children born by planned cesarean section (C-section) may have an increased risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) later in life, according to a recent study published by Kampitsi et al in the International Journal of Cancer. Alhough the researchers did find an association, they...
Weight-associated risk for developing breast cancer after menopause may be higher among women with cardiovascular disease compared with those without cardiovascular disease and women with or without type 2 diabetes, according to the results of two prospective European cohort studies, which were...
Mammograms can detect breast cancer early before symptoms appear, and regular screening decreases the risk of dying from breast cancer. But a recent survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania shows that some Americans appear to be confused about...
In an Australian phase II trial (COALITION) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Minson et al investigated the addition of glofitamab to R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) or Pola-R-CHP (polatuzumab vedotin, rituximab, cyclophosphamide,...
Patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma harboring PPP2R1A mutations showed significantly improved survival when treated with immunotherapy compared with those without PPP2R1A mutations, according to study findings published in Nature. Preclinical findings from the study also suggested that...
Investigators have found that two common types of hormone therapy may alter breast cancer risk in women before age 55. Women treated with unopposed estrogen hormone therapy (E-HT) were less likely to develop the disease than those who did not use this type of hormone therapy. Additionally, women...
The 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting has officially concluded. Our sincere thanks to the global oncology community and ASCO for creating such a remarkable forum advancing cancer care. Here we highlight the most impactful updates in genitourinary tumors from this year’s meeting. Kidney Cancer: Long-Term...
Injection with botulinum toxin (BTX) type A (IncoA) plus transdermal scopolamine led to the reduction in radiation-induced salivary gland toxicity without compromising PSMA (prostate-specific membrane antigen) tumor uptake in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who were receiving...
A novel immuno–positron-emission tomography (immunoPET) imaging agent targeting GPC3 demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in detecting GPC3-positive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors, including those under 1 cm, according to the results of a pilot clinical study presented at the...
In patients with polycythemia vera requiring frequent phlebotomies, the investigational hepcidin mimetic rusfertide, given as a weekly subcutaneous injection, more than doubled the clinical response rate and significantly improved quality of life in the global phase III VERIFY study.1 These...
Mail-in self-collection tests for human papillomavirus (HPV) more than doubled cervical cancer screening participation among never- and under-screened U.S. women, according to a first-of-its-kind study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. In the real-world,...
In 2022, I had a computed tomography (CT) coronary calcium scan to see whether there were any signs of narrowing or blockage in my heart arteries. Heart disease runs in my family. My father died of a heart attack the year before, and I worried that I was at risk for the same fate. It was a complete ...
The number of people living with a history of cancer in the United States is estimated at 18.6 million as of January 1, 2025, and projected to exceed 22 million by 2035, according to a new report, Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Statistics, 2025, led by the American Cancer Society (ACS). The...
Besides relapse of the malignant disease, graft-vs-host disease is still one of the greatest concerns, in terms of adverse effects, following a hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in a patient with a hematologic malignancy. To mitigate these concerns, investigators are continually analyzing ...
Based on the findings of the VERITAC-2 trial, treatment with the selective PROTAC (proteolysis targeting chimera) estrogen receptor degrader vepdegestrant yielded statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival in patients with ESR1-mutant, estrogen...
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is actively engaged in advocacy to protect Medicaid access for millions of Americans. Members can support ASCO’s Medicaid advocacy efforts through the ACT Network. In 2025, ASCO has partnered with other health-care organizations and engaged with...
ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline update on the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in early-stage breast cancer.1 The update includes recommendations based on findings from trials released after the published guideline in 2017, including data from nine randomized trials...
In the phase III DESTINY-Gastric04 trial, use of the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) was compared head to head with the monoclonal antibody ramucirumab and paclitaxel in patients with previously treated, HER2-positive metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction...