Intensive local-regional tumor debulking in addition to standard palliative chemotherapy may not impact the overall quality of life of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, according to a novel study published by Bakkerus et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network....
Lung cancer is a significant global health issue, remaining the leading cause of cancer-related deaths with 2.1 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths. Complete surgical resection is the treatment of choice for operable early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and resectable stage IIIA...
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer, comprising 80% of all malignant tumors found within the kidney. Although some clear cell renal cell carcinoma tumors are sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors, currently, there are no measures to predict whether a tumor...
Researchers have found that patients and oncologists may be supportive of complementary therapies for cancer treatment, according to a new survey conducted on behalf of the Healing Works Foundation. However, the findings also indicated there may be a disconnect between the growing interest in...
A novel artificial intelligence (AI) software may be effective in detecting skin cancer and precancerous lesions, according to findings presented by Andrew et al at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress 2023. Background Skin cancer detection using AI software has rapidly...
Researchers have found that long-term use of chemical hair relaxers may be associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer in postmenopausal Black women, according to a recent study published by Bertrand et al in Environmental Research. Background Chemical hair relaxers are heavily marketed to...
Nonmelanoma skin cancer may be causing a greater number of global deaths than melanoma, according to findings presented by Salah et al at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology Congress 2023. Investigators also suggested that nonmelanoma skin cancer may be underreported and that the...
On October 9, HistoSonics, the manufacturer of the Edison System and novel histotripsy therapy platforms, announced the marketing authorization of its platform via the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) De Novo Classification Request process, a rigorous premarket review pathway for medical...
Although the 5-year survival rate for multiple myeloma has increased over the past 2 decades—from about 35% in 2000 to approximately 62% in 2015—due to more effective therapies, the cancer remains incurable. According to the American Cancer Society, this year, nearly 36,000 individuals will be...
Investigators have determined that knowing which patient populations are following cancer screening guidelines may be beneficial to public health officials, policymakers, and researchers developing strategies to improve screening adherence, according to a recent study published by Bhattacharyya et...
The children of adolescent and young adult female patients with a history of cancer may face a higher risk of birth defects, according to a recent study published by Murphy et al in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Background “Concerns like the health of future children are at the ...
After a fast-paced first half of the year, most state legislatures across the 50 states and Washington, DC, have adjourned for the year. The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and State Affiliates successfully collaborated to advance many shared 2023 state advocacy priorities, including those ...
In a study using SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) registry data reported in JAMA Network Open, Daniel Q. Huang, MBBS, MMED, of the National University of Singapore, and colleagues found that the incidence of cancer among U.S. persons up to age 50 (early-onset cancer) increased...
As a first-line treatment for advanced biliary tract cancer, an experimental formulation of gemcitabine, NUC-1031, given with cisplatin failed to improve outcomes over standard gemcitabine/cisplatin in the global phase III NuTide:121 trial.1 “NuTide:121 has not advanced the field in biliary tract...
Justin F. Gainor, MD, Director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, was invited to discuss IMpower151 and ILLUMINATE at the 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer. IMpower151 vs IMpower150 Dr. Gainor examined why IMpower151 was negative for both...
In advanced non–small cell lung cancer harboring mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors following disease progression with tyrosine kinase inhibitors has been unclear. Several studies reported at the International Association for the Study ...
Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, has been in the field of oncology for more than 2 decades, he and says this is both one of the most exhilarating and challenging times in cancer care. “What excites me the most are the innovations in treatment that are literally transforming the lives of our patients and...
First-line treatment with osimertinib plus platinum-based chemotherapy achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival improvement compared with osimertinib alone in patients with advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non–small cell lung...
In a phase II study (iSABR) reported in JAMA Oncology, Gensheimer et al found that individualized stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for up to four lung cancer tumors was associated with a high degree of local control and the ability to minimize radiation doses. Study Details Two hundred and ...
A recent study published by Yong et al in Value in Health may help clarify the intricate interplay between the quality-of-life and survival preferences of patients with advanced cancer. Limited access to palliative care services may contribute to suffering, particularly among patients with cancer...
The Alliance Data and Safety Monitoring Board has determined that adjuvant pembrolizumab may improve disease-free survival in patients with localized muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma and locally advanced urothelial carcinoma, according to the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. ...
Although the development of new therapies for multiple myeloma has significantly improved response rates and outcomes for patients with the blood cancer, most patients eventually relapse, including those who initially achieved remission. A phase I study is investigating whether a dendritic cell...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has released a follow-up survey on the ongoing chemotherapy shortages, refreshing findings they originally shared in June 2023. According to their results, 72% of the cancer centers surveyed continue to experience a shortage of carboplatin, and 59% ...
Residing in more walkable neighborhoods could protect against the risk of overall obesity-related cancers in female patients, according to a recent study published by India-Aldana et al in Environmental Health Perspectives. Background Obesity has previously been linked to an increased risk of...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on ...
Racial minority patients are impacted differently by the social and physical characteristics of their environments, which may negatively affect cancer outcomes compared with White patients with cancer, according to a new study by Robinson-Oghogho et al presented during the 16th AACR Conference on...
Breast milk from women with breast cancer who were diagnosed during pregnancy or postpartum contains circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), according to researchers at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in Barcelona. The investigators noted that ctDNA can be detected through liquid biopsy in...
A majority of older adults may disagree with the idea of using life expectancy as part of cancer screening guidelines, according to a new University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. Background The response goes against a trend in guidelines aimed at helping health-care providers decide...
Patients with multiple myeloma who also have diabetes may experience worse overall survival outcomes compared with patients who don’t have diabetes, according to a recent study published by Shah et al in Blood Advances. The new findings demonstrated that the differences in survival may be dependent ...
Liquid biopsy may help determine which patients with oligometastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with metastases may be most likely to benefit from targeted, high-dose radiation therapy rather than drug-based therapy, according to findings simultaneously published by Semenkovich et al in npj ...
Despite a steady increase in palliative care utilization from 2004 to 2020, racial and ethnic minority patients with metastatic breast cancer may be less likely to receive palliative care compared with non-Hispanic White patients with the disease, according to new findings presented by Freeman et...
Using previously taken diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans in place of CT simulation scans to plan simple palliative radiation treatments may substantially reduce the time spent waiting for urgent treatment, improving the patient experience, a new study suggests. Patients who may benefit from ...
People who engage in sexual activity or vaginal dilation after chemoradiation for cervical cancer are at lower risk for long-term side effects, according to a new study from researchers in Austria. Findings of the EMBRACE study were presented by Kirchheiner et al at the 2023 American Society for...
Recent developments in surgery and therapeutics are changing the perioperative approach to non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These advances were discussed at the 2023 Debates and Didactics in Hematology and Oncology conference, sponsored by Emory University, by Jennifer W. Carlisle, MD, Assistant ...
Fewer and higher doses of radiation may be effective at treating patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, according to new findings presented by Bentzen et al at the 2023 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting (Abstract LBA 02). Background Head and neck squamous...
Two liquid biopsy tests designed to detect the human papillomavirus (HPV) in the blood may accurately identify patients at high risk of cervical cancer recurrence following the completion of chemoradiation, according to new findings presented by Han et al at the 2023 American Society for Radiation...
The presence of precision medicine navigators may increase the likelihood that patients with prostate cancer, especially Black patients, will receive genomic testing that may help predict the severity of their disease and guide treatment, according to findings presented by Allen et al at the 2023...
Older adults diagnosed with kidney tumors that are not suitable for surgery may benefit from targeted, high-dose radiation, a new study from Australian and Dutch researchers suggests. A multi-institutional phase II study—TransTasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) FASTRACK II—found 100% local...
People with intermediate-risk, localized prostate cancer may be treated as effectively using fewer and higher doses of radiation therapy delivered over five treatment sessions as they can with lower doses delivered over several weeks, a new phase III randomized trial suggested. The findings, which...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Nakamura et al, findings in a cohort of the phase II SGNTUC-019 basket study showed that tucatinib plus trastuzumab was active in previously treated patients with HER2-positive metastatic biliary tract cancer who had not received prior...
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Erin F. Gillespie, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that prophylactic radiotherapy in patients with high-risk asymptomatic bone metastases from solid tumors reduced the risk of skeletal-related events compared with standard of care. A...
On September 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted de novo marketing authorization for the Invitae Common Hereditary Cancers Panel, an in vitro diagnostic test that may help detect hundreds of genetic variants associated with an elevated risk of developing certain cancers. The...
Researchers have found that low-grade intestinal inflammation may be a side effect of radiotherapy, according to a recent study published by Devarakonda et al in eBioMedicine. Background Radiotherapy is often necessary to cure cancer or slow down cancer development. Although today’s radiotherapies...
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy may be effective prior to surgery in multiple types of cancers, according to a recent study published by Topalian et al in Cancer Cell. Background Neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockades have been a rapidly growing area of research and are currently being tested across...
Fifty-two years ago, President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act of 1971 into law, which established the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in its current form. At the time, the budget was $1.6 billion. Today, it is $7.8 billion, $4.5 billion less than the amount needed to keep up with...
Gender inequalities and discrimination may adversely impact women’s rights and opportunities to avoid cancer risk factors and impede their ability to seek and obtain timely diagnoses and quality cancer care, according to The Lancet Commission on Women, Power, and Cancer published by Ginsburg et al...
The novel imaging agent gallium (Ga)-68–ABY-025 may help to predict early metabolic response to HER2-targeted treatment in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Alhuseinalkhudhur et al in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. These findings...
Researchers have uncovered elevated rates of hyperglycemia among patients who have breast cancer receiving treatment with alpelisib, according to a recent study published by Shen et al in Cancer. Background Alpelisib is designed to target the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) protein, which is...
There have been demonstrated differences in tumor cell metabolism between right-sided and left-sided colorectal tumors, which could explain the differences observed in their clinical behavior, especially in metastatic disease. Now, new research has found that patients with right-sided colorectal...
Researchers have singled out mutations in 11 genes associated with aggressive types of prostate cancer, according to a novel study published by Darst et al in JAMA Oncology. The new findings may lead to improvements in diagnosis and treatment. Background Currently, oncologists use genetic tests to...