In the phase III CASTOR trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Palumbo et al found that adding the anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab (Darzalex) to bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone markedly improved progression-free survival among patients with relapsed or relapsed and refractory...
A group of University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers is calling for an overhaul of the process that determines which cancer drugs used off-label—or beyond their approved use—are reimbursed by federally funded health insurance in the United...
A novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method that detects low levels of zinc ion can help distinguish healthy prostate tissue from cancer, The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center radiologists have determined. The findings were published by Clavijo Jordan et al in the Proceedings ...
In a genome-wide DNA-methylation analysis to identify genes implicated in Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Samuel et al found a significant association of loss-of-function <em>TP53</em> mutations with differential methylation at the locus encoding microRNA-34A (miR-34A). The study was reported in...
In a phase III trial (MINDACT) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Cardoso et al found that adjuvant chemotherapy may be avoidable in women with early-stage breast cancer who are at high clinical risk but low genomic risk as determined by the 70-gene signature assay (MammaPrint)....
In an international genetic study (International Sarcoma Kindred Study) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ballinger et al found that approximately half of all patients with sarcoma harbored potentially pathogenic monogenic and polygenic variation in known and novel cancer genes. Study Details The...
Analysis of a large non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient cohort with stage IV M1a disease identified lymph node staging as having clinical significance and an impact on prognosis. Findings from the study were published by Dai et al in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. Lung cancer is...
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Rini et al found that some patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma can safely undergo active surveillance for an extended duration prior to initiation of systemic therapy. Indolent growth of metastases is known to occur in some patients...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Clovis Oncology’s New Drug Application (NDA) for accelerated approval of rucaparib and granted Priority Review status to the application with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of February 23, 2017. Rucaparib is an...
The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), a nonprofit organization established in 1953 to advance biomedical research with the goal of developing lifesaving immunotherapies for all forms of cancer, will bestow its highest honors on three scientists who have made fundamental contributions to the fields...
Radiation for prostate cancer typically requires 40 to 45 daily treatments, given over 8 to 9 weeks. Long fractionation schemes are chosen for most cancers, because they allow for tumor killing while reducing the potential for injury to normal tissue. However, the radiobiology of prostate cancer...
In a phase III noninferiority trial (NRG Oncology RTOG 0415) reported 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 radiotherapy in disease-free survival...
Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) may have unraveled the metastatic mechanism of melanoma. According to a paper published by Dror et al in Nature Cell Biology, scientists discovered that before spreading to other organs, a melanoma tumor sends out tiny vesicles containing molecules of...
A study of women receiving hormone therapies such as tamoxifen as part of their treatment for breast cancer found that the number and seriousness of side effects they experienced were influenced by their expectations. The study, published by Nestoriuc et al in Annals of Oncology, found that women...
The proportion of patients with papillary thyroid cancer identified as having node-negative disease decreased substantially with an increased number of lymph nodes examined, according to an analysis of data from the National Cancer Database. Robinson and colleagues, of Duke University, reported...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology, Gharahkhani et al identified several new genetic risk variants for the development of Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma through a large-scale meta-analysis of genome-wide studies. Study Details The study involved a meta-analysis of four...
Sarah B. Goldberg, MD, of Yale University School of Medicine, and colleagues found that pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was active in untreated or progressive brain metastases in melanoma and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a single-center phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology....
Patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) positive for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor T790M resistance mutation on a plasma assay had similar outcomes with the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib (Tagrisso) as did those who were positive ...
In the phase I/II CheckMate 032 study, nivolumab (Opdivo) alone and with ipilimumab (Yervoy) demonstrated activity in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) progressing after at least one previous platinum regimen, as reported in The Lancet Oncology by Antonia et al. Study Details In the SCLC...
Moffitt Cancer Center researchers recently received two National Cancer Institute (NCI) grants to further research in two areas of study: bone metastasis in prostate cancer and imaging biomarkers for early cancers. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers David Basanta, PhD, and Conor Lynch, PhD, have ...
The University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) will receive nearly $62.3 million over 5 years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to broaden its mission of speeding translation of scientific research into realistic treatments for the people who need them....
On July 14, ASCO announced the 14 practices that are participating in the 2016 Quality Training Program. The program is designed to train oncology health-care providers to investigate and implement data-driven quality improvement and manage clinical and administrative processes and outcomes. “One...
ASCO’s booklet Managing Your Weight After a Cancer Diagnosis: A Guide for Patients and Families addresses how being overweight slows recovery and affects survival for patients with cancer. In addition to providing information on different weight-loss methods, this booklet discusses the common...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO funds the brightest minds in clinical and translational cancer research through its Grants and Awards Program. Since its inception in 1984, the Grants and Awards program has awarded more than $100 million through more than 1,500 grants and awards to at least 65 ...
Are you ready for MACRA? Believe it or not, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) was passed more than a year ago, and program changes begin in less than 6 months (January 1, 2017). MACRA will completely transform Medicare reimbursement and care delivery for oncology...
In MemoriamGregory A. Curt, MD1952 – 2016 Gregory A. Curt, MD, Former Clinical Director at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and nationally regarded expert on translational oncology died on July 31, 2016. He was 64 years old. Dr. Curt received his MD with distinction in research from the...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO (CCF) presented more than $6.1 million in grants and awards to nearly 250 promising oncology researchers at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting. The Conquer Cancer Foundation and ASCO congratulate the recipients on their contributions to the field of oncology and...
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named four outstanding young scientists as recipients of the prestigious Damon Runyon–Sohn Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship Award, committing nearly $1 million to help address a critical shortage of funding for pediatric cancer research. The...
Looking back, I’m haunted by what might have been if my advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) had been caught in its earliest stage, when perhaps a cure was possible. I certainly presented my physicians with enough clues—shortness of breath, coughing, and some body weakness—to have warranted...
In the July 25 issue of The ASCO Post, the Letter to the Editor titled “Revisiting Ovarian Ablation in Early Breast Cancer: A Mismatch Between Global Values and Clinical Practice Guidelines,” by Richard R. Love, MD, appeared without a complete reference list. The ASCO Post apologizes to Dr. Love...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an extended-release version of granisetron (Sustol) for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, according to a news release by Heron Therapeutics, the drug’s manufacturer. Granisetron is an extended-release, injectable...
The information contained in this Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes actively recruiting clinical studies focused on chronic lymphocytic leukemia. These studies are investigating multiple combination chemotherapies; regimens for relapsed and/or refractory disease; the role of inhibitors;...
Scientific Name: Matricaria recutita, Chamomilla recutita, Matricaria chamomilla Common Names: Hungarian chamomile, wild chamomile Overview An aromatic annual herb prevalent in Europe, North Africa, and Northwest Asia, chamomile has been used as a medicinal plant for several centuries. It has been ...
AUGUST 16th World Congress on Cancers of the SkinAugust 31-September 3 • Vienna, AustriaFor more information: www.wccs2016.com 12th National Lymphedema Network International ConferenceAugust 31-September 4 • Dallas, TexasFor more information:https://cme.uchicago.edu/NLNIC16 SEPTEMBER ISOBM 2016...
The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare recently announced the launch of two comprehensive educational offerings informed by the Compassionate, Collaborative Care—“The Triple C”—Framework, a new interdisciplinary model focused on improving quality and outcomes. The new educational...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Zielinski et al, the final results of the phase III TURANDOT trial showed that overall survival with first-line bevacizumab (Avastin)/capecitabine was noninferior vs bevacizumab/paclitaxel in per-protocol analysis among patients with advanced HER2-negative...
On August 5, 2016, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an anti–PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) therapy, for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with disease progression on or ...
BookmarkTitle: Breast Cancer Surgery and Reconstruction: What’s Right for YouAuthor: Patricia Anstett, with photography by Kathleen GalliganPublisher: Rowman & LittlefieldPublication date: June 2, 2016Price: $35.00; hardcover, 224 pages Over the past 2 decades, we have seen tremendous...
With the increasing population of older adults with cancer, there has been a commensurate need for more readily available and widely accessible educational and clinical resources in geriatric oncology. As part of the Cancer and Aging Research Group and ASCO’s Geriatric Oncology Special Interest...
After the Vietnam War, close to a million refugees, known as “boat people,” fled Vietnam, hazarding the open ocean on dangerously overloaded vessels. The term “boat people” is often used generically to refer to all the Vietnamese (about 2 million) who left their country by any means between 1975...
The Cancer Moonshot initiative is bringing together scientists, oncologists, patient advocates, and representatives of the biopharmaceutical industry with renewed collaborative focus and the ambitious objective of consolidating 10 years of cancer research in 5 years. Achieving this outcome will...
In a phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues found that treatment with the antibody-drug conjugate inotuzumab ozogamicin resulted in a greater complete remission rate and improved ...
A new study published online by JAMA Oncology examined the prevalence and significance of estrogen receptor mutations in patients with metastatic breast cancer.1 The activation of the estrogen receptor is a feature of most breast cancers in which estrogen receptor expression is detected. An...
In a phase III trial (CALGB 40503/Alliance) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Maura N. Dickler, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues found that the addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) to first-line endocrine therapy with letrozole improved progression-free...
Receiving an invitation to undergo screening for cervical cancer is associated with a greater likelihood of getting screened, according to a study published by Tavasoli et al in Preventive Medicine.1 The study explored the impact of invitation and reminder letters on cervical cancer screening...
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has released new consensus guidelines for the management of metastatic colorectal cancer that reflect an increasingly personalized approach to treatment. These guidelines were published by Van Cutsem et al in Annals of Oncology.1 “Management of...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) by N. Lynn Henry, MD, PhD, of University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, and colleagues,1 ASCO has endorsed Cancer Care Ontario guideline recommendations on the role of patient and disease factors in decisions on adjuvant...
Molly E. Collins, MD, has joined the Department of Hematology/Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, providing additional physician support for the Fox Chase Cancer Center–Temple University Hospital Pain and Palliative Care Program. She assumed this position on August 1, 2016. “We’re very excited to ...
The children of Indianapolis philanthropists Sidney and Lois Eskenazi have made a $2 million gift to the Indiana University School of Medicine to be used to recruit a highly accomplished researcher focused on discovering new ways to treat, diagnose, and prevent cancer. The gift, to honor their...
The effect of combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in increasing a woman’s risk of breast cancer is likely to have been underestimated by a number of previous studies, according to a new prospective study published by Jones et al in the British Journal of Cancer. HRT is used to treat...