In an interim analysis of a German phase II trial (MMG-CONCEPT) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Leypoldt et al found that Isa-KrD (isatuximab, carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone) produced high rates of measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity newly diagnosed patients...
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...
In a phase II trial (RTOG 3501, TRYHARD) reported in JAMA Oncology, Wong et al found that the addition of lapatinib to chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin did not appear to improve progression-free survival in front-line therapy for stage III to IV non–human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by PierFranco Conte, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the final analysis of the Italian phase III noninferiority ShortHER trial showed little difference in 10-year disease-free survival and overall survival with 9 weeks vs 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab in...
In an Italian phase II trial (ARTO) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Francolini et al found that the addition of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to first-line abiraterone acetate and prednisone resulted in a significantly higher rate of biochemical response among patients...
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...
Gilberto de Lima Lopes, Jr, MD, MBA, of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami, comments on four presentations from the 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer for which he served as discussant: the global landscape of three types of lung cancer (squamous cell,...
Xiuning Le, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses results of the VISION trial, the largest on-treatment liquid biopsy biomarker data set of a MET inhibitor in patients with MET exon 14 non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Tepotinib showed durable efficacy in this...
Ilias Houda, MD, PhD Candidate, of Amsterdam University Medical Centers, discusses the differing opinions of thoracic surgeons when it comes to resection for stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The international EORTC survey showed there is no consensus, although respondents were more...
Seshiru Nakazawa, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses activating the MET tyrosine kinase domain mutation, which has been identified as the sole oncogenic mutation in a small but significant subset of patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). According to Dr. Nakazawa’s...
Shirish M. Gadgeel, MD, of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute, discusses a 5-year follow-up study of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy. According to Dr. Gadgeel, the findings continue to support the use of pembrolizumab...
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...
In a first-of-its-kind study, patients with breast cancer who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction immediately following a mastectomy reported that getting fewer, higher doses of radiation was just as effective as standard radiation, did not increase side effects, and saved them time and...
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...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lavery et al found that long-term cancer survivors who engaged in postdiagnosis exercise consistent with national guidelines had reduced all-cause mortality, with reductions seen in both cancer and noncancer mortality. Key Findings The study...
Yasir Y. Elamin, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses findings from the BRIGHTSTAR study, in which brigatinib with local consolidative therapy was found to be safe in patients with ALK-rearranged advanced non–small cell lung cancer. This regimen yielded promising...
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...
Chee K. Lee, PhD, MBBS, of the University of Sydney, discusses findings of the ILLUMINATE study, which showed durvalumab and tremelimumab with chemotherapy yielded antitumor activity in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors progressed after receiving EGFR inhibitors. This...
David H. Harpole, Jr, MD, of Duke University Medical Center, discusses further exploratory analyses of patients with EGFR-mutated resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) enrolled in the phase III AEGEAN study. In this trial, perioperative durvalumab plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy, vs...
Ticiana A. Leal, MD, of Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, discusses phase III findings from the LUNAR study of tumor treating fields (electric fields that disrupt cellular processes and lead to cell death) combined with the standard of care in patients with metastatic non–small cell...
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...
Tom E. Stinchcombe, MD, of Duke Cancer Institute, discusses an analysis of the rate of second primary lung cancer from the CALGB (Alliance) 140503 trial of lobar vs sublobar resection for T1a N0 non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The data have implications for surveillance and screening strategies ...
Desheng Liang, MD, PhD, of China’s Central South University, discusses the ability of mesenchymal stem cells to target tumor and the progress he and his team have made in genetically engineering these cells for cancer treatment. Mesenchymal cells, which hold promise for therapeutic advances, are...
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...
In an Australian phase III trial (TARGET-TP) reported in JAMA Oncology, Alexander et al found that ambulatory thromboprophylaxis reduced the risk of thromboembolic events in patients starting systemic therapy for lung or gastrointestinal cancer who were at elevated risk of thrombosis. Study ...
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...
In a Japanese study reported in JAMA Network Open, Uehara et al found that travel time to the National Cancer Center Hospital (NCCH) in Tokyo affected the participation of referred patients with cancer in genotype-matched clinical trials. Study Details The retrospective cohort study, performed...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Markus Moehler, MD, and colleagues found that in the phase III CheckMate 649 trial, the addition of nivolumab to chemotherapy was associated with generally better patient-reported health-related quality of life outcomes in patients with advanced...
In a phase II trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Eric Bouffet, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib produced a higher objective response rate vs standard chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of pediatric patients with low-grade glioma...
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...
The risk of developing hematologic malignancies may decrease following bariatric surgery in patients with overweight or obesity, according to a recent study published by Sjöholm et al in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. Background Previous studies have shown that overweight and obesity may be risk...
In a European phase II trial (EMN12/HOVON-129) reported in The Lancet Oncology, van de Donk et al found that the incorporation of carfilzomib and lenalidomide into induction, consolidation, and maintenance therapies was associated with good outcomes in both younger and older patients with primary...
The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, Part 2—published by Negoita et al in the journal Cancer—showed that new diagnoses of six major cancer types in the United States fell sharply between March and May of 2020, coinciding with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The six...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Goto et al, primary results of the phase II DESTINY-Lung02 trial have shown activity of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in patients with HER2-mutant metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with platinum-containing...
On September 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bosutinib (Bosulif) for pediatric patients aged 1 year and older with chronic-phase, Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) that is newly diagnosed or resistant or intolerant to prior therapy. The FDA ...