Primary immunodeficiency disorders are a group of more than 300 single gene defects that affect the role of the immune system and prevent it from functioning properly. When Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) researchers evaluated the overall and site-specific incidence of cancer among patients...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2, a blood-based companion diagnostic for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor erlotinib (Tarceva). This is the first FDA-approved, blood-based genetic test that can detect EGFR gene...
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will receive $10.6 million in funding from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) for two collaborative studies targeting crucial issues in lung cancer. The two multi-investigator research awards, designed to support teams of...
The International Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia–International Prognostic Index (CLL-IPI) working group has developed an International Prognostic Index for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia based on a meta-analysis of individual patient data, as reported in The Lancet Oncology. The...
An analysis of the phase III adjuvant ALTTO trial showed that early rash was associated with better clinical outcome with lapatinib (Tykerb) treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer, as reported by Sonnenblick et al. It had been previously found that early rash was associated with improved...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Netspot, the first kit for the preparation of Ga-68 dotatate injection, a radioactive diagnostic agent for positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging. This radioactive probe will help locate tumors in adult and pediatric patients with...
The Value in Cancer Care Task Force was established in 2007 to educate oncologists about the importance of discussing costs associated with recommended treatments, empower patients to ask questions about the anticipated costs of their treatment options, identify the drivers of the rising costs of...
On May 31, 2016, ASCO published an updated framework for assessing the relative value of cancer therapies that have been compared in clinical trials. The framework, published by Schnipper et al,1 defines value as a combination of clinical benefit, side effects, and improvement in patient symptoms...
Dense breasts are not an automatic indication for additional imaging. Instead, breast density generally provides an opportunity for improved risk assessment, according to Kevin Hughes, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “More than 20 states have mandated that women be informed of...
Oncologist Philip A. Salem MD, Director Emeritus of Cancer Research at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, was honored as a physician and author on April 28 by the President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto and his government for Dr. Salem’s lifelong commitment to cancer care worldwide. Dr....
The American Urological Association (AUA) honored its 2016 AUA award recipients during its 111th Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calfornia. These physician researchers, educators, and organizations were honored for their contributions to the field of medicine, the specialty of urology, and the AUA....
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has named a prominent expert in bladder cancer, Cheryl Taylore Lee, MD, to lead its urology, uro/gynecology, and uro/oncologic programs, beginning July 1, pending approval by The Ohio State University Board of Trustees. Dr. Lee will be Chair of the...
My experience with cancer, or more accurately, cancers, is complicated. In 2002, after returning from a medical mission to Honduras, I noticed a bean-sized lymph node above my left clavicle. As an oncology-certified nurse, I knew not to ignore any unusual nodules that pop up on the body and asked...
There were once two patients with leukemia. Other than their diagnoses and their ages, these two men had nothing in common. Meet Michael Michael was an artist—a sculptor. He had large, sensitive, blue eyes and a quiet, pensive manner. His acute observational power led him to ponder deep questions...
“A book about the future must be written in advance. Later I won’t have the energy. So I will do it now.” So begins The Iceberg, a memoir set in Britain of a woman, Marion Coutts, whose husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which eventually killed him. Unfortunately, cancer memoirs flood the...
The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center has been awarded the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI’s) highest designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. The prestigious distinction recognizes the cancer center’s high caliber of scientific leadership and robust programs ...
The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) announced its selections for the 2016 SPARK! Awards. Edward J. Benz, Jr, MD, President and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will receive the 2016 Schweitzer Clarion Award for Health Promotion and Education. Dr. Benz is being honored for bringing...
The Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) has awarded two HOPA Research Grant Awards to Val Adams, PharmD, BCOP, FCCP, and Jill S. Bates, PharmD, MS, BCOP, for their respective research projects. The goal of HOPA’s Research Grant efforts are to fund work that results in facilitating...
An otherwise healthy, actively working, independent 60-year-old patient came to us with a several months’ history of abdominal pain. He had been seen by other physicians prior to coming to us for a second opinion. Our workup revealed a large cystic lesion emanating from the pancreas but involving ...
According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), environmental toxic exposures are responsible for between 7% and 19% of human cancers. However, the 2008–2009 President’s Cancer Panel Annual Report estimated that the “true...
On May 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved fluciclovine F-18 (Axumin), a radioactive diagnostic agent for injection. Fluciclovine F-18 is indicated for positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging in men with suspected prostate cancer recurrence based on elevated...
As reported in The Lancet by Nicholas D. James, BSc, MBBS, PhD, of the University of Warwick, and colleagues, survival results of the STAMPEDE trial, which used a multiarm, multistage seamless phase II/III design, provide little evidence of benefit of zoledronic acid and showed increased survival ...
Pilot Study Title: Pilot Study of Hepatic Arterial Infusion Therapy in Patients With Unresectable or Borderline Resectable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Study Type: Interventional/nonrandomized/parallel assignment Study Sponsor and Collaborators: Washington University School of Medicine Purpose: ...
An international, multi-institutional research team consisting of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO); The Wistar Institute; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre; the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has...
Multiple myeloma cells uniformly overexpress CD38.1 Daratumumab (Darzalex), a CD38-targeting human IgG1 kappa monoclonal antibody, has been evaluated in a series of phase I/II trials involving patients with relapsed or relapsed and refractory myeloma who have received at least two or more prior...
In the phase II SIRIUS trial reported in The Lancet, Sagar Lonial, MD, of Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, and colleagues found that the CD38-targeted monoclonal antibody daratumumab (Darzalex) produced durable responses in patients with multiple myeloma who had received at least three ...
A new report assesses how the nation fared against the ambitious goal set by the American Cancer Society (ACS) to reduce cancer death rates by 50% over 25 years ending in 2015. The report finds areas where progress was substantial, and others where it was not. Published by Byers et al,1 the report ...
ASCO announced that a total of 58 practices in 39 states and the District of Columbia have joined CancerLinQ™, ASCO’s big data initiative to rapidly improve the quality of care for people with cancer. CancerLinQ is already up and running in a number of practices and drawing on approximately...
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On May 13, 2016, lenvatinib (Lenvima) was approved for use in...
Diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer have been the source of heated debate for decades, most of which has centered on the clinical value of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. In 2012, the U.S Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gave the PSA test a D grade, which discourages many...
The ASCO Annual Meeting highlights the latest research and treatment advances in oncology, with nearly 30,000 oncology professionals attending each year. ASCO wishes to acknowledge the volunteers on this year’s Cancer Education and Scientific Program Committees and thank them for their time and...
On Monday, May 2, ASCO submitted comments to the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) regarding the proposed Enhanced Oversight of the ONC Health Information Technology (HIT) Certification Program rule. The rule would increase ONC oversight of certified health IT, define a process for...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO (CCF) has received generous support from Lung Cancer Alliance to fund a 2016 and 2017 Young Investigator Award (YIA) in lung cancer. Lung Cancer Alliance has a more than 20-year history of working to save lives and advance research by empowering those living...
The University of Virgina (UVA) Medical Alumni Association has recognized Peter H. Wiernik, MD, as co-recipient of its 2016 Walter Reed Distinguished Achievement Award. Dr. Wiernik received the award along with Charles W. Cummings, MD, former Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck ...
Stephen K. Burley, MD, DPhil, has been named as Co–Program Leader of the Cancer Pharmacology Research Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. This basic science program unites investigators with broad scientific expertise who share a strong interest in cancer pharmacology and preclinical ...
Hormone receptor–positive breast cancer represents the largest therapeutic subgroup of the disease. The development of endocrine therapies has shaped the treatment paradigm for both advanced- and early-stage disease for decades.1 Still, despite their significant impact, advanced breast cancer...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, and colleagues, the final results of the phase III PALOMA-3 trial showed that the addition of the CDK4/CDK6 inhibitor palbociclib (Ibrance) to fulvestrant...
ASCO recently announced that the Contemporary Oncology Team of Athens, Greece, as part of the new international pilot project, is the first international practice to receive Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) certification through the QOPI Certification Program, LLC (QCP). “Achieving...
“This is a really great study with excellent translational research,” said formal discussant Winald Gerritsen, MD, PhD, Professor of Immunotherapy at Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. “I consider it practice-changing for Merkel cell carcinoma. The company is going for...
Immunotherapy marches on! One of the latest frontiers for checkpoint inhibitors is the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but aggressive type of cancer. First-line therapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda)—an anti–PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) inhibitor—achieved an objective response...
It is more and more common for people to wait until their 30s or 40s to have children. Consequently, many young adults have not completed their desired childbearing when they are diagnosed with cancer. Cancer treatments can impair fertility directly (usually via gonadotoxicity from chemotherapy,...
As reported by Joanne F. Kelvin, MSN, RN, CNS, AOCN, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), and colleagues in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a cancer and fertility program established at MSK improved patient satisfaction with information received regarding fertility risks and...
The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has announced that Richard J. O’Reilly, MD, has been named the inaugural recipient of The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize. Founded in 1946, The Society of MSK is a volunteer-led organization within MSK dedicated to promoting the ...
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the world’s largest private funder of melanoma research, has named Michael Kaplan as its new leader. For the past 20 years, Mr. Kaplan has headed various nonprofits and patient advocacy groups, including his most recent position as President and CEO of...
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), has received the Ovarcome Excellence 2016 Award in recognition of her accomplishments in the field of cancer research, and her commitment to increasing public awareness about cancer...
Low-grade gliomas account for 15% of all primary brain tumors and represent a heterogeneous group of glial neoplasms. Although these tumors have been termed low-grade, this is a misnomer, especially for some grade II gliomas, which may exhibit a more aggressive behavior and variable natural...
Lisa A. Carey, MD, of the University of North Carolina (UNC), and Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, have been appointed Co-Chairs of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Breast Committee. The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology develops and conducts cancer...
Oophorectomy was the first proposed form of endocrine therapy for women with breast cancer. Over 100 years ago, Thomas Nunn reported a relationship between menopause and regression of breast cancer.1 This incited interest in the induction of menopause as an anticancer therapy, and in 1986, a...
Final results of the RTOG 9802 phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Jan C. Buckner, MD, of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, and colleagues, showed that the addition of chemotherapy with procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine to radiotherapy significantly prolonged overall...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and colleagues, ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline update on ovarian suppression as part of the extant guideline on adjuvant endocrine therapy in hormone...