Research shows that about half of adults near the end of life in the United States are too ill to participate in decisions about whether to accept life-prolonging treatment,1 requiring family members and other proxies to serve as surrogate decision-makers for their critically ill loved ones....
In a Trans-Atlantic Pancreatic Surgery Consortium study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dekker et al found that the “ABC” clinical staging system could be used to differentiate overall survival outcomes in patients with localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Study Details The...
The combination of the anti–PD-L1 antibody durvalumab and the ATR kinase inhibitor ceralasertib may help overcome inherent immune resistance and reinvigorate antitumor activity in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a recent study published by Besse et al in...
Patients with soft-tissue sarcoma treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy had very little residual tumor at the time of surgery and promising long-term survival, according to phase II trial results published by Roland et al in Nature Cancer. Background About 13,000 new cases of soft-tissue...
In a Chinese single-institution phase II trial (FUTURE-SUPER) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Fan et al found that molecular subtype–based therapy produced promising results in the first-line treatment of metastatic or recurrent triple-negative breast cancer. Study Details In the open-label...
On February 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved irinotecan liposome (Onivyde) with oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin for the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. NAPOLI-3 Efficacy was evaluated in NAPOLI-3 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Varey et al developed the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) calculator for predicting recurrence-free and overall survival in stage II melanoma and found that it outperformed modeling based on American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)-8th...
In a phase III trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Cynthia X. Ma, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that neither neoadjuvant fulvestrant nor anastrozole plus fulvestrant improved the endocrine-sensitive disease (ESD) rate vs anastrozole alone among postmenopausal patients with phase II to III estrogen...
Plant-based diets may be linked to a lower risk of erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and other common side effects experienced by patients receiving treatment for prostate cancer, according to a new study published by Loeb et al in Cancer. The findings indicated that nutrition may lead to ...
Sleep apnea may be prevalent among patients who are at higher risk of developing congestive heart failure from cancer therapy, according to new findings presented by Das et al at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Advancing the Cardiovascular Care of the Oncology Patient course. Background...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Domenica Lorusso, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the Italian phase III MITO-23 trial showed no overall survival benefit with trabectedin vs chemotherapy in women with recurrent ovarian cancer with a BRCA mutation or BRCAness phenotype. Study Details In ...
In a pilot study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Eunice S. Wang, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of crenolanib and intensive chemotherapy produced high response rates in adults with newly diagnosed FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Crenolanib is a...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Xu et al identified incidence of primary invasive breast cancer according to race/ethnicity, disease stage, and hormone receptor status among U.S. women with breast cancer aged 20 to 49 years diagnosed between 2000 and 2019. Study Details The study used...
Physical activity may help lessen the intensity of pain in cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Swain et al in Cancer. Background Current U.S. guidelines regarding physical activity recommend that individuals receive 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week,...
Low-dose positron-emission mammography (PEM) may provide high sensitivity for detecting breast cancer and significantly reduce the likelihood of false-positive results, according to a recent study published by Freitas et al in Radiology: Imaging Cancer. The innovative breast imaging technique may...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Jordi Remon, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the final analysis of overall survival in the phase II EORTC APPLE trial showed no significant difference between the strategies of upfront osimertinib vs sequential gefitinib/osimertinib in previously...
Aaron T. Gerds, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Hematology and Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, served as a press briefing moderator at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. He was enthusiastic about the potential for an all-oral AAA...
An all-oral regimen for newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was shown to be “highly effective and safe,” eliminating the need for chemotherapy altogether in many patients, Hong Kong researchers reported at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting &...
Elevated N-terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels may be associated with a higher risk of mortality among cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Cao et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. NT-proBNP—produced in response to the stretching of...
Researchers may have uncovered the factors contributing to hormone therapy resistance in some patients with advanced estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Kingston et al in Cancer Discovery. The findings may indicate drugs currently in development...
Studies have shown that millions of people in the United States are financially vulnerable because of low income, limited savings, or high levels of debt. In 2021, 32% of U.S. adults reported being unable to cover an unexpected expense of $400. A recent study by researchers at the American Cancer...
Men with high-risk localized prostate cancer had a significant survival benefit when treated with a more intensified regimen of dose-escalated radiation therapy plus long-term androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) vs standard radiation therapy plus ADT, according to long-term follow-up from the...
In an analysis reported by Frei et al in The Lancet Oncology, multiplex immunofluorescence staining of tissue microarrays of samples from patients with stage II to III colorectal cancer showed that densities of CD8-positive and Foxp3-positive cells were associated with recurrence-free interval. As...
In the phase III ALLELE trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Mahadeo et al found that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific T-cell immunotherapy tabelecleucel produced high response rates—and few of the toxicities associated with other adoptive T-cell therapies—in allogeneic hematopoietic stem...
In a Scandinavian study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Tobiasson et al found that individual-patient measurable residual disease (MRD) could be assessed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) to predict outcomes in patients with...
The novel COLOXIS machine learning model may accurately predict which patients with colon cancer are most likely to derive benefit from oxaliplatin, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The findings could ultimately allow physicians to better...
Researchers have discovered that the ephrin B2 protein may drive the growth and development of multiple myeloma and uncovered that blocking part of the protein’s unique signaling pathway may inhibit progression of the disease, according to a recent study published by Sasine et al in Cancer...
In September 2023, ASCO announced the establishment of its fourth regional council, the Central and Eastern European Regional Council, which includes representatives from 17 countries, with the goal of expanding ASCO’s mission globally to “conquer cancer through research, education, and promotion...
Positive results were reported for belantamab mafodotin-blmf plus bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to data from the phase III DREAMM-7 study presented at the ASCO Plenary Series: February 2024 Session (Abstract 439572). DREAMM-7...
The combination of fruquintinib and paclitaxel is a potential new second-line treatment for patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer, according to data presented during the ASCO Plenary Series: February 2024 Session (Abstract 438780). Results of the phase III FRUTIGA...
In a German single-institution study reported in JAMA Oncology, Hülpüsch et al identified skin microbiome characteristics associated with severe radiodermatitis in women receiving adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer. Study Details The study included 20 consecutively enrolled women who received...
In an observational cohort study reported in JAMA, Al Awamlh et al identified adverse functional outcomes after localized prostate cancer treatment among patients with favorable- and unfavorable-prognosis disease. Study Details The study included 2,445 patients from five SEER (Surveillance,...
Investigators may have found a significant unmet need for improved analyses and reporting of patient-reported outcomes in genitourinary cancer clinical trials, according to a recent study published by Paravathaneni et al in eClinicalMedicine. Background Genitourinary cancers affect over 444,000...
Investigators have uncovered high rates of reoperation following initial breast-conserving surgery in patients with breast cancer that may contribute to increased costs of cancer care and a higher risk of postoperative complications, according to a recent study published by Kim et al in the Annals...
Andrea B. Apolo, MD, of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, discusses the results of the AMBASSADOR Alliance A031501 study, which showed adjuvant pembrolizumab improved disease-free survival vs observation for patients with high-risk muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma...
Rohit K. Jain, MD, MPH, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, discusses a novel phase II trial of pembrolizumab plus cabozantinib. The study showed this combination may be efficacious as first-line therapy for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma, including those who...
Over the past 2 years, my family and I have experienced firsthand the challenges of cancer. In the spring of 2021, my mother was diagnosed with stage IIB pancreatic cancer. She died in mid-2023 after developing metastatic disease, including peritoneal carcinomatosis. The experience has caused me to ...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Michael S. Hofman, MBBS, and colleagues, the Australian phase II TheraP trial has shown similar overall survival with lutetium-177–labeled PSMA-617 (LuPSMA; lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) vs cabazitaxel in patients with prostate-specific membrane...
In a single-center phase I/II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nicholas J. Short, MD, and colleagues found that treatment with azacitidine, venetoclax, and gilteritinib produced a high response rate in newly diagnosed patients with FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML);...
In a small phase I/II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Schenk et al found that treatment with tacrolimus, prednisone, and nivolumab without or with ipilimumab produced few responses in kidney transplant recipients with advanced skin cancers, with treatment-related allograft loss...
Combination therapy with two or more antihypertensive drugs may reduce blood pressure in patients receiving ibrutinib, according to a recent study published by Samples et al in Blood Advances. Background Ibrutinib was the first Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor to receive U.S. Food and Drug...
Researchers have identified a next-generation Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) degrader that could help patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and related hematologic malignancies overcome treatment resistance, according to a recent study published by Montoya et al in Science. The findings...
Bishoy M. Faltas, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses the biology of upper tract urothelial carcinoma and how it affects treatment, noting that most of these tumors are luminal papillary with a T-cell–depleted immune contexture driven by FGFR3 activation. Phase III trials have confirmed the...
Thomas Powles, MD, of Barts Cancer Institute, Cancer Research UK Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, and Queen Mary University of London, discusses overall survival results from the phase III KEYNOTE-564 study of adjuvant pembrolizumab vs placebo in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma...
Andrew Johns, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses efficacy, safety, and tolerability data on tivozanib. The agent yielded a modest clinical benefit in a minority of patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma who received prior immune checkpoint–based...
David H. Aggen, MD, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses reportedly the first data to describe an inverse correlation between HER2 immunohistochemistry expression and PD-L1 combined positive score. According to Dr. Aggen, these and other findings by his team may provide a...
Enrique Grande, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, discusses findings from the CABATEN/GETNE-T1914 study, in which cabozantinib plus atezolizumab showed modest activity in patients with locally advanced or metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis and...
Michiel S. Van Der Heijden, MD, PhD, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, discusses phase III results from the global EV-302 study, showing that enfortumab vedotin-ejfv plus pembrolizumab improves outcomes in patients with previously untreated locally advanced metastatic urothelial carcinoma...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Aggarwal et al, interim analysis of the phase III PRESTO trial showed that the addition of apalutamide as well as the addition of apalutamide plus abiraterone acetate/prednisone (AAP) to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) improved prostate-specific ...
In a phase II trial (JACKPOT8 Part B) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Song et al found that the selective JAK1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor golidocitinib showed activity in patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Study Details In the trial, 104 patients from sites in...