Aalders et al found relatively low rates of locoregional recurrence among young (< 35 years) Dutch women undergoing surgery for unilateral invasive breast cancer between 2003 and 2008. Recurrence rates varied somewhat by biologic subtype, according to these findings reported in the Journal of...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Solomon et al found that crizotinib (Xalkori) was associated with a significantly better disease control rate vs chemotherapy among patients with brain metastases in ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Crizotinib was also...
International Myeloma Working Group recommendations for the diagnosis and management of myeloma-related renal impairment were recently reported by Dimopoulos et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Recommendations were based on review of published data through December 2015. Key recommendations...
In a UK noninferiority trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Mehanna et al found that positron-emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) surveillance was associated with similar survival vs planned neck dissection in patients with stage N2 or N3 squamous cell carcinoma ...
Ultrasound was associated with improved incremental detection of breast cancer at screening compared with tomosynthesis in women with mammography-negative dense breasts, according to the interim findings of the Italian prospective ASTOUND study. Tagliafico et al reported these results in the...
Cancer risk increases with one's age as accumulated damage to our cells and chronic inflammation occur over time. Now, an international team of scientists led by The Wistar Institute has shown that aged tumor cells in melanoma behave differently from younger tumor cells, according to study results...
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center of Keck Medicine of USC and Clalit National Israel Cancer Control Center have found that coffee consumption may be inversely associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. The findings by Schmit et...
An analysis in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study cohort reported by Liu et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology indicated that differences in risk for poor outcomes among black, Hispanic, and white survivors of childhood cancer were generally mediated by differences in socioeconomic status and...
In a study reported in JAMA Surgery, Isaacs et al found that use of primary breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer has declined somewhat in recent years in New York State, most steeply among younger women. In addition, 90-day reoperation rates have declined and are lower for...
In the phase III EORTC 22991 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bolla et al found that the addition of 6 months of androgen suppression to radiotherapy improved biochemical and clinical disease-free survival in patients with intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer. Study...
I was the last one on the oncology team to meet Mel. He was 36 years old, and by then Mel had been living with metastatic colon cancer for several years. During that time, his clinicians had never referred him to our psycho-oncology team because of his strong attitude and outlook. Mel’s outward...
A review of major studies and the current literature underscored the role of geriatric assessment in making treatment recommendations for patients aged 80 years and older with early and metastatic breast cancer. The review was published in the Journal of Oncology Practice. The corresponding author...
Although nevi are considered among the strongest risk factors for melanoma, most patients with melanoma had few total nevi and no atypical nevi, according to an analysis of 566 patients with invasive cutaneous melanoma. “Three notable findings emerged from this case study,” Alan C. Geller, MPH, RN, ...
The Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute is a collaborative initiative of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the Brady Urological Institute, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the School of Medicine. It aims to develop new clinical strategies for combating bladder cancer...
David B. Roth, MD, PhD, has been appointed Director of the new Penn Center for Precision Medicine. In his new role, he will lead efforts to accelerate the implementation of precision medicine into clinical care. Dr. Roth is an expert in DNA repair and mechanisms of programmed gene rearrangements...
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), CEO of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), was recognized during the plenary session at the 69th Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Annual Cancer Symposium with the James Ewing Layperson’s Award for her dedication to the prevention and cure of cancer;...
Sadik Esener, PhD, has been recruited to the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute to lead the first large-scale early cancer detection program of its kind. Dr. Esener will be the Director of the Institute’s Center for Early Detection Research and has been awarded...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) primary concern in the drug approval process is to ensure that the drug is safe and effective. For the past several decades, the advocacy groups have vociferously painted the agency as a stodgy bureaucracy that prevents desperate patients access to...
The adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” is true, but authors still need to be aware of the importance of first impressions. The title of science writer Travis Christofferson’s book Tripping Over the Truth: The Return of the Metabolic Theory of Cancer Illuminates a New and Hopeful Path to ...
The Claudia Cohen Research Foundation and the Foundation for Women’s Cancer announced Michael J. Birrer, MD, PhD, as the 2016 recipient of the Claudia Cohen Research Foundation Prize for Outstanding Gynecologic Cancer Researcher. The $50,000 prize was presented at the Society of Gynecologic...
On March 11, 2016, crizotinib (Xalkori) was approved for treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ROS1 rearrangement–positive tumors.1,2 A U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved test for the detection of ROS1 rearrangements in NSCLC is not currently...
With new funding awarded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), Lili Yang, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics and the Eli & Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research (BSCRC) at the...
The 2016 Pezcoller Foundation-American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) International Award for Cancer Research will be presented to Joan Massagué, PhD, Director of the Sloan Kettering Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, at the AACR...
The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this special feature on the worldwide cancer burden. In this issue, we feature a close look at the cancer incidence and mortality rates in Israel. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of the world. For...
The oncology research team at HonorHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, is spearheading a phase Ib/II trial that is demonstrating promising results with a novel regimen in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. “The patients we are treating have advanced adenocarcinoma of the...
Itai Yanai, PhD, whose in-depth study of how embryos develop has led to breakthroughs in the analysis of gene composition and expression, has been named the inaugural Director of the newly created Institute for Computational Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center. He officially takes his new...
Susan Block, MD, an institute physician in the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Harvard Medical School Professor, and Director of the Serious Illness Care Program at Ariadne Labs, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American...
In a phase III trial (RADIANT-4) reported in The Lancet, James C. Yao, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues found that everolimus (Afinitor) and supportive care significantly prolonged progression-free survival vs placebo and supportive care in patients with...
The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) announced the addition of cancer researcher Robert Hromas, MD, Chair of Medicine at University of Florida Health, to its scientific advisory board (SAB). Dr. Hromas, who continues his position at the University of Florida Health, will join his...
Recent data indicate that the rate of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and the rate of diagnosis of early-stage prostate cancer have decreased since a 2012 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) statement (released in October 2011) gave a grade D recommendation against PSA...
Hartford HealthCare has named Past ASCO President Peter Paul Yu, MD, FASCO, the first Physician-in-Chief of Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute. As Physician-in-Chief, Dr. Yu will be responsible for working closely and collaboratively with physicians and nurses who practice within the Hartford...
African American patients with esophageal cancer survive fewer months after diagnosis than white patients, but only if they also have low incomes, according to a study presented by Loretta Erhunmwunsee, MD, at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Dr. Erhunmwunsee led the study...
Here is the final installment of selected abstracts from the proceedings of the 2015 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, focusing on Hodgkin lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. For other selected abstracts...
On March 30, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved defibrotide sodium (Defitelio) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with hepatic veno-occlusive disease, also known as sinusoidal obstructive syndrome, with renal or pulmonary dysfunction following hematopoietic...
Patrick Moore, MD, MPH, has received the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Outstanding Investigator Award, and was awarded $6.4 million to further his work into the link between viruses and cancer. This NCI grant provides 7 years of secured support, giving the investigator freedom from the pressure...
Jennie R. Crews, MD, FACP, became the new President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) during the recent ACCC 42nd Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Dr. Crews brings more than 18 years of experience in advancing quality oncology care, currently as the Medical Director for Cancer ...
CANCERSCAPE, the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), provided a forum for about 300 attendees to gain insight into the complexities of oncology treatment, where “clinical advances, policy mandates, and value-based payment reform intersect.” Of particular...
Direct your patients to the Cancer.Net Blog, www.cancer.net/blog, to listen to a podcast from the 2016 Quality Care Symposium on research highlighting efforts to make sure patients are getting the most appropriate care while also addressing the costs of cancer care. Also on the blog, learn more...
ASCO has joined members of the health-care community in pledging to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to commit to principles that will advance interoperability among health information systems. A formal announcement of the initiative was delivered by HHS Secretary Sylvia M....
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) was passed in April 2015, introducing comprehensive changes to how Medicare pays physicians for services. As the policies passed in MACRA are rolled out over the coming years, they will profoundly impact reimbursement and care...
The Foundation’s Donor Lounge is the perfect space to recharge or meet with friends and colleagues during ASCO’s Annual Meeting. It’s where industry leaders network and enjoy access to complimentary light refreshments and where busy attendees escape for a quiet place to relax. Make accessing this...
A study in the Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP)1 measured the level of cultural competence among surgeons from six hospitals in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, home to a large population of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. According to the study, “Assessing Cultural Competence...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2016 Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Merit Awards in Gastrointestinal Cancer, Genitourinary Cancer, Cancer Survivorship, and Quality Care. The following 74 young investigators, recognized for the scientific merit...
Updated results of the phase I ASCEND-1 trial, reported by Kim et al in The Lancet Oncology, indicate that the ALK inhibitor ceritinib (Zykadia) produced high response rates in advanced ALK-rearranged non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including intracranial disease, in both patients with and...
A recent study by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine showed that a microRNA called miR-181a dampens signals from the cancer-driving NFκB protein pathway in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). By reducing NFκB...
On April 4, 2016, The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced a Blue Ribbon Panel of scientific experts, cancer leaders, and patient advocates that will inform the scientific direction and goals at NCI of Vice President Joe Biden’s National...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Fang et al found that lower vitamin D levels were associated with poorer outcome in patients with melanoma independent of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Study Details The study involved data from 1,042 prospectively observed patients with ...
Pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant therapy in HER2-positive breast cancer was associated with a significantly better outcome vs non–pathologic complete response, in a patient-level meta-analysis reported by Broglio et al in JAMA Oncology. Response vs No Response The study included...
Addition of the antifolate receptor-α antibody farletuzumab to carboplatin/taxane did not improve progression-free survival in patients with ovarian cancer in first platinum-sensitive relapse, reported Vergote et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. However, benefit was observed in...
The 2016 edition of the Commission on Cancer’s accreditation standards manual clarifies and provides additional information in many areas and raises the bar for compliance in some, including psychosocial distress screening, survivorship care, data reporting, and activities in prevention and...