Search Results
Your search for ,NOW matches 6736 pages
Showing 2301 - 2350Anticipate Difficulties by Patients in Adhering to Tamoxifen Therapy
Patients prescribed tamoxifen may not report when they interrupt or discontinue therapy, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.1 Using blood draws to determine serum levels of tamoxifen among 1,177 premenopausal women with invasive breast cancer, the...
Dana-Farber Launches New Center for Prevention and Treatment of BRCA-Related Cancers
Of the tens of thousands of genes in cellular DNA, one group of genes is tasked with ensuring that every cell reproduces itself exactly when it divides to make new cells. Perhaps the best known of these genes are the BRCA genes, which if inherited with a significant alteration, confer a markedly...
After Immigrating From India, Neha Vapiwala, MD, FACR, Followed Her Dream of a Career in Medicine
Neha Vapiwala, MD, FACR, Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Radiation Oncology and newly appointed Dean of Admissions at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Philadelphia, was born in India to parents who aspired to emigrate to the...
Cancer on the Global Stage: Incidence and Cancer-Related Mortality in Cambodia
The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this occasional special focus on the worldwide cancer burden. In this issue, we feature a close look at the cancer incidence and mortality rates in Cambodia. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of the...
Penn Medicine Receives $4.9 Million Grant to Improve Uptake of Cancer Care Best Practices
Although extensive research has suggested ways to ensure that patients receive evidence-based cancer care, putting these solutions into widespread practice can be a complex, challenging, and inefficient process. Now, a new grant awarded to the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of...
GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer to Honor Charles Swanton, MD, With the 2020 Bonnie J. Addario Lectureship Award
The GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer presented Charles Swanton, MD, PhD, FRCP, FMedSci, FRS, Senior Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute, with the 2020 Bonnie J. Addario Lectureship Award at the Physicians’ Education Resource 21st Annual International Lung Cancer Congress. GO2 is recognizing...
David A. Karnofsky’s Early Contributions to Cancer Research Helped Establish Oncology as a Medical Discipline
For nearly 30 years, from the time he was a young resident at the Collis P. Huntington Memorial Hospital for Cancer Research of Harvard University, until his death from lung cancer on August 31, 1969, David A. Karnofsky, MD, dedicated himself to the pursuit of scientific excellence and the...
How to Treat Patients With Multiple Myeloma Cost-Effectively Without Compromising Outcome
The dramatic advances in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma over the past 20 years have resulted in significant improvements in overall survival, with 5-year relative survival rates now around 50% and more than 60% for patients younger than age 70.1 The proteasome inhibitors...
How the First International Summit on Interventional Pharmacoeconomics Is Sparking Discussion on Reducing Cancer Costs
Three years ago, former Chief Executive Officer of ASCO, Allen S. Lichter, MD, Laurence H. Baker, DO, Professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor; Leonard Saltz, MD, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Memorial Sloan...
Health Groups Oppose Suspending Immigration for Health-Care Providers and Family Members
The Association for Clinical Oncology signed on to a letter from the American Medical Association (AMA) and statements from the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and the American College of Physicians’ Council of Subspecialty Societies expressing concerns about the Trump Administration’s...
BRCA Study: Clinic Is Saving Men’s Lives in Israel
Uriya, age 49, visits Israel’s Rabin Medical Center for a cancer screening. On the surface, he shows no signs of disease. However, results from a study by David Margel, MD, PhD, revealed Uriya is living with prostate cancer at an early yet curable stage. Uriya carries the BRCA gene. Rabin Medical...
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Appoints John Connolly, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) announced that John Connolly, PhD, has been named Chief Scientific Officer. In this role, Dr. Connolly will design and execute PICI’s overall research strategy in close collaboration with the institute’s leadership team, center directors, and...
Repurposing Drugs for the Treatment of COVID-19
A vaccine for COVID-19 is currently the Holy Grail, but even if an effective vaccine were developed on a fast-track timetable, it may be effective in only a percentage of people, judging by existing flu vaccines, which show efficacy rates of approximately 45% and vary year by year. Until we have a...
Reevaluating the Delivery of Palliative Care in the Era of COVID-19
Palliative care services are so crucial to the well-being of patients with cancer that, in 2017, ASCO updated its clinical practice guideline on the integration of palliative care into standard oncology care.1 The updated guideline recommends that all patients with advanced cancer receive dedicated ...
Pet Therapy: How the Cat I Never Wanted Saved My Life
My husband and I adopted our cat, Franklin, on a cold November day. It was one of the last days Andrew felt well enough to leave the house to go anywhere other than to chemotherapy or a doctor’s appointment. Our news at these appointments had shifted toward the negative, with disease progression...
ASCO Updates Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Guideline
ASCO has released an update to its Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Guideline that includes recommendations for second-line treatment, including early biomarker testing for actionable genomic alterations.1 Last updated in 2018, this new version was triggered by novel evidence related to targeted...
Updated Registry Data Confirm Higher COVID-19–Related Mortality in Patients With Cancer
“The distressing intersection of COVID-19 and cancer requires the use of large registries to acknowledge diversity,” stated Solange Peters, MD, PhD, President of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), in her keynote speech at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual...
Tumor Mutational Burden and the Future of Complex Biomarkers
The development of complex biomarkers such as tumor mutational burden (TMB) has enabled clinicians to identify patients more likely to respond to treatment of a variety of cancers, leading to more accurate diagnoses and improved outcomes. Differences in testing assays, however, have produced...
Three Novel Genetic Variants Linked to Male Breast Cancer Discovered
Scientists have newly discovered three genetic changes that increase the risk of breast cancer in men. These findings were published by Maguire et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The researchers identified three common variations in DNA that predispose men to developing breast...
Molecular Testing in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Understanding How, When, and What to Profile
“In line with the emergence of targeted therapies, molecular biomarker testing in metastatic colorectal cancer has evolved over the past decade,” noted Jeanne Tie, MD, MBChB, FRACP, who acknowledged there is confusion about the best ways to use molecular testing in the clinic. Dr. Tie, who is...
Genomic Analysis of Cervical Cancer in Ugandan Patients
Nineteen of the 20 nations with the highest cervical cancer death rates are in sub-Saharan Africa. Now an international team has published the first comprehensive genomic study of cervical cancers in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on tumors from 212 Ugandan patients with cervical cancer. Their...
ASCO Members Can Access Special Offer for PPE Through Project N95: Register by August 24
Project N95, a not-for-profit organization, is offering access to ASCO’s qualifying U.S. members who are having difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment (PPE) for their patients and staff. Qualifying ASCO members will be able to make a one-time bulk purchase of the following PPE...
Balancing Efficacy and Safety of Targeted Therapy in Breast Cancer Care
Novel targeted therapies have increased the likelihood of cure and prolonged survival in many patients with advanced breast cancer (Table 1), but these new agents also carry toxicity profiles that vary greatly from those of traditional chemotherapy. During the ASCO20 Virtual Education Program,...
Aspirin May Accelerate the Progression of Advanced Cancers in Older Adults
Results from a recent clinical trial indicated that for older adults with advanced cancer, initiating aspirin treatment may increase their risk of disease progression and mortality. These findings were published by McNeil et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Study Background and...
Study Suggests Drop in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Mortality Rates Due to Treatment Advances, Reduction in Incidence
A study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute investigating mortality trends in lung cancer by subtype has found that population-level mortality from individuals with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) fell sharply from 2013 to 2016, and that survival after diagnosis improved...
TITAN Trial: Apalutamide Adds to Options for Men With Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
Androgen-deprivation therapy has been, and remains, the standard of care for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Patients are often surprised to learn that was all we would do to control their disease and sometimes asked why they would not receive chemotherapy, as for other cancers. I would...
Many Choices Now for Men With Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: How to Decide?
Based on the recently published ENZAMET, ARCHES, and TITAN trials,1-3 we now have several choices of systemic combination therapies for men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Today, men are faced with decisions of androgen-deprivation therapy alone or combinations with abiraterone,...
Nonmetastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer arises in the subset of men with biochemically recurrent disease (ie, rising prostate-specific antigen [PSA] level after definitive therapy in the absence of metastases) who develop PSA progression after chronic exposure to androgen-deprivation...
In Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer, PSMA-Targeted PET/CT Imaging May Be Useful
Positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging with the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radiotracer fluorine F-18 DCFPyL (PyL) successfully identified areas of occult metastasis in men with biochemically recurrent metastatic castration-resistant prostate...
Genitourinary Oncology Highlights 2019–2020 Almanac
Over the past year, we have seen significant advances in the treatment of prostate, kidney, and urothelial cancers that will benefit patients now and in the future. We have learned about the final results of important clinical trials across multiple genitourinary cancers disease states leading to...
UICC Applauds WHO Global Strategy on Eliminating Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem
The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) lauded the adoption of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global strategy toward eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem. WHO Member States adopted the strategy alongside other health resolutions as part of the silence procedure...
10-Year Study Indicates Pembrolizumab Provides Long-Term Benefits for Patients With Metastatic Melanoma
A new 10-year analysis, led by Igor Puzanov, MD, MSci, FACP, Director of Early Phase Clinical Trials and Chief of Melanoma at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and recently published in JAMA Oncology,1 provides new insights into an important question: whether BRAF V600E/K–mutation status or ...
Conquer Cancer Donors Provide Key Resources for Patients and Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Before there was funding, there was a need. “Patients with cancer needed to understand immediately what COVID-19 meant [for] their health. Providers and practices needed guidance on how to offer safe care,” recalled Howard A. Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO, Chair of the ASCO Board of Directors, of...
ASCO Special Report: Resuming Cancer Care Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic
I’m very pleased to be joined by Piyush Srivastava, MD, Past Chair of ASCO’s Clinical Practice Committee. Dr. Srivastava is a practicing gastrointestinal oncologist, Regional Medical Director of the End of Life Options Program, and Director of Outpatient Palliative Care at Kaiser Permanente Walnut...
Having Cancer Has Not Affected Me in Any Negative Way
I have witnessed much sickness and death over my 35-year career as a medical oncologist. During the early years of my career, I had difficulty dealing with the sickness and death I witnessed on a regular basis. As a result, with help from the Hindu scripture of Bhagavad Gita, I have trained my...
Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center Oncologists Earn National Recognition as Institution Expands Staff
Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center recently announced news about the following physicians, including the appointment of four new staff members: Shilpa Gupta, MD, received a 2-year, $573,850 grant from the Department of Defense to study biomarkers of response and resistance to immunotherapy and to apply ...
Dr. Jimmie C. Holland’s Research Has Long Underscored the Importance of Caring for the Whole Patient
Jimmie C. Holland, MD, who served as the inaugural Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, died on December 24, 2017, at the age of 89. The ASCO Post paid tribute to Dr. Holland in its January 25, 2018, issue. Here, as part of our ...
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: 2020 Updates
In 1996, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology®, covering eight tumor types. Guidelines are now published for more than 60 tumor types and topics. During the NCCN’s 25th Annual Conference, which was held virtually during ...
Lost in Translation: A Fisherman’s Tale
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of the Art of Oncology, as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of suffering from cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays,...
National Comprehensive Cancer Network Celebrates Its 25th Year
It was February 1996, and the first annual meeting of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) was drawing to a close, when Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bruce R. Ross, MD, invited comments from the floor. An oncologist who had attended at the urging of a friend—somewhat reluctantly—stood ...
Higher Prevalence of Germline Mutations Identified in Young Adults With Cancer
A new study has found that a higher-than-expected proportion of young adults with cancer harbor genetic germline mutations that have implications for treatment, surveillance, and other family members who may be at risk. Patients with “early-onset cancers”—cancers that typically do not occur in...
Juanita L. Merchant, MD, PhD, Appointed to Ludwig Institute’s Scientific Advisory Committee
Ludwig Cancer Research recently welcomed Juanita L. Merchant, MD, PhD, to the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Dr. Merchant is a practicing clinician and an accomplished researcher at the University of Arizona, Tucson, where she is Professor and Chief of...
Measuring the Impact of the Plunge in Cancer Screenings During the COVID-19 Pandemic
As outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic spiked across the country earlier this year, federal health officials and cancer societies advised people to delay seeking routine cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies, to keep them out of medical centers and away from potential exposure to ...
A First-Generation Daughter of Immigrants, Gita Suneja, MD, Holds Community Service in High Esteem
Radiation oncologist Gita Suneja, MD, was born and reared in St. Louis, the first-generation daughter of two Indian immigrants. “My father came to the United States to pursue a degree in engineering and decided to remain here, feeling it offered greater opportunities for the family,” Dr. Suneja...
Fred Hutch Announces New Additions and Leadership to Board of Trustees
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center announced the addition of two new members to its Board of Trustees, along with a new Chair and Vice Chair. Kathy Surace-Smith, JD, will take over the Board Chair position from Matt McIlwain, MBA, who now becomes immediate Past Chair. Ms. Surace-Smith, who is...
Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist Yoram Unguru, MD, MS, MA, Explains the Economic Origins of Drug Shortages and Other Ethical Issues
Improvements in protocol-driven clinical trials and supportive care for children and adolescents with cancer have markedly reduced mortality rates over the past 5 decades. Yet, along with clinical advances, oncologists and their young patients with cancer face a host of ethical issues, made more...
FDA Pipeline: Designations in Kidney and Lung Cancers, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, and More
Over the past few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued designations and accepted applications for novel agents, as well as approved companion diagnostics. We summarize these regulatory movements below. Breakthrough Therapy Designation for MK-6482 in von Hippel-Lindau...
Role of TP53 Mutations on Disease Severity in Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Considered the “guardian of the genome,” TP53 is the most commonly mutated gene in patients with cancer. TP53's normal function is to detect DNA damage and prevent cells from passing this damage on to daughter cells. When TP53 is mutated, the protein made from this gene, called p53, can no longer...
Overcoming the Challenges of Improving Psychosocial Care for Patients With Cancer
Although the United States spends billions of dollars each year on cancer research, very little of that funding is dedicated to mental health research in patients with cancer, despite the fact that cancer survivors have a six-time higher risk for psychological disability than people without...
ESMO Issues Consensus on the Management of Patients With Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) interdisciplinary expert consensus paper on how to manage patients with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic was published by Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD, and colleagues in Annals of Oncology. The guidance encourages medical oncologists worldwide not...
