Investigators have found that patients who had depression and/or anxiety prior to their diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) may have had shorter survival times than patients who didn’t have a mental health condition prior to their DLBCL diagnosis, according to a new study published...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Weinberg et al found that receipt of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine in patients with non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias—as well as a lower risk of mortality—compared...
When my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer 25 years ago, her medical team suggested we undergo genetic testing for the BRCA gene mutation. I knew that being a BRCA carrier put me at greater risk for breast and ovarian cancers, but I had no idea it also increased my risk for pancreatic cancer....
On April 19, 2023, polatuzumab vedotin-piiq was approved for use with a rituximab product, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (R-CHP) for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)–not otherwise specified or those with high-grade B-cell lymphoma who have an International...
Guest Editor’s Note: Despite its high prevalence, cancer pain remains undertreated. Racial disparities present further challenges to assessing and managing pain. Music therapy, a nonpharmacologic intervention, has been documented to be effective in controlling cancer pain. In this article, Kevin T. ...
Abstract discussant, Loren Laine, MD, Digestive Disease Week Council Chair and Professor of Medicine, Digestive Diseases, at Yale School of Medicine, acknowledged the clear link between obesity and various types of cancer and noted it logically follows that weight loss may help to reduce this risk. ...
A new study presented at Digestive Disease Week 2023 has shown that just 4% of patients with obesity who underwent bariatric surgery developed obesity-associated cancer in a 10-year follow-up, compared with 8.9% among those who did not have a weight-loss procedure.1 These findings indicate that the ...
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) continues to urge Congress to robustly fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) in Fiscal Year 2024. In testimony submitted to the Senate Committee on...
Cancer takes a significant psychological toll on affected individuals. Cancer survivors have a significantly elevated risk of developing a mental health disorder compared with the general population, yet their psychological symptoms are often underrecognized and undertreated. To help equip...
Devraj Basu, MD, PhD, FACS, of the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, an expert in human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer, commented on this study: “This abstract shows lack of awareness of multiple types of HPV-associated cancer and a reduced awareness of...
Awareness of the link between the human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV-associated cervical cancers has declined over time, and awareness of other HPV-associated cancers, such as oral, penile, and anal, remains low, according to a cross-sectional study of the U.S. population presented at the 2023...
Immunotherapy regimens involving the PD-L1 monoclonal antibody atezolizumab have demonstrated promising results in patients with early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer and HER2-positive breast cancer, according to a pair of studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)...
Discussant of the Neotorch study abstract, Tina Cascone, MD, PhD, of the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, commended the authors for completing the initial analysis of the phase III randomized Neotorch trial, which...
Findings from a phase III, randomized trial highlight the benefit derived from perioperative immunotherapy in patients with early-stage resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data presented during the ASCO Plenary Series: April 2023 Session.1 Interim analysis of the Neotorch...
Prior authorization of medical procedures, services, and medications has been a standard requirement of health-care providers for decades. Rising health-care costs, specifically the escalating prices of cancer drug therapies, have led to a new focus by payers, providers, and policymakers on prior...
In the phase II MAINTAIN trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS, and colleagues found that a switch in endocrine therapy plus continued CDK4/6 inhibitor treatment with ribociclib was associated with improved progression-free survival in patients with hormone...
The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) has called for global action to improve public health and prevent millions of deaths from cancer and other noncommunicable diseases by drastically reducing air pollution in light of World Environment Day on June 5, 2023. "Creating cleaner and...
Patients who continue smoking after a cancer diagnosis may have almost a twofold risk of experiencing a heart attack, stroke, or death as a result of cardiovascular disease compared with nonsmokers, according to a new study published by Lee et al in the European Heart Journal. Background According...
Results of a new survey from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) have shed light on the widespread impact of the current carboplatin and cisplatin shortages. In a separate statement, the NCCN called on the whole oncology community to work together on solutions. Background Carboplatin...
This has been a year of firsts and seconds for Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO. This past October, Dr. Bertagnolli became the 16th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the first woman and the first clinical trials cooperative group chair to hold that position. Then, 2 months...
In the global phase III COMMANDS trial of patients with low-risk transfusion-dependent myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), with or without ring sideroblasts, treatment with luspatercept essentially doubled the likelihood of achieving transfusion independence and an increase in hemoglobin level,...
In a single-institution study conducted in New Zealand reported in JAMA Surgery, Goh et al found that microdoses of incisional antibiotics may reduce the risk of surgical site infections during surgery for skin cancer, as well as reduce the risk of infections requiring postoperative systemic...
Black and Hispanic cancer survivors with subsequent primary malignancies may have a higher risk of mortality compared with White patients, according to new findings presented by Sung et al at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 12093). The new research demonstrated that Black patients with...
Investigators have found that many U.S. cancer survivors with transportation barriers to care also reported struggling financially and experiencing additional barriers to timely care, according to new findings presented by Jiang et al at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 6534). Study Methods...
ASCO has issued new clinical guidance for treating patients with gastrointestinal cancers amid a nationwide shortage of carboplatin and cisplatin. The two chemotherapy agents, in extremely short supply, are essential to treating an array of gastrointestinal cancers—such as esophageal cancer,...
Results from the largest prospective study of patients with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) showed that radiation therapy may be omitted in patients who have a complete metabolic response after chemoimmunotherapy. The IELSG37 international study found that these patients may be spared...
Patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may be able to stop receiving immunotherapy at 2 years as long as their cancer hasn’t progressed, according to new findings presented by Sun et al at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 9101) and simultaneously published in JAMA Oncology. ...
Investigators have found that race and ethnicity may affect the 21-gene recurrence score in patients with early-stage, estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer, according to new findings presented by Gill et al at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 511). Background The 21-gene recurrence...
Researchers have found that exercise may be effective at strengthening the immune system in patients with multiple myeloma, providing them with a nonpharmaceutical method of managing the disease, according to new findings presented by Joseph et al at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 8060)....
Three clinical trials demonstrated positive results from the targeted therapy erdafitinib for patients with multiple tumor types harboring FGFR alterations. The data were presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting. Erdafitinib is an oral medication that blocks the activity of FGFR signaling...
Cathy Eng, MD, of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and Lars Henrik Jensen, MD, PhD, of the Danish Colorectal Cancer Center South and the University Hospital of Southern Denmark, discuss phase III results from the Scandinavian NeoCol trial, which showed that neoadjuvant chemotherapy is not superior...
Alicia K. Morgans, MD, MPH, and Praful Ravi, MRCP, MBBChir, both of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discuss an individual patient-data analysis of randomized trials from the ICECAP collaborative. A PSA nadir of ≥ 0.1 ng/mL within 6 months after radiotherapy completion was prognostic for prostate...
Lisa A. Carey, MD, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Javier Cortes, MD, PhD, of the International Breast Cancer Center and Universidad Europea de Madrid, discuss phase II findings showing that one in three patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer may safely omit...
Funda Meric-Bernstam, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses interim results from the DESTINY-PanTumor02 trial, the first tumor-agnostic global study of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in a broad range of HER2-expressing solid tumors. This agent showed an...
A novel study is shedding light on factors that may affect treatment response in patients with young-onset colorectal cancer. Researchers uncovered differences in transcriptional metabolic profiles and other drivers of disease, as well as immune profiles, between younger and older patients with...
Omid Hamid, MD, of The Angeles Clinic & Research Institute, discusses study findings on fianlimab plus cemiplimab-rwlc, which showed clinical activity in patients with advanced melanoma, comparing favorably with other approved combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the same clinical...
Researchers have found that patients who have breast cancer who undergo treatment with taxanes show a pattern of clinically meaningful, persistent sensory and motor symptoms associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, according to new findings presented by Trivedi et al at the 2023...
The combination of apalutamide and abiraterone acetate plus prednisone, which previously demonstrated little overall survival benefit in White patients with metastatic prostate cancer, may yield better survival outcomes in Black patients with the disease, according to new findings presented by...
Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses a telephone-based weight loss intervention that induced clinically meaningful weight loss in patients with breast cancer who had overweight and obesity, across demographic and tumor factors. Additional tailoring of the intervention ...
Patients with locally advanced rectal cancer with tumors that respond to chemotherapy may safely forgo radiation therapy before surgery, based on the findings of the PROSPECT trial. These data were presented by Deborah Schrag, MD, FASCO, MPH, at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract LBA2) and...
Treatment with osimertinib after surgery significantly lowered the risk of death in adults with completely resected EGFR-mutated stage IB, II, or IIIA non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the findings of the international ADAURA study. The research was presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual...
Tycel J. Phillips, MD, and Alex F. Herrera, MD, both of the City of Hope National Medical Center, discuss results from the SWOG S1826 study, which showed that nivolumab and AVD (doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) improved progression-free survival vs brentuximab vedotin plus AVD in patients ...
The immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab plus chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of disease progression and disease-related death compared with standard treatment with the CD30-targeted drug brentuximab vedotin plus chemotherapy in pediatric and adult patients with previously untreated...
Eunice S. Wang, MD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Gregory Roloff, MD, of the University of Chicago, discuss data that are the first to demonstrate post–FDA approval efficacy and toxicity rates of brexucabtagene autoleucel in adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute...
Among patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) positive for expression of the Schlafen-11 gene (SLFN11), those who received maintenance treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab plus the PARP inhibitor talazoparib had significantly longer progression-free...
LaQuisa C. Hill, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, discusses study findings showing that CD5 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells may induce clinical responses in heavily treated patients with relapsed or refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Manufacturing...
In a phase II clinical trial, investigators found that 42% of patients with brain metastases benefited from treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, with 7 of the 57 patients in the trial surviving for longer than 2 years. The study authors cautioned that these benefits must be ...
A population-based study using information from a database of veterans found that those who had been exposed to Agent Orange may be at an increased risk of developing myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Agent Orange is a herbicide that was used by the U.S. military in Korea and Vietnam to clear...
Despite the common use of opioids in clinical settings, new and persistent opioid prescriptions have declined among patients both with and without cancer, according to new findings presented by Baum et al at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1592). However, the declines in opioid use among...
Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who receive fewer than three cycles of chemotherapy prior to cystectomy may have an increased risk of cancer recurrence and worse survival outcomes, according to the findings of a retrospective study presented by Chakraborty et al at the 2023 ASCO Annual ...