On May 5, 2021, pembrolizumab was granted accelerated approval for use in combination with trastuzumab and fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal...
“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.” —Khalil Gibran The Combined Annual Meetings of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) were held virtually...
On July 26, 2021, pembrolizumab was approved for high-risk, early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer in combination with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment and continued as adjuvant treatment.1 Pembrolizumab was also granted regular approval in combination with chemotherapy for locally...
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 South Africa. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of...
I read with great interest the results from the phase II ZUMA-12 study of axicabtagene ciloleucel, presented during the 2020 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1 But the results raised several questions for me. Axicabtagene ciloleucel, an autologous anti-CD19...
In a study of Quest Diagnostics data reported as a research letter in JAMA Network Open, Kaufman et al found significant decreases in monthly new cancer diagnoses during the first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the prepandemic period. As stated by the investigators, “We previously ...
Four independent studies published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology demonstrate that rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T), a first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate directed against delta-like protein 3 (DLL3), is not effective against small cell lung cancer (SCLC). An accompanying editorial by...
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the tragedy of patients dying in isolation, separated from family and friends to limit infection in hospital settings. The process has altered the experience of serious illness for patients and their loved ones, including their ability to grieve, share important...
The inherited condition neurofibromatosis type 1, or NF1, is responsible for the development of benign tumors that grow along the nerves; in some individuals, however, these benign tumors transform into aggressive and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Determining whether this transformation ...
Chloe Atreya, MD, PhD, was born and reared in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her mother is a poet, and her father is a planetary physicist and a professor at the University of Michigan. “Some of my early memories that influenced my decision to go into medicine stem from conversations I had with my father...
A set of compounds developed by scientists at Scripps Research target estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells in new ways, potentially creating better options for patients with treatment-resistant cancers. More information on these dual-mechanism estrogen receptor inhibitors was published by Min et...
The invited discussant for the BERENICE trial was Evandro de Azambuja, MD, PhD, Head of the Medical Support Team at the Institut Jules Bordet in Brussels. He concluded from the study that pertuzumab plus trastuzumab, combined with an anthracycline/taxane regimen given every 2 weeks or every 3...
Long-term cardiac safety and efficacy have been confirmed for pertuzumab plus trastuzumab in patients with early breast cancer, in an update of the phase II BERENICE trial reported at the 2021 ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Congress.1 Chau T. Dang, MD, of the Breast Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan...
Infants whose mothers were obese during pregnancy may have a heightened risk of developing colorectal cancer later in life, according to new research published by Murphy et al in the journal Gut. Obesity is already a well-established risk factor for colorectal cancer, and several studies suggest...
In the phase II GROINSS-V II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Oonk et al found that inguinofemoral radiotherapy is a safe alternative to inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy in women with early-stage vulvar cancer and sentinel node micrometastasis but was associated with a higher...
Where does triplet therapy fit in the treatment of patients with stage IV BRAF-mutated melanoma? Is there strong evidence for combining a BRAF inhibitor, MEK inhibitor, and checkpoint inhibitor? Ragini Kudchadkar, MD, Chair of the Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee at Winship Cancer Institute ...
A recent study published by Ronden et al in JTO Clinical and Research Reports highlights the gap between treatment guidelines and real-world care with the monoclonal antibody durvalumab for patients with non–small cell lung cancer. Researchers studied treatment decision-making by three Dutch...
The measurement of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is changing the way gastrointestinal cancers are managed, according to Bassel F. El-Rayes, MD, Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Research in the Department of Hematology and Oncology, Emory University, and Associate Cancer Center Director,...
Communication between patients and their primary care providers is key to ensuring effective cancer care, both before diagnosis and after treatment, according to two recent papers authored by University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center researchers. Although each study analyzed different stages of...
Cancer is a leading cause of mortality in patients with mental illnesses. Although individuals with mental illnesses are equally as vulnerable to cancer as the general population, they are at a much higher risk of cancer-related mortality. Owing to a lack of early screening in most cases, such...
A new study found that incidence rates for malignant brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumors declined by 0.8% annually during 2008 through 2017 in the United States for all ages combined. The decline was driven by trends in adults, whereas rates have slightly increased by 0.5% to 0.7%...
A new joint ASCO guideline offers clinicians updated evidence-based recommendations for the prevention and treatment of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia caused by nonsurgical cancer therapies.1 The guidance was developed together by ASCO and the Multinational Association of Supportive...
Even before my breast cancer diagnosis in early 2002, the year was shaping up to be life-altering for me and my family. We had moved from Seattle to Houston for a new career opportunity for my husband and were just settling into our new home when I felt a pea-sized nodule in my left breast during a ...
In this installment of the Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, spoke with Pamela Kunz, MD, Director, Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center. Dr. Kunz is an international leader in the clinical care of patients with neuroendocrine...
In a prospective cohort study reported in Clinical Imaging, David Steiger, MD, of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York, and colleagues in the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) identified emphysema in ...
ASCO and Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) have collaborated to release a new clinical practice guideline on the management of the axilla in early-stage breast cancer.1 “A lot has changed in the past several years with regard to de-escalating the amount of treatment women are offered in the...
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women around the world, making it a significant public health problem.1 The disease affects both men and women, although it is rare in men, accounting for just 1% of all breast cancer diagnoses in the United States and less than 0.1% of...
Every interaction with patients is an opportunity to change the course of their lives. In the context of screening for disease, every encounter is an opportunity to detect the precursors or early changes that signal early pathophysiology. Smoking status and age are the factors that currently...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Cutter et al, an analysis from the UK NCRI RAPID trial of positron-emission tomography (PET)-directed therapy in patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma indicated that the use of involved-field radiotherapy in PET-negative patients who had...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Elizabeth A. Salerno, PhD, MPH, and colleagues found that higher levels of physical activity before and during chemotherapy in women with early-stage breast cancer was associated with better cognitive function outcomes at up to 6 months...
Outcomes in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are almost rivaling those in pediatric ALL, thanks to the benefits achieved by incorporating blinatumomab and inotuzumab into chemotherapy regimens. New ways of administering the chemotherapy component are also increasing tolerability and...
Levorphanol was associated with improved pain and symptom control in patients with advanced cancer, according to data from an early phase I trial, reported by Akhila Reddy, MD, at the 2021 Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO)...
Eric Deutsch, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, commended the speakers for conducting trials whose results he found “very interesting.” The Averectal trial involved a short course of radiation with modified FOLFOX-6 (oxaliplatin, fluorouracil...
Prediction models based on clinical characteristics and imaging findings may help reduce the false-positive rate in women with dense breasts who undergo supplemental breast cancer screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), according to a study published by den Dekker et al in the journal...
Consuming higher amounts of vitamin D—mainly from dietary sources—may help protect against developing young-onset colorectal cancer or precancerous colon polyps, according to the first study to show such an association. These findings were published by Kim et al in the journal Gastroenterology. The ...
In recent years, the gut microbiome has garnered considerable attention as a scientific field, with far-reaching potential for clinical good. The trillions of microorganisms that inhabit the digestive tract form an incredibly complex community, which participates in countless interactions with its...
A large retrospective study has found that early-onset colorectal cancers are clinically and genomically indistinguishable from average-onset colorectal cancers. In addition, the study found that more aggressive treatment based solely on the patient’s age at diagnosis is neither necessary nor...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jayasekera et al have developed a clinical decision tool called BTxChoice that can be used with or without the 21-gene recurrence score to estimate the potential benefit of adjuvant chemoendocrine vs endocrine therapy in women with node-negative,...
In a study conducted by the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group and reported in The Lancet Oncology by Bradley et al, an individual patient data meta-analysis of randomized trials has shown that the addition of adjuvant trastuzumab to chemotherapy reduces the risk of disease...
Pancreatic cancer remains an incorrigible foe, but recent advances in genomic profiling and targeted drug development are slowly improving the outlook for patients, according to Eileen M. O’Reilly, MD, Winthrop Rockefeller Endowed Chair in Medical Oncology and Section Head,...
S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, talks about how, in light of the fact that multiple myeloma has been turned into a chronic disease for many people, what it means to “cure” patients; the difference between curable and cured in multiple myeloma; and key studies he is involved in that...
In a French single-center retrospective cohort study reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Duléry et al found that posttransplantation cyclophosphamide was associated with a significantly increased risk of early cardiac events among patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation...
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, is pleased to announce Shlomit Strulov Shachar, MD, of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, is the recipient of the 2021 Conquer Cancer–Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) Career Development Award. Dr. Shachar’s proposed study, entitled “Identifying Molecular...
ASCO and the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) have published standards for the oncology medical home (OMH), a comprehensive system of care delivery that supports coordinated, efficient, accessible, and evidence-based care.1 The standards serve as a roadmap for practice...
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch), University of Washington (UW) Medicine, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA), and Seattle Children’s have announced plans to explore restructuring their longtime relationship to accelerate a shared mission of advancing diagnosis, treatment, and...
Data from KEYNOTE-048 showed that the combination of the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab with platinum-containing therapy improved overall survival vs cetuximab plus chemotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).1 The findings provided hope...
In the storied English fable “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” a child enters a home and tastes three bowls of porridge. She prefers a bowl that is not too cold and not too hot but one that has just the right temperature. This “Goldilocks principle” of “just the right amount” can be applied to the...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Derya Tilki, MD, of Martini-Klinik Prostate Cancer Center, University Hospital-Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, and colleagues found that adjuvant radiotherapy was associated with reduced risk for all-cause mortality vs early...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) and the NCCN Foundation® have announced six new recipients for the 2021 NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards Program. The honorees will receive up to $150,000 in funding in the course of 2 years to advance research on important issues in...
ASCO discussant Nicole Chau, MD, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia/BC Cancer in Vancouver, said the COSMIC-311 trial was “noteworthy for meeting its co-primary endpoint of progression-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.22) in this heavily pretreated patient...