Performing a minimally invasive staging laparoscopy on patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer may help determine the stage and identify cancer metastases early, according to a novel study published by Gudmundsdottir et al in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The new findings ...
Investigators have called into question the health benefit of extended surveillance for patients whose pancreatic cysts have not changed size for at least 5 years and had no worrisome features, according to a new study published by Chhoda et al in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology....
The vast majority of cancer survivors may rely on primary care physicians for follow-up treatments, especially in rural areas, according to a new study published by Becevic et al in the Journal of Cancer Education. Background Patients often depend on their primary care physicians to help them...
Physicians may be able to personalize dosing intervals and consequently improve patient outcomes by monitoring early-response biomarkers in patients with prostate cancer who are undergoing treatment with lutetium (Lu)-177–PSMA, according to new findings presented by Emmett et al at the Society of...
The positron-emission tomography (PET) tracer zirconium (Zr)-89–DFO-girentuximab may accurately identify patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma and differentiate the disease from other types of renal tumors, according to findings presented by Calais et al at the Society of Nuclear Medicine...
Researchers have identified a new potential therapeutic target—the cell-surface tumor antigen CUB domain–containing protein 1 (CDCP1)—for patients with all subtypes of metastatic bladder cancer, according to findings presented by Chopra et al at the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular...
Researchers have created the world’s largest and most comprehensive atlas of normal breast tissue—the Human Breast Cell Atlas—which may provide an unprecedented understanding of mammary biology and help identify therapeutic targets for diseases such as breast cancer, according to a recent study...
Patients with polycystic ovary syndrome may not have a higher risk of ovarian cancer than those without the condition; however, postmenopausal patients with polycystic ovary syndrome may have twofold the risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to recent findings presented by Frandsen et al at...
Female survivors treated for Hodgkin lymphoma may face declining fertility at a younger age, according to recent findings presented by Drechsel et al at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) 2023 Annual Meeting (Abstract O-083). The new research also suggested that the...
Researchers have identified seven potential risk factors for early-onset colorectal cancer in male patients and developed a novel risk evaluation model, according to a recent study published by Imperiale et al in Cancer Prevention Research. The findings may help 45- to 49-year-old patients accept...
About 50% of LGBTQ+ patients and survivors of cancer may be concerned about facing discrimination in a health-care setting, according to a new survey from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). The new findings demonstrated that these concerns and experiences with...
The combination of curettage and cryosurgery may be a safe and effective treatment method for patients with basal cell carcinoma, according to a novel study published by Backman et al in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Background The incidence of skin cancer is continuing to...
On June 26, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration awarded $50 million in the launch of the Persistent Poverty Initiative—a program designed to alleviate the cumulative effects of persistent poverty on cancer outcomes by increasing research capacity, fostering cancer prevention research, and...
Iopromide-300 and -370 (Ultravist), an iodine-based contrast agent, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for contrast-enhanced mammography—making it the only contrast agent approved for this indication. The product can be used to visualize known or suspected lesions of...
Investigators have found that artificial intelligence (AI) language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT may accurately identify appropriate imaging tests for breast cancer screenings and breast pain, according to a recent study published by Rao et al in the Journal of the American College of Radiology....
Women of African descent may have an elevated risk of being diagnosed with advanced endometrial cancer and developing aggressive tumors compared with White women, according to a recent study published by Medina et al in Cancer. Background Endometrial cancer is classified as endometrioid or the more ...
Children of parents with a history of cancer are more likely to face housing and food insecurity and delayed medical care due to a lack of transportation compared to children without a parental history of cancer, according to a study published by Zheng et al in JAMA Network Open. Among these...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Emmanuel S. Antonarakis, MD, and colleagues, the phase III KEYLYNK-010 trial has shown no improvement in survival outcomes with pembrolizumab/olaparib vs a next-generation hormonal agent (abiraterone or enzalutamide) in previously treated patients...
In an analysis from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bates et al identified relationships among radiation therapy doses, cardiac substructures, and risk of late-onset cardiac disease in survivors of childhood cancer. Study Details The analysis ...
A combination of pretherapy imaging and dosimetry may help patients with refractory differentiated thyroid cancer obtain the maximum benefit from radioactive iodine treatments following redifferentiation therapy, according to a novel study published by Taprogge et al in The Journal of Nuclear...
A genetic marker involving the EGFR and ERBB2 genes may be predictive of which patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are most likely to develop resistance to lenvatinib, according to a study published by Lim et al in Gastroenterology. The new findings could help researchers develop alternative...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on ...
Cervical cancer is a serious problem in many low- and middle-income countries such as the African country of Rwanda. Although the cervical cancer rate in Rwanda remains more than twice the U.S. rate, there has been improvement in recent years that cancer research organizations can learn from to...
Delays in cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic will likely cause a significant increase in cancer cases that could have been caught earlier with screening. These cases may now be diagnosed at later stages, placing an increased burden on an already-strained health-care system, according to...
New research involving people living with HIV treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors has provided valuable insights into the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy in this historically excluded population, according to data published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.1 The real-world data...
The formal discussant of the phase II SWOG S1512 trial was Zeynep Eroglu, MD, of the Department of Cutaneous Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. She congratulated Dr. Kendra and her coauthors for conducting a study in such a rare tumor. “I think we can say desmoplastic melanoma ...
Black individuals have a higher incidence of colorectal cancer than White individuals, and their outcomes are worse. Undoubtedly, reasons for this are multifaceted, but the disparity in outcomes may be partly explained by genomic differences, documented in a large retrospective study presented at...
Testing for the emergence of ESR1 mutations should be routine at disease recurrence or progression for patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer whose disease is being managed with endocrine therapy, according to an ASCO guideline rapid recommendation...
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, pancreatic,...
Presented here are some highlights of preliminary studies presented at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. These presentations provide signals for the utility of an off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell product in renal cell carcinoma, an...
In newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer lacking a BRCA mutation, the addition of durvalumab and olaparib to standard therapy significantly improved progression-free survival, in a planned interim analysis of the international phase III DUO-O trial presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting1 and...
Many patients with early-stage, low-risk cervical cancer may be spared the side effects associated with radical hysterectomy and undergo simple hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection instead, according to results of the international phase III SHAPE study presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual...
Researchers have revealed that the KDM5D gene on the Y chromosome, which is upregulated in KRAS-mutated colorectal cancer, may be responsible for increasing tumor cell invasiveness and reducing antitumor immunity in male patients, according to a recent study published by Li et al in Nature. The new ...
For comments on the phase III DIPLOMA trial, which found outcomes comparable between minimally invasive and open distal pancreatectomy, The ASCO Post interviewed Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, the Jerald L. & Carolynn J. Varner Professor of Surgical Oncology & Global Health;...
Researchers have found that the loss of the Y chromosome, a common impact of the aging process in men, may help cancer cells evade the body’s immune system and result in aggressive bladder cancer—but it may also render the disease more vulnerable and responsive to immune checkpoint...
For patients with fully resectable pancreatic cancer, a minimally invasive surgical approach—laparoscopic or robotic—was shown to be comparable to open distal pancreatectomy in the multicenter randomized phase III DIPLOMA trial. These results were presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting and at a...
Formal discussant of this late-breaking presentation, Roisin E. O’Cearbhaill, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, commented: “MIRASOL is confirmatory of SORAYA, the trial that led to FDA accelerated approval. The impressive data of MIRASOL show an overall survival advantage in ...
Mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx, a novel antibody-drug conjugate, significantly improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with platinum-resistant, recurrent ovarian cancers that express high levels of folate receptor–alpha (FR-alpha), according to the results of the phase III...
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the United States and the second-leading cause of cancer death.1 It also offers a sobering example in the national conversation on racial disparities in cancer care. Despite a deeper scientific understanding of the disease—as well as ...
Investigators have shed light on the disparities that may be contributing to the high cancer burden of Appalachian Kentucky compared with the rest of the state and country, according to a new study published by Hudson et al in The Journal of Rural Health. Kentucky currently ranks first in the...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a new voluntary pilot program to help physicians select safe and effective cancer treatments, with guidance on in vitro companion diagnostic tests to determine which corresponding oncology drugs may provide the most benefit for their patients....
The KRAS G12C inhibitor adagrasib may be effective at suppressing cancer growth not only within the lungs but also in brain metastases for patients with KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a new study published by Negrao et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology....
Targeted therapy with fruquintinib may improve overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer, according to a novel study published by Dasari et al in The Lancet. Background According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the...
Aromatase inhibitors may interfere with the efficacy of weight loss medications in breast cancer survivors, according to a new study presented by Fansa et al at the 2023 Endocrine Society Annual Meeting. Background Aromatase inhibitors are designed to block the activity of the aromatase enzyme,...
Investigators have found that older breast cancer survivors—particularly those exposed to chemotherapy—may experience greater epigenetic aging and poorer outcomes than those without a history of cancer, according to a new study published by Rentscher et al in Cancer. Background Epigenetic aging...
In a Chinese study reported in JAMA Oncology, Mo et al found that longitudinal measurement of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) methylation permitted early detection of disease recurrence in patients undergoing surgery for stage I to III colorectal cancer. Study Details In the prospective cohort...
On June 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to glofitamab-gxbm (Columvi) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified or large B-cell lymphoma arising from follicular lymphoma,...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Cannioto et al found that greater adherence to cancer prevention lifestyle recommendations before, during, and after treatment for high-risk breast cancer was associated with a reduced risk of disease recurrence and all-cause mortality. Study Details The...
Although redlining was outlawed more than 50 years ago, individuals who currently live in historically redlined areas may be less likely to be screened for breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and cervical cancer than individuals who live in areas not associated with redlining practices, according to...
A novel, automated liquid biopsy test—the Liquid Biopsy for Breast Cancer Methylation assay—may be effective at predicting early disease progression and potential survival outcomes in patients with metastatic breast cancer after as little as 1 month of treatment, according to a study published by...