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Showing 26501 - 26550SIDEBAR: Other Colorectal Cancer News from ASCO
Additional noteworthy gastrointestinal cancer studies presented during oral abstract sessions at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting included the following trials in metastatic colorectal cancer. Perifosine/Capecitabine Fails in Phase III Trial Adding perifosine, an oral alkylphospholipid inhibitor that...
Expert Point of View: Alan Venook, MD
Invited discussant Alan Venook, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, pointed out that the hazard ratio of 0.81 and the 1.4-month improvement in overall survival in the TML trial did not reach the target hazard ratio of 0.77 in the statistical design of the study. However, “it is...
Expert Point of View: Axel Grothey, MD
Over the past 10 years, agents targeting the VEGF system, such as bevacizumab, have become standard components of anticancer therapy in various malignancies. Recently, it has become increasingly evident that prolonged duration of anti-VEGF therapy is needed to optimize the therapeutic effect of...
Bevacizumab beyond Progression Prolongs Survival in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In a study highlighted at a press briefing during the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting, German investigators reported that prolonging treatment with bevacizumab (Avastin) beyond disease progression extends overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.1 Patients received bevacizumab plus...
ASCO Studies Point to Risks Associated with Treating Childhood Cancers
Risks associated with being a young cancer survivor were emphasized by two studies highlighted in press briefings at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting. Investigators from the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) reported that adolescents and young adults treated for high-risk B-precursor acute lymphoblastic ...
2013 Certifying Examination in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
The American Board of Pediatrics has announced that the upcoming 2013 Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Certifying Examination will be held on April 16, 2013. Registration and other information is provided below. Examination Date: April 16, 2013 Registration for first-time applicants: August 1, 2012,...
Expert Point of View: Benjamin J. Solomon, MBBS, PhD
“The LUX-Lung 3 study has been much awaited. It is the first study to use cisplatin/pemetrexed [Alimta], which we now recognize as the best comparator arm. The study was positive for afatinib. While the use of maintenance pemetrexed may have dented the hazard ratio, I doubt this would have impacted ...
First-line Afatinib Superior to Standard Chemotherapy in Advanced EGFR-mutated Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
First-line therapy with the investigational oral agent afatinib improved progression-free survival compared with standard chemotherapy (pemetrexed (Alimta)/cisplatin) in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring an EGFR mutation. Afatinib improved progression-free survival ...
Expert Point of View: Landscape for Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma Is Expanding
At an Annual Meeting press conference, ASCO spokesperson Sylvia Adams, MD, said, “BREAK-3 confirms that BRAF targeting is effective in metastatic melanoma. The tumor shrinkage seen with dabrafenib is similar to results observed for the FDA-approved drug vemurafenib, with fewer side effects. We will ...
Landscape for Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma Is Expanding
Metastatic melanoma was long considered untreatable and incurable. The FDA approval of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and vemurafenib (Zelboraf) ushered in a new era for this disease, and now additional treatment options are in late stages of clinical development. Dabrafenib, a novel oral BRAF inhibitor, and...
Lung Cancer Death Rates Increase among White Women in Some States
A new study comparing lung cancer death rates among women by year of birth shows dramatic differences in trends between states, likely reflecting the success or failure of tobacco control efforts. The study, published early online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,1 finds that while lung cancer...
Reflections from the Old World
A few years ago, I was a key witness for a patent dispute at a trial in Delaware. Acting for the complainant, I was briefed that the opening gambit of the opposition lawyer would be to discredit my CV and, therefore, the value of my testimony. “So you are a full Professor at the University of...
Three Experts Weigh In on the Health-care Reform Legislation
In light of the Supreme Court ruling, The ASCO Post asked three nationally regarded experts about how the Affordable Care Act will affect the practice of oncology. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania: This is an overwhelmingly...
The Affordable Care Act Stands: Now What?
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law—a hotly contested bill that enacted sweeping changes to the U.S. health-care system. The debate over the Affordable Care Act continued all the way to the Supreme Court, spearheaded by the case Florida...
Expert Point of View: TAILOR
Formal discussant of the TAILOR trial, Benjamin J. Solomon, MBBS, PhD, of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Australia, noted that the study asks an important question about the benefit of an EGFR inhibitor in patients with wild-type EGFR. The progression-free survival reported in...
Expert Point of View: PARAMOUNT
Formal discussant Gregory Peter Kalemkerian, MD, of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, questioned whether all patients need maintenance therapy, since some patients on placebo lived as long as those on pemetrexed maintenance, and quality of life, as reported...
Second-line Treatments Tested in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Results of two late-breaking phase III trials presented at 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting add to the evolving understanding of how best to treat non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The TAILOR trial suggested the benefit of chemotherapy over EGFR-targeted therapy as second-line treatment of patients with...
Conquer Cancer Foundation Honors Oncology Professionals forHigh-quality Research in Breast Cancer
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO recently announced the recipients of its 2012 Breast Cancer Symposium Merit Awards, which recognize leading oncology professionals for their work in the area of breast cancer research. This year, the Foundation honors 16 individuals for their research in the...
Most Hospitals Do Not Meet Benchmark for Examining Lymph Nodes following Esophagectomy
“Fewer than one-third of patients and fewer than 1 in 10 hospitals met the benchmark of examining at least 15 lymph nodes” following esophagectomy for patients with esophageal cancer, according to a retrospective observational study reported in the Archives of Surgery. That benchmark was set by the ...
Regorafenib Has ‘Notable Anticancer Activity’ after Patients Develop Resistance to Imatinib and Sunitinib
The orally administered investigational multikinase inhibitor regorafenib demonstrated “notable anticancer activity” in a phase II trial among patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) who developed resistance to imatinib (Gleevec) and sunitinib (Sutent). Researchers reported in...
Adjuvant Chemotherapy May Improve Survival for Patients with Periampullary Disease
The European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer (ESPAC)-3 periampullary cancer trial found that adjuvant chemotherapy following surgical resection of periampullary adenocarcinoma “was not associated with a significant survival benefit in the primary analysis; however, multivariate analysis adjusting ...
‘Strong Persistent Benefit’ from Radiochemotherapy after Curative Gastric Cancer Resection
An update, with more than a 10-year median follow-up, from Intergroup 0116 (INT-0116), a randomized phase III trial of postoperative chemotherapy in patients at moderate risk of locoregional failure following curative gastric cancer resection, “demonstrates strong persistent benefit from adjuvant...
Bevacizumab/Temozolomide Combination Safe and Active against Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumors
The combination of bevacizumab (Avastin) and temozolomide can be safely administered together in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors, and “the combination regimen appears promising for patients with pancreatic [neuroendocrine tumors],” according to results of a phase II study reported in...
Children with Favorable-risk Disease and Complete Response to Chemotherapy Have High Survival Rates without Radiotherapy
Among children with favorable-risk Hodgkin lymphoma, those who achieved a complete response after two cycles of chemotherapy and received no radiotherapy had high rates of survival similar to those who had a less complete response to chemotherapy and received radiotherapy, according to a study in...
SIDEBAR: Expect Questions from Your Patients
For now, genomic sequencing seems to have a greater presence in the news than in the clinic. What can physicians tell their patients who ask about genetic testing to identify mutations driving cancer growth? “The real answer is that when you get down to it, genomics is like any other test,”...
Genomics vs Site of Cancer Origin as Basis for Treatment of Cancer Is ‘False Dichotomy’
In the News focuses on media reports that your patients may have questions about at their next visit. This continuing column will provide summaries of articles in the popular press that may prompt such questions, as well as comments from colleagues in the field. Despite recent news reports...
Astragalus
The use of dietary supplements by cancer patients has risen significantly over the past 2 decades despite insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness. Finding reliable sources of information about dietary supplements can be daunting. Patients typically rely on family, friends, and the...
Living with the Aftermath of Breast Cancer
My battle with breast cancer began 10 years ago, but the aftereffects of the disease and the treatment will be with me for the rest of my life. As a professional woman who has had several diverse careers, including one as a corporate controller and another as an art teacher, I’m driven to want to...
Pertuzumab: New Drug for HER2-positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. Indication In June 2012, pertuzumab (Perjeta) was approved for use...
Symposium Focuses on Policy Issues in Personalized Cancer Care
“What is the biggest barrier to progress in personalized medicine?” asked moderator Anna Barker, PhD, leading a panel discussion at a recent meeting convened by the Washington-based advocacy group, the Personalized Medicine Coalition, with the American Association for Cancer Research and Feinstein...
SIDEBAR: Coalition Activities
The new Data Liquidity Coalition has identified five activity tracks. Marcia Kean, MBA, a leader of the coalition steering committee, described the tracks: 1. Intellectual Capital is a set of activities that would seek to identify and illuminate some of the key issues in the space, such as the...
Data Liquidity Coalition Takes Shape
A coalition to promote and implement data sharing in cancer by facilitating data ‘liquidity,’ first proposed in February at an Institute of Medicine (IOM) workshop, is taking shape with the formation of a steering committee and action plans that include a demonstration project. For several years,...
Response Rate Is Significantly Improved with Nab- vs Solvent-based Paclitaxel plus Carboplatin in Advanced NSCLC
Final results of a phase III trial found nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel (Abraxane) plus carboplatin as first-line therapy in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) resulted in a significantly improved overall response rate vs conventional solvent-based paclitaxel...
Study Reports ‘Strong and Consistent Relation’ between Exposure to Diesel Exhaust and Risk of Dying of Lung Cancer
A nested case-control study of 198 lung cancer deaths among a cohort of 12,315 mine workers “showed a strong and consistent relation between quantitative exposure to diesel exhaust and increased risk of dying of lung cancer,” researchers reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.1...
Information Service Provides Innovative Resource for Patients and Providers
Jennifer Levin Carter, MD, MPH is Founder and President of N-of-One. A board-certified internist and entrepreneur, she has more than 20 years of experience evaluating existing and emerging markets, new medical technologies, and early-stage companies in the health-care field. Formerly, Dr. Carter...
New Assessment Tools in Development to Guide Care for Older Patients
More than 1,400 people from 62 countries attended the 2012 Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer, held in New York last June. One of the featured sessions, which was jointly...
A Physician, Who Is Also a Cancer Patient, Talks about Medical Errors
In a whispered but resolute voice, Itzhak Brook, MD, MSc, led off his presentation at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting1 by telling the audience his voice is weak because he doesn’t have vocal cords. He spoke with the aid of a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis. “I have practiced medicine for more than ...
Supportive Care Experts Explore 30 Years of Progress in the Field
Thirty years ago, when the first supportive care meeting as a forerunner of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Symposium was held in New York, supportive care was largely ignored, with little discussion at major cancer meetings, which focused primarily on...
Older Chemotherapy Studies in Breast Cancer Coming of Age
Results of several long-running chemotherapy trials were reported at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting breast cancer oral session, reported in brief here. NSABP B-38 The final analysis of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-38 trial showed that the addition of gemcitabine...
Taking Family History and Referral to Genetic Counseling Could Be Improved, Survey Finds
Obtaining a thorough family history of cancer should be a key component in evaluating patients and deciding whether to refer those at increased risk of either primary or second cancers for genetic counseling and testing. Many community oncology practices comply with this practice, but there is room ...
Antidepressant Drug Has ‘Clinically Meaningful’ Effect on Chemotherapy-induced Painful Neuropathy
The oral antidepressant duloxetine (Cymbalta) at 60 mg/d improved chemotherapy-induced painful neuropathy in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial.1 Overall, 59% of patients treated with duloxetine experienced some pain relief, 33% reported at least a 30% decrease in pain, ...
FDG-PET Falls Short for Diagnosis of Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
The ability to make a diagnosis of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with FDG-PET varies widely among centers, and this imaging modality performed more poorly in community and academic centers than in published studies.1 A secondary analysis of the prospective American College of Surgeons Oncology ...
Patient Preference Studied in Treatment Selection for Renal Cell Carcinoma
More attention is being paid to the importance of patient preference as a factor in treatment selection. An innovative randomized, double-blind study in patients with metastatic kidney cancer demonstrates that quality of life and side effects drive patient preference.1 Results also suggest that...
Expert Point of View: Eun-Sil Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH
Eun-Sil Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, who discussed both papers on ductal carcinoma in situ at the ASCO Annual Meeting, noted that better risk stratification and treatments are substantially changing the outlook for DCIS. “We are getting close to ...
Improving Outcomes and Prediction in Ductal Carcinoma in Situ
Risk stratification and outcomes can be improved for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), according to two studies presented at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting. RTOG 9804 Findings from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9804 trial suggested that even for DCIS patients whose prognosis...
Trailblazer in Argentinean Oncology Remains Optimistic about War on Cancer
Eduardo Cazap, MD, PhD, is founder and first President of the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM). In 2008, he was elected to a 2-year term as President of the International Union against Cancer (UICC). The ASCO Post recently spoke with Dr. Cazap about his roots in...
Expert Point of View: Gunter von Minckwitz, MD, PhD
Gunter von Minckwitz, MD, PhD, of the German Breast Group and the University of Frankfurt, discussed the findings of the NSABP B-41 trial. He observed that lapatinib was not more effective than trastuzumab, which is in line with increasing evidence in various breast cancer settings showing greater...
Lapatinib Shows Value Similar to Trastuzumab in Neoadjuvant Regimens for Breast Cancer, but with Greater Toxicity
Lapatinib (Tykerb) proved valuable as a component of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for HER2-positive operable breast cancer in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-41 trial presented at the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting by Andre Robidoux, MD, of the NSABP and the University of...
Former Foundation Grantee Pays It Forward, Building a Legacy for the Next Generation
Hundreds of investigators, such as 2008 Young Investigator Award and 2010 Career Development Award recipient Richard Carvajal, MD, have received seed funding from ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation early in their careers—funding that supported their professional growth and helped lay the foundation...
ASCO’s Guideline on Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Melanoma
Direct your patients to www.cancer.net/whattoknow so they can learn about ASCO’s recent guideline on sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma, including what it means for patients and a list of questions to ask the doctor. In addition, patients can find more information about melanoma at...
