Patients with advanced ovarian cancer who undergo intensive treatment with chemotherapy that bathes the abdomen are significantly more likely to live longer than those who receive standard intravenous (IV) chemotherapy, according to a study that analyzed long-term follow-up from two landmark...
April IV Latin American Symposium of Gastroenterology OncologyApril 17-20 • Vina del Mar, ChileFor more information: www.slago.com 3rd ITLT Essen 2013 - Interdisciplinary Treatment of Liver TumorsApril 18-20 • Essen, GermanyFor more information: www.itlt.org The Arizona Clinical Oncology Society...
Early detection of renal cell carcinoma using biomarkers remains challenging. Kim and colleagues recently evaluated a three-marker assay consisting of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), L-plastin (LCP1), and nonmetastatic cells 1 protein (NM23A). After validation of the three-marker assay in...
Colorectal cancer that is microsatellite stable but chromosomally unstable is characterized by poor prognosis and remains largely intractable at the metastatic stage. Mutational analysis has shown that the mixed lineage kinase 4 (MLK4) protein kinase is frequently mutated in microsatellite-stable...
Dysregulation of TGF-β signaling promotes tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and a potent immunosuppressive network in pancreas cancer. A strategy for disrupting the tumor-promoting pathway is the silencing of TGF-β by use of small-interfering (si) RNA. Ellermeier and colleagues found that the...
Inactivation of the tumor suppressor p53 through somatic mutations is observed in approximately half of cancers. The finding that p53 mutations sometimes occur in tumor-associated fibroblasts and are correlated with an increased rate of metastases and poor prognosis suggests that p53 dysfunction in ...
Breast cancer deaths have declined over the past 2 decades, with approximately half of the decrease estimated to be due to advances in early detection and treatment. However, not all racial groups have benefited equally from these advances. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and...
Jonathan Friedberg, MD, MMSc, has been appointed Director of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. Dr. Friedberg joined the Medical Center in 2002 and was named Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Medicine in 2009. ...
Menarche and menopause mark the onset and offset of ovarian and endocrine activity associated with reproduction, and early menarche and late menopause are known to increase risk of breast cancer. In a recent Lancet Oncology article, the Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer...
Results of the election of new officers and trustees (2013–2014) for the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) were announced recently at the ACCC Annual National Meeting. First Nonphysician ACCC President Elected Virginia Vaitones, MSW, became ACCC President at the 39th Annual National...
The authors are to be congratulated for successfully conducting a randomized study of FLAG (fludarabine, cytarabine, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [Neupogen]) vs FLAG plus liposomal daunorubicin (DaunoXome) in relapsed pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The difficulty in conducting ...
Optimal reinduction therapy for patients with relapsed pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains undefined. Liposomal daunorubicin (DaunoXome), which offers the potential for reduced cardiotoxicity compared with traditional daunorubicin, is effective in this setting. Gertjan J.L. Kaspers, MD,...
It is clear from our study, and other studies examining mind-body interventions in patients with cancer, that it is important for patients to consider participating in some kind of program to manage their stress and improve their quality of life. This is particularly true for patients who are...
Qigong (“qi” or “chi” = energy flow, “gong” = skill or achievement) is an integrated mind-body exercise and meditative practice that involves rhythmic breathing coordinated with repetition of fluid movements and calm focus on the body. A study reported in Cancer by Zhen Chen, MD, and colleagues...
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) reported that group therapy sessions may help patients cope with mesothelioma. Their two-part pilot study, which began recruitment in May 2011, is examining the emotional burden of the cancer and offers discussion groups as a source of...
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reported that a new behavioral tapering intervention combined with cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy did not affect short- and long-term abstinence rates compared to cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy alone among smokers newly...
Researchers at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, have been studying the effects of breast cancer on young women, particularly ethnic minorities and lower socioeconomic populations. They have found that young women are increasingly being diagnosed with breast cancer, yet...
This poster by Ms. Zadeh and colleagues was one of two tied for the Best Program award, presented by the APOS Scientific Program Committee at the Annual Meeting. The two award-winning posters were: Helping Providers to Help Adolescents and Young Adults be Involved in End-of-life Care: The...
Enabling adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients to become involved in advance care planning can help parents and health-care agents make informed decisions, alleviate distress, and possibly improve the patients’ quality of life, according to researchers at the National Cancer Institute’s...
As we all now know, the start of the sequestration prescribed by the Budget Control Act of 2011 was delayed until March 1, 2013, by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. With Congress unable to strike a deal, the mandatory reductions in Federal spending were triggered on March 1. Those...
Jimmie C. Holland, MD, Wayne E. Chapman Chair in Psychiatric Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, received ACCC’s Annual Achievement Award for excellence in advocacy, dedication, and commitment to the care and treatment of patients with cancer. In her acceptance speech, Dr. Holland...
The 39th Annual National Meeting of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) was held in Washington, DC, in March. With a focus on business, economics, and policy, the program included the inauguration of a new ACCC President (see page 102), a keynote speech on the future of health care,...
In March 2011, the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in conjunction with ASCO, held a workshop to discuss a collaborative approach to making the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded clinical trials system more viable and productive. That workshop included...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation’s Patient Advocate Scholarship Program enables advocates to attend ASCO meetings so they may further educate themselves on important advances in their areas of interest. The scholarship program is one of many programs ASCO and the Conquer Cancer Foundation provide for...
My odyssey with ovarian cancer started in May 2005, when I saw my gynecologist for an annual exam and mentioned an odd twinge I had been experiencing on my left side. A subsequent pelvic ultrasound followed by an MRI showed that my ovaries were enlarged, and my doctor warned me that the problem...
Clinical guidelines, like those of ASCO and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), clearly have represented the standard of care and, to a large extent, the basis for coverage policy, especially in the area of medical oncology. However, guidelines increasingly seem to be in the shadow of ...
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston recently recognized two leading advocates for women in medicine and research. Karen Antman, MD, Provost of the Boston University Medical Campus and Dean of its School of Medicine since 2005, was the recipient of the 2013 Margaret L....
Two Indiana University researchers have been awarded a multiyear, $3.2 million grant to develop and improve therapies for pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Mark R. Kelley, PhD, Betty and Earl Herr Professor of Pediatric Oncology Research, and Melissa...
ASCO and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine (AAHPM) have announced a joint initiative to support delivery of high-quality palliative care in medical oncology. The initiative, funded by the Agency for Health Care Research & Quality, aims to address the complex care...
Appointed by the President and called “America’s Doctor,” the Surgeon General’s chief task is to protect and advance the health of the nation. Most of our Surgeon Generals have tiptoed around hot-button public health issues that might bruise political sensibilities and their own careers. C....
Cancer.Net recently added an article on urinary incontinence to help patients learn how to cope with this side effect. In the article, patients can learn about the causes of urinary incontinence and how it is diagnosed, as well as read about the treatment options and how it can be managed. To learn ...
To help keep its members and the cancer community apprised and educated on the issue of payment reform, ASCO has developed a payment reform webpage and issued an ASCO in Action educational series. This four-part series is designed to help ASCO members better understand the complex issue of...
Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be a frightening and overwhelming experience, and the first thing many people do upon receiving the news is seek out information, hoping to be empowered through knowledge. At the Conquer Cancer Foundation, we are working to ensure that vital information—focusing on...
Want to learn how to best lobby your local state legislators on the issues that affect your practice in your state? Or finally meet the executive director of your state’s oncology society? Look for the State Oncology Societies Booth at ASCO’s Annual Meeting this year. The booth will be located in...
In the fast-paced world of oncology, where the science of patient care is constantly evolving, it is critical for practitioners—and, by extension, their Society—to consistently be one step ahead. For ASCO and the Conquer Cancer Foundation, that means maintaining a strong focus not only on the...
ASCO has released the latest edition of ASCO-SEP®, a comprehensive resource designed to help medical providers assess and improve their level of knowledge in the various areas of oncology, enabling them to provide care that will optimize the quality of life for people with cancer. ASCO-SEP, 3rd...
In August 2011, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania published their breakthrough findings of a pilot study showing sustained remissions of up to 1 year in a small number of patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who had been treated with genetically engineered...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) inaugurated the first class of Fellows of the AACR Academy at the association’s annual meeting held this month in Washington, DC. The AACR Academy has been created to recognize and honor distinguished scientists whose major scientific...
“Thirty-six months of hormone therapy is the standard of care for the treatment of high-risk prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy,” said formal discussant Anthony V. D’Amico, MD, PhD, Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Genitourinary...
Eighteen months of hormone therapy appears to be as safe and effective as 36 months when combined with radiation for patients with high-risk prostate cancer.1 Patients who received the shorter course of hormone therapy plus radiation had survival rates similar to those who received 36 months of...
The parallel SIGGAR trials recently published in Lancet add to the growing body of literature regarding the utility of computed tomographic (CT) colonography in the detection of colorectal polyps and cancers. These papers reinforce the results seen in other large multicenter trials1-3 and echo the...
The companion UK Special Interest Group in Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (SIGGAR) trials compared computed tomographic (CT) colonography with barium enema and colonoscopy in patients with symptoms suggestive of colon cancer. As recently reported by the SIGGAR investigators in The...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recently announced the addition of two new NCCN Member Institutions: UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center in La Jolla, California, and the University of Colorado Cancer Center in Aurora, Colorado. “We are extremely pleased that UC San Diego Moores...
Samuel M. Silver, MD, PhD, of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been elected Chairman of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Board of Directors. Dr. Silver was previously Vice Chairman of the Board and succeeds Thomas A. D’Amico, MD, of the Duke Cancer...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), with support from the NCCN Foundation and the LIVESTRONG Foundation and through collaboration with Critical Mass: The Young Adult Cancer Alliance (Critical Mass), recently announced the availability of the NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Caring for...
At the recent American Academy of Dermatology 71st Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, researchers presented interesting findings regarding melanoma and other skin cancers. The ASCO Post brings you the following news briefs on these topics. Melanoma Incidence Decreases among Adolescents and Children An...
Researchers from multiple organizations, including the American Cancer Society (ACS), studied the smoking trends among men and women over the last 50 years and found that women’s smoking habits in that time have significantly increased their risk of dying from lung cancer and chronic obstructive...
Screening all current and former heavy smokers could prevent over 12,000 lung cancer deaths a year, according to a new study published in Cancer.1 The study, funded by the American Cancer Society, arrived at that number based on data from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST),2 which found that...
Last fall, a consortium of more than 300 researchers from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network published the results of their large-scale genetic analysis of squamous cell lung cancer in the journal Nature.1 The study, the first of its kind, compared the tumor cells from 178 untreated...
There are a few things about ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) on which everyone agrees: Incidence increased dramatically with the advent of mammography screening, not all cases detected will go on to cause symptoms in the patient’s lifetime, and there’s no proven way to tell which cases will...