Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may transform disease monitoring and guide treatment for soft-tissue sarcomas, according to data presented at the 2023 Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) International Conference on Surgical Cancer Care.1 Findings of a retrospective review showed that 85% of patients...
Study after study has demonstrated race-based differences in survival and other clinical outcomes for patients with cancer. But as health professionals, we are learning that these differences are less about a patient’s skin color and more about the legacy of racial inequality.1 This knowledge...
In the first-line setting, the monoclonal antibody zolbetuximab in combination with chemotherapy extended overall survival in patients with claudin-18.2 (CLDN18.2)-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma. This regimen is now positioned as a new standard of...
“Endometrial cancer is the most frequently diagnosed gynecologic malignancy in the United States, and it is the only one where the mortality has actually risen over the past 40 years,” noted Rebecca Arend, MD, MSH, Associate Professor at the University of Alabama and Associate Scientist in the...
The addition of a checkpoint inhibitor to standard chemotherapy as first-line treatment of advanced endometrial cancer reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 70% in patients with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) tumors in two recent phase III studies. The results of the two...
Chemotherapy may be associated with a 71% increased risk of treatment-related cardiotoxicity—including heart failure and cerebrovascular disease—among Black patients or patients of African ancestry compared with White patients, according to new findings presented by Gebeyehu et al at the American...
Pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) living in extreme poverty and undergoing maintenance therapy may have almost a twofold greater risk of relapse compared with pediatric patients who weren’t living in extreme poverty, according to a new study published by Wadhwa et al in...
In the phase II TRASTS study reported in JAMA Oncology, Sanfilippo et al found that neoadjuvant trabectedin and radiotherapy did not meet the target objective response rate per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) in patients with myxoid liposarcoma but did exhibit activity...
An interim analysis of the Neotorch study highlighted the potential of immunotherapy for the treatment of early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data presented by Lu et al during the ASCO Plenary Series: April 2023 Session (Abstract 425126). The findings showed a significant...
In three new clinical trials, researchers have found that the novel fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor pemigatinib and new poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP)/ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) inhibitor combinations may be effective at treating patients with multiple...
Researchers have created the largest single-cell atlas of renal cell carcinoma brain metastases, with matched primary and extracranial metastases, which has potentially enabled them to discover key biological mechanisms contributing to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in the brain...
Investigators have uncovered factors contributing to the COVID-19 pandemic’s destabilization of the usual patterns of cancer care, described specific ways that National Cancer Database data models were impacted by the pandemic, and offered guidance to cancer centers across the United States on how...
In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Patel et al found that delayed or foregone care due to patient-clinician discordance of identity (eg, race, religion, gender) was more common among patients with cancer vs noncancer controls. Approximately one-quarter of younger patients...
Researchers have discovered that co-occurring mutations in three tumor-suppressor genes—KEAP1, SMARCA4, and CDKN2A—may be linked with poor clinical outcomes in patients with KRAS G12C–mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with the KRAS G12C inhibitors adagrasib or sotorasib,...
In a single-institution study reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Feldman et al found that somatic KRAS and STK11 alterations were associated with increased risk of arterial thromboembolism in patients with solid tumors, irrespective of tumor type. Study Details The retrospective cohort study used...
In a Canadian population–based retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Cairncross et al found that patients diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy or postpartum had worse 5-year survival than those diagnosed at a time remote from pregnancy. Study Details The study included data from...
Karriem S. Watson, DHSc, MPH, of the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program, discusses the importance of engaging in clinical trials for those who are underrepresented in biomedical research. Community engagement is a proven and effective tool, Dr. Watson says, to enhance...
Researchers revealed that 39.2% of patients who consented to whole-exome sequencing and were identified as carriers of predisposition genes for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer or Lynch syndrome did not qualify for genetic screening under current guidelines, according to new findings presented...
In an analysis reported in JAMA Network Open, Zhu et al found that immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment did not appear to be associated with long-term survival in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer. Study Details The analysis included data from six trials of pembrolizumab, avelumab, and...
In a phase II study reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Agrawal et al found that a single treatment with psilocybin (COMP360) with a 1:1 therapist-to-patient ratio reduced symptoms of depression in patients with cancer and major depression disorder treated at a single community cancer...
In an Indian trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Badwe et al found that peritumoral infiltration of local anesthetic prior to surgery in patients with early breast cancer was associated with improved disease-free and overall survival. As stated by the investigators, “Preventing...
Although the 5-year relative survival rate for multiple myeloma is improving—up from 34.6% in 1998 to 53.9% in 2016—due to the approval of more effective therapies, multiple myeloma remains incurable, and new treatment options are needed, especially in the relapsed/refractory setting. A small phase ...
Black individuals are disproportionately affected by colorectal cancer. They have the highest rates of the disease of any racial or ethnic group in the United States, and are about 20% more likely to develop colorectal cancer and about 40% more likely to die of the disease than most other groups. A ...
An analysis of lung cancer incidence rates showed wide variations among the racial and ethnic subgroups in Florida’s Black and Hispanic population, according to data presented by Cranford et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023 (Abstract 1902/8). Study...
Americans have become less aware that the human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer in recent years, according to survey data presented by Adjei Boakye et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023 (Abstract 4210 /11). Survey respondents also showed low...
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have outlined opportunities for achieving President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s Cancer Moonshot national goal of reducing the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years. A study published by Shiels et al in Cancer...
Treatment-naive patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received neoadjuvant durvalumab plus chemotherapy and adjuvant durvalumab monotherapy had improved event-free survival and pathologic complete response compared with those who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone,...
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. ...
As reported in JAMA Oncology by Tang et al, the phase II EXTEND (External Beam Radiation to Eliminate Nominal Metastatic Disease) trial has shown that the addition of metastasis-directed therapy to intermittent hormone therapy improved progression-free survival in patients with oligometastatic...
Researchers have found that digital breast tomosynthesis may have improved breast cancer screening performance in community practices and could be effective at identifying more invasive cancers compared with digital mammography, according to a new study published by Lee et al in Radiology. The...
A new survey of Hispanic adults residing in Indiana may present a snapshot of their cancer-related knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors and provide guidance for the future development of tailored cancer screening messaging and prevention strategies, according to a study published by Espinoza-Gutarra...
Hereditary cancer syndromes are caused by a pathogenic variant in cancer susceptibility genes, which overall account for approximately 10% of all cancers. Carriers of pathogenic variants are at an increased risk of developing cancer during their lifetime. Genomic cancer risk assessment makes it...
Researchers have found that the novel intravesical chemotherapy delivery system TAR-200 may be safe and effective for patients with advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer who are medically unfit for standard treatment, according to a new study published by Tyson et al in The Journal of Urology....
Researchers have discovered that the financial impact of an individual’s cancer diagnosis may also impact a partner’s health-related quality of life, according to a new study published by Ghazal et al in JAMA Network Open. “When you think of key developmental milestones young adults expect to...
Researchers have developed a novel combination therapy approach to help patients with KMT2A-mutated acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) overcome resistance to bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) inhibitors without adding toxicity, according to a novel study...
Pancreatic cancer is a rare disease, accounting for about 3% of all cancers in the United States. It is the deadliest of all solid malignancies, accounting for about 7% of all cancer deaths each year, and carries a 5-year survival rate of just 11.5%. According to the American Cancer Society, in...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Kahi et al found no differences in all-cause or cancer-specific mortality among veterans in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health-care system with colonoscopy-detected colorectal cancer vs those with postcolonoscopy-diagnosed colorectal cancer. Study Details...
In a prospective cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Asif et al found that endoscopic surveillance may be an alternative to prophylactic total gastrectomy in patients at risk for hereditary diffuse gastric cancer due to germline CDH1 pathogenic variants. Study Details In the study, 270...
In a Japanese phase II trial (STATICE) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nishikawa et al found that fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) showed activity in patients with HER2-expressing advanced or recurrent uterine carcinosarcoma. Study Details In the multicenter trial, 32 evaluable ...
Researchers have provided strong evidence that a healthy lifestyle may significantly reduce mortality in adults who have survived pediatric cancer, according to a new study published by Dixon et al in The Lancet. The findings are among the first to reveal that the specific primary causes of...
Researchers have revealed that the number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, the state of necrosis, and mutations to the tumor-suppressor gene PBRM1 form a biomarker signature that may predict how patients with renal cell carcinoma will respond to immunotherapy, according to a novel study published ...
City of Hope in Duarte, California, recently announced that its subsidiary, Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), will fully transition its clinical locations to City of Hope’s brand. CTCA locations in different cities will now be called City of Hope Atlanta, City of Hope Chicago, and City of ...
In this installment of our Global Oncology series, Guest Editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Kelly M. McMasters, MD, PhD, who, for the past 27 years, has directed a basic and translational science lab studying adenovirus-mediated cancer gene therapy and melanoma biomarkers....
On March 9, 2023, President Joseph Biden released his proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 federal budget, with an emphasis on increased funding for medical research and expanded access to health insurance. The proposal allocates $48.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an $811 million ...
In a Russian single-institution prospective cohort study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sheikh et al found that quitting smoking after a diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was associated with improved disease progression and survival outcomes among patients. Study Details The...
Penile cancer is a rare disease with an incidence that is rising globally. Driven by a goal to offer clinicians and patients guidance on the management of this rare condition, ASCO collaborated with the European Association of Urology (EAU) to develop new guidelines on its diagnosis and treatment....
Although advances in radiation therapy have rendered this treatment modality more tolerable, they have not completely eliminated the burden of radiation-related toxicity. In an ideal setting, clinicians would be able to identify patients whose risk of recurrence is sufficiently low that they can...
The management of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer has been evolving at a fast pace, thanks largely to the discovery that immune checkpoint blockade can be effective in this subtype. At the 2023 Miami Breast Cancer Conference, Priyanka Sharma, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of...
Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab may significantly improve the management of desmoplastic melanoma, increasing the likelihood of successful resection and reducing the need for further surgery or radiation therapy, according to the response data presented at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting, with the surgical...
Here are some brief reports from the 2023 ASCO Genitourinary (GU) Cancers Symposium that we hope are of interest. They include real-world evidence about the use of avelumab maintenance in metastatic urothelial carcinoma, data on the feasibility of sequencing radium-223 and Lu-177–PSMA-617 in...