Physical medicine and rehabilitation in oncology care explores the benefits of cancer rehabilitation in oncology clinical practice to screen survivors for physical and cognitive impairments along the care continuum to minimize survivors’ disability and maximize their quality of life. According to a ...
OCTOBER ASTRO’s 57th Annual MeetingOctober 18-21 • San Antonio, Texas For more information: www.astro.org/Meetings-and-Events/2015-Annual-Meeting/Index.aspx 2015 International Cancer Education ConferenceOctober 21-23 • Tucson, Arizona For more information: http://2015.attendicec.org ACCC 32nd...
Rural cancer patients have long had to adjust to difficult geographic and financial barriers to access high-quality cancer care. These problems are exacerbated by today’s fiscal challenges, which have disrupted many of the small community practices that once served rural communities. In 2006, the...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved trifluridine/tipiracil (Lonsurf) for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have been previously treated with chemotherapy and biologic therapy and are no longer responding to treatment. Mechanism of Action The new oral agent is a...
Recent studies have yielded useful results that clinicians can put into practice, some right now, to help improve the quality of life for patients with cancer. Concerns addressed included cachexia, pain, “chemobrain,” and fertility preservation. At the Best of ASCO®/Chicago meeting, Arif Kamal,...
Updating previous recommendations, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends low-dose aspirin for the primary prevention of colorectal cancer among most adults age 50 to 59. This a draft recommendation, but it has generated major media coverage noting that this is the first time the...
The use of low-dose aspirin by most adults aged 50 to 59 for the primary prevention of colorectal cancer is now included in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated draft recommendation statement, “Aspirin to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer.”1 The release of the statement...
The American Cancer Society has bestowed its highest honor on four individuals and one foundation during the Society’s 2015 Medal of Honor ceremony and celebration dinner in Washington, DC. The Medal of Honor is awarded to those who have made the most valuable contributions and impact in the fight...
OCTOBER Modern Management of Urologic Cancers: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Memorial Sloan Kettering) October 29-31 • New York, New York For more information: http://www.themerzgroup.com/mskcc/mskcc-urologic-conference/ Lynn Sage Breast Cancer SymposiumOctober 29-November 1 • Chicago, Illinois...
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. On September 22, 2015, trifluridine/tipiracil (Lonsurf) was...
As time lapses, many patients who have undergone a colonoscopy become less and less likely to recall when and where they last had the procedure performed, who the doctor was who performed it, whether polyps were found, and, if so, the number and size of those polyps, according to new study results...
NOVEMBER Best of ASTRONovember 13-14 • San Diego, California For more information: www.astro.org/Meetings-and-Events/2015-Best-of-ASTRO/Index.aspx 2015 Oncologic Emergency Medicine Conference November 13-14 • Houston, Texas For more information:...
On October 21 in Washington, DC, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) hosted a reception to honor Richard Pazdur, MD, and Ellen Goodman. NCCS Chief Executive Officer, Shelly Fuld Nasso, welcomed attendees to the special awards reception. NCCS Public Service Leadership Award The...
Despite the proliferation of new drugs to treat prostate cancer, further progress is proving somewhat elusive, according to three trials presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress. One study had positive results with orteronel maintenance therapy in patients with metastatic castration-resistant ...
The effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy has enabled patients with HIV to live long enough to have high lifetime risks for several types of cancer. The finding has important clinical implications for cancer screening, as well as primary prevention, according to the results of a study funded by...
DECEMBER Markers in Cancer 2015December 1-2 • Brussels, Belgium For more information: http://markersincancer.org 9th European Colorectal Congress (ECC)December 1-4 • St.Gallen, Switzerland For more information: www.colorectalsurgery.eu Advances in Cancer ImmunotherapyTMDecember 4 • New Orleans,...
Launched in 2002 as a pilot program to promote excellence in oncology care, the origins of ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) date as far back as 1997, when the Institute of Medicine (IOM) created a National Cancer Policy Board to assess the state of cancer care in the United...
The genetic basis for inherited colorectal cancer is proving to be a much bigger and more complicated “pie” than was appreciated just a few years ago, according to Michael Hall, MD, Director of Gastrointestinal Risk Assessment at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia. “With next-generation...
Updated analysis of the STAMPEDE trial found no benefit for zoledronic acid in reducing deaths or skeletal-related events and confirmed the overall survival benefit of docetaxel in men with advanced hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. MDV3100, in advanced triple-negative breast cancer, found a...
The 2015 European Cancer Congress (ECC), held recently in Vienna, represented the combined efforts of the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), and other partner organisations, constituting the largest European platform for oncology education. At...
Ricky A. Sharma, MA, MB, BChir, PhD, of Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, formally discussed the paper. He disclosed that he is a co-principal investigator for the FOXFIRE study, which is currently evaluating selective internal radiation...
The phase III SIRFLOX trial showed that selective internal radiation therapy delivered to liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer, plus chemotherapy, improved local control, although median progression-free survival for the whole population was not affected. Median progression-free...
A novel interventional approach to treating liver metastases associated with colorectal cancer improved control of liver metastases, according to the SIRFLOX study presented at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The addition of selective internal radiation therapy to first-line chemotherapy extended...
Martine Piccart, MD, PhD, Professor of Oncology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, and President of the European Cancer Organisation, said she found it “distressing” to see such large variations in 5-year survival across European countries. “I would like to stress the fact that these...
EUROCARE-5, the latest in a series of comprehensive reports on the state of cancer survival in Europe, shows an improvement in 5-year survival from 1998 to 2007, with large variations among regions of Europe, according to a presentation at the European Cancer Congress.1 Furthermore, although 5-year ...
DECEMBER American Society for Cell Biology Annual MeetingDecember 12-16 • San Diego, California For more information: http://ascb.org/2015meeting/ ESMO Asia 2015 CongressDecember 18-21 • Singapore For more information: www.esmo.org/Conferences/ESMO-Asia-2015-Congress JANUARY 2016 4th AACR-IASLC...
A clinical dilemma that is receiving a great deal of attention in the oncology community is the undue financial burden some patients face during their treatment and into survivorship. While much emphasis is put on methods to reduce and help patients navigate the complex payment system, little is...
The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this special feature on the worldwide cancer burden. In this issue, we feature a close look at the cancer incidence and mortality rates in Argentina. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of the world. For ...
A new study examining the health-care needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender/transsexual patients has found myriad disparities in access to cancer care.1 The researchers reviewed nearly 170 papers published over the past 15 years on the health-care needs among this population. Although...
It has long been said that white women of European ancestry are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, but African American women are more likely to die of it. This statement has introduced multiple articles on the topic of the racial survival disparity in breast cancer, including our own...
The following new hematology/oncology agents and expanded indications were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in 2015: Alectinib (Alecensa), an ALK inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive...
JANUARY 2016 4th AACR-IASLC International Joint Conference: Lung Cancer Translational ScienceJanuary 4-7 • San Diego, CaliforniaFor more information: http://www.aacr.org/Meetings/Pages/MeetingDetail.aspx?EventItemID=74#.VbbijqTbJjo Genitourinary Cancers SymposiumJanuary 7-9 • San Francisco,...
The 15th Annual Conference of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) took place in Prague, Czech Republic, over 3 days (November 12–14, 2015). At the heart of the meeting were presentations on supportive care, comprehensive geriatric assessment and treatment—so that we fully...
The first class of National Cancer Institute (NCI) Outstanding Investigator Award recipients showcases the cutting edge of oncologic research and the 43 investigators behind it. NCI’s Outstanding Investigator Award supports accomplished leaders in cancer research, who are providing significant...
The recently updated ASCO Answers: Guide to Colorectal Cancer helps people who are newly diagnosed better understand the disease and their treatment options. This information-packed guide includes treatment information; an emphasis on palliative care; an expanded follow-up care section; questions...
Over 10 years ago, we welcomed a new approach to cancer surgery when the 2004 COST trial demonstrated the benefits of laparoscopic compared with open surgery for colon cancer. This randomized trial of 872 patients showed improved perioperative recovery with laparoscopic colectomy without...
Two phase III trials, reported in JAMA by James Fleshman, MD, of Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, and colleagues1 and Andrew R. Stevenson, MBBS, FRACS, of the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues,2 failed to show noninferiority of surgical outcome for laparoscopic...
A gene that is known to suppress the growth and spread of many types of cancer has the opposite effect in some forms of colorectal cancer, University of Missouri (MU) School of Medicine researchers have found. It is a finding that may lay the foundation for new colorectal cancer treatments. Results ...
Follow-up times of abnormal screening exams were shorter for breast cancer than they were for colorectal and cervical cancers, according to a recent study involving more than 1 million individuals who underwent these screenings. Recently published by Tosteson et al in the Journal of General...
Thyroid cancer survivors report poor quality of life after diagnosis and treatment compared with other patients who are diagnosed with more lethal cancers, according to new research from the University of Chicago Medicine. The findings, published by Aschebrook-Kilfoy et al in the journal Thyroid,...
As reported by Murphy et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, an analysis of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data from patients with stage II or III colorectal cancer indicated that the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in colon cancer declined slightly between 2005 and ...
In the first study of its kind, University of Southern California (USC) researchers have found that colorectal cancer risk in Californian Latinos varies widely depending on the country of origin. Their study was published by Stern et al in Cancer Causes & Control. “Hispanics are a very...
In a nested case-control study in the Women’s Health Initiative Clinical Trial, reported in Journal of the National Cancer Institute by Murphy et al, endogenous estrogen levels were inversely associated with and sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) levels were positively associated with...
As reported by Tournigand et al in The Lancet Oncology, final analysis of the phase III GERCOR DREAM (OPTIMOX3) trial suggested a benefit of maintenance bevacizumab (Avastin)-erlotinib vs bevacizumab after bevacizumab-based induction therapy in patients with previously untreated metastatic...
A coalition formed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in New York resulted in a 40% increase in screening rates over 4 years. The program may serve as a foundation for other communities to boost cancer screening rates,...
Ten-year results of the MOSAIC trial, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by André et al show a continued overall survival benefit with adjuvant FOLFOX4 (fluorouracil [5-FU] leucovorin plus oxaliplatin) vs 5-FU/leucovorin in patients with stage III colon cancer and in the entire...
Disparities in colorectal cancer death rates take a large toll on the national economy, with poorer, less-educated communities bearing the greatest burden, according to data presented at the Eighth American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer Health...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Renfro et al found that low but not high body mass index (BMI) was associated with poorer progression-free and overall survival in patients receiving first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. The analysis included individual...
Two phase III trials, reported in JAMA by Fleshman et al and Stevenson et al, failed to show noninferiority of surgical outcome for laparoscopic vs open resection in patients with rectal cancer. ACOSOG Z6051 Trial In the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG) Z6051 trial, reported...
In a trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Baron et al found that daily vitamin D and calcium supplementation did not reduce recurrence of colorectal adenomas in patients with recently diagnosed adenomas and no known polyps remaining after complete colonoscopy. Study Details In...