Patients with multiple myeloma treated in the “real world” had worse outcomes than patients who received the same treatment on clinical trials, according to research presented at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1 In a pooled analysis of clinical trial...
The addition of the CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab to a standard regimen for patients with newly diagnosed transplant-eligible multiple myeloma significantly prolonged progression-free survival vs standard treatment in the phase III PERSEUS trial. The study was reported as a late-breaking...
A novel immunotherapy based on STAb T cells may be more effective at treating multiple myeloma than chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, according to a recent study published by Díez-Alonso et al in Science Translational Medicine. Background Multiple myeloma is the second most common...
Among Black patients with prostate cancer, racial representation may be a key factor affecting their trust in websites offering information on the disease, according to a recent study published by Loeb et al in The Journal of Urology. Background Black men may have higher rates of prostate cancer...
A novel three-drug combination achieved notable responses in patients with advanced HER2-negative breast cancer, according to new research published by Roussos Torres et al in Nature Cancer. The regimen included a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor combined with two types of checkpoint...
Research shows that about half of adults near the end of life in the United States are too ill to participate in decisions about whether to accept life-prolonging treatment,1 requiring family members and other proxies to serve as surrogate decision-makers for their critically ill loved ones....
The combination of the anti–PD-L1 antibody durvalumab and the ATR kinase inhibitor ceralasertib may help overcome inherent immune resistance and reinvigorate antitumor activity in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a recent study published by Besse et al in...
Patients with soft-tissue sarcoma treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy had very little residual tumor at the time of surgery and promising long-term survival, according to phase II trial results published by Roland et al in Nature Cancer. Background About 13,000 new cases of soft-tissue...
On February 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved irinotecan liposome (Onivyde) with oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin for the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. NAPOLI-3 Efficacy was evaluated in NAPOLI-3 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
In a phase III trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Cynthia X. Ma, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that neither neoadjuvant fulvestrant nor anastrozole plus fulvestrant improved the endocrine-sensitive disease (ESD) rate vs anastrozole alone among postmenopausal patients with phase II to III estrogen...
Plant-based diets may be linked to a lower risk of erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and other common side effects experienced by patients receiving treatment for prostate cancer, according to a new study published by Loeb et al in Cancer. The findings indicated that nutrition may lead to ...
Sleep apnea may be prevalent among patients who are at higher risk of developing congestive heart failure from cancer therapy, according to new findings presented by Das et al at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Advancing the Cardiovascular Care of the Oncology Patient course. Background...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Xu et al identified incidence of primary invasive breast cancer according to race/ethnicity, disease stage, and hormone receptor status among U.S. women with breast cancer aged 20 to 49 years diagnosed between 2000 and 2019. Study Details The study used...
Physical activity may help lessen the intensity of pain in cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Swain et al in Cancer. Background Current U.S. guidelines regarding physical activity recommend that individuals receive 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week,...
Low-dose positron-emission mammography (PEM) may provide high sensitivity for detecting breast cancer and significantly reduce the likelihood of false-positive results, according to a recent study published by Freitas et al in Radiology: Imaging Cancer. The innovative breast imaging technique may...
An all-oral regimen for newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was shown to be “highly effective and safe,” eliminating the need for chemotherapy altogether in many patients, Hong Kong researchers reported at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting &...
Elevated N-terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels may be associated with a higher risk of mortality among cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Cao et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. NT-proBNP—produced in response to the stretching of...
Researchers may have uncovered the factors contributing to hormone therapy resistance in some patients with advanced estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Kingston et al in Cancer Discovery. The findings may indicate drugs currently in development...
Studies have shown that millions of people in the United States are financially vulnerable because of low income, limited savings, or high levels of debt. In 2021, 32% of U.S. adults reported being unable to cover an unexpected expense of $400. A recent study by researchers at the American Cancer...
Men with high-risk localized prostate cancer had a significant survival benefit when treated with a more intensified regimen of dose-escalated radiation therapy plus long-term androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) vs standard radiation therapy plus ADT, according to long-term follow-up from the...
The novel COLOXIS machine learning model may accurately predict which patients with colon cancer are most likely to derive benefit from oxaliplatin, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The findings could ultimately allow physicians to better...
Researchers have discovered that the ephrin B2 protein may drive the growth and development of multiple myeloma and uncovered that blocking part of the protein’s unique signaling pathway may inhibit progression of the disease, according to a recent study published by Sasine et al in Cancer...
In September 2023, ASCO announced the establishment of its fourth regional council, the Central and Eastern European Regional Council, which includes representatives from 17 countries, with the goal of expanding ASCO’s mission globally to “conquer cancer through research, education, and promotion...
Positive results were reported for belantamab mafodotin-blmf plus bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to data from the phase III DREAMM-7 study presented at the ASCO Plenary Series: February 2024 Session (Abstract 439572). DREAMM-7...
The combination of fruquintinib and paclitaxel is a potential new second-line treatment for patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer, according to data presented during the ASCO Plenary Series: February 2024 Session (Abstract 438780). Results of the phase III FRUTIGA...
In a German single-institution study reported in JAMA Oncology, Hülpüsch et al identified skin microbiome characteristics associated with severe radiodermatitis in women receiving adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer. Study Details The study included 20 consecutively enrolled women who received...
Investigators may have found a significant unmet need for improved analyses and reporting of patient-reported outcomes in genitourinary cancer clinical trials, according to a recent study published by Paravathaneni et al in eClinicalMedicine. Background Genitourinary cancers affect over 444,000...
Investigators have uncovered high rates of reoperation following initial breast-conserving surgery in patients with breast cancer that may contribute to increased costs of cancer care and a higher risk of postoperative complications, according to a recent study published by Kim et al in the Annals...
Andrea B. Apolo, MD, of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, discusses the results of the AMBASSADOR Alliance A031501 study, which showed adjuvant pembrolizumab improved disease-free survival vs observation for patients with high-risk muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma...
Rohit K. Jain, MD, MPH, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, discusses a novel phase II trial of pembrolizumab plus cabozantinib. The study showed this combination may be efficacious as first-line therapy for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma, including those who...
Over the past 2 years, my family and I have experienced firsthand the challenges of cancer. In the spring of 2021, my mother was diagnosed with stage IIB pancreatic cancer. She died in mid-2023 after developing metastatic disease, including peritoneal carcinomatosis. The experience has caused me to ...
In a single-center phase I/II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nicholas J. Short, MD, and colleagues found that treatment with azacitidine, venetoclax, and gilteritinib produced a high response rate in newly diagnosed patients with FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML);...
Combination therapy with two or more antihypertensive drugs may reduce blood pressure in patients receiving ibrutinib, according to a recent study published by Samples et al in Blood Advances. Background Ibrutinib was the first Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor to receive U.S. Food and Drug...
Researchers have identified a next-generation Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) degrader that could help patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and related hematologic malignancies overcome treatment resistance, according to a recent study published by Montoya et al in Science. The findings...
Bishoy M. Faltas, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses the biology of upper tract urothelial carcinoma and how it affects treatment, noting that most of these tumors are luminal papillary with a T-cell–depleted immune contexture driven by FGFR3 activation. Phase III trials have confirmed the...
Enrique Grande, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid, discusses findings from the CABATEN/GETNE-T1914 study, in which cabozantinib plus atezolizumab showed modest activity in patients with locally advanced or metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis and...
Michiel S. Van Der Heijden, MD, PhD, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, discusses phase III results from the global EV-302 study, showing that enfortumab vedotin-ejfv plus pembrolizumab improves outcomes in patients with previously untreated locally advanced metastatic urothelial carcinoma...
In a phase II trial (JACKPOT8 Part B) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Song et al found that the selective JAK1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor golidocitinib showed activity in patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Study Details In the trial, 104 patients from sites in...
It has been almost 20 years since the approval of trastuzumab for the treatment of early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer. I remember returning from the 2005 ASCO Annual Meeting excited to offer patients a treatment that led to significant improvement in clinical outcomes. However, within a short ...
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), has released updated findings of the current global burden of cancer alongside World Cancer Day on February 4, 2023. The WHO indicated that a majority of countries do not adequately finance...
Investigators have found that the targeted therapy osimertinib may be associated with improved progression-free survival when administered after chemotherapy and radiation in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, according to a...
In January 2021, two of us wrote in these pages about our field’s pressing need to pivot away from identifying and deploying the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) when it comes to targeted oncology therapies.1 We argued that, instead, one should be looking for the “optimal dose”—the dose that best...
Researchers may have uncovered a novel epigenetic pathway involved in the development of treatment resistance in melanoma and a chemical reagent that may be effective in resensitizing treatment-resistant tumors to targeted therapies, according to a recent study published by Wu et al in The Journal...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Trad et al found that individuals with cancer in the United States who were switched from low- to high-deductible employer-sponsored health plans had higher out-of-pocket costs but no reduction in the number of oncologist visits; these patients, however, had...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Dennis J. Slamon, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III PALOMA-2 trial showed no overall survival benefit with the addition of palbociclib to letrozole in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer with no...
Researchers may have uncovered a novel strategy to identify which patients may experience poorer outcomes from chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy prior to treatment, according to a recent study published by Faramand et al in Blood Cancer Discovery. The findings indicate opportunities to ...
We have been taught that early cancer detection and treatment save lives. The way to cure cancer is to find it early and treat it aggressively. The public has subscribed to this approach in our struggle to “eradicate cancer.” In certain disease types, there is merit to this philosophy. The ability...
In a small single-center phase I trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Glenn J. Hanna, MD, and colleagues found that immunosuppressant treatment with an mTOR inhibitor and prednisone plus immunotherapy with cemiplimab-rwlc resulted in durable responses and no allograft loss in adult...
In a U.S. single-center radiation dose-expansion study reported in JAMA Oncology, Wu et al found that chemoradiation with adaptively increased stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) boost doses was safe and effective in patients with locally advanced, unresectable non–small cell lung cancer...
Investigators have found that the protein UCHL1 may be used as a molecular biomarker for diagnosing patients with highly aggressive neuroendocrine carcinomas and neuroblastoma and predicting and monitoring responses to therapy, according to a study published by Liu et al in Cell Reports Medicine....