In a phase III study conducted in China, the bispecific antibody ivonescimab demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival compared with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as a first-line treatment of PD-L1–positive advanced non–small...
A fewer number of U.S. youths have reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2024 compared with 2023, according to new findings published by Park-Lee et al in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Background E-cigarettes and nicotine pouches are two categories of tobacco products the U.S. Food...
Despite the fact that there is no history of breast cancer in my family, I didn’t take that good fortune for granted and was diligent about getting my regularly scheduled mammograms and clinical breast exams, which never found any hint of disease. So, it was especially frightening when, while on a...
It happened! We received the International Development and Education Award (IDEA) from Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, and it was a journey of growth, global collaboration, leadership, mentorship, and more. We have much to share after this breakthrough in our careers. The ASCO Annual Meeting...
In certain regions of the world, cancer claims more lives than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined, yet surgery has been relegated to the sidelines of global health initiatives. This critical need to address global inequities in access to safe, timely, and affordable cancer surgery led to the...
In patients with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancers with HER2-low or HER2-ultralow expression, treatment with the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) was found to be superior to chemotherapy after one or more lines of endocrine therapy. In...
The risk of encountering tobacco products being advertised, marketed, or promoted on streaming services based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and smoking habits was identified in a recent study published by Onyeaka et al in JAMA Network Open. Background The World Health Organization...
Despite advances in targeted therapies for hematologic malignancies, drug resistance and persistent side effects continue to challenge clinicians and limit patient outcomes, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. At the 2024 Pan Pacific Lymphoma Conference, Marc S. Hoffmann, ...
Researchers have offered a comprehensive understanding of the progression of multiple myeloma from a treatable condition to a high-risk disease by providing insights into its genetic diversity and subtypes, according to a recent study published by Skerget et al in Nature Genetics. Background...
Combining Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibition with chemoimmunotherapy induction significantly extended progression-free survival for older patients with mantle cell lymphoma, and there was also a trend toward improvement on the overall survival benefit, according to data presented during the...
At the 2024 Debates and Didactics in Hematology and Oncology Conference, sponsored by Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute, cardiologist-by-training Anant Mandawat, MD, FACC, briefly reviewed how the emerging field of cardio-oncology is blazing a path toward “bigger and bolder cancer care” and offered...
It was a hot and humid Tuesday in July, and I distinctly remember being grateful for the air conditioning in the pastel-shaded waiting room of the oncology outpatient clinic. My father sat silently beside me. We knew this room well, as we did the doctor we had arrived to see. He had been my...
Researchers may have uncovered how combination immunotherapies targeting the immune checkpoints PD-1 and LAG-3 may work together to activate immune responses in patients with melanoma, according to two recent studies published by Cillo et al and Andrews et al in Cell. The findings may shed light on ...
Researchers have demonstrated that adding metastasis-directed radiation therapy to standard-of-care chemotherapy may improve progression-free survival in patients with oligometastatic pancreatic cancer, according to a recent study published by Ludmir et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and...
Adding a Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) inhibitor to standard immunosuppressive drugs may not improve prevention of acute graft-vs-host disease in patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing treatment with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, according to a recent study published by Pidala...
On July 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj (Darzalex Faspro) in combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) for induction and consolidation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are eligible for...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, I interviewed Dario Trapani, MD, a medical oncologist at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan and Assistant Professor at the Department of Oncology and Haemato-Oncology of the University of Milan, in Italy. Dr. Trapani is a...
The advancement of retinoblastoma treatment over the past 15 years may have resulted in a higher likelihood of vision preservation without compromising survival, according to a recent study presented by Kocharian et al at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) Annual Meeting 2024 and...
Agricultural pesticides may carry a similar risk as smoking for some types of cancers, according to a recent study published by Gerken et al in Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society. Background In modern agriculture practices, pesticides are essential to ensure high enough crop yields and food...
Iron Dad: A Cancer Survivor’s Story of Discovering Strength, Life, and Love Through Fatherhood by Paul Weigel is an inspiring and deeply moving memoir that transcends the traditional boundaries of parenthood and personal transformation. This story begins with a sense of discontent and a desire for...
Advancements in cancer therapies have led to increased survival rates, but this progress has come with a cost: many life-saving treatments may impair fertility, leaving patients and cancer survivors grappling with the potential loss of their reproductive abilities. Oncofertility, a field that...
Research has consistently shown that Native American and Alaska Native individuals are among the most underserved minority populations in the United States and are disproportionately affected by cancer. The results from a 50-year report by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Alaska Native...
A new survey conducted in the United Kingdom found two-thirds of the public say they are very or somewhat worried about being told they have cancer—a higher percentage than for any other medical condition, including dementia and having a heart attack—according to polling released today. The...
Targeting lactate with the epilepsy drug stiripentol may reverse chemotherapy resistance in patients with gastric cancer, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in Nature. Background Chemotherapy attacks cancer cells by damaging their DNA. The cancer cells then try to rapidly repair...
Only a minority of adult cancer survivors may have access to specialized survivorship services such as those addressing fertility and sexual health issues, and having survivorship standards in place may help cancer centers better provide services that meet the distinct needs of these patients,...
As a first-line treatment of advanced melanoma, the triplet immunotherapy regimen of nivolumab, relatlimab-rmbw, and ipilimumab produced high response rates and promising progression-free and overall survival in the nonrandomized phase I/II RELATIVITY-048 trial, as reported by Paolo Antonio...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) published new results from its latest survey on cancer drug shortages in the United States. This follows data published 1 year ago and 6 months ago illustrating how up to 93% of centers surveyed were experiencing shortages of the crucial...
Administering chemotherapy prior to and following surgery may extend survival in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma compared with postoperative administration alone, according to a recent study published by Cecchini et al in JAMA Oncology. The findings may be encouraging for the 15% to...
Researchers have found that brigatinib may be effective in treating patients with NF2-related schwannomatosis, according to a recent study published by Plotkin et al in The New England Journal of Medicine. The findings revealed a potential new treatment option for the genetic syndrome. Background...
A novel “armored” chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell appears to be feasible for retreatment of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who fail to respond to standard CAR T-cell therapy, according to preliminary results of a phase I trial presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The unique...
Many patients with cancer encounter significant barriers to the receipt of care, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in JAMA Network Open. Background When attempting to access cancer care, patients often must go through several different levels of communication both before their...
An ASCO guideline update offers new recommendations on systemic treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), based on promising findings from several recent randomized controlled trials as well as the approval of new first- and second-line immunotherapy combinations.1 “This guideline...
OCE Insights is an occasional department developed for The ASCO Post by members of the Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this installment, the OCE’s Steven Cunningham, MD, MLA, FACS, Clinical Reviewer on the Gastrointestinal Cancers Team,...
When Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD, FASCO, graduated from high school in 1970 and enrolled at the University of Illinois in Champaign, she was determined to seek a career in special education, because she wanted to “help people through difficult situations.” Although Dr. Von Roenn ultimately decided to...
Several years ago, a visit to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, so fascinated and inspired Mace L. Rothenberg, MD, FASCO, about the history of flight, he wondered why there was not a similar museum showcasing the past and present achievements in science and medicine. The result...
The highly anticipated ENGOT-en9/LEAP-001 trial in endometrial cancer has missed both its primary endpoints. At the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2024 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, the study investigators reported no significant benefit in progression-free survival or overall survival...
Results of the phase III NADINA trial support a new standard of care for the treatment of resectable macroscopic stage III melanoma. Treatment with preoperative ipilimumab plus nivolumab followed by total lymph node dissection, with adjuvant therapy guided by depth of response, led to a highly...
Researchers have examined whether adding chemoradiation to adjuvant systemic therapy may improve survival outcomes in patients with resected periampullary pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to recent findings presented by Abrams et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 4005). Study Methods ...
Researchers examined whether the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab given neoadjuvantly may improve outcomes in certain patients with stage II or III mismatch repair–deficient/microsatellite instability–high colorectal cancer. Interim findings from the phase II NEOPRISM-CRC clinical trial were presented...
The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) announced that the blue-ribbon selection committee, composed of world-renowned research leaders and visionaries, has awarded the 2024 Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research to Dennis J. Slamon, MD, PhD, of UCLA Health, for his...
A novel ultrasensitive liquid biopsy may be predictive of breast cancer recurrence up to years prior to relapse in high-risk patients with early breast cancer, according to recent findings presented by Garcia-Murillas et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1010). Background Circulating...
A novel “armored” type of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy called huCART19-IL18 may prove to be effective in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma who do not respond to standard CAR T-cell therapy, according to recent findings from a phase I clinical trial presented by Svoboda et al at...
David J. Andorsky, MD, of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute and Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, discusses EPCORE NHL-6, an ongoing study of patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL). As outpatients, the study participants were given...
Mazyar Shadman, MD, MPH, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, discusses an ongoing phase III study of the BCL2 inhibitor sonrotoclax plus zanubrutinib vs venetoclax and obinutuzumab for patients with treatment-naive chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The investigators are recruiting internationally (see...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and ASCO today announced an expanded collaboration to make it simpler for patients to find authoritative cancer information online. The partnership between ASCO, the leading organization for cancer care providers, and ACS, the leading patient education, support,...
Deputy Editor of The ASCO Post, Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, recently spoke with gynecologic cancer expert Sharmila K. Makhija, MD, MBA, about her journey to her current position as Founding Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, Bentonville, Arkansas. Raised by...
Like many young boys, David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, loved sports and dreamed about playing college football. He attained that dream, but along the way, family tragedy and a personal battle with a life-threatening disease reshaped his worldview and accelerated his ambitions as a...
ASCO President for the 2024–2025 term, Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO, was born and reared in Cheektowaga, a town in the western part of New York. “Cheektowaga is the Native American name for ‘land of the crabapple tree.’ Western New York was first settled by one of seven tribes belonging to the...
Lymphoma expert Jane N. Winter, MD, grew up on the south shore of Long Island in New York. “My dad sold cars in my great uncle’s dealership after a failed foray into business after World War II. My mom graduated high school at 16 to go to work to help support her family. When my younger brother...
Leukemia expert Eunice S. Wang, MD, is the daughter of first-generation immigrants, whose work ethos inspired in her a world without boundaries. “My parents were born in China during the communist era, and they immigrated to Taiwan when the communists took over in the 1940s and then subsequently...