In a French-Belgian phase III trial (ASTER 70s) reported in The Lancet, Brain et al examined the survival benefit of adding adjuvant chemotherapy to hormone therapy in women aged ≥ 70 years with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with high-risk disease on the basis of genomic...
Some survivors of childhood cancers face a continued elevated risk of premature mortality, new cancers, chronic conditions, and other adverse health conditions as they grow older, according to new findings published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. An increased risk for cancer and other...
In patients with newly diagnosed, PD-L1–positive, advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who tested negative for driver mutations, implementation of plasma-guided treatment intensification—from monotherapy with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab to platinum doublet chemotherapy plus...
A retrospective cohort study published in JAMA Network Open found glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists to be associated with lower all-cause mortality than dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, with no significant difference from sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, ...
Based on the results of a cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, smoking worsened both cancer symptom burden and severity. However, Rieth et al noted that oncologic surgery may present a unique teachable moment for smoking cessation, as patients appeared to be highly motivated to quit. The...
In a cross-sectional study reported in JAMA Network Open, Abel et al found that higher rates of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and a higher annual volume of cytoreductive surgery were associated with better survival outcomes in patients treated at Commission on Cancer–accredited cancer programs in ...
Researchers have identified age-, sex-, and race-related disparities around treatment with hypomethylating agents for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes in the United States. The receipt of hypomethylating agents was found to favor younger, male, White patients, according to findings published ...
It has been widely reported that colorectal cancer incidence has been increasing among younger adults under age 50 since the mid-1990s, with a consistent annual increase of 2% among adults aged 20 to 39. This increase prompted the American Cancer Society (ACS), in 2018, and the United States...
As reported in JAMA Oncology by Rini et al, the National Cancer Institute COVID-19 in Cancer Patients Study (NCCAPS) has identified outcomes associated with COVID-19 in patients with cancer. Study Details Between May 2020 and February 2022, the study enrolled adult patients from sites participating ...
New research out of Spain has shown that patients with cancer who had lower levels of the biomarker CD69 (receptor on T cells) before starting treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) had a more negative immune response and were at higher risk of cardiovascular damage and myocarditis.1...
The randomized phase III C-POST trial attempted to learn whether the standard-of-care treatment in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma—cemiplimab-rwlc, which blocks the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway—could reduce recurrence after definitive local therapy for patients who had high-risk features....
Based on the results of an analysis reported in JAMA Network Open by Zhang et al, preexisting depression is associated with an increased risk of mortality from prostate cancer. The investigators commented, “Approximately one in six patients with prostate cancer experience major depression, a...
The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has released a best practice guideline addressing cancer in pregnancy, a condition with limited data and complex diagnostic challenges. This new guidance—published by Nanda et al in the International Journal of Gynecology &...
Despite advances in early cancer detection, racial and ethnic minority individuals seem to be more likely to have a late-stage diagnosis of cancers that have a recommended screening. A large study by the American Cancer Society that examined the association between neighborhood-level segregation...
I’ve been blessed to have remained healthy for most of my life. In fact, I can’t remember ever spending a night in the hospital until I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, at age 86, in the summer of 2024. And even then, the symptoms that drove me to seek care in the emergency room of my local...
The risk of death does not appear to increase with the use of menopausal hormone therapy in women with early-onset, BRCA-mutated breast cancer who began hormone supplementation after diagnosis, based on preliminary data presented during the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 “Management of early surgical...
Nothing about us without us is a centuries-old value that is a cornerstone of meaningful patient engagement in clinical research. Such engagement has not been automatic and is still largely absent in geriatric oncology research, where older patients traditionally have been excluded from clinical...
A large prospective cohort study conducted by Ye and Kang et al and published in JAMA Network Open found that, after adjusting for familial and other cancer-related factors, interstitial lung disease (ILD) was associated with an increased risk of developing most histologic subtypes of lung cancer....
Resistance training can provide many benefits, including increased muscle mass; decreased adipose tissue; and improved metabolism, bone density, strength, and mobility. However, data are limited on the association between resistance training and the development or exacerbation of lymphedema, a...
Despite multiple federal updates to race data collection standards, researchers have found persistent discrepancies in how cancer incidence and mortality rates are recorded for racial minorities—particularly multiracial individuals. A recent study in Cancer highlights how evolving definitions of...
In a prospective study (POSITIVE) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Peccatori et al investigated breastfeeding patterns among women who had a live birth after treatment of hormone receptor–positive breast cancer. Study Details Between December 2014 and December 2019, 518 women who...
Alcohol-associated cancer deaths have doubled in the United States, disproportionately affecting men and those aged 55 or older, according to the results of an observational study presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 Over the study period of 30 years, proportional mortality rates increased...
Patients in their 80s or older with B-cell lymphomas are able to receive chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy safely, results of a multicenter retrospective study published in Bone Marrow Transplantation showed. These patients are usually not eligible for clinical trials of CAR T-cell...
As reported in JAMA Network Open by Mamtani et al, a retrospective cohort study of patients with metastatic urothelial cancer showed population-level increases in survival after the introduction of novel cancer therapeutics—immune checkpoint inhibitors (ie, pembrolizumab and atezolizumab) and...
New survey findings highlight that the anxiety caused by a cancer diagnosis extends far beyond just the patient diagnosed. The emotional impact is shared by caregivers and loved ones, with stress, grief, and worry over treatments, pain, and life expectancy weighing heavily on these individuals,...
Teclistamab-cqyv is the first bispecific T-cell engager antibody that targets both B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) proteins on myeloma cells and CD3 proteins on T cells. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2022 for treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple...
Obesity-related cancer deaths have tripled in the United States over the past 2 decades, with significant disparities seen by gender, race, age, and geography, according to findings from a national epidemiological analysis presented at ENDO 2025, the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society...
A recent study out of Sweden found that people diagnosed with nonmetastatic low-risk prostate cancer later in life were 90% more likely to survive their cancer for their remaining life expectancy if they were treated according to NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines). Of...
Rates of early-onset gastrointestinal cancers, beyond just colorectal cancer, are rising among people younger than age 50, according to experts from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Researchers from Dana-Farber published a literature review in the British Journal of Surgery showing that cases of newly ...
Women aged 65 years and older are still at a heightened risk of cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), suggest the findings of a large observational Chinese study published by Ye et al in Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinical Medicine. Most guidelines currently recommend discontinuing...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Joffe et al examined the association of high body mass index (BMI) and low physical activity with increased risk of subsequent neoplasms among childhood cancer survivors. Study Details The study involved data on 5-year survivors of childhood cancers diagnosed...
People who have survived cancer as children may be at a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 infection—even decades after their cancer diagnosis, according to results published by Louro et al in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. Thanks to medical advances, more and more children are...
Mammograms can detect breast cancer early before symptoms appear, and regular screening decreases the risk of dying from breast cancer. But a recent survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania shows that some Americans appear to be confused about...
A study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society examining the association between the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and changes in survival disparities by health insurance coverage among patients with newly diagnosed stage IV melanoma, non–small cell lung cancer...
Investigators have found that two common types of hormone therapy may alter breast cancer risk in women before age 55. Women treated with unopposed estrogen hormone therapy (E-HT) were less likely to develop the disease than those who did not use this type of hormone therapy. Additionally, women...
Uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States, with about 69,120 new cases and nearly 14,000 deaths from the disease expected this year. Black women experience a twice as high mortality rate compared with women of other races and ethnicities, and that...
Only about 13% of U.S. adults correctly reported that testicular cancer is most common among men younger than 40, according to the results of a survey. The survey, commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research...
In a single-center study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, DiNardo et al investigated whether frontline triplet regimens consisting of a hypomethylating agent, venetoclax, and an isocitrate dehydrogenase inhibitor were active in intensive chemotherapy-ineligible patients with IDH-mutant ...
A new clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) focuses on the use of radiation therapy for adults with World Health Organization (WHO) grade 4 diffuse gliomas, a category that includes some of the most common and most aggressive primary brain tumors. The...
Researchers have uncovered a biomarker that may determine response to cytokine-induced killer-cell therapy and survival in patients with colorectal cancer, according to a recent study published by Li et al in The Journal of Immunology. Background Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of...
Breast cancer survivors may have a slightly lower risk of developing Alzheimer dementia compared with cancer-free individuals, according to the results of a study published by Jeong et al in JAMA Network Open. “The risk of Alzheimer dementia is a crucial aspect of overall well-being among breast...
New reporting in The Cancer Atlas, Fourth Edition, showed that an estimated 50% of all cancer deaths worldwide are attributed to modifiable risk factors, including tobacco and alcohol use, infections, excess body weight, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, ultraviolet radiation, environmental...
In 2022, I had a computed tomography (CT) coronary calcium scan to see whether there were any signs of narrowing or blockage in my heart arteries. Heart disease runs in my family. My father died of a heart attack the year before, and I worried that I was at risk for the same fate. It was a complete ...
The ASCO Post would like to pay tribute to Samuel M. Silver, MD,PhD, FRCP, FASCO, MACP, who died on August 14, 2024, at the age of 74. Dr. Silver was renowned in the hematology and oncology community and a respected member of the editorial advisory board of The ASCO Post. Additionally, he served...
Guest Editor’s Note: Although guidelines recommend adjuvant combination chemotherapy for patients with stage II and III colon cancer who are at high risk of disease recurrence, fewer than 50% complete treatment because of fear of adverse effects or symptom burden. The herbal formula Jianpi Bushen ...
Providing a brief, 90-day course of preoperative endocrine therapy to older women with early-stage, estrogen receptor–positive, invasive breast cancer may significantly alter both patient preferences and physician recommendations regarding adjuvant radiation therapy, according to data presented...
Besides relapse of the malignant disease, graft-vs-host disease is still one of the greatest concerns, in terms of adverse effects, following a hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in a patient with a hematologic malignancy. To mitigate these concerns, investigators are continually analyzing ...
Based on the findings of the VERITAC-2 trial, treatment with the selective PROTAC (proteolysis targeting chimera) estrogen receptor degrader vepdegestrant yielded statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival in patients with ESR1-mutant, estrogen...
A recent study by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) showed that Medicaid expansion was associated with an increase in Medicaid coverage, early-stage cancer diagnoses, and improved 2-year survival among individuals aged 65 or older who were diagnosed with cancer. They believe these...
Patients with previously untreated BRAF V600E–mutated metastatic colorectal cancer who receive the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib and the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 (modified leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) vs the current standard of care (chemotherapy ± bevacizumab) may live...