Although significant progress has been made to reduce the gap in health outcomes of minority or underserved patients, meaningful steps forward still need to be made to improve health disparities. Countless studies have shown, in general, that affluent White individuals have better health outcomes...
For the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma with high-risk features, a quadruplet regimen of the anti-CD38 antibody isatuximab plus carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (Isa-KRd) induced high rates of measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity, both in transplant-eligible and...
Investigators have found that Black men diagnosed with more advanced stages of prostate cancer may be significantly less likely to be prescribed novel hormone therapy compared with men from other racial and ethnic groups, according to a recent study published by Martin et al in JAMA Network Open....
The addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to perioperative chemotherapy for gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers boosts pathologic complete response rates, but the ultimate impact on clinical outcomes remains unclear, according to interim analyses from two phase III trials presented at...
Formal discussant of the ALINA trial Marina C. Garassino, MD, of the University of Chicago, agreed these results are “impressive and practice changing.” However, she said, at this point, more consideration is needed before jettisoning chemotherapy. “I don’t think we should stop giving adjuvant...
Treatment with the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor alectinib significantly reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% (P < .0001) in patients with completely resected stage IB to IIIA ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with platinum-based chemotherapy. This...
Widely anticipated findings from the MARIPOSA1 and MARIPOSA-22 trials were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023, showing potentially improved outcomes with regimens incorporating the bispecific antibody amivantamab-vmjw for patients with advanced non–small...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Lorenzen et al, the phase II portion of the German-Swiss phase II/III DANTE/IKF-s633 trial showed promising results with the addition of atezolizumab to perioperative chemotherapy in patients with resectable esophagogastric cancer. Study Details In ...
On November 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the selective gamma secretase inhibitor nirogacestat (Ogsiveo) for adult patients with progressing desmoid tumors who require systemic treatment. This is the first approved treatment for desmoid tumors. DeFi Trial Efficacy was...
Abstract discussant Noemí Reguart, MD, PhD, an oncologist at the Hospital Clinic Barcelona, underscored the “impressive” progression-free and overall survival results of the phase III ETER701 trial, which have “never been achieved before in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.” According to Dr. ...
First-line treatment with osimertinib plus platinum-based chemotherapy achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival improvement compared with osimertinib alone in patients with advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non–small cell lung...
The management of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies has evolved significantly over the past decade. Thanks to many scientific advancements in the field, new therapeutic options, and improvements in screening and early detection, more patients are being cured, and many others are living...
On September 26, 2023, bosutinib (Bosulif) was approved for pediatric patients aged 1 year and older with chronic-phase Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that is newly diagnosed or resistant or intolerant to prior therapy.1 New capsule dosage form strengths of 50 mg...
A novel treatment approach to squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may improve the prognosis for patients with previously limited treatment options, according to data presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer.1 Findings from ...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Eric Bouffet, MD, of the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, and colleagues, a phase II trial has shown a significant improvement in objective response rate and other efficacy outcomes with first-line dabrafenib plus trametinib vs standard...
As reported in The Lancet by Chu et al, a phase III trial conducted in Canada, Italy, and France showed that the addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy improved survival in previously untreated patients with advanced pleural mesothelioma. Study Details In the multicenter open-label trial, 440...
A retrospective cohort study by Liu et al published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention investigated the prevalence and reasons for an unsatisfactory fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Researchers found that over 10% of the tests used for routine colorectal cancer screening contained...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Planchard et al, the phase III FLAURA2 trial has shown superior progression-free survival with osimertinib plus platinum-based chemotherapy vs osimertinib alone in the first-line treatment of EGFR-mutant advanced non–small cell lung cancer...
In a phase III trial (LUNAR) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ticiana Leal, MD, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University, and colleagues found that the addition of Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy to standard systemic therapy improved overall survival in patients with metastatic...
On October 25, 2023, ASCO announced the launch of its new flagship quality program ASCO Certified™, with the goal of ensuring that every patient with cancer has access to high-quality, patient-centered, coordinated cancer care.1 The program, which officially launched on October 27, 2023, to...
As presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract LBA3) and reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Hadoux et al, an interim analysis from the phase III LIBRETTO-531 trial has shown improved progression-free survival with selpercatinib vs...
In an analysis presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract LBA50) and reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Jessica C. Hassel, MD, and colleagues, overall survival at 3 years in the phase III IMCgp100-202 trial continued to favor...
On October 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorz) with cisplatin and gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of adults with metastatic or recurrent locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The FDA also approved toripalimab-tpzi as a single agent for...
On October 25, 2023, ASCO announced the launch of its new flagship quality program ASCO Certified™, with the goal of ensuring that every patient with cancer has access to high-quality, patient-centered, coordinated cancer care.1 The program, which officially launched on October 27, 2023, to...
Findings from the Annual Report to theNation on the Status of Cancer, Part 2: Early Assessment of the COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Cancer Diagnosis show new diagnoses of six major cancer types in the United States fell sharply between March and May 2020, coinciding with the beginning of the...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Elisabete Weiderpass, MD, MSc, PhD, a Brazilian cancer researcher who is a naturalized Swedish and Finnish citizen. She is an expert in cancer epidemiology and cancer prevention. In...
In a prospective cohort study (PATHFINDER) reported in The Lancet, Deb Schrag, MD, MPH, FASCO, and colleagues evaluated the performance of blood-based testing for multicancer early detection in adults without signs or symptoms of cancer. As stated by the investigators, “Multicancer early detection ...
The past year has been an exciting time for breast oncologists and patients with all stages of breast cancer, with new agents approved and long-term results from pivotal trials showing improved survival for patients with metastatic disease. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights in early-stage ...
Over the past year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to several novel drugs and expanded indications for older therapeutic agents used in breast cancer. Abemaciclib Plus Endocrine Therapy On March 3, 2023, the FDA expanded the indication for abemaciclib with endocrine...
The MONARCH 3 study’s invited discussant, Meritxell Bellet Ezquerra, MD, PhD, a senior researcher at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology in Barcelona, commented: “The second interim analysis for overall survival in MONARCH 31 indicates a positive trend, which was also observed for the subgroup...
Each year, nearly 16,000 children between the ages of 0 and 19 years are diagnosed with cancer, and more than 85% survive for at least 5 years. Overall, this is a large increase in survivors since the mid-1970s, when the 5-year survival rate was just 58%. Today, approximately 500,000 people in the...
First-line treatment with osimertinib plus platinum-based chemotherapy achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival improvement compared with osimertinib alone in patients with advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non–small cell lung...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has released a follow-up survey on the ongoing chemotherapy shortages, refreshing findings they originally shared in June 2023. According to their results, 72% of the cancer centers surveyed continue to experience a shortage of carboplatin, and 59% ...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on ...
In an interim analysis of a German phase II trial (MMG-CONCEPT) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Leypoldt et al found that Isa-KrD (isatuximab, carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone) produced high rates of measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity newly diagnosed patients...
A majority of older adults may disagree with the idea of using life expectancy as part of cancer screening guidelines, according to a new University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. Background The response goes against a trend in guidelines aimed at helping health-care providers decide...
In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Erin F. Gillespie, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that prophylactic radiotherapy in patients with high-risk asymptomatic bone metastases from solid tumors reduced the risk of skeletal-related events compared with standard of care. A...
In a European phase II trial (EMN12/HOVON-129) reported in The Lancet Oncology, van de Donk et al found that the incorporation of carfilzomib and lenalidomide into induction, consolidation, and maintenance therapies was associated with good outcomes in both younger and older patients with primary...
In a phase II trial (MC1631) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Robert W. Mutter, MD, and colleagues found that the 24-month complication rate associated with hypofractionated proton postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) was not noninferior to standard fractionated PMRT in patients undergoing mastectomy ...
On August 11, 2023, the fixed-dose combination of the PARP inhibitor niraparib and the CYP17 inhibitor abiraterone acetate plus prednisone was approved for patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious BRCA-mutated castration-resistant prostate cancer, as determined by a U.S. Food and Drug...
In an analysis from the Canadian Cancer Trials Group MA.32 study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Pamela Goodwin, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FASCO, and colleagues found that adjuvant metformin did not reduce the risk of new primary invasive cancers vs placebo in patients with early breast cancer. ...
In a phase II trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Chen et al found that atezolizumab produced durable responses in patients with advanced alveolar soft-part sarcoma. As stated by the investigators: “Alveolar soft-part sarcoma is a rare soft-tissue sarcoma with a poor prognosis...
Immunotherapeutics that target human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype 16 appear to boost the activity of pembrolizumab in advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Two examples were presented in posters at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.1,2 The phase II VERSATILE-002 trial evaluated PDS0101,...
On August 2, 2023, the fixed combination of trifluridine, a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor, and tipiracil, a thymidine phosphorylase inhibitor, was approved for use with bevacizumab for metastatic colorectal cancer previously treated with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based...
In a phase II trial (I-SABR) reported in The Lancet, Joe Y. Chang, MD, of the Department of Radiation Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, and colleagues found that the addition of immunotherapy with nivolumab to stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) improved ...
Long-term follow-up of selinexor maintenance therapy has demonstrated promising efficacy in patients with TP53 wild-type endometrial cancer, according to data presented during the ASCO Plenary Series: July 2023 Session.1 Selinexor is a selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE) approved for use...
In a phase II study (coopERA Breast Cancer) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, and colleagues found that 2 weeks of the addition of neoadjuvant giredestrant—a novel nonsteroidal selective estrogen receptor (ER) degrader—to palbociclib showed a stronger antiproliferative effect...
In a phase III trial (LUNAR) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Leal et al evaluated the addition of tumor treating fields therapy to standard systemic therapy in patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. As stated by ...
In the phase III ATALANTE/ENGOT-ov29 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kurtz et al found that the addition of atezolizumab to bevacizumab and platinum-based doublets did not significantly improve progression-free survival among patients with platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer....
Presented here are some brief summaries of novel therapies under study from the 2023 ASCO Breakthrough meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The subjects range from new observations about a HER2-directed bispecific antibody and systemic treatment of gastric cancer to an option for treating hand-foot syndrome ...