Researchers at City of Hope were awarded $32.3 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support three novel phase I clinical trials evaluating innovative cell and gene therapies for patients with HIV, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and severe aplastic anemia. Beckman ...
Friends of Cancer Research recently announced its 2023 Cancer Leadership Awards honorees: Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Robert Califf, MD, and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI). Dr. Califf, recognized for his work in the field of cardiology and the broader medical ...
The management of sarcoma presents several challenges because of its rarity and diverse subtypes, making accurate diagnosis and specialized treatment crucial. A multidisciplinary approach involving various experts from different cancer specialties is the optimal strategy to improve survival and...
In the summer of 2012, I was living my dream. At 28 years old, I had gone from an impoverished childhood in South Central Los Angeles to the high life in the city of Los Angeles. Unable to afford to go to college, an after-school program helped launch me into a career in the hospitality industry. I ...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology series, Guest Editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, the Jerald L. & Carolynn J. Varner Professor of Surgical Oncology & Global Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, spoke with Héber Salvador, MD, PhD,...
Adam Wolfe, MD, PhD, a radiation oncologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, has received a $583,200 grant from the American Cancer Society (ACS) to study radiation resistance in pancreatic cancer, a lethal disease with the highest...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Gil Morgan, MD, a clinical oncologist formerly at the Division of Medical and Radiation Oncology at Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden and now full-time Director of the OncoAlert...
Investigators have found that residing in areas with high levels of particulate air pollution may be associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to a recent study published by White et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Background Particulate matter...
The biomarker-driven Lung Cancer Master Protocol (Lung-MAP) may have enrolled a higher percentage of patients who are older, are from rural or socioeconomically deprived areas, and have Medicaid or no insurance compared with conventional, standalone clinical trials in advanced non–small cell lung...
In the phase III EORTC-55994 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kenter et al found no significant difference in overall survival with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery vs standard concomitant chemoradiotherapy in patients with stage IB2 to IIB cervical cancer. Study...
In a 5-year analysis of the Japanese phase III JIPANG trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kenmotsu et al found no significant differences in overall or recurrence-free survival with adjuvant pemetrexed/cisplatin vs vinorelbine/cisplatin in patients with stage II–IIIA nonsquamous...
In a phase Ib study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Naval G. Daver, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of the anti-CD47 antibody magrolimab and azacitidine was active in previously untreated patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who were ineligible for intensive...
In a retrospective study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Antonelli et al found no difference in outcomes with postsurgical surveillance vs adjuvant chemotherapy after retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) showed viable nonteratomatous germ cell tumor in patients who had...
Ajay K. Nooka, MBBS, of Winship Cancer Center of Emory University, discusses findings from a pooled analysis of MagnetisMM studies. The data showed that, in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have not yet been treated with B-cell maturation antigen–directed therapies,...
The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) and ASCO have partnered to develop a new guideline on integrative oncology care of symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults with cancer. The guideline reviews the evidence for a range of integrative approaches, including mindfulness-based...
ASCO joined the President’s Cancer Panel on September 7, 2023, to highlight the numerous ways ASCO is working to advance the National Cancer Plan and achieve President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot goal of “ending cancer as we know it.” This all-day, virtual event was the first public meeting in support...
ASCO recently released a new rapid recommendation update that addresses the use of olanzapine to treat cancer-related cachexia, a topic originally addressed in its 2020 guideline on the management of cancer cachexia in adults with advanced cancer.1,2 At that time, there was insufficient evidence to ...
A total of 29 distinguished members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) have been named Fellows of ASTRO. The ASTRO Fellow designation, FASTRO, honors individuals who have contributed significantly to the Society through committee work, other volunteer service, and to the field...
On August 9, 2023, the bispecific GPRC5D (G protein–coupled receptor, class C, group 5)-directed CD3 T-cell engager talquetamab-tgvs was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at...
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...
Andrea Porpiglia, MD, MSc, FACS, Associate Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been promoted to Assistant Program Director for the Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship. “Dr. Porpiglia has been an instrumental part of teaching the next generation ...
Researchers have discovered that the combination of the CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab and the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab may be an effective second-line therapy in patients with PD-1 blockade–refractory metastatic melanoma, according to a recent study conducted by the SWOG Cancer Research Network and...
The HER2-targeting bispecific antibody zanidatamab generated rapid and durable responses in patients with HER2-amplified, locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer previously treated with gemcitabine, investigators from the global phase IIb HERIZON-BTC-01 study reported at...
The addition of the monoclonal antibody atezolizumab to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib failed to improve progression-free survival and overall survival vs cabozantinib alone in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (previously treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor) in the...
The 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting again demonstrated the Society’s commitment to improving cancer care for all older adults. Pertinent questions related to treatment and management in this population were addressed in educational and oral abstract sessions, clinical science symposia, and case-based...
In the phase II HERTHENA-Lung01 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Helena Yu, MD, and colleagues found that patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd), a new anti-HER3 antibody-drug conjugate, showed activity in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...
Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia is a rare and incurable low-grade B-cell lymphoproliferative disease defined by specific genotypic subtypes that have implications for treatment response and long-term outcomes. Treatment—and there is no established standard—is mainly focused on controlling symptoms...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical specialties became familiar with supply chain interruptions resulting in drug, equipment, and personnel scarcity. Intensive care unit beds, staff, and essential medicines were at times in short supply. The federal government, individual states, and...
The anti–PD-L1 monoclonal antibody durvalumab in combination with other immuno-oncology agents may outperform treatment with durvalumab alone in the neoadjuvant setting for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a recent study published by Cascone et al in Cancer ...
Cancer—and the quest to accelerate more effective treatments and potential cures for all life-threatening diseases—has perhaps shaped the life of financier Michael Milken more than his legendary career on Wall Street. In the early 1970s, Mr. Milken’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with metastatic...
Researchers have uncovered the vital role that the immune system may play in determining the duration of remission and progression-free survival in patients with multiple myeloma, according to a recent study published by Coffey et al in Nature Communications. The new findings suggested that the...
In a phase II trial (KEYNOTE-B61) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Laurence Albiges, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy, Paris–Saclay University, Villejuif, France, and colleagues found that first-line pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib produced durable responses in patients with advanced non–clear cell renal...
As reported in The Lancet by Zev A. Wainberg, MD, and colleagues, the phase III NAPOLI-3 trial has shown a modest but significant improvement in overall survival with first-line NALIRIFOX (liposomal irinotecan, oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil) vs nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine in patients ...
In the LEANer study, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Tara Sanft, MD, and colleagues, researchers found that an exercise and nutrition intervention did not improve relative dose intensity (RDI) among patients receiving neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, but did...
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. In 2023, the disease is expected to cause an estimated 52,550 deaths. Studies show that receiving a clinician recommendation is the strongest and most consistent...
As reported by Fred Saad, MD, and colleagues in The Lancet Oncology, the final prespecified overall survival analysis of the phase III PROpel trial showed no significant benefit with the addition of first-line olaparib to abiraterone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer...
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. ...
Bipartisan legislation that may help to eliminate financial barriers to prostate cancer screening was introduced in the U.S. Senate. Sponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and John Boozman (R-AR), the Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening for High-Risk Insured Men (PSA Screening for HIM) Act would...
Investigators have discovered that women with certain reproductive factors may have an elevated risk of developing lung cancer, according to recent findings presented by Zhang et al at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Abstract...
The Lung Cancer Action Network (LungCAN) advocacy program may have helped increase funding for the U.S. Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program/Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP) by 25%, according to recent findings presented by Donaldson et al at the International...
In a phase Ib/II study (innovaTV 205/GOG-3024/ENGOT-cx8) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ignace B. Vergote, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that tisotumab vedotin-tftv combined with carboplatin or pembrolizumab showed activity in both treatment-naive and previously treated patients with ...
In the phase III PIVOT IO 001 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Adi Diab, MD, and colleagues found that the addition of bempegaldesleukin, a pegylated interleukin-2 cytokine prodrug, to nivolumab did not improve treatment outcomes in previously untreated patients with advanced...
In a single-institution phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Cytryn et al found that the combination of regorafenib, nivolumab, and FOLFOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) showed activity as a first-line treatment regimen for patients with HER2-negative metastatic...
Investigators reported that the tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib, commonly used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), was associated with nephrotoxicity in 10% of 32 patients with CML being treated with dasatinib in a multicenter, retrospective clinical study conducted to determine the...
Breast milk from women with breast cancer who were diagnosed during pregnancy or postpartum may contain circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), according to researchers at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in Barcelona. The investigators noted that ctDNA can be detected through liquid biopsy in ...
Researchers have revealed that non–English speakers who seek information from hospitals across the United States may face a concerning lack of access to cancer care services, according to a new study published by Chen et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Background...
On September 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved momelotinib (Ojjaara) for the treatment of intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis, including primary myelofibrosis or secondary myelofibrosis (post–polycythemia vera and post–essential thrombocythemia), in adults with anemia....
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is recognized every September to help shine a light on the realities of pediatric cancer and raise awareness of the important work being done to make a difference for the children who are diagnosed with cancer. September 15 also marked the start of Hispanic Heritage ...
On September 13, during a meeting of the Cancer Cabinet, President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden announced a $240 million investment to accelerate advances in cancer-related projects, with the aim of improving treatments and reducing cancer mortality over the next 25 years. The funding,...
In an interim analysis of a small phase I study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Chiesa et al found that base-edited CAR7 T cells were active in pediatric patients with relapsed T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As stated by the investigators: “Cytidine deamination that is...