Commenting on this study, formal discussant D. Andrew Loblaw, MD, a radiation oncologist at the Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada, said: “The trial showed that after a median follow-up of 7.0 years, there were no differences in overall survival between the two ...
High-dose radiotherapy failed to improve overall survival at 7 years compared with standard-dose radiotherapy in men with stage II localized prostate cancer. However, the high-dose schedule had several advantages, including improved rates of local tumor control and distant metastasis, according to...
GETUG-AFU 15 sought to improve outcomes in metastatic hormone-naive prostate cancer, but the study failed its primary objective,” noted formal discussant Eric J. Small, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco. In the overall analysis of this previously published trial, with no...
Docetaxel added to androgen-deprivation therapy did not improve overall survival over androgen-deprivation therapy alone in hormone-naive metastatic prostate cancer, according to an updated analysis of the GETUG-AFU 15 trial presented at the 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.1 In a retrospective ...
Managing older-aged cancer patients represents one of the major challenges to our health-care system. Caring for older cancer patients, with their frequent multiple morbidities and a variable health status, requires special integration of an oncologic and geriatric approach. Moreover, our aging...
Health-care fraud is a long-standing problem in the United States, accounting for $75 billion in government expenses per year,1 while total spending on government health-care programs is over $1 trillion. Two decades ago, the Department of Justice increased its efforts to combat health-care fraud....
ASCO Expert and GU News Planning Team Member, Charles Ryan, MD, of the University of California, San Franciso, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, said the results presented by Singh et al at the 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium were “encouraging” and that it makes sense to exploit ...
Emerging evidence suggests that immunotherapy may play an important role in treating prostate cancer. In particular, preliminary results have shown that combining a new vaccine with ipilimumab (Yervoy) boosts overall survival in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer.1 A study comparing...
What initially drew me to read the eloquent essay by Paul Kalanithi, MD, in The New York Times—“How Long Have I Got Left?”—was its provocative title.1 What kept me there was the moving description of his quick transition from healthy physician with a brilliant career in neurosurgery to terminally...
Steven L. D’Amato, BSPharm, BCOP, became President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) at its 41st Annual Meeting on March 18, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia. He is Executive Director of New England Cancer Specialists and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Tufts...
I was disturbed by the article on “Radiotherapy in Good-Prognosis DLBCL” published recently in The ASCO Post.1 As a practicing radiation oncologist for 30 years, I have seen the evolution of radiation techniques (and philosophy) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma progress from regional—or even...
Among men undergoing biopsy for suspected prostate cancer, targeted magnetic resonance (MR)/ultrasound fusion–guided biopsy was associated with an increased rate of detection of high-risk prostate cancer and a decreased rate of detection of low-risk prostate cancer than was standard...
Patients with early-stage breast cancer still undergo imaging for distant metastases despite evidence-based local, national, and international guidelines—and a recommendation from ASCO—to avoid such imaging, according to a retrospective review of staging imaging for distant metastases in patients...
“Laparoscopic colectomy has been shown to have equivalent oncologic outcomes to open colectomy for the management of colon cancer, but its adoption nationally has been slow,” Heather Yeo, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and colleagues noted in reporting on a study...
Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer showed a continued and persistent improvement in overall survival over time when they received the VEGF inhibitor aflibercept in addition to FOLFIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil, irinotecan), according to a study reporting on the overall survival benefit and...
The average annual number of adults treated for skin cancer, both melanoma and nonmelanoma, in the United States increased from 3.4 million in 2002 to 2006 to 4.9 million in 2007 to 2011 (P < .001), according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “During this...
ASCO Answers: Managing the Cost of Cancer Care explains the various costs associated with cancer treatment, including health-care coverage through the Affordable Care Act. It also provides a list of financial resources available to help offset expenses related to care and tips for organizing...
Editor’s note: We regret to announce that Paul Kalanithi, MD, passed away on March 9, 2015. Dr. Kalanithi was Chief Resident in Neurological Surgery at Stanford University when he shared his story, reprinted here, with The ASCO Post just over 1 year ago, in March 2014. We extend our deepest...
While colorectal cancer predominantly occurs in people over 50 years old, rates are increasing among younger patients. It is important for physicians not to ignore symptoms in patients who are young, “simply because they are young,” Jason A. Zell, DO, MPH, told The ASCO Post. Dr. Zell is the...
A growing body of literature indicates that the incidence of colorectal cancer is rising among people under age 50, according to Jason A. Zell, DO, MPH. Dr. Zell is the corresponding author of one of the two recent studies finding significant increases in colorectal cancer among adults aged 20 to...
In the winter of 2013, my son, Dmitriy, now 26, had a cough that wouldn’t go away. After several rounds of antibiotics failed to halt the persistent problem, a pulmonologist we consulted ordered a chest x-ray, which showed a large tumor lodged between Dmitriy’s lungs. Although the doctor said the...
BookmarkTitle: The Cost of Cutting: A Surgeon Reveals the Truth Behind a Multibillion-Dollar IndustryAuthor: Paul A. Ruggieri, MDPublisher: Berkley BooksPublication date: September 2014Price: $16.00; paperback, 320 pages The woman seated on the exam table was lean and fit and seemed perfectly at...
APRIL Melanoma and Cutaneous Malignancies MeetingApril 10-11 • New York, New York For more information: www.healio.com/meeting/hemonctodaymelanoma/home?promocode689-8045 Hematologic Malignancies: New Therapies and the Evolving Role of TransplantApril 10-11 • Chicago, Illinois For more information: ...
Bookmark Title: Pandora’s DNA: Tracing the Breast Cancer Genes Through History, Science, and One Family TreeAuthor: Lizzie StarkPublisher: Chicago Review PressPublication date: October 2014Price: $26.95; hardcover, 336 pages If we wish to learn more about cancer, we must concentrate on the cellular ...
In 1913, 10 doctors and 5 laypersons in New York founded the American Cancer Society (ACS). At that time, a cancer diagnosis was almost always fatal and was rarely discussed in public. The Society’s original charter was to raise awareness about cancer, and although that mission has remained firm,...
In an important post hoc analysis (reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post), Van Cutsem and colleagues have further refined our knowledge of who are the “right” patients with metastatic colorectal cancer to receive treatment with cetuximab (Erbitux).1 This refinement was accomplished through the...
The phase III CRYSTAL trial showed that the addition of cetuximab (Erbitux) to first-line FOLFIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan) significantly improved overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rates in patients with KRAS codon 12/13 (exon 2) wild-type...
Deborah K. Mayer, PhD, RN, Director of Cancer Survivorship at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has been named the recipient of the 2015 Oncology Nursing Society Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes her contributions as an oncology nurse researcher, mentor, and educator, as ...
The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have elected five members to serve on the AACR board of directors for the 2015–2018 term and four members to serve on the nominating committee for the 2015–2017 term. They will begin their terms at the AACR Annual Meeting 2015, to...
In the Institute of Medicine’s 2014 report Dying in America,1 the report’s authors found that while frequent clinician-patient conversations about end-of-life care, goals, and preferences are necessary to avoid unwanted treatment, most patients do not have those conversations with their physicians. ...
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On March 4, 2015, the anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Astellas’ New Drug Application for the use of isavuconazonium sulfate (Cresemba), the prodrug for isavuconazole, for patients 18 years of age and older in the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and invasive mucormycosis (also known as...
Currently in myeloma, there are at least five new agents that are either approved or in the late-stage of development with impending approval. Major questions in the field relate to how we, as clinicians, will use these new agents and where they will fit in the overall treatment schema. The phase...
In a planned interim analysis of the phase III ASPIRE trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, A. Keith Stewart, MB, ChB, of the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, and colleagues found that the addition of the proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib (Kyprolis) to lenalidomide...
The use of radiation therapy in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer has evolved over the past several decades, in a gradual, stepwise fashion. Since most gastrointestinal cancers are diagnosed at a locally advanced stage, coupled with the inherent sensitivity of most parts of the...
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has named Thomas E. Merchant, DO, PhD, as Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Merchant will hold the Baddia J. Rashid Endowed Chair in Radiation Oncology. “Dr. Merchant is a proven leader in pediatric radiotherapy and will be instrumental in...
ASCO, the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA), and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) issued a joint position statement on improving the safety of health-care workers who handle dangerous drugs and other hazardous materials across various health-care settings. The statement offers seven ...
The ASCO Special Awards recognize the dedication and significant contributions of researchers, patient advocates, and leaders of the global oncology community to enhancing cancer prevention, treatment, and patient care. Among this year’s awardees are an international leader in geriatric oncology...
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (CCF) is fueling cancer research and pursuing dramatic advances in the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cure of all kinds of cancer. At critical points for researchers, CCF is there with essential funding to power the next...
Encourage your patients to use social media to stay up to date with the new resources available on Cancer.Net. It is easier than ever for patients to get the latest cancer information on their computer or mobile device. Subscribe to the Cancer.Net Blog at www.cancer.net/blog; connect to...
One of the best ways to prevent cancer is by finding new, better treatments for conditions that are considered risk factors. That is why Emily Ko, MD, MSCR, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is investigating a new method for...
In January, ASCO released its report, Clinical Cancer Advances 2015: An Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer,1 which details research advances over the past decade that have led to longer survival and better quality of life for the more than half-a-million people diagnosed with cancer each...
Jim Hu, MD, has been appointed Director of the LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and recruited as the Ronald Lynch Chair of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He assumed his new role on February 1. Dr. Hu is an expert in the use...
Nonprofit Global Oncology, Inc (GO) announced the launch of the Global Cancer Project Map, a novel online resource and virtual information exchange connecting the global cancer community. Developed by Global Oncology in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Global...
Muscle-invasive bladder cancer can be a lethal disease despite curative intent local therapy, with 5-year survival that can be as low as 30% based on the extent of T status and/or lymph node involvement. The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and...
In the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 30994 trial, a phase III intergroup study reported in The Lancet Oncology,1 Cora N. Sternberg, MD, FACP, Chief of Medical Oncology at San Camillo and Forlanini Hospitals, Rome, and colleagues found no overall survival...
At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 20th Annual Conference held last month in Hollywood, Florida, NCCN honored Joseph V. Simone, MD, FASCO, and John (Jack) A. Gentile, Jr, with the NCCN Board of Producers Award. Dr. Simone is President of Simone Consulting Company, which advises...
Michael H. Levy, MD, PhD, Director of the Pain and Palliative Care Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, and one of the founding leaders of the American hospice and palliative care movement, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine...
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On March 6, 2015, the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor...
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and PBS LearningMedia announced The EMPEROR Science Award Program. This initiative will encourage students from disadvantaged high schools to pursue careers in science, with a particular emphasis on cancer research, through a year of mentorship with a scientist from a...