In a study reported in JAMA Surgery, Zhang et al found that focal and extended irreversible electroporation (IRE) produced similar results in the ablation of low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Study Details In the study, 106 patients from five European centers were randomly assigned between ...
Guest Editor’s Note: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common and potentially debilitating side effect of neurotoxic chemotherapy. It worsens the quality of life for many cancer survivors, with limited treatment options. In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology...
The most humbling—and fortunate—experience I’ve had since I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma 13 years ago at the age of 43 was being treated in the pediatric wing of a major cancer center in New York City. It is pretty difficult to feel sorry for yourself when you are sitting next to a 14-year-old...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology series, Guest Editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Kristin Flowers, MD, a general surgeon at Tanana Valley Clinic at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital in rural Alaska. Dr. Flowers’ surgical areas of interest include treating...
At the inaugural MD Anderson Clinical Education Symposium on Immunotherapy Organ Toxicity Management (IOTOX), a panel of experts discussed common immune-related adverse events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, including gastrointestinal (GI), hepatic, dermatologic, pulmonary, and ...
KRAS G12C–mutated colorectal cancer represents 3% to 4% of metastatic colorectal cancers. Like other KRAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancers, this group of patients represents a patient population with an unmet need, with limited options beyond two lines of therapy. In contrast to other KRAS...
A new ASCO guideline is available on the use of immunotherapy and biomarker testing for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The guideline provides recommendations related to PD-L1 and tumor mutational burden (TMB) testing, selection of therapy in the...
Julio C. Chavez, MD, Associate Member in the Lymphoma Section of the Department of Malignant Hematology at Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, who co-moderated the session where the glofitamab study was presented, shared his thoughts with The ASCO Post. “Glofitamab has great activity in high-risk...
Press briefing moderator Virginia Kaklamani, MD, Professor of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio and leader of the Breast Cancer Program at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, said the findings from RxPONDER and those regarding the tumor microenvironment of metastasis (TMEM) doorway are ...
Suboptimal treatment, which often underlies worse outcomes for cancer in racial minorities, did not explain a recent finding from the landmark RxPONDER study: non-Hispanic Black women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, lymph node–positive breast cancer had worse outcomes compared with...
The invited discussant of the SOFT analysis was Polly Niravath, MD, Associate Professor and Director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. She noted that the study evaluated the use of the Breast Cancer Index (BCI) as a prognostic tool in early hormone...
In an analysis of the SOFT trial, the Breast Cancer Index accurately identified premenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive early breast cancer who may benefit from ovarian function suppression in addition to adjuvant endocrine therapy. The findings were reported by Ruth O’Regan, MD, Chair...
The advent of the BCR::ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was a therapeutic miracle that changed the management paradigm of CML. The first of them, imatinib, was developed in the late 1990s.1,2 Within a few...
In an Indian single-center phase II/III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Patil et al found that the use of docetaxel as a radiosensitizer was associated with better outcomes than radiotherapy alone in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who were...
“We can say with confidence that based on the results of the SPOTLIGHT trial,1 zolbetuximab is the first molecularly targeted therapy since [trastuzumab in] the TOGA trial,2 exclusive of immune checkpoint inhibitors, to demonstrate a statistically significant survival benefit in the first-line...
Initial data from the global phase III SPOTLIGHT trial may herald the use of a new targeted agent for a subset of patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.1 The addition ofzolbetuximab, which targets the transmembrane protein claudin18.2 (CLDN18.2), to chemotherapy ...
In a single-institution retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Lee et al found that proton therapy reirradiation (PT-ReRT) may be associated with improved survival in patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, with a fractionated regimen being associated with...
More than one in two patients with cancer may experience symptoms of long COVID for more than 6 months after initial COVID-19 infection, according to a new study published by Dagher et al in eLife. The findings were comparable to the reported incidence of long COVID in the general population, but...
Studies show that although clonal hematopoiesis is an age-related phenomenon in the general population, it can also be induced by exposure to chemotherapy, which can affect both the emergence and evolution of clonal hematopoiesis clones, accelerating aging at both the physiologic and molecular...
Methotrexate may be linked to an elevated risk of three types of skin cancer, according to a new study published by Polesie et al in the British Journal of Cancer. Additionally, among patients taking the drug to treat moderate to severe psoriasis, an increased risk was observed only for basal cell...
Risk model–based lung cancer screening strategies may be more cost-effective than current recommendations that are based solely on the patient’s age and smoking history, according to a new study published by Toumazis et al in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The findings also suggested that...
Biliary tract cancer is particularly difficult to treat, with a median overall survival of about 1 year with standard-of-care gemcitabine-based regimens. Advanced biliary tract cancer is an area of significant unmet need because of its aggressive nature, limited treatment options, and poor...
Researchers have found that stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) may be an effective treatment for patients with early-stage lung neuroendocrine tumors, according to a new study published by Oliver et al in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics. Background Primary...
Investigators have revealed that individuals who react defensively to an invitation for colorectal cancer screening may be less likely to take part, according to a new study published by Clarke et al in Cancer. Background Colorectal cancer is one of the most treatable cancer types—especially if...
Biorepositories created to support precision cancer research through their vast stores of genomic data may lack sufficient representation of cancer distribution among racial and ethnic minorities, according to a new study published by Cheung et al in npj Precision Oncology. The investigators also...
Researchers revealed that the blood pressure drug losartan may prevent immunotherapy-induced edema and allow patients with glioblastoma to continue receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors without developing adverse effects in the brain, according to a new study published by Datta et al in...
In a Dutch study reported in JAMA Oncology, Geurts et al found a dose-response relationship between radiotherapy and risk of colorectal cancer among survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma, with the risk being increased with increasing procarbazine dose. Study Details The nested case-control study included...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, and colleagues, results from the phase II SORAYA study showed activity of mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx, an antibody-drug conjugate targeting folate receptor alpha (FRα), in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer...
The newly identified category of “HER2-low” breast cancer has raised many new issues in this malignancy now that the DESTINY Breast-041 trial determined that fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) may effectively treat this tumor. Among the issues are challenges in accurately identifying just...
A new study from University Hospitals (UH) Connor Whole Health found children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer or sickle cell disease treated at a pediatric academic medical center reported clinically significant reductions in pain, stress, and anxiety in response to massage therapy....
The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)—in light of World Cancer Day, taking place on February 4—has called on governments around the world to prioritize policy actions to reduce preventable cancers caused by tobacco use and the consumption of alcohol and ultraprocessed foods, including...
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, known as SPHINKS, capable of performing advanced computational analyses to identify potential therapeutic targets for patients with glioblastoma multiforme. The platform may also have applicability in other cancers, according to...
The combination of ponatinib and blinatumomab has led to rapid and durable remissions in patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to data presented at the 2022 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and...
According to a review published by Ashley et al in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, preexisting dementia may complicate cancer care and increase the risk of worse clinical outcome and inferior patient experience. People living with dementia are more likely to have cancer diagnosed at an...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Morton et al, the European phase III FOxTROT trial has shown that neoadjuvant plus adjuvant oxaliplatin/fluoropyrimidine resulted in a reduced risk of residual disease or disease recurrence vs adjuvant oxaliplatin/fluoropyrimidine in patients with...
In a study reported in JAMA Surgery, Heiden et al developed a surgical quality metric scoring system—the Veterans Affairs Lung Cancer Operative quality (VALCAN-O) score—that was associated with overall survival in U.S. veterans undergoing curative-intent surgery for early-stage non–small cell lung...
Higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods may be linked to increased cancer burden and mortality, according to a new, UK-based study published by Chang et al in eClinicalMedicine. Ultraprocessed foods are food items which have been heavily processed during their production—such as fizzy drinks,...
The EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib may improve rates of disease-free survival and reduce the risk of recurrence in patients with resected, EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a new exploratory analysis of the ADAURA trial published by Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD,...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by DuBois et al, the Children’s Oncology Group phase III AEWS1221 trial showed no event-free survival benefit with the addition of the anti–insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) monoclonal antibody ganitumab to interval-compressed...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Cheng et al found that higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers measured after surgery—but before receipt of chemotherapy—were associated with poorer outcomes in patients with stage III colon cancer enrolled in the CALGB/SWOG 80702 trial of adjuvant...
Compared to other common supplemental screening methods, breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was superior at detecting breast cancer in patients with dense breasts, according to a new study published by Hussein et al in Radiology. Background Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer...
Age-based heuristics may lead to large differences in breast cancer treatment based on small differences in chronologic age, according to a new study published by Talcott et al in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • and Physics. Background Radiation therapy often is given...
Population-based genomic screening may facilitate early detection of medullary thyroid cancer in patients with variants in the RET gene, according to a new study published by Pichardo et al in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. Background Medullary thyroid cancer accounts for 2% to 5% of...
The targeted therapy momelotinib may offer clinically significant improvement in disease-related symptoms, including anemia and spleen enlargement, for patients with myelofibrosis, according to a novel study published by Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD, and colleagues in The Lancet. The findings support...
In one of the first clinical trials combining immunotherapy and targeted therapy for patients with BRAF V600E–mutated colorectal cancer, researchers discovered that a combination regimen of dabrafenib, trametinib, and spartalizumab resulted in long-lasting responses. The study findings published by ...
Laura A. Dawson, MD, of Canada’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, discusses phase III findings from the NRG/RTOG1112 study, which showed that stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) administered prior to sorafenib vs sorafenib alone, improved outcomes in patients with advanced hepatocellular...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, McDonald et al found that receipt of blood or marrow transplantation (BMT) was associated with an increased risk of subsequent malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. As stated by the investigators, “Survivors of BMT are at increased risk of...
Individuals who ovulate for longer over their lifetimes may have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer, suggesting that suppressing ovulation can lower this risk, according to a new study published by Fu et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The researchers also offered clues...
New research shows that patients with type 2 diabetes may experience a substantially higher rate of cancer mortality than the general population—by 18% for all cancers combined, 9% for breast cancer, and as much as 2.4-fold for colorectal cancer—according to a new study published by Ling et al in...
Julien Taïeb, MD, PhD, of Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Université Paris-Cité, discusses the clinical implications of new phase III findings from the SUNLIGHT study, which showed that trifluridine and tipiracil (FTD/TPI) plus bevacizumab resulted in improved outcomes compared with FTD/TPI...