In a phase III trial (LUME-Lung 1) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Reck et al assessed the addition of nintedanib to docetaxel in second-line treatment of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The combination significantly improved progression-free survival in all patients and improved overall ...
In a study reported in JAMA Surgery, Agarwal et al compared breast cancer–specific survival rates of patients with early-stage invasive ductal carcinoma undergoing breast-conservation therapy (lumpectomy followed by radiation), mastectomy alone, or mastectomy with radiation using the SEER...
Although recent data indicate that low-dose computed tomography (CT) reduces lung cancer mortality in high-risk patients, high false-positive rates, costs, and the potential for harm point out the need for biomarkers that can improve risk assessment. In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical...
Irinotecan drug-eluting beads given simultaneously with FOLFOX (leucovorin, fluorouracil, oxaliplatin) and bevacizumab (Avastin) in patients with unresectable liver metastasis from colorectal cancer improved response rates, increased resectability and prolonged hepatic progression-free survival in...
In the global phase III RAINBOW trial of patients with metastatic gastric cancer, the investigational monoclonal antibody ramucirumab significantly improved both progression-free and overall survival when given as second-line therapy, investigators reported at a press briefing in advance of the...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Mahmud et al evaluated the effectiveness of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine against cervical dysplasia using population-based individual level data routinely collected in Manitoba. They found that a high proportion of...
Chemoimmunotherapy has produced improved response and survival in young patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but its use in elderly patients has been limited by myelosuppression and infection. In a phase IB/II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, O’Brien et al assessed the use...
In the ESRA-CII trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Berry et al, patient use of a Web-based self-care program featuring tailored education and communication coaching resulted in significantly reduced symptom distress compared with symptom/quality-of-life tracking alone in patients ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved trametinib (Mekinist) for use in combination with dabrafenib (Tafinlar) for the treatment of patients with unresectable melanoma or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations. These mutations must be detected by an FDA-approved...
Many patients with chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in complete molecular response have molecular relapse after discontinuation of imatinib (Gleevec) treatment. In a French multicenter observational study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Rousselot et al assessed the...
In a phase III intergroup trial (Gynecologic Oncology Group Protocol 219) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, DiSilvestro et al in the Gynecologic Oncology Group and National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group evaluated the addition of the hypoxic cell sensitizer...
A National Cancer Institute–funded survey of general internists asking about their attitudes and knowledge about the care of adult childhood cancer survivors has found that few internists are comfortable caring for these patients. Moreover, many are unfamiliar with the Children’s...
Optimal dose fractionation for radiation therapy of painful bone metastases from multiple primary sites remains undefined. In a phase III noninferiority trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Chow et al compared 8 Gy in a single fraction vs 20 Gy in multiple fractions in patients with painful bone...
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Fenske et al compared outcomes with early or late autologous vs reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a population of patients with chemotherapy-sensitive mantle cell lymphoma. They found no...
In a noninferiority trial (SINS) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Bath-Hextall et al compared imiquimod 5% cream vs surgical excision for nodular and superficial basal cell carcinomas. Imiquimod cream was found to be inferior to surgical excision, but it may have a role in treatment of low-risk...
In a phase III 2×2 factorial trial (Neo-tAnGo) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Earl et al compared neoadjuvant therapy with epirubicin/cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel with or without gemcitabine vs paclitaxel with or without gemcitabine followed by epirubicin/cyclophosphamide in ...
In a phase III noninferiority trial (ZICE) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Barrett-Lee et al compared oral ibandronic acid vs intravenous zoledronic acid in treatment of bone metastases from breast cancer. The study showed that ibandronic acid was not noninferior to zoledronic acid in preventing...
Approximately 40% of patients with Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma have tumor cells that express the type II latency Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antigens latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) and LMP2. T cells specific for these antigens are present in low levels and may be rendered nonreactive by the...
Antitumor immune responses may be inhibited by immune checkpoints in the tumor microenvironment including effects of PD-1 (programmed cell death 1), a co-inhibitory receptor on tumor T cells that impairs T-cell function. In a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Westin et al assessed the ...
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Michaelson et al assessed the addition of the antiangiogenesis agent sunitinib (Sutent) to prednisone in patients with progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after docetaxel-based chemotherapy. No...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Greenhalf et al analyzed the association between human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) levels and survival in patients with pancreas cancer receiving adjuvant gemcitabine or fluorouracil (5-FU)/leucovorin after ...
In a European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche dell’ Adulto (GIMEMA) phase III trial (AML-12) reported in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Willemze et al compared induction regimens containing high-dose or standard-dose...
In postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy, low-dose tamoxifen did not significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer but did increase climacteric symptoms, according to the phase III study results presented by DeCensi et al in the Annals of Oncology. However, beneficial trends...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Chow et al compared cardiovascular risk and risk factors in hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients with those in a matched general population sample. Hematopoietic cell transplantation survivors were at greater risk for cardiomyopathy, ...
In the phase III INTORACT trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Rini et al compared temsirolimus (Torisel)/bevacizumab (Avastin) vs interferon alfa/bevacizumab in first-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. There were no significant differences between the two regimens in ...
In patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) refractory to both rituximab (Rituxan) and an alkylating agent, monotherapy with the selective oral PI3K-delta inhibitor idelalisib produced a high response rate, with responses persisting for 1 year in the average patient, according to...
The monoclonal antibody gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg) improved event-free survival and reduced the risk of relapse in children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in a study from the Children’s Oncology Group, presented at the 55th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and...
Two novel agents—the small-molecule PI3K inhibitor IPI-145 and the Bcl-2 inhibitor ABT-199—show promising activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to two phase I studies presented at the 55th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition (Abstracts...
High levels of the cholesterol metabolite 27-hydroxycholesterol seem to function like estrogen and may independently drive the growth of breast cancer, according to the findings of a preclinical study by Nelson et al published in Science. They also found a possible connection between...
Available data indicate that lymph node involvement predicts failure at primary and distant sites after chemoradiation for head and neck cancer. In a study reported in JAMA Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Ranck et al assessed the impact of postradiotherapy neck dissection on local and...
In a post hoc analysis reported in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, Galet et al analyzed the effects of diet on men with prostate cancer. They found that men who were on a low-fat diet and fish oil supplementation had lower cell-cycle progression scores, which are associated with less...
A new study has found that several months after surgery for esophageal cancer, different symptoms cluster together in different types of patients. In addition, patients with certain symptom clusters have an increased risk of dying from their disease. The findings by Wikman et al were published...
In a study reported in the journal PLoS One, Allison Jones, MD, of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, and colleagues analyzed the functional role of epigenetic factors in endometrial cancer development. They found that HAND2 methylation...
An Internet-based intervention may significantly improve both sexual function and satisfaction in women with sexual dysfunction years after treatment for breast or gynecologic cancer, according to a randomized trial reported in the November issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer...
Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) is active in patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In a phase I study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Anas Younes, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (formerly of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), and colleagues...
On October 31, 2013, Ariad Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of ponatinib, agreed to an FDA request to suspend marketing and sales of the drug due to the risk of life-threatening blood clots and severe narrowing of blood vessels. The FDA states that it will continue to evaluate ponatinib to further ...
Because statins exhibit immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects that may ameliorate graft-vs-host disease, they may be a safe strategy following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. In a phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Mehdi Hamadani, MD, and colleagues ...
In a Canadian study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Kerry S. Courneya, PhD, of the University of Alberta, and colleagues assessed the impact of different levels of physical exercise on physical functioning in women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer....
In a phase III trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Thomas E. Hutson, DO, PharmD, of Baylor Sammons Cancer Center and colleagues compared the second-generation VEGFR inhibitor axitinib (Inlyta) with sorafenib (Nexavar) as first-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. There was no...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Julia Wade, PhD, of Bristol University, United Kingdom, and colleagues assessed the psychological impact of prostate biopsy. They found that postbiopsy symptoms can be associated with increased anxiety, independent of anxiety associated...
Men who spend the most time engaged in sedentary behaviors are at greatest risk for recurrence of colorectal adenomas, benign tumors that are known precursors of colorectal cancers, according to results presented at the 12th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention...
Men with short-ended chromosomes in the immune cells in their blood were at increased risk for aggressive prostate cancer compared with men with long-ended chromosomes in blood immune cells, according to results presented at the 12th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer...
Measuring the presence and amount of the protein Vav2 may help identify breast precancers that will progress to invasive cancers, according to results presented at the 12th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held October 27 to 30 in National Harbor,...
New research ties preparative procedures and complications associated with blood or bone marrow transplant with diminished sexual health in both men and women who have undergone the procedure. Study data, published today in Blood, confirm chronic graft-vs-host disease as a potential source of...
Treating aggressive lung cancer with the diabetes drug metformin along with radiation and chemotherapy may slow tumor growth and recurrence, suggested new preliminary findings from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The findings will be presented by...
Previously reported results of the phase III EORTC intergroup 40983 trial showed that perioperative chemotherapy with FOLFOX4 (leucovorin, fluorouracil [5-FU], and oxaliplatin) increased progression-free survival compared with surgery alone in patients with initially resectable liver metastases...
In a phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Daniel D. Von Hoff, MD, of Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix, and colleagues assessed the addition of nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel (Abraxane) to gemcitabine in patients with previously untreated...
Axitinib plasma exposure may correlate with efficacy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma, according to population pharmacokinetic data. In a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Brian I. Rini, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues evaluated the effects of axitinib dose titration in...
In a phase III trial (EORTC [European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer]/GIMEMA [Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche dell’Adulto] consortium AML-17 trial) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sergio Amadori, MD, of Tor Vergata University Hospital in Rome, and...
The National Institutes of Health has awarded 10 new grants totaling up to $17 million over the next 4 years to support genomics research in Africa, as part of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) program. This set of grants is the second disbursement of H3Africa awards and brings the ...