The recently reported open-label phase III AURELIA trial showed that the addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) to chemotherapy resulted in significant improvement in progression-free survival, the primary study endpoint, and objective response rate in women with recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian...
In the phase II US Leukemia Intergroup Trial E1905 reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Prebet et al found that prolonged administration of lower-dose azacitidine produced a high response rate in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with myelodysplastic...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Unger et al evaluated whether cancer patients from SWOG clinical trials were similar to nontrial patients in baseline characteristics and survival. They found that, overall, trial participation in standard treatment arms did not...
In a companion study (MA.27B) to the open-label phase III National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group (NCIC CTG) MA.27 trial in women with early breast cancer reported in The Lancet Oncology, Goss et al found that adjuvant aromatase inhibitor treatment with exemestane, a mildly...
Despite the benefits of surgery for early-stage pancreatic cancer, it remains underutilized for patients with this deadly disease, according to a new national analysis of trends and outcomes. Physician-scientists at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University...
In an open-label phase III trial reported by Ardeshna et al in The Lancet Oncology, rituximab (Rituxan) induction plus maintenance was found to delay the need for subsequent therapy and improve elements of quality of life vs watchful waiting in patients with advanced asymptomatic nonbulky...
Although it is recommended that women aged ≥ 75 years be informed of the benefits and risks of mammography before being screened, it appears that this is not common practice. As reported in JAMA Internal Medicine by Schonberg et al, a decision aid developed by the investigators helped improved...
IDH1 mutation in patients with malignant astrocytomas may serve as a predictive molecular biomarker to guide aggressive surgical resection, according to the results of a study reported by Beiko et al in Neuro-Oncology. Maximal surgical resection may contribute a survival benefit in those who have...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Smith et al, the double-blind phase III Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 9020/Alliance trial assessed the effect of early initiation of zoledronic acid in reducing risk of skeletal-related events in men with castration-sensitive prostate cancer. ...
In an open-label phase III trial (MITO-7) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Pignata et al found that while a lower-dose weekly carboplatin/paclitaxel regimen did not improve progression-free survival compared with standard every-3-week carboplatin/paclitaxel as first-line treatment of advanced...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Larkin et al, interim results of a safety study designed to reflect the spectrum of patients encountered in routine practice suggest that vemurafenib (Zelboraf) has a safety profile in patients with BRAF V600–mutated metastatic melanoma similar to that...
In a study published in The Lancet, Zimmermann et al compared quality of life, symptom severity, and care satisfaction with early initiation of palliative care vs standard cancer care in patients with advanced cancer. Although early palliative care was not associated with improved quality of life...
In a cohort study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Baldur-Felskov et al found that there has been a significant reduction in cervical lesions among Danish girls and women receiving the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine during the first 6 years of its...
Retreatment with cisplatin has reduced effectiveness in patients with recurrent cervical cancer who have received cisplatin with radiation therapy. In a 2×2 factorial phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Tewari et al compared cisplatin/paclitaxel vs nonplatinum...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Jagsi et al found that use of breast reconstruction in patients with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy has increased over time but varies according to a number of treatment and demographic characteristics. Study Details The study involved ...
Patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx had a longer time to development of distant metastasis after initial treatment, and had more metastatic sites in more atypical locations compared to HPV-negative patients, according to research presented...
As reported in BMJ by Miller et al, the 25-year follow-up of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study has shown no mortality benefit of annual mammography screening for breast cancer compared with physical examination or usual care. Mammography screening was associated with...
Oral ascorbate, or vitamin C, has been shown to be ineffective in cancer clinical trials. However, recent studies have indicated that millimolar concentrations of ascorbate achieved in blood and tissue with intravenous dosing is associated with cancer cell killing without harm to normal tissue. In...
In a study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Cunha et al found that receipt of a stem cell transplant from donors with a homozygous haplotype (h2/h2, G-A/G-A) in PTX3, the gene encoding the soluble pattern-recognition receptor pentraxin 3 (PTX3), is associated with significantly...
Studies of complications of surgery or radiotherapy for prostate cancer generally focus on incontinence and erectile dysfunction. In a population-based cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Nam et al assessed the frequency of other complications associated with such treatment and found high ...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kiecolt-Glaser et al found that yoga reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines and fatigue and increased vitality in breast cancer survivors. Study Details In the study, 200 women with stage 0 to IIIA breast cancer who had completed...
In an updated analysis of an Italian phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Palumbo et al found that induction with bortezomib (Velcade), melphalan, prednisone, and thalidomide (Thalomid) followed by bortezomib plus thalidomide maintenance (VMPT-VT) significantly improved...
According to a retrospective study, the use of angiotensin system inhibitors, such as lisinopril, captopril, and losartan, improved the survival of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma by 9 months, compared with patients who were not receiving these types of agents. Survival was even...
Individuals at increased familial risk of colorectal cancer have poor adherence to colonoscopy screening recommendations, especially those in rural and other geographically underserved populations. In a study (Family CARE trial) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kinney et al found that...
Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-delta mediates B-cell receptor signaling and microenvironment support signals that promote the growth and survival of malignant B lymphocytes. In a phase II study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Gopal et al found that the PI3K-delta inhibitor...
In a study (FACS trial) reported in JAMA, Primrose et al compared outcomes with intensive follow-up with carcinoembryonic antigen measurement (CEA), computed tomography (CT), both, or minimum follow-up after curative surgery for primary colorectal cancer. Intensive strategies resulted in a...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Brooks et al found that oncology clinicians considered 19% of hospitalizations for patients with gastrointestinal cancers to be avoidable. Study Details In the study, 201 sequential hospital admissions in 154 patients with gastrointestinal...
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...