Search Results
Your search for The ASCO P matches 3763 pages
Showing 3251 - 3300Bringing Palliative Care Services to Local Community Clinical Practices and Health Facilities Throughout the World
In 2007, the Billings Clinic Cancer Center in Billings, Montana, became one of 15 community-based oncology centers nationwide to receive funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to expand programs for clinical trials, health-care disparities outreach, survivorship and palliative care,...
St. John's Wort
The use of dietary supplements by patients with cancer has increased significantly over the past 2 decades despite insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness. Finding reliable sources of information about dietary supplements can be daunting. Patients typically rely on family, friends, and...
Randomized Trials vs Meta-analyses: Which Is the Better Bet?
Two surgical oncology experts who squared off in a “Great Debate” at the 2014 Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Annual Cancer Symposium in Phoenix. Heidi Nelson, MD, Professor of Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, argued for the superiority of randomized controlled trials in...
17-Gene Assay Is a Significant Predictor of Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness
Results from three studies published recently in European Urology indicate that the 17-gene Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score is a significant predictor of disease aggressiveness at the time of diagnosis before intervention with radiation or surgery.1 The test provides precise and individualized...
Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Set to Expand With $65 Million Gift
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins has announced it will use a $65 million gift toward the construction of a new patient care building that will be named for the late Albert P. “Skip” Viragh, Jr. Mr. Viragh, a Maryland mutual fund investment leader and philanthropist,...
ASCO Guideline Update Extends Sentinel Node Biopsy Indications in Breast Cancer
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) published its first guideline for sentinel lymph node biopsy in 2005.1 Since that time, many new randomized and cohort studies have been published investigating the indications and outcomes of the procedure. The updated 2014 guideline, recently...
Phase III Study of Talimogene Laherparepvec in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma: Overall Survival Analysis Reported
Amgen recently announced top-line results from the primary overall survival analysis of a phase III trial in melanoma, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of talimogene laherparepvec (also known as T-VEC) for the treatment of unresected stage IIIB, IIIC, or IV melanoma compared to treatment...
Glioblastoma: Can We Make This Intractable Disease Tractable?
In the clinical array of brain tumors, glioblastoma is the most difficult to treat, and despite decades of research and the advent of new therapies, patients with glioblastoma continue to have a very poor prognosis. Leading brain tumor experts at the recent 25th Annual Cancer Progress Conference in ...
Obesity Increases Breast Cancer Mortality in Premenopausal Women With Estrogen Receptor–Positive Disease
According to results of a large study of women with early breast cancer, the presence of obesity increased the risk of breast cancer–related mortality by 34% in premenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer. Obesity had little effect on breast cancer–related mortality in...
Expert Point of View: Peter P. Yu, MD
Discussing the study on immediate vs deferred androgen deprivation therapy in the setting of prostate cancer with prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-only relapse, ASCO President Peter P. Yu, MD, noted that more than 60,000 men each year will face the dilemma of when to start androgen deprivation...
Expert Point of View: Peter P. Yu, MD
Commenting on the study by Jänne et al, ASCO President Peter P. Yu, MD, said that the issue of drug resistance is important to understand for all cancers, but it is difficult to overcome resistance. “This clinical trial has important implications not only for NSCLC patients but for all patients...
ALTTO Trial Finds Dual Anti-HER2 Therapy No Better Than Trastuzumab Alone
The highly anticipated results from the phase III ALTTO trial show no additional benefit for adding lapatinib (Tykerb) to trastuzumab (Herceptin) in the adjuvant treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer.1 The results were presented at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting’s Plenary Session by Martine J....
Medicare Advisory Panel Cast Doubts on Lung Cancer Screening, Leaving Advocates Dismayed but Undaunted
On April 30, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) convened the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) to assess the value of low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening in the Medicare population. After a decades-long battle,...
‘Unprecedented’ Survival Benefit in Prostate Cancer With Addition of Docetaxel to Hormone Therapy
Adding docetaxel to standard androgen ablation therapy (ie, testosterone suppression) extended survival by more than 1 year in men with newly diagnosed metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer in the phase III E3805 trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health. As reported at the ASCO...
New Option for Preserving Fertility in Women Being Treated With Chemotherapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer
One of the most reported studies emanating from the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting involves the use of the luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist goserelin (Zoladex) to reduce the risk of ovarian failure among women being treated with chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer, and to...
Issues in the Management of the Axilla in Patients With Breast Cancer
For the past 40 years the story of breast cancer surgery in general, and for the past 20 years the management of the axilla in particular, has been one of increasing conservatism. To give our readers insight into the current and future direction of axillary management, The ASCO Post spoke with...
A New Era in the Management of Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Approximately 20% of all breast cancers are human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive. Prior to the era of HER2-targeted therapy, HER2-positive breast cancer was characterized by a poor prognosis.1,2 The development of the first HER2-targeted therapy, trastuzumab (Herceptin), led to...
ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline: Systemic Therapy for Patients With Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Approximately 15% of patients with breast cancer have tumors that overexpress the HER2 protein and these patients can benefit from HER2-targeted therapies. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently released a clinical practice guideline on systemic therapy for patients with advanced...
Videos Tell Stories of 50 Years of Progress Against Cancer
Nearly 3 years ago, ASCO launched CancerProgress.Net to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. National Cancer Act, which led to major new investments in cancer research and significant increases in cancer survival. The site provides a dynamic and interactive history of progress...
Chemotherapy Plus Ramucirumab Provides Survival Advantage Over Chemotherapy Alone in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Ramucirumab (Cyramza) added to docetaxel improved overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has progressed on one prior therapy, according to results of a phase III trial presented at the 50th ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The...
Immune-Related Genes Predictive of Trastuzumab Benefit
Improved relapse-free survival following treatment with adjuvant trastuzumab (Herceptin) appears to be associated with a heightened state of immunologic function, according to genomic analysis that resulted in a 14-gene profile predictive of outcomes in the landmark NCCTG (Alliance) N9831 trial.1...
Goserelin With Chemotherapy Prevents Early Menopause, Helps Preserve Fertility in Younger Women With Hormone Receptor–Negative Breast Cancer
The good news for younger women with hormone receptor–negative early breast cancer is that adding goserelin (Zoladex), a luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist, to chemotherapy can prevent sudden menopause, better preserve ovarian function and fertility, and lead to successful...
Oral Two-Drug Regimen Appears Promising in Phase II Trial of Recurrent Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer
An all-oral combination of the investigational agents olaparib and cediranib nearly doubled progression-free survival in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer in a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored randomized phase II trial reported at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The toxicity...
Ibrutinib Surpasses Ofatumumab as Second-Line Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Ibrutinib (Imbruvica) significantly improved progression-free survival, overall survival, and response when compared with ofatumumab (Arzerra) as second-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) in the phase III RESONATE study. The study results were...
Updated Information on Prostate Cancer Drugs: Enzalutamide, Orteronel, and Cixutumumab
Three separate studies of treatments for prostate cancer reported at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago showed excellent, intermediate, and disappointing results. An update of the previously reported PREVAIL trial (see March 1 issue of The ASCO Post, page 1) was overwhelmingly positive for the ...
Combined With Chemotherapy, Cetuximab and Bevacizumab Found Comparable for First-Line Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treatment
Call it a draw: Cetuximab (Erbitux), an EGFR inhibitor, and bevacizumab (Avastin), a VEGF inhibitor, confer comparable benefits as first-line treatment with chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer, according to the phase III Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)/Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) ...
Advancing Immune Checkpoint Targeting in Cancer Treatment
James P. Allison, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Immunology, Executive Director of the Moon Shots Immunotherapy Platform, and Deputy Directory of the David H. Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinary Cancers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, is...
Exemestane/Ovarian Suppression Reduces Recurrence vs Tamoxifen/Ovarian Suppression in Premenopausal Breast Cancer
A joint analysis of two important phase III clinical trials—TEXT (Tamoxifen and Exemestane Trial) and SOFT (Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial)—showed that exemestane plus ovarian function suppression was superior to tamoxifen plus ovarian suppression in preventing recurrence in premenopausal...
Modest Improvement in Progression-Free but Not Overall Survival With Selumetinib vs Chemotherapy
Patients with uveal melanoma treated with selumetinib had modestly improved progression-free survival and response rate compared to patients treated with chemotherapy, but no improvement in overall survival, according to results of a randomized, open-label, phase II trial. “Improvement in clinical...
Expect Questions but Not a Lot of Resistance
Stopping statin therapy is safe for patients with cancer who have a life expectancy of no more than a year, according to a randomized study reported at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting. Discontinuing statins did not shorten survival, reduced symptom burden, improved overall quality of life, and led...
Discontinuing Statins Near the End of Life Is Safe, Can Reduce Symptom Burden, and Is Generally Acceptable to Patients
Discontinuing statins for patients near the end of life is safe, saves money, spares patients from swallowing yet another pill and from the symptoms associated with statins, and is generally welcomed by patients. That last bit might come as a surprise to some physicians who worry that discontinuing ...
First Tang Prize for Biopharmaceutical Science Awarded to James P. Allison, PhD, and Tasuku Honjo, MD, PhD
The first Tang Prize for Biopharmaceutical Science has been awarded to James P. Allison, PhD, Chair of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Tasuku Honjo, MD, PhD, of Japan’s Kyoto University for their research leading to cancer immunotherapy. “Both scholars’...
ASCO Guideline for Management of Brain Metastases From HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: An Important Framework
Brain metastases are a devastating complication of cancer, and occur in up to 50% of patients with advanced human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. Management of brain metastases requires individualized coordination between the traditional treatment modalities for...
ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline: Disease Management in Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer With Brain Metastases
As many as half of all patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer develop brain metastases over time. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently released a clinical practice guideline on disease management for patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer and brain...
FDA Advisory Committee Votes Against Accelerated Approval for Olaparib in Ovarian Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 11 to 2 that current evidence from clinical studies does not support an accelerated approval for use of olaparib as a maintenance treatment for women with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer who have...
‘R-Squared’ Regimen Delivers a Punch to Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Subtype
The combination of lenalidomide (Revlimid) and rituximab (Rituximab), dubbed the “R-squared” regimen, has gained attention lately, and ongoing trials are evaluating whether chemotherapy with R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, prednisone) can be improved by adding a...
AR-V7 Predicts Resistance to Enzalutamide and Abiraterone in Men With Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Androgen receptor (AR) splice variant 7 (V7) appears to be a new biomarker for response and disease progression in patients treated with enzalutamide (Xtandi) or abiraterone (Zytiga). The presence of AR-V7 in circulating tumor cells predicted resistance to both drugs in men with metastatic...
Ipilimumab Reduces Recurrences as Adjuvant Treatment of Melanoma
Ipilimumab (Yervoy) has transformed the treatment of metastatic melanoma, producing long-term responses in about 20% of patients. A phase III study has now evaluated its impact in the adjuvant setting, and the results are a bit less striking. Primary Endpoint The European Organisation for Research...
EGFR Activation Increases Cancer Cell ‘Visibility’ for Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes
The antitumor activities of cytolytic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells are being increasingly investigated and exploited in cancer immunotherapy. One mechanism by which these cells recognize tumor cells is by engagement of NKG2D, an activating receptor on cytolytic T lymphocytes and natural...
High Macrophage Inhibitory Cytokine-1 Levels and Colorectal Cancer Risk
Chronic inflammation is implicated in the development of colorectal cancer, and the plasma inflammatory biomarker macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1, GDF15) may have a direct role in tumorigenesis. As reported in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Mehta and colleagues found that...
Swiss Medical Board Recommendation to End Mammography Screening: A Disturbing Proposal
Despite evidence from a number of prospective, randomized controlled trials showing that screening mammography reduces breast cancer mortality, screening mammography has been the subject of continual debate, controversy, and conflicting guidelines. Recently, the Swiss Medical Board, tasked with...
Progress in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer
Treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer has been slow to advance. Three decades lapsed between the description of the first differentiated thyroid cancer patient being cured by radioactive iodine in the 1940s1 and the report of the study that led to the approval of doxorubicin in the 1970s.2 The ...
Second-Line Regorafenib Improves Survival in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In the phase III double-blind, placebo-controlled CONCUR trial,1 previously treated patients with stage IV adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum had increased overall survival, the primary endpoint, when treated with regorafenib (Stivarga). Regorafenib also improved progression-free survival, a...
Adding Novel Agent to Standard Therapy Improves Survival in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer After Prior Gemcitabine-Based Therapy
The addition of the novel agent MM-398 to standard treatment improved overall survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who have already received gemcitabine, according to a phase III trial reported at the ESMO 16th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer in Barcelona.1 “Patients...
Federally Funded Trials Praised—and Underfunded
All four studies presented at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting Plenary Session were at least partially funded by federal dollars, bringing long overdue attention to the value of federally supported cancer research. Perhaps because of this high visibility, ASCO leaders took to the soapbox to sound the...
Investigational Immunotherapy Demonstrates Response in Patients With PD-L1–Positive Metastatic Bladder Cancer
The investigational immunotherapy agent MPDL3280A (also known as anti-PDL1) produced an overall response rate of 43% in a phase I study of patients previously treated for metastatic urothelial bladder cancer whose tumors were characterized as programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive. Results of...
Breast Cancer–Related Benefits of Weight Loss
Obesity and physical inactivity are associated with an increased risk of developing and dying of breast cancer via several proposed mechanisms. Two studies presented at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting explored the relationships among exercise, weight loss, and breast cancer risk. One study was...
Impressive Delay in Thyroid Cancer Progression Achieved With Lenvatinib
The investigational tyrosine kinase inhibitor lenvatinib reduced disease progression by 79%, as compared to placebo, in patients with metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer that is refractory to radioactive iodine in the phase III SELECT trial. These findings were presented at the 2014 ASCO...
Benefit Confirmed for Adjuvant Oxaliplatin in Rectal Cancer
Patients with curatively resected rectal cancer are more likely to be disease-free at 3 years after treatment with an oxaliplatin-containing regimen than with fluorouracil (5-FU)/leucovorin, Korean investigators of the phase II multicenter ADORE trial reported at the ASCO Annual Meeting.1 Study...
Intralesional Injections Trigger Immune Responses in Melanoma
The emerging approach to treating metastatic melanoma is a full-throttle effort to stimulate an immune response. One of the components of this strategy could be intralesional injections, according to studies presented at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting. T-VEC Oncolytic Immunotherapy Talimogene...
