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Showing 3251 - 3300FDA Approves Vemurafenib for Certain Patients With Erdheim-Chester Disease
On November 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the approval of vemurafenib (Zelboraf) to include the treatment of certain adult patients with Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD), a rare cancer of the blood. Vemurafenib is indicated to treat patients whose cancer cells have a specific ...
Hospital Emergency Department Practices for Treating Older Adults With Cancer
A new study published by Lipitz-Snyderman et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that among patients presenting to the emergency department, those with cancer, especially those aged 75 years or older, are more likely to be admitted to the hospital—and...
Fat Cells May Inactivate Chemotherapeutic Drug and Contribute to Poorer Survival in ALL
It is well established that obesity increases the risk for cancer mortality, although no mechanisms have been proven to explain the reason for this association. Now a laboratory study investigating how obesity might alter the effectiveness of daunorubicin in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic...
Worldwide Cancer Incidence and Mortality Among Persons Aged 20 to 39 in 2012
In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Fidler et al found that cancer burden was higher worldwide among women vs men aged 20 to 39 in 2012 and that the incidence was higher but mortality lower in very high vs low Human Development Index regions. Study Details The study involved data from the ...
Norman E. Sharpless, MD, Sworn in as Director of the National Cancer Institute
Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, MD, took the oath of office late Tuesday, October 17, 2017, to become the 15th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He succeeds Harold E. Varmus, MD, who stepped down as Director in March 2015. Douglas R. Lowy, ...
Recent Clinical Trials in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Setting for Hematologic Malignancies
Here is a brief look at the study findings and clinical implications of several recent and important clinical trials in neoplastic hematology. Attention is focused on hematopoietic cell transplantation in a variety of hematologic malignancies, with investigations addressing the role of maintenance ...
Management of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma in Transplant-Eligible Patients
The treatment paradigm for multiple myeloma has changed dramatically in the past decade with the availability of several efficacious agents in various drug classes. At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) 13th Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies™, Shaji K. Kumar, MD, Professor...
Immunotherapeutic Approaches for B-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
New therapeutic agents for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) have led to dramatic improvement in remission rates, but questions concerning the proper sequencing and combination of these agents remain. At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) 13th Annual Congress: Hematologic...
Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: Neoadjuvant or Adjuvant Therapy?
For potentially curable treatment of resectable pancreatic cancer, adjuvant therapy remains the standard “for now,” but evidence is growing that neoadjuvant therapy may be more beneficial, at least in certain patient subsets, according to Thomas Seufferlein, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at the...
International Trials Reveal New Findings in the Management of Breast and Ovarian Cancers
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress, held in Madrid, featured important news including at least seven practice-changing or potentially practice-changing trials, which are covered in recent issues of The ASCO Post. Here we present additional highlights of studies in breast ...
Quick Takes on Studies in Noncolorectal Gastrointestinal Cancers
In this roundup, The ASCO Post offers a glance at key findings from studies in noncolorectal gastrointestinal malignancies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress from investigators around the world. Docetaxel-Based Triplet in Gastric Cancer The superiority of...
Anti–PD-1 Agents Gaining Momentum in Gastric Cancer
In updates of two important studies in metastatic gastric cancer reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress, nivolumab -(Opdivo) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) demonstrated activity—but to varying degrees and with some nuances. “Anti-PD [programmed cell death protein]...
In Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer, Tumor Mutation Load Emerging as Biomarker for Immunotherapy
Tumor mutation burden is emerging as a biomarker for selecting non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients for immunotherapy, according to Naiyer Rizvi, MD, the Price Family Chair of Clinical Translational Medicine, Professor of Medicine, and Director of Thoracic Oncology at Columbia University,...
Tumor Mutation Burden Shows Promise as a Response Biomarker in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and a high tumor mutation burden had a near doubling in response rate and 1-year overall survival when ipilimumab (Yervoy) was combined with nivolumab (Opdivo), vs nivolumab alone, new findings from CheckMate 032 have shown. Regardless of the treatment...
No Additional Benefit Found for Routine, Early Palliative Care in Mesothelioma
Early routine specialist palliative care for patients recently diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma did not impact quality of life, an international multicenter study has found.1 “Regular early specialist palliative care for patients was not associated with improved quality of life, as...
MicroRNA Expression–Based Risk Model for Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lim et al have identified a microRNA expression–based risk model associated with event-free survival in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The study involved comprehensive miRNA sequencing of 1,362 pediatric AML samples, consisting of...
Factors Associated With Outcome in Pediatric Adrenocortical Tumors
In a St. Jude Adrenocortical Tumor Registry and Children’s Oncology Group study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Pinto et al found that a positive Ki67 labeling index was associated with a poorer outcome in children with adrenocortical tumors independent of germline TP53 mutation ...
CHEST 2017: Gender, Language, and Treatment Setting as Barriers in Screening and Patient Care in Lung Cancer
Two new studies from CHEST 2017, held recently in Toronto, reveal disparities in lung cancer screening and care that may impact detection as well as mortality and survival rates in the disease. Risk Status and Screening The first study from Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington,...
ENDEAVOR Trial Endeavors to Make Case for Carfilzomib: Despite Survival Advantage, Should We Be Surprised?
LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! That’s what home buyers are frequently cautioned about before purchasing a property. For trialists, and more importantly, practicing oncologists, a study’s design, akin to a property’s location, must be taken into account prior to buying into the results and changing ...
Changes in Uninsured Status Among Nonelderly Cancer Patients Under the Affordable Care Act
In a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Soni et al reported reductions in the proportion of nonelderly adult cancer patients who were uninsured between 2010 and 2013 vs 2014, after institution of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Study Details The study used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology,...
The Liver Meeting: Daily Aspirin May Reduce Risk for Hepatitis B Virus–Related Liver Cancer
A new study presented at The Liver Meeting, held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, found that daily aspirin therapy was significantly associated with a reduced risk in hepatitis B virus (HBV)–related liver cancer (Abstract 223). According to AASLD’s...
The Liver Meeting: Direct-Acting Antiviral Medications as Hepatitis C Treatment May Reduce Risk of Liver Cancer
A new study presented at The Liver Meeting—held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases—found that eradication of the hepatitis C virus induced by direct-acting antiviral medications is associated with a 71% reduction in the risk of liver cancer (Abstract 142)....
Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer Prone to ‘Job Lock’ due to Worries About Losing Health Insurance
The results of a national cancer survey reveal a significant number of childhood cancer survivors are worried about keeping their health insurance, to the point of letting it affect their career decisions. The findings were published by Kirchhoff et al in JAMA Oncology. Anne Kirchhoff, PhD,...
Final Results of German Trial of PET-Guided Treatment in Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma
Final results of the German Hodgkin Study Group phase III HD18 trial, reported in The Lancet by Borchmann et al, showed no benefit of adding rituximab (Rituxan) to escalated BEACOPP (eBEACOPP; bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) in...
ASHG 2017: Quantifying Breast Cancer Risk Based on Rare Variants and Background Risk
Rare variants combined with background genetic risk factors may account for many unexplained cases of familial breast cancer, and knowing the specific genes involved could inform choice of prevention and treatment strategies, according to findings presented in a plenary session at the American...
FDA Approves New Treatment for Adults With Mantle Cell Lymphoma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today granted accelerated approval to acalabrutinib (Calquence) for the treatment of adults with mantle cell lymphoma who have received at least one prior therapy. “Mantle cell lymphoma is a particularly aggressive cancer,” said Richard...
AACR-NCI-EORTC: NCI-MATCH Reaches Central Patient-Screening Goal
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (MATCH) clinical trial has achieved the goal of screening nearly 6,000 patients in just under 2 years, according to data presented by Chen et al at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer...
AACR-NCI-EORTC: Colorectal Cancer Test Could Detect Early Cancer-Causing Genetic Biomarkers With High Degree of Sensitivity
An investigational test that screens for colorectal cancer could detect genetic mutations that are indicative of the disease with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity, according to results of a study presented by Powell et al at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular...
Gary Gilliland, MD, PhD, Testifies Before Congress on NIH Funding System
Gary Gilliland, MD, PhD, President and Director of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, recently delivered the following testimony and answered questions from members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. His remarks...
AACR-NCI-EORTC: Tazemetostat as Treatment for Certain Pediatric Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors
Children with relapsed or refractory malignant rhabdoid tumors, epithelioid sarcomas, or poorly differentiated chordomas with a particular genetic defect tolerated treatment with the investigational drug tazemetostat well, and some had objective and durable responses, according to data from a phase ...
AACR-NCI-EORTC: Gene Therapy Shows Early Efficacy Against Recurrent Brain Cancer
More than a quarter of patients with recurrent high-grade glioma treated with the retroviral vector Toca 511 (vocimagene amiretrorepvec) combined with Toca FC (an extended-release formulation of fluorocytosine, a prodrug of fluorouracil [5-FU]) were alive more than 3 years after...
New Biosimilar Educational Materials for Health-Care Professionals From the FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the release of new educational materials for health-care professionals about biosimilar and interchangeable products. The agency developed these educational materials to help increase understanding about these important new types of...
Changes in Opioid Prescription for Cancer Patients Referred to Outpatient Palliative Care
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Haider et al found that the median morphine equivalent daily dose decreased significantly among cancer patients seen at MD Anderson Cancer Center’s outpatient palliative care clinic between 2010 and 2015. Use of hydrocodone decreased...
FDA Grants Priority Review for Olaparib in Metastatic Breast Cancer
On October 18, AstraZeneca and Merck & Co announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted Priority Review to a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the use of olaparib (Lynparza) tablets in patients with germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative...
2017 ASCO Palliative Care: Yoga Can Be an Effective Supportive Therapy for People With Lung Cancer and Their Caregivers
In a feasibility trial of people with advanced lung cancer receiving radiation therapy and their caregivers, yoga was beneficial to both parties. These findings will be presented by Milbury et al at the upcoming 2017 Palliative and Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium in San Diego (Abstract 125). ...
2017 ASCO Palliative Care: People With Leukemia and Their Oncologists Have Vastly Different Perceptions of Prognosis
A study of 100 people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving chemotherapy found that patient and physician perceptions of treatment risk and the likelihood of a cure varied widely. Overall, patients tended to overestimate both the risk of dying due to treatment and the likelihood of a cure....
2017 ASCO Palliative Care: Resilience Intervention Improves Quality of Life for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer
Although a cancer diagnosis is daunting at any age, adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with the disease often face unique challenges and are at risk for poor psychosocial outcomes than older patients. A randomized study investigating whether a brief, age-appropriate, skills-based intervention...
2017 ASCO Palliative Care: Patients With Advanced Cancer Prefer Oncologists Not Use Computers in the Exam Room
Although the use of electronic health records in oncology care has led to improved care for patients, results from a new study show that oncologists need to be cautious about using computers during exam room visits, especially for patients with advanced cancer. The randomized study compared...
Predicting Risk of Subsequent CNS Tumors in Survivors of Childhood Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Wang et al have developed a model for predicting risk of subsequent central nervous system (CNS) tumors in survivors of childhood cancer. Study Details In the study, matched childhood cancer survivors with (n = 82) and without (n = 228) subsequent...
Carfilzomib May Be a Strong Candidate for Salvage Therapy in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma—but Questions Remain
WITH THE INCLUSION of proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory agents first into salvage and then as components of first-line, consolidation, and maintenance regimens, response rates, depth of response, and median progression-free and overall survival have all improved for patients suffering...
Standard of Care Upheld for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer
THE FIRST FORMAL comparison of two acceptable approaches to locally advanced cervical cancer has concluded that standard chemoradiotherapy is preferable to neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus surgery. The findings confirm what most specialists have believed to be the optimal treatment. The results came ...
Expert Point of View: Alexander Eggermont, MD, PhD
BASED ON THE RESULTS of COMBI-AD1 and CheckMate 238,2 invited discussant Alexander Eggermont, MD, PhD, Professor of Oncology at Gustave Roussy in Paris, commented: “It’s a good day for melanoma!” In COMBI-AD, treatment with the combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist)...
Alectinib Yields Favorable Results in Phase III Trials of ALK-Positive NSCLC
RESULTS OF TWO separate phase III trials confirm the activity of alectinib (Alecensa) in the central nervous system (CNS) in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results lend support for alectinib as the better first-line treatment option over...
ASCO Chief Medical Officer Scheduled to Speak at ECRI Annual Conference
ASCO SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT and Chief Medical Officer, Richard L. Schilsky, MD, FACP, FASCO, FSCT, will participate in a panel discussion at the ECRI Annual Conference "Workflow, Workarounds, and Overworked Health Systems: Innovations and Challenges for Quality, Safety, and Technology," on...
23 ASTRO Members Awarded Fellows Designation
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has selected 23 distinguished members to receive the ASTRO Fellow designation. The 2017 class of Fellows was recognized during the Awards Ceremony at ASTRO’s 59th Annual Meeting, which was held September 24–27 in San Diego. The Fellows Program,...
Sperm Banking for Adolescent Males With Newly Diagnosed Cancer
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Klosky et al identified factors associated with sperm banking among adolescent males with newly diagnosed cancer who were at increased risk for treatment-related fertility loss. The study included 146 adolescents aged 13 to 22 years (mean...
Survival in Patients Treated With Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy After Resection of Gastric Cancer
In the CALGB 80101/Alliance trial, no difference in overall survival was found for adjuvant chemoradiotherapy with epirubicin, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (ECF) vs fluorouracil and leucovorin (5-FU/LV) after curative resection of gastric cancer. The findings were reported in the Journal of Clinical ...
IASLC 2017: Poziotinib Yields High Response Rates in Patients With NSCLC With EGFR Exon 20 Insertion
A targeted therapy studied at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has produced high response rates among patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that carries a highly treatment-resistant mutation. Preliminary results were presented at the International...
Melatonin
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies commonly used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, present information on...
Engaging Patients in Value-Based Care
Turning the Tide Against Cancer is an annual conference sponsored by the Personalized Medicine Coalition, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Feinstein Kean Healthcare, and CancerCare. Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), AACR Chief Executive Officer, introduced the proceedings for the 2017...
