In patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an IDH1 mutation who were ineligible for intensive chemotherapy, the addition of the IDH1 inhibitor ivosidenib to azacitidine significantly improved survival vs azacitidine alone, according to data presented at the 2021 American...
A new study published by Zhou et al in JAMA Network Open independently verified the value of a system that assesses hepatoblastoma risk in children. The researchers also discovered the potential for tumor histology to predict a patient’s hepatoblastoma prognosis. Hepatoblastoma is a rare childhood ...
Joshua Brody, MD, Director of the CLL/Lymphoma Immunotherapy Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, who was not involved in these trials, commented: “CLL is an extremely prevalent disease affecting nearly 200,000 patients in the United States. Most patient do not require...
Two different trials presented at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition found that fixed-duration treatment with ibrutinib and venetoclax achieved deep and sustained undetectable measurable residual disease (MRD) status when used as first-line therapy for...
Long-term survival data from the first prospective, randomized biomarker validation trial in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer being treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy before surgery are being reported at the 2022 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium by Thomas W. Flaig, MD, and...
The GAIA trial raises some important points, according to Susan M. O’Brien, MD, Associate Director for Clinical Research at the UCI Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center in Irvine, California. Dr. O’Brien co-moderated the session where Dr. Eichhorst presented study results. “The CLL14 trial...
Administering time-limited regimens that were combinations of venetoclax plus obinutuzumab or venetoclax plus obinutuzumab and ibrutinib was superior to chemoimmunotherapy in achieving undetectable measurable residual disease in the peripheral blood at month 15 in fit patients with chronic...
The moderator of the press briefing on COVID-19 in patients with blood disorders, held during the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, was Laura C. Michaelis, MD, a clinician and clinical researcher at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Dr. Michaelis...
New research underscores the need for aggressive support of patients hospitalized with blood cancer and COVID-19, according to data presented at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. Two studies of one of the largest data sets of patients with blood cancer...
Mikkael A. Sekeres, MD, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said the “fascinating” findings of the study reported by Bouzid et al make it worthy of an ASH Plenary Session...
The antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin-ejfv is effective in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who are not eligible for cisplatin chemotherapy, according to data from cohort H of the phase IB/II EV-103 clinical trial being presented at the 2022 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium ...
The presence of clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, or CHIP, increases the risk of developing a myeloid malignancy and also cardiovascular disease—which are well-established findings—but it may also protect against developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to findings reported at the ...
This past fall, Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center in New York expanded its adolescent and young adult (AYA) program with the establishment of the Lisa and Scott Stuart Center for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers. The Stuart Center is now part of the increasing list of about 50 academic ...
In 2015, an unprecedented phenomenon occurred in the United States: according to the World Bank Group, the nation’s average life expectancy fell from 78.8 years in 2014 to 78.7 years in 2015, then to 78.5 years in 2017. The last time our life expectancy registered a similar decline was in the years ...
A woman with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who received a cord blood stem cell transplant to treat acute myeloid leukemia has had no detectable levels of HIV for 14 months, despite cessation of antiretroviral therapy, according to research presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and...
On February 15, the Senate voted 50 to 46 to confirm Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Califf was previously the Commissioner of the FDA from February 2016 to January 2017. He also served as the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Medical...
Patients with cancer undergoing active treatment were more likely to believe misinformation related to COVID-19 than those without a history of cancer, according to a new study published by Guidry et al in Patient Education and Counseling. “These findings help us better understand the threat of...
With a follow-up of at least 3 years, the results from the CheckMate 743 study represent the first long-term survival data in a phase III study evaluating first-line immune checkpoint inhibition in patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. Overall, 23% of patients treated with...
The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all types of cancer, has announced the publication of a new analysis of the global landscape of clinical development of drugs that target the PD-1/PD-L1 immune...
In a major shift, breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among Black women as of 2019. This news is one of the key findings in a new report from the American Cancer Society, Cancer Statistics for African American/Black People 2022, published by Giaquinto et al...
Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses phase III findings from the DESTINY-Breast03 trial, which compared ado-trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) with standard-of-care trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) in patients with HER2-positive...
A recent study published by Conley et al in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment aimed to evaluate factors that influence the ability of people with metastatic breast cancer to adhere to their prescribed regimen of oral anticancer medication. Researchers found that multiple factors affected...
Far from being hobbled by fears of COVID-19, patients with lung cancer actually showed less depression and anxiety during the pandemic than their healthy peers, according to results from a new study by Arrato et al published in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Researchers ...
On February 10, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a national coverage determination that expands coverage for lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) to improve health outcomes for people with lung cancer. This type of screening is aimed at early...
As reported by Kalinsky et al and summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post, an interim analysis of the phase III RxPONDER trial showed that the addition of adjuvant chemotherapy to endocrine therapy improved invasive disease–free survival among premenopausal—but not postmenopausal—women with...
Jane N. Winter, MD, a highly regarded lymphoma expert, will serve as President of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for a year-long term through December 2022. Dr. Winter is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer...
Jeffrey M. Farma, MD, FACS, Chief of the Division of General Surgery and Co-Director of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been elected a member-at-large for the Society of University Surgeons. According to the society, the member-at-large position is an important...
Jaye Gardiner, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has received an inaugural Black in Cancer postdoctoral fellowship, which is funded by Emerald Foundation Inc. Dr. Gardiner will receive $75,000 annually for 3 years, which will fund her research into pancreatic ductal...
Barbara Pro, MD, an internationally recognized expert in lymphoma research and care, has been named Clinical Director of the Lymphoma Program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Pro is also Professor of Medicine in ...
Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE, the Alan and Jill Miller Professor in Breast Cancer Excellence at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, commented on NIMBUS1 for The ASCO Post. She said obtaining information on tumor mutational burden is simple, as it is part ...
Patients with advanced HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer and high tumor mutational burden achieved responses—often durable—from treatment with the immunotherapy doublet of nivolumab and ipilimumab, according to results of the phase II NIMBUS trial reported at the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer ...
The ASCO Post asked Debu Tripathy, MD, Professor and Chair of Medical Breast Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, and Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, Professor of Medicine, Director of Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education at the University of California San...
Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and University of Utah Health welcome Amit Maity, MD, PhD. Dr. Maity will serve as Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology for the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. Dr. Maity is a physician-scientist who currently...
On February 2, 2022, City of Hope announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), a network of oncology hospitals and outpatient care centers across the United States. City of Hope, in Duarte, California, now has expanded its...
“Nearly 2 years into this pandemic, with Omicron cases surging across the country, the American people should be able to count on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for timely, accurate, clear guidance to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Instead, the...
Over the past 7 years, the introduction of combined endocrine therapy with cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors resulted in a dramatic improvement in outcomes for patients with metastatic, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. Early attempts to modulate the cell cycle with ...
An updated analysis of the phase III CANDOR study—recently reported by Usmani et al and summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post—confirmed a significant progression-free survival benefit for the combination of daratumumab, carfilzomib, and dexamethasone (KdD) over carfilzomib and dexamethasone...
Narjust Duma, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the many factors that lead to poorer outcomes in lower-income and minority patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer and the urgent need to address these disparities and physician bias. Women of color and other minority patients...
New research published by Shulman et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network confirmed that mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 are just as safe for people with cancer as they are for cancer-free individuals. Researchers from a single institution tracked short-term side effects from ...
Mirek Fatyga, PhD, of Mayo Clinic Arizona, discusses his findings on overall survival in patients with locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer who are treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy or conventionally fractionated radiotherapy. He notes that a high dose of > 50 Gy to the...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Di Meglio et al developed a predictive model for severe fatigue after a diagnosis of breast cancer. Study Details The study involved data on patients with stage I to III breast cancer included in the prospective multicenter CANcer TOxicity...
A new study published by Zhang et al in Science Translational Medicine shows inhibition of the CECR2 gene may prevent triple-negative breast cancer from advancing or metastasizing. The discovery is an early step in finding new therapeutics for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most...
New findings from researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center published by Nguyen et al in Cell support an emerging framework in cancer science that views metastasis as not primarily driven by genetic mutations, but rather, by epigenetic changes that occur in cancer cells because of their ...
A study published by David Gershenson, MD, and colleagues in The Lancet reported that the MEK inhibitor trametinib reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 52% compared to standard-of-care therapies in low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. The international, multicenter phase II/III trial...
Pranshu Mohindra, MD, MBBS, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Maryland Proton Treatment Center, discusses the largest series to date reporting outcomes for patients with non–small cell lung cancer who were treated with intensity-modulated proton therapy–based reirradiation....
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a possible increased risk of death associated with umbralisib (Ukoniq), a kinase inhibitor including PI3K-delta and CK1-epsilon, approved to treat marginal zone and follicular lymphomas. The FDA determined that initial findings from the...
The ASCO Post invited Mandana Kamgar, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program, Milwaukee, to comment on the KRYSTAL-1 trial. “The KRYSTAL-1 study in totality is a multiphase and multiarm ongoing study exploring the role of...
Financial assistance may be available for some individuals with cancer from CancerCare, a nonprofit organization helping people cope with and manage the emotional and practical challenges of cancer. Two assistance programs tailored to specific individuals are available to meet financial challenges...
Julie Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO, ASCO’S Chief Medical Officer, issued the following statement in light of World Cancer Day on February 4. “This year’s World Cancer Day theme, ‘Close the Care Gap,’ speaks to the heart of what it means to achieve progress against cancer today. In the shadow of COVID’s ...
Thierry André, MD, of Sorbonne University and Saint-Antoine Hospital, discusses phase II results from the GERCOR NEONIPIGA study, which suggests neoadjuvant therapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab may be associated with a high pathologic complete response rate in patients with localized...