Black men most likely to benefit from advanced prostate cancer therapies are 11% less likely to receive them than non-Black men. This happens despite apparent equal opportunities in obtaining health-care services, a new study focused on American veterans has shown. Disparities Exposed Published by...
On July 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj (Darzalex Faspro) in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone for adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy including lenalidomide and a...
Sarah Cannon, the Cancer Institute of HCA Healthcare, announced that Navneet Majhail, MD, MS, FASTCT, has been named Deputy Physician-in-Chief of Blood Cancers for the Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Network (formerly the Sarah Cannon Blood Cancer Network). In his role, Dr. Majhail...
Heather Wakelee, MD, will assume the role of President of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) at the upcoming IASLC 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer Denver, Worldwide Virtual Event (WCLC 2021) on September 8 to 14, 2021. Dr. Wakelee has been President-Elect of...
Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Montefiore Health System have announced that cancer biologist Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, PhD, has been named founding Director of the Cancer Dormancy and Tumor Microenvironment Institute (CDTMI), Director of the Gruss-Lipper...
The University of California (UC) Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center has named Edward Kim, MD, PhD, as Medical Director for the Office of Clinical Research. Dr. Kim is a UC Davis Health oncologist and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine who specializes in treating gastrointestinal...
The Wistar Institute, an international biomedical research leader in cancer, immunology, and infectious diseases, recently announced the appointment of Noam Auslander, PhD, as Assistant Professor in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program of The Wistar Institute Cancer Center. Dr....
Caryn Lerman, PhD, is the new President of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI). Dr. Lerman is Director of the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles and Associate Dean for Cancer Programs and the H. Leslie and Elaine S. Hoffman...
On July 9, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (Padcev), a Nectin-4–directed antibody and microtubule inhibitor conjugate, for adults with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have previously received a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor and...
Patients with multiple myeloma had a wide variety of responses to COVID-19 vaccines—in some cases, no detectable response at all—pointing to the need for antibody testing and precautions for these patients after vaccination, according to a study published by Van Oekelen et al in Cancer Cell. Mount...
Study findings presented by Perrott et al at the ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer (Abstract SO-25) showed that the use of antibiotics may be linked to colon tumor formation across all patient age groups, especially in those younger than 50 years. These results raise fresh concerns...
Overall cancer death rates continue to decline in men and women for all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. During 2001 to 2018, declines in lung cancer death rates accelerated, and death rates for melanoma...
A team of investigators in Japan used a personalized assay for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels in plasma to monitor molecular residual disease following surgery in patients with resectable colorectal cancer. Their subgroup analysis found statistically significant associations between ctDNA...
For patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, molecular imaging may improve staging and clinical management of the disease, according to research published by Röhrich et al in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. In a retrospective study of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, the...
New research published in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network assessed the quality of cancer care delivered through extended sites coordinated by some of the country’s largest cancer centers. The study was developed to implement strategies for disseminating discoveries and...
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Human Reproduction Programme (HRP)—the main instrument within the United Nations system for research in human reproduction—have launched a new guideline to help countries make faster progress, more equitably, in the screening and treatment of cervical...
Research published by Pratt et al in Annals of Surgical Oncology showed an increase in survival rates when treatment options—surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation—are completed within 38 weeks from the time of diagnosis for patients with breast cancer. Optimal Treatment Duration The observational...
Among 506 hospitalized patients with cancer at risk of malnutrition, individualized nutritional support reduced the risk of mortality compared to consumption of standard hospital food. The findings from a preplanned secondary analysis of the prospective, randomized, multicenter EFFORT trial,...
On July 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expanded label for pembrolizumab, an anti–PD-1 agent, as monotherapy for patients with locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma that is not curable by surgery or radiation. This approval is based on data from the second...
Mutations in a gene related to HER2, a gene frequently implicated in breast cancers and a variety of other malignancies, can amplify activity that spurs tumor growth, according to a new study. The findings, published by Hanker et al in Cancer Cell, could explain why many patients with HER2...
A new study has found evidence of the adverse effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on cancer detection and surgical treatments. The study, published by Robin Yabroff, PhD, MBA, and colleagues in JNCI: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found a 10.2% decline in real-time electronic pathology ...
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued regulatory decisions related to treatments for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), acute leukemia, and mantle cell lymphoma. Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Adagrasib in Advanced NSCLC With KRAS G12C Mutation On June 24, 2021, the...
On June 30, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved asparaginase Erwinia chrysanthemi (recombinant)-rywn (Rylaze) as a component of a multiagent chemotherapeutic regimen for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric...
The link between obesity and the risk of endometrial cancer has been well documented. A recent study, however, showed that an even lower body mass index (BMI) than previously thought may be associated with an increased risk in Asian women with postmenopausal bleeding. The findings by Liu et al were ...
The total number of cancer screening tests received by women through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (Early Detection Program) declined by 87% for breast cancer and 84% for cervical cancer during April 2020 as...
About 80% of breast cancer cases are hormone receptor–positive, according to the American Cancer Society. Patients with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer generally are treated using therapy that inhibits both estrogen levels and cell-cycle activity, but about 90% of patients with metastatic...
In recent years, cancer immunotherapy has been effective in treating patients with immunogenic—or “hot”—tumors with increased levels of inflammation and the presence of immune cells in and around the tumors. Prostate cancer, however, is considered a “cold” tumor, with few immune cells recognizing...
Patients with primary lung cancer detected using low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening may be at reduced risk for developing brain metastases after diagnosis, according to a study published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. The researchers, led by Summer Han, PhD, of Stanford University...
On June 24, 2021, Richard Pazdur, MD, Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Oncology Center of Excellence and Acting Director of the Office of Oncologic Diseases in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, made the following statement: “Today, the FDA issued a draft...
Andrew E. Aplin, PhD, has been appointed Deputy Director for Scientific Strategy of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC)–Jefferson Health. Dr. Aplin, who is Associate Director for Basic Research at SKCC and the Kalbach-Newton Professor in Cancer Research, assumed the role on June 1, 2021. As...
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, has selected Marie A. Bernard, MD, as NIH’s next Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD). Dr. Bernard will lead NIH’s effort to promote diversity, inclusiveness, and equity throughout the biomedical research...
Gauri Varadhachary, MD, Clinical Professor in Gastrointestinal (GI) Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, died on June 5, 2021. She was 52. A member of the MD Anderson community for nearly 20 years, Dr. Varadhachary was remembered for her dedication to her patients, ...
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center (HSNHC) in Dorchester, Massachusetts, have entered into an agreement to connect patients to cancer prevention, education, diagnosis, and treatment services. This program, based out of Dana-Farber’s Cancer Care Equity...
The University of North Carolina (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has established the Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence to bring together cancer center faculty with a broad range of expertise—from laboratory, translational, and clinical research to drug development, biostatistics,...
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard recently announced the launch of a new translational research platform to study rare cancers and develop a first-of-its-kind resource for the scientific community. The joint initiative will create a catalog ...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) recently announced that John D. Carpten, PhD, FAACR, has been elected by the association to serve on its Board of Directors. Dr. Carpten has accepted the position previously held by Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD, who is stepping down to fulfill her...
New York University (NYU) Langone/NYU Grossman School of Medicine recently announced that Kathie-Ann Joseph, MD, MPH, has been promoted to the rank of Professor in Surgery. Dr. Joseph has also assumed the rank of Professor in Population Health. In addition, Dr. Joseph has been named the inaugural...
The Brigham and Women’s hospital community mourns the loss of Francisco Marty, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases, who died April 8, 2021, after a tragic accident while hiking in the Dominican Republic. He was 53. A member of the Brigham community for more than 20 years, Dr. Marty is...
As our population rapidly ages, the burden of cancer incidence increases accordingly, creating an urgent need for greater and more incisive research on the diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship issues for older adults with cancer. Given the numerous challenges faced by today’s busy oncologists, a...
Established by Michael C. Ost, MD, MBA, the 2012–2013 American Urological Association Young Urologists Committee Chair, the Young Urologist of the Year Award is presented annually to select early-career association members in recognition of their efforts and commitment to advancing the development...
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), has been selected as a Temple University Gallery of Success honoree for 2021. Each year, Temple University showcases exceptional alumni from its 17 schools and colleges in its Gallery...
Cynthia M. Yoshida, MD, is one of six winners of a national award recognizing health-care providers and institutions for their work to increase colorectal cancer screening rates. Dr. Yoshida, a gastroenterologist and medical leader of the University of Virginia (UVA) Cancer Center’s Colorectal...
Chanita Hughes-Halbert, PhD, will join the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center as Associate Director for Cancer Equity, a newly created position, and the Keck School of Medicine of USC as Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Preventive...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recently presented Mary B. Daly, MD, PhD, FACP, Professor in the Department of Clinical Genetics and Director of the Risk Assessment Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, with the Rodger Winn Award. The Rodger Winn Award is given annually to one NCCN...
Cristina Gasparetto, MD, of Duke University, discusses findings from a study that suggests patients with heavily pretreated multiple myeloma benefit from weekly selinexor, carfilzomib, and dexamethasone, which was reported to be active, with an overall response rate of 78% and an overall...
Ruben A. Mesa, MD, of UT Health San Antonio Cancer Center, discusses new findings on momelotinib, a potent JAK1, JAK2, and ACVR1 inhibitor with clinical activity against hallmark features of myelofibrosis such as anemia and splenomegaly. Results showed that transfusion independence was associated...
Claire Harrison, MD, of Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital, discusses survival results from the JAKARTA and JAKARTA2 trials, which showed that fedratinib, an oral JAK2 inhibitor, significantly improved progression-free survival vs placebo as a first-line treatment for patients with myelofibrosis...
Martin Hutchings, MD, PhD, of Copenhagen University Hospital, discusses a 5-year update of the phase III ECHELON-1 study, which suggested brentuximab vedotin plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine benefits patients with previously untreated stage III or IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma...
Philippe Moreau, MD, of University Hospital Hôtel-Dieu, discusses findings from the CASSIOPEIA trial, Part 1, on daratumumab maintenance vs observation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who have been treated with bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone, with or without...
Martin Kaiser, MD, of The Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital, discusses findings from the UK OPTIMUM/MUKNINE trial on the depth of response and minimal residual disease status in patients with ultra-high–risk newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and plasma cell leukemia who were...