Treatment with obecabtagene autoleucel was the focus of the phase Ib/II multicenter FELIX study of more than 100 adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).1 The initial report in 2024 revealed a rate of complete remission or complete remission with incomplete...
Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who achieve cytogenetic remission may have better survival outcomes than patients with new or sustained cytogenetic abnormalities, according to findings from a study published in the American Journal of Hematology. The study elucidated how cytogenetic...
In a Brazilian phase II trial (HERCULES; LACOG 0218) reported in JAMA Oncology, Maluf et al found that pembrolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy showed activity in patients with advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma. The investigators explained, “Advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma is...
Studies show that individuals diagnosed with ulcerative colitis have approximately a twofold increased risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with the general population. A study investigating treatment with autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting the CD19 antigen in a...
The phase Ib DeLLphi-303 trial has reported overall survival data for a novel maintenance regimen in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer following first-line chemoimmunotherapy. Patients treated with the bispecific T-cell engager tarlatamab-dlle plus a PD-L1 inhibitor had a median overall...
For patients with recurrent retroperitoneal sarcomas that cannot be treated surgically, treatment choices are limited. These tumors can grow in the abdomen adjacent to vital organs or enmeshed within the bowel. Given their radioresistant nature, they require high doses of radiation that risk...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology,1 Nicholas A. Pickersgill, MD, of the Department of Surgery (Urology Service) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues found that individuals without prostate cancer undergoing annual prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing often...
Projected cases of kidney cancer are expected to double by 2050 due to modifiable risk factors, according to findings and estimations published in European Urology. “Kidney cancer is a growing global health problem, and both clinicians and policymakers need to prepare for this steep rise,” stated ...
For patients with intermediate-risk, localized prostate cancer, radiation therapy delivered in five sessions reduced patient-reported side effects compared to longer courses of radiation, according to results of a large, randomized phase III trial. Patients treated with stereotactic body radiation...
A new phase III clinical trial has found that intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and proton-beam therapy resulted in similar quality-of-life outcomes and low rates of side effects for people with locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer. The TORPEdO trial, a randomized study conducted across ...
Stereotactic radiation therapy (SABR) was found to be noninferior to surgical resection in terms of overall survival for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to 10-year results from the STARS trial presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)...
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Germani et al identified the impact of HER2 status in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receiving chemotherapy plus either bevacizumab or anti-EGFR agents. Study Details The study involved data from 1,604 patients with...
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is requesting over $11.5 billion in federal funding for fiscal year (FY) 2027, an increase of more than $4 billion from FY25. The agency shared the request on September 27 in its FY27 Professional Judgment Budget Proposal. The proposal—also known as a “bypass...
Adjuvant radiation therapy following radical cystectomy and chemotherapy was found to be safe and efficacious for patients with locally advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer, according to findings from the phase III randomized BART trial presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology...
A new clinical trial found that people with a limited number of metastases from recurrent prostate cancer lived significantly longer without disease progression when they received a radiopharmaceutical drug before targeted radiation compared with radiation alone. The phase II LUNAR trial is the...
Anthony Letai, MD, PhD, was sworn in on September 29 as Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Dr. Letai takes the helm of the world’s most prestigious cancer research agency...
There has been a rapid increase in the global number of cancer cases and deaths between 1990 and 2023, despite advances in cancer treatment and efforts to tackle cancer risk factors over that same period. Without urgent action and targeted funding, 30.5 million people are forecast to receive a new...
In a Scandinavian trial (ALASCCA) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Martling et al found that low-dose aspirin reduced the risk of disease recurrence vs placebo in patients with PI3K-altered localized colorectal cancer. Study Details In the double-blind trial, patients with stage I...
Zidesamtinib, an investigational oral, highly selective ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor designed to overcome common resistance mechanisms and improve brain penetration, has demonstrated activity in both pretreated and tyrosine kinase inhibitor–naive patients with ROS1-positive non–small cell lung...
The dietary supplement nicotinamide has been recommended by dermatologists for people with a history of skin cancer since 2015, when a clinical study published by Chen et al in The New England Journal of Medicine including almost 400 participants showed that those who took the vitamin B3 derivative ...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Syed Ali Abutalib, MD, and L. Jeffrey Medeiros, MD, focuses on clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (also referred to as CHIP) as well as...
In a study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Smith-Bindman et al found that medical imaging among children was associated with a significantly increased risk of pediatric and adolescent hematologic cancer. The study involved data from a retrospective cohort of 3,724,623 children born ...
People with more than one tattoo session may have a decreased risk of developing melanoma—with one key caveat, according to research published by McCarty et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. A team led by Jennifer Doherty, PhD, Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator, Co-Leader of ...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Yang et al, the final overall survival analysis in the phase III MARIPOSA trial has shown significant benefit with amivantamab plus lazertinib vs osimertinib in patients with previously untreated EGFR-mutated advanced non–small cell lung cancer...
Curative-intent surgery for patients with early-stage cancer led to new, persistent, long-term opioid use in more than 1 in 10 opioid-naive veterans, according to the results of an observational study published in Cancer. The results of the study highlighted how necessary it is to develop new pain...
New study findings show that children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who were exposed to pesticides during their mother's pregnancy may have a higher risk of death, according to findings published in Cancers. “This study highlights that exposures in the home environment, even before a...
Researchers have developed a novel method to test for prostate cancer using biomarkers present in urine. This approach may significantly reduce the need for invasive, often painful biopsies, the researchers said in a statement. The study, which was funded in part by the National Institutes of...
ASCO extends its thanks and appreciation to Richard L. Schilsky, MD, FACP, FSCT, FASCO, for his decade of leadership and dedication as the inaugural Principal Investigator of the groundbreaking Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR) Study. The ASCO-sponsored TAPUR study is a...
The 15th edition of the annual AACR Cancer Progress Report presents a mixed picture of the major advances in cancer care over the past year, including the approval of 20 new anticancer drugs, juxtaposed against the continuing rise in early-onset cancers and disparities in care as well as the...
In the preplanned final analysis of the phase III CheckMate 816 trial, an overall survival benefit has been shown for neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy in patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).1 Patients treated with the combination experienced an approximate 10%...
The combination of the EGFR-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib with platinum-based chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival as a first-line treatment for patients with EGFR-mutated, advanced, non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with osimertinib monotherapy,...
City of Hope® has been awarded an up to $23.7 million contract from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant will help City of Hope to create a biomap of tumor changes that cause immunotherapy resistance in advanced ...
BTK Inhibitor for Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia: On September 2, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor rilzabrutinib (Wayrilz) tablets to treat adults with persistent or chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who have had an...
In an interim analysis of a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Yang et al found that proton craniospinal irradiation (pCSI) improved central nervous system (CNS) progression-free survival vs photon involved-field radiotherapy (IFRT) in patients who have breast cancer or non–small cell lung...
In a U.S. cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Suzuki et al assessed long-term survival among premenopausal women with clinical stage I endometrioid endometrial cancer treated with fertility-preserving hormonal therapy vs hysterectomy. Study Details The study focused on National Cancer Database...
Investigators have found several oral bacteria and fungi associated with an increased risk for pancreatic cancer, according to findings published in JAMA Oncology. This cohort study seems to confirm a long-standing suspicion of the relationship between poor oral health and pancreatic cancer and...
In a phase I, first-in-human trial of nearly 50 patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies, the orally administered, small molecule degrader bexobrutideg (NX-5948) was reported to be well tolerated, including in those with a longer duration of treatment and higher doses. Clinical...
Three leading national cancer organizations have issued an updated guideline on postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) for physicians treating patients with breast cancer. The recommendations outline when PMRT is appropriate based on new evidence and evolving clinical practice, and they highlight...
A new policy review published by Tannock et al in The Lancet Oncology emphasizes the critical role of health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) data in the evaluation of treatments for people with advanced cancer. The publication highlights the importance of having standardized responder criteria when ...
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is one of the success stories among the hematologic malignancies. Now, with decades of data informing its management, it is time to change some of the practices to which clinicians have become accustomed, said leukemia expert Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD, FASCO, Professor...
Research published by Zheng et al in Health Affairs Scholar found that the passage of the government price-setting provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was associated with a broad decline in industry-funded oncology trials after first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, with...
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), human papillomavirus (HPV)–associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is the most common type of HPV-related malignancy in the United States. In 2025, ACS estimates there will be 59,660 diagnoses of mouth and throat cancers, and about...
On April 22, 2025, an ASCO Expert Panel voted to approve ASCO’s global guideline on geriatric assessment of patients with cancer older than age 65 who are being treated in resource-limited settings or countries.1 Guideline recommendations were informed by the ADAPTE methodology and formal consensus ...
The aging population, now the largest group of patients with cancer and cancer survivors, requires a rigorous and focused approach to clinical trial reporting, a need highlighted by the recent author guidelines from the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO; Table 1).1 The guidelines are an important...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has released Prostate Cancer Statistics, 2025, a report on current prostate cancer occurrence and outcomes in the United States. According to the study, prostate cancer incidence rates have reversed from a decline of 6.4% per year during 2007 through 2014 to an...
Resection of the primary thoracic tumor after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibition demonstrated the ability to prolong disease control in patients with EGFR-mutant metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings from a randomized phase II trial presented at the International...
A new study presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Abstract MA11.09) demonstrated that monitoring circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may aid in refining and personalizing the use of consolidation immunotherapy in patients with...
New research has identified interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) as a critical regulator of immunotherapy sensitivity in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), offering a promising new avenue for overcoming resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint blockade. These findings were presented at the...
The presence of tumor spread through air spaces (STAS) demonstrated an association with poor prognosis in patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whether undergoing segmentectomy or lobectomy, according to findings from an analysis of the phase III JCOG0802/WJOG4607L trial...
The combination of subcutaneous amivantamab-vmjw every 4 weeks plus daily oral lazertinib led to a high response rate in patients with previously untreated EGFR-mutated advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings from an analysis of cohort 5 of the PALOMA-2 trial presented at ...