The theme of the 2022 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium was “Accelerating Access to Precision Care Through Innovation.” Several studies presented at this meeting focused on older patients, who represent the majority of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. Data reviewed at the meeting...
Taking aspirin daily does not prevent breast cancer recurrence, according to research presented during the February ASCO Plenary Series Program.1 Results of the double-blind phase III study of more than 3,000 patients with high-risk, HER2-negative breast cancer showed no improvement in invasive...
Adjuvant pembrolizumab improves disease-free survival compared with placebo in patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following complete resection and adjuvant chemotherapy when indicated. These findings from the PEARLS/KEYNOTE-091 trial were reported in a European Society for ...
In the treatment of advanced endometrial cancer, maintenance therapy with oral selinexor after response to first-line chemotherapy may result in a significantly reduced risk of disease progression, according to the results of the global phase III ENGOT-EN5/GOG-3055/SIENDO trial, presented at the...
In the phase II/III SEAL trial reported in the the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gounder et al found that selinexor significantly improved progression-free survival and time to subsequent treatment in previously treated advanced dedifferentiated liposarcoma, with the greatest benefit observed in...
Adding the PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab to chemotherapy significantly improved survival compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without EGFR/ALK mutations, according to research presented during the 2022 ASCO Monthly Plenary Series.1 At the...
Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab has been approved in combination with chemotherapy for high-risk, early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer, but not all patients with node-positive disease have been able to receive the regimen, according to data presented during the Society of Surgical Oncology 2022...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Diaz et al, the final overall survival analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-177 trial did not show a significant improvement with pembrolizumab vs chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed microsatellite instability–high or mismatch repair–deficient metastatic ...
Imagine this. You are a large pharmaceutical company that launches an international randomized phase III trial to assess whether one of your drugs improves the outcome of patients with a common type of cancer. The trial was solidly backed by preclinical evidence that the drug target was essential ...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Forde et al, the phase III CheckMate 816 trial has shown improved pathologic complete response rate and event-free survival with the addition of nivolumab to platinum-based chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant treatment of resectable non–small cell...
The invited discussant of the RELATIVITY-047 trial, Adil Daud, MBBS, said the findings1 “mark a major advance for immunotherapy beyond CTLA-4 and PD-1” as upfront treatment for advanced melanoma. However, the findings trigger a host of questions for clinicians. Dr. Daud is Co-Director of the...
A novel immunotherapeutic combination that targets PD-1 and the LAG-3 pathway significantly delayed disease progression as a first-line treatment of advanced or unresectable melanoma. Updated results of the global phase III RELATIVITY-047 trial validated the study’s initial findings and were...
On July 21, 2021, the Oncology Center of Excellence at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened a panel discussion entitled “Conversations on Cancer” to address the significant cancer disparities facing Asian Americans. The virtual “conversation” focused on the unfair burden impacting...
In a German trial (WSG-ADAPT-HR1/HER2–) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nitz et al found no difference in invasive disease-free survival between women with early hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with zero to three positive nodes who had a 21-gene recurrence score ...
In the UK phase II NEOBLADE trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Hussain et al found that the addition of nintedanib to neoadjuvant gemcitabine/cisplatin did not improve pathologic complete response rate in patients with locally advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In the double-blind...
As reported in The Lancet by Fizazi et al, the phase III PEACE-1 trial has shown that the addition of abiraterone and prednisone to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and docetaxel improved radiographic progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with de novo metastatic...
John Mascarenhas, MD, Director of the Adult Leukemia Program at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, New York, commented on the implications of the FIGHT-203 trial, which evaluated pemigatinib in myeloid or lymphoid neoplasms. Pemigatinib is an oral small-molecule receptor tyrosine kinase...
In patients with myeloid or lymphoid neoplasms with FGFR1 rearrangements, pemigatinib produced high and durable response rates, despite patients’ extensive use of prior treatments or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), according to the early results of the multicenter phase II FIGHT-203 ...
The addition of the checkpoint inhibitor tislelizumab to first-line chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 50% and, despite a 49% crossover rate, numerically boosted overall survival in patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer, Zhang et al...
The next-generation inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) may be effective in mantle cell lymphoma for patients previously treated with an older BTK inhibitor, according to results from the phase I/II BRUIN trial. These findings were reported at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH)...
In a Norwegian study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Fosså et al identified factors associated with increased mortality and second cancer risk among testicular cancer survivors, including treatment factors and modifiable adverse health outcomes. Study Details The study included data...
Today, 1 year after its founding, Break Through Cancer announced $50 million in grants to support several cutting-edge research projects using a novel “TeamLab” structure—designed to maximize interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Sidney Kimmel...
In an analysis from the UK phase III MYELOMA XI trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, de Tute et al found that persistent measurable residual disease (MRD)-negative status after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and conversion from MRD-positive to -negative status were...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Colorectal Cancer Screening have recently incorporated significant changes, reflecting recommendations that will spare some patients unnecessary interventions and, in other cases, detect cancer earlier. The ...
Results from two early-stage clinical trials show two drugs that target the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway in cancers—the ATR inhibitor elimusertib and the PARP inhibitor AZD5305—are safe and clinically beneficial in treating patients with advanced solid tumors. Principal investigator Timothy...
A new study published by Englisch et al in the journal Blood Advances suggests that people with cancer and non-O blood types—such as types A, B, and AB—may face an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) 3 months after their initial diagnosis. Scientists have long strived to...
In a phase II trial (arm E of the NCI-COG Pediatric MATCH trial) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Eckstein et al found that the MEK inhibitor selumetinib showed little activity in pediatric and young adult patients with tumors harboring activating MAPK pathway mutations or fusions. As...
In the French phase II BIONIKK trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Vano et al assessed outcomes of first-line treatment with nivolumab with or without ipilimumab and VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors given according to characteristics of molecular subgroups in patients with metastatic clear cell...
Patients with advanced melanoma whose cancer does not respond to treatment with PD-1 inhibitors are often switched to treatment with a second type of immunotherapy drug, a CTLA-4 inhibitor such as the drug ipilimumab. In a phase II trial presented by Vanderwalde et al during the American...
In a single-institution phase II study reported in JAMA Oncology, Halperin et al found that the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab showed activity in treatment of advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors. As stated by the investigators, “Therapies for patients with advanced...
As reported in The Lancet by Luke et al, the phase III KEYNOTE-716 trial has shown significantly prolonged recurrence-free survival with adjuvant pembrolizumab vs placebo in patients with high-risk completely resected stage IIB/IIC melanoma at both first and second interim analyses. The first...
CoVac-1, a new vaccine against SARS–CoV-2, induced T-cell immune responses in 93% of patients with B-cell deficiencies, including many patients with leukemia and lymphoma, according to results presented by Tandler et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2022...
A new chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell product had an acceptable safety profile and showed early signs of efficacy as a monotherapy and in combination with an mRNA vaccine in patients with solid tumors, according to preliminary data from a phase I/II clinical trial presented by Haanen et al...
Natural killer (NK) cells derived from donated umbilical cord blood and activated with a novel bispecific antibody known as AFM13 (which targets CD16A and CD30) were shown to be effective in patients with pretreated and refractory CD30-positive lymphoma. The overall response rate was 89% in...
Sotorasib, the first KRAS G12C inhibitor approved for the treatment of KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), continues to demonstrate meaningful and durable efficacy at 2-year follow-up in the phase II CodeBreaK 100 trial. At a median follow-up of 15.3 months, 2-year overall...
During the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with pediatric cancer from lower- and middle-income countries faced a higher risk of all-cause mortality than those in high-income countries, according to data presented by Elhadi et al at the American Association for Cancer Research...
An artificial intelligence (AI) model trained using sequential health information derived from electronic health records identified a subset of individuals with a 25-fold risk of developing pancreatic cancer within 3 to 36 months, according to results presented by Placido et al at the American...
Over the past decade, an improved understanding of kidney cancer biology together with the development of novel systemic therapies have substantially improved the outcomes of patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC).1 Following extensive clinical investigations, combinations...
Recently, I had the honor of coauthoring a chapter with Eric P. Winer, MD, President-Elect of ASCO, on the evolution of clinical cancer care since the enactment of the National Care Act of 1971 for the book A New Deal for Cancer: Lessons From a 50-Year War, by Abbe R. Gluck and Charles S. Fuchs,...
“OlympiA is clearly a practice-changing trial, and olaparib should be offered to patients meeting the entry criteria for the study,” said Mark E. Robson, MD, Chief of the Breast Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. Dr. Robson was invited to discuss the findings of...
The OlympiA trial of adjuvant olaparib in patients with HER2-negative, high-risk early-stage breast cancer and BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations has now demonstrated a significant overall survival benefit, reducing the risk of death over placebo by 32% and yielding an absolute improvement of 3.8% at 3...
A rapid recommendation update to an ASCO guideline offers revised parameters for adjuvant therapy in patients with resected non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have stage IB to IIIA disease.1,2 The new guidance reflects the findings from two randomized clinical trials that assessed the use of...
The National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) announced the launch of its new flagship research initiative, the DNA Damage Response Consortium, in partnership with Yale Cancer Center. The consortium will bring together a diverse team of adult and pediatric researchers to advance a new class of potential...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on ...
Although The Social Conquest of Earth was published a decade ago, it is worth revisiting, because, as oncology luminary Harold Varmus, MD, stressed: “It is a tour de force that we ignore at our planet’s peril.” Its author, Edward O. Wilson, PhD, known as “the father of sociobiology,” died at the...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present the Hematology Expert Review, an occasional feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Drs. Abutalib, Kröger, and Mikulska focus on the challenges of providing cancer care amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Here they present two...
On February 28, 2022, ciltacabtagene autoleucel was approved for treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma after at least four lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.1 Ciltacabtagene autoleucel is a...
In the recently published results of the RELATIVITY-047 trial,1 summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post, the addition of relatlimab to nivolumab monotherapy was associated with improved progression-free survival compared with nivolumab alone in patients with previously untreated advanced,...
In a phase II/III trial (RELATIVITY-047) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Hussein A. Tawbi, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues found that the addition of relatlimab, a lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3)–blocking antibody, to nivolumab...
In a recently published paper in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,1 R. Donald Harvey, PharmD, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, of Emory University, Atlanta, and coleagues reflected on the growth in availability of oral anticancer therapies over the past decade and noted that as these treatments are easy to take ...