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Showing 3601 - 3650The Role of Spirituality in Palliative Care
National surveys consistently show that spirituality and religion are important components in the lives of most Americans, with more than 90% of adults expressing a belief in God and more than 70% identifying religion as one of the most important influences in their lives.1 Studies also show that...
Five Percent Overall Medicare Reimbursement Cut Estimated for Medical Oncology in 2022
On November 2, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Quality Payment Program (QPP) final rule. Although ASCO will analyze the rule in greater detail in the coming days, initial highlights from the rule are outlined...
Mortality Risk in Patients With Cancer and SARS–CoV-2 Higher Among Older Patients With B-Cell Malignancies and Those Who Previously or Currently Smoke
A recent study published in JCO Oncology Practice found that patients with certain cancers have a higher mortality risk than those with other cancer types if they have contracted the novel coronavirus (SARS–CoV-2).1 Specifically, older patients with B-cell malignancies who acquire SARS–CoV-2 who...
Duration of Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer: How Much of a Good Thing Is Too Much?
Estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer is the most common type of breast cancer, diagnosed in more than 2.3 million women around the world each year, including more than 200,000 in the United States alone. Adjuvant endocrine therapy is a mainstay of treatment for these millions of women and is a...
Achieving Equity in Cancer Care for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer
Although cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYAs), defined by the National Cancer Institute as those between the ages of 15 and 39, is relatively rare—in 2020 nearly 90,000 AYAs were diagnosed with cancer and about 9,300 died of the disease1—and 5-year relative survival rates are high, between ...
Adjuvant Immunotherapy: The Next Chapter in Advancements in Renal Cell Carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma is a common malignancy among men and women in the United States.1 The incidence continues to increase with the ever-increasing use of contemporary medical imaging. Although many patients who present with localized disease are cured with definitive surgery, some patients develop ...
High-Risk Multiple Myeloma: Combination Regimens and CAR T-Cell Therapy
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” —Mark Twain To complement The ASCO Post’s extensive coverage of the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, here are several abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing on novel treatments under study in high-risk multiple myeloma. For...
Taking Akt-ion Against Prostate Cancer?
Inhibition of the androgen receptor pathway (AR) with novel hormonal therapies such as abiraterone acetate has greatly improved outcomes for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in recent years. However, through numerous mechanisms, tumors ultimately develop resistance...
Expert Point of View: Paul Wheatley-Price, MRCP
During an International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) press briefing, Paul Wheatley-Price, MRCP, commented as the patient advocate on the panel. Dr. Wheatley-Price is Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, lung cancer disease site lead at Ottawa Hospital...
UKLS Trial Meta-analysis Confirms Mortality Reduction With Low-Dose CT Screening for Lung Cancer
Low-dose lung cancer screening by computed tomography (CT) is associated with a 16% relative reduction in lung cancer mortality over no lung cancer screening of high-risk individuals, based on a meta-analysis conducted by investigators with the United Kingdom Lung Cancer Screening (UKLS) trial.1...
Expert Point of View: Pilar Garrido, MD, PhD
Invited discussant of CheckMate 743, Pilar Garrido, MD, PhD, pointed out there has been little progress in treating patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma over the past 15 years, and there are limited therapeutic options. Dr. Garrido is Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at Universidad...
CheckMate 743 Supports Survival Benefit of Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Updated results from the phase III CheckMate 743 trial support the durable and superior benefits of immunotherapy with nivolumab plus ipilimumab over chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.1 In the most recent updated analysis of the...
In Case You Missed It: Brief Highlights From ESMO Congress 2021
The ASCO Post has published a wealth of practice-changing studies and news about other advances presented during the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2021. In addition to the biggest news from this international meeting, here are several summaries of interesting study findings...
Choosing Wisely, Researchers Look at Access to Essential Cancer Drugs on a Global Scale
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases occurred worldwide in 2020, resulting in almost 10 million deaths. The IARC projects a 50% rise in global cancer incidence and mortality by 2040. To help control this looming crisis,...
Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy With or Without Bevacizumab in First-Line Treatment of Advanced Cervical Cancer
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms of action, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On October 13, 2021, pembrolizumab in combination with...
Novel Therapies Under Study in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Newly identified genetic abnormalities in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), as well as therapies that can target some of those abnormalities, are now available as the landscape for treatment continues to evolve. During the 2021 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Annual Congress: Hematologic...
Friends of Cancer Research Releases White Paper on Optimizing Dosing in Oncology Drug Development
During its virtual Annual Meeting 2021 held on November 9 and 10, Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) urged all stakeholders in the cancer community to work together to optimize dosing in oncology drug development to maximize benefit for patients and reduce treatment toxicity, and to abandon the...
Expert Point of View: Steven J. Chmura, MD, PhD
At a press conference at the 2021 ASTRO Annual Meeting, Steven J. Chmura, MD, PhD, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Scientific Director of the Cancer Clinical Trials Office, University of Chicago, commented on the CURB study results. “Most trials of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)...
Can SBRT to Selected Sites of Limited Progression or Oligoprogression Extend Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Lung Cancer but Not Breast Cancer?
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) lengthens progression-free survival for patients with advanced lung cancer who have oligoprogression (ie, tumors that have not been fully responsive to systemic chemotherapy or immunotherapy), according to an interim analysis of the CURB oligoprogression...
Expert Point of View: Elizabeth Nichols, MD
Invited discussant Elizabeth Nichols, MD, of the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, commented on both the phase II TRIUMPH-T and the phase III MC1635 trials. “There are multiple techniques in use for accelerated partial breast irradiation. Optimal dose and fractionation are...
Durable Responses in Metastatic NSCLC: Are We Getting Closer to a Cure?
In the United States, the incidence-based mortality related to non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has decreased by approximately 3% each year since 2008 in men; during the same period, the mortality in women decreased by 2% to 4% annually.1 Although multiple factors are likely responsible for the...
From Cancer Survivor to Citizen Astronaut
When I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma of my left femur nearly 20 years ago, I remember telling my parents that I didn’t want to die. The diagnosis was terrifying because all the people I knew who had cancer had passed away, and I thought this cancer would kill me, too. That evening, my dad went...
Shorter-Course Radiation Therapy: A New Practice Standard After Prostatectomy?
Hypofractionated radiotherapy to the prostate bed proved to be noninferior to conventionally fractionated radiotherapy after prostatectomy regarding gastrointestinal and genitourinary side effects, according to the results of the phase III NRG Oncology GU003 trial, presented at the 2021 American...
Novel Therapies Under Study in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Newly identified genetic abnormalities in AML have led to novel therapies that can target some of them, as the landscape for treatment continues to evolve. During the 2021 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies, Alice S. Mims MD, presented updates in...
Early Study Examines Potential Benefits of a Fasting-Mimicking Diet in Patients With Cancer
A severely calorie-restricted, low-carbohydrate, low-protein, 5-day dietary regimen that mimics fasting was shown to be safe and feasible, and it resulted in a decrease of blood glucose and growth factor concentration, a reduction in peripheral blood immunosuppressive cells, and enhanced intratumor ...
Exercise Program May Help to Reduce Upper Limb Disability After Breast Cancer Surgery
Arm and shoulder disability and pain that some women who have had breast cancer surgery experience as a side effect of their procedure may be reduced by following a physiotherapy-led exercise program, according to a new study published by Bruce et al in The BMJ. The report showed an improvement in...
Newer Agents on the Horizon for Refractory or Relapsed DLBCL
Although treating patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains challenging, some newer therapies on the horizon offer promise, including bispecific antibodies, anti-CD47 antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy,...
2021 State of Lung Cancer Report Finds Survival Has Increased but Remains Significantly Lower for People of Color
The new 2021 State of Lung Cancer report reveals that the 5-year survival rate for lung cancer increased from 14.5% nationally to 23.7%, yet it remains significantly lower among communities of color. The American Lung Association’s fourth annual report also highlights how the toll of lung cancer...
Model May Help Identify Subtypes of Multiple Myeloma
Researchers have developed a new model that uses DNA and RNA sequencing data from hundreds of patients to identify specific genes and genetic alterations responsible for subtypes of multiple myeloma. They also identified potential targeted treatments based on the findings, which were reported by...
FDA Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters
On November 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorizations (EUA) for both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines authorizing use of a single booster dose for all individuals aged 18 years and older after completion of primary vaccination with any ...
Study Examines Availability of All-Trans Retinoic Acid in U.S. Hospitals
New research published by Geer et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has found that fewer than one-third of hospitals in the United States had immediate availability of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a crucial blood cancer medication. ATRA is initiated early in the...
Digital Symptom Monitoring System May Improve Patients’ Symptom Control and Physical Function During Cancer Therapy
A digital symptom monitoring system in which patients undergoing cancer treatment could report symptoms through weekly at-home surveys resulted in better symptom control and physical function, as well as improved communication with their medical team, according to results from a study by Basch et...
Thomas Gruenberger, MD, Shares Thoughts on Radiotherapy for Colorectal Liver Metastases
Invited discussant of the phase III EPOCH trial, Thomas Gruenberger, MD, a surgical oncologist at the Clinic Favoriten, Health Network Vienna, noted that the trial’s “intention was fulfilled,” thus making it the “first positive phase III trial that prolonged both progression-free and hepatic...
Incidence of Pancreatic Cancer in the United States by Age and Sex, 2000–2018
In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA, Gaddam et al found that the incidence of pancreatic cancer has increased in both men and women between 2000 and 2018, with a greater relative increase being observed in younger women. Pancreatic cancer incidence rates per 100,000 population...
Study Explores Method to Selectively Grow Tumor-Targeting T Cells for Cancer Therapy
A preclinical study published by Arnaud et al in Nature Biotechnology has demonstrated the utility and efficacy of a highly efficient method to generate large numbers of immune cells specifically engineered to recognize neoantigens and destroy the tumors that express them. Developed by a team of...
FDA Approves Ropeginterferon alfa-2b-njft for Adults With Polycythemia Vera
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ropeginterferon alfa-2b-njft (Besremi) for the treatment of adults with polycythemia vera. The new agent is a monopegylated, long-acting interferon, which exhibits its cellular effects in polycythemia vera in the bone marrow. Ropeginterferon...
Use of Genomic Classifier Score May Help to Personalize Therapy for Men With High-Risk Prostate Cancer
A 22-genomic classifier (the Decipher score) was able to predict the course of disease in men with high-risk prostate cancer, according to a patient-level meta-analysis of three randomized clinical trials presented at the 2021 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.1 Use of...
Novel Drug Combination May Help Children With Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Avoid Conventional Chemotherapy
A clinical trial recently published by Kutny et al in JAMA Oncology found that the combination of all-trans retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide was highly effective in children with standard- and high-risk acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Nearly all patients in the trial survived for 2 years...
Study Examines Immunotherapy Outcomes in Patients With Solid Tumors Who Are Ineligible for Clinical Trials
Patients with solid tumors who are ineligible for clinical trials receive immune checkpoint inhibitors at greater rates than patients who are eligible, despite no survival benefit, according to a recent study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The...
President Biden Nominates Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, as FDA Commissioner
President Joseph Biden has nominated Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, for the position of Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Califf is an internationally recognized expert in clinical trial research, health disparities, health-care quality, and cardiovascular medicine....
Effect of National HPV Vaccination Program on the Incidence of Cervical Cancer and Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Young Women in England
As reported in The Lancet by Falcaro et al, a register-based observational study has shown that the England national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine program, initiated in 2008 using a bivalent vaccine (Cervarix; HPV16/18), has been successful in reducing the rates of cervical cancer and grade 3...
NCI-Designated Cancer Center Compliance With CMS Price Transparency Rules
In a cross-sectional analysis reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Chino et al found that a minority of National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers (NCI-CCs) were fully compliant with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) price transparency rules. Study ...
De-escalation of Radiation Therapy for HPV-Positive, Intermediate-Risk Oropharyngeal Cancer
De-escalated adjuvant radiotherapy appears to be safe in patients with surgically resectable, human papillomavirus (HPV)--positive oropharyngeal cancers, particularly in patients without extranodal extension or pN2 disease by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition. These findings...
Expert Point of View: Sophia C. Kamran, MD
Sophia C. Kamran, MD, a radiation oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the RTOG 0815 study, commented: “The results of RTOG 0815 demonstrate that in the setting of contemporary dose-escalated...
No Survival Benefit but Improved Secondary Endpoints With Radiotherapy Plus Androgen Suppression in Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer
Both dose-escalated radiation therapy and short-course androgen-deprivation therapy have been shown to improve outcomes in intermediate-risk prostate cancer, but it is not clear whether giving both modalities upfront to newly diagnosed patients is of benefit. The phase III RTOG 0815 study presented ...
Study Examines COVID-19 Outcomes in Pediatric Patients With Cancer
Most children and adolescents with cancer have mild COVID-19 disease and make a full recovery, a new study by Haeusler et al in the European Journal of Cancer has found. But pediatric patients with cancer and underlying health conditions, severe infections, and low white blood cell counts were...
International Conference Updates Guidelines for Advanced Breast Cancer
Patients with two out of the three most common types of advanced breast cancer now have an average survival time of at least 5 years, according to a panel of experts at the Advanced Breast Cancer Sixth International Consensus Conference (ABC6), which was held virtually this year. The Advanced...
Second Surprise Billing Rule Covers Dispute Resolution Processes, Good Faith Estimates for the Uninsured
On September 30, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury (“the Departments”), along with the Office of Personnel Management, released an interim final rule with comment period, entitled “Requirements Related to...
Showcasing 50 Years of Advances in Cancer Research and Treatment
The AACR Cancer Progress Report 2021, published on October 13, celebrates the gains made in cancer research since President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act into law on December 23, 1971, especially against such life-threatening cancers as metastatic melanoma and lung cancer.1 The...
Living in Survival Mode
About 10 years ago, on a flight to Detroit, while returning from the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, I had a conversation with Lori Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO, radiation oncologist at the University of Michigan, who went on to become ASCO President for the 2020–2021 term. I recall inviting her...
