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Showing 3651 - 3700Nonsignificant Improvement in Disease-Free Survival With Adjuvant Lapatinib/Trastuzumab vs Trastuzumab in Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Results of a phase III trial, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Piccart-Gebhart et al, showed a modest and statistically nonsignificant increase in disease-free survival with concurrent adjuvant lapatinib (Tykerb) and trastuzumab (Herceptin) vs trastuzumab alone in patients with...
Adding Gemcitabine to Chemoradiation Improves Survival Outcomes for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer
A phase III, open-label, randomized trial found that adding gemcitabine to concurrent cisplatin chemoradiotherapy and using gemcitabine as adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin improved survival outcomes in women with locally advanced cervical cancer. Toxicity was increased compared to standard...
‘Paradoxical’ Result Tying Estrogen to Reduced Risk of Breast Cancer Is Consistent with Laboratory Data
Results from the Women’s Health Initiative1 showing a decreased incidence of breast cancer among postmenopausal hysterectomized women who took estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) may seem paradoxical, but “comply exactly” with laboratory research, according to V. Craig Jordan, OBE, PhD, DSc,...
2011 ASCO Annual Meeting: Cabozantinib Broadly Active in Multiple Tumor Types
Cabozantinib (XL184), an oral inhibitor of MET kinase and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR2), produced high rates of disease control in several solid tumor types and controlled bone metastases in many patients, according to a phase II study presented at the 2011 ASCO Annual...
Expert Point of View: Capecitabine Noninferior to 5-FU with Improved Toxicity Profile in Rectal Cancer, Two Studies Demonstrate
Formal discussant of the trial, Robert Glynne-Jones, MD, Mount Vernon Centre for Cancer Treatment, London, said: “It is arduous to perform rectal cancer trials. That is one of reason we are interested in short endpoints.” Regarding the first study, he said that historically, compliance has been...
Capecitabine Noninferior to 5-FU with Improved Toxicity Profile in Rectal Cancer, Two Studies Demonstrate
Two separate trials presented during an oral session at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting suggest that capecitabine (Xeloda) can replace fluorouracil (5-FU) as part of chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer. Patients randomly assigned to either treatment had comparable outcomes but with less toxicity from...
Sunitinib/Prednisone Improves Progression-free Survival but not Overall Survival in Metastatic Castrate-resistant Prostate Cancer
According to M. Dror Michaelson, MD, PhD, second-line therapy with sunitinib (Sutent) and prednisone improves progression-free survival but not overall survival in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer previously treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy. Dr. Michaelson, of the...
Understanding Crizotinib, 1 Year after High-profile Presentation
The findings from a phase I study of crizotinib in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were presented in a Plenary Session at the 2010 ASCO Annual Meeting—an unusual event, since such early-phase data are not generally the topic of plenary sessions. The study showed that a majority of mostly...
Expert Point of View: Busulfan/Melphalan Improves Survival in High-risk Neuroblastoma Patients, Phase III Study Results Show
At the ASCO Plenary Session where the HR-NBL1/SIOPEN trial was presented, formal discussant Julie R. Park, MD, of the University of Washington, Seattle, said, “Large randomized trials have previously shown that myeloablative therapy improves outcomes in high-risk neuroblastoma, and it is now...
Plenary Report: Busulfan/Melphalan Improves Survival in High-risk Neuroblastoma Patients, Phase III Study Results Show
Myeloablative therapy with a busulfan (Busulfex, Myleran)/melphalan combination (BuMel) was superior to a regimen of carboplatin/etoposide/melphalan (CEM) in pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma, according to results of the large, phase III HR-NBL1/SIOPEN trial presented at the 2011 ASCO ...
Plenary Report: High-dose Methotrexate Improves Outcome for High-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Younger Patients
High-dose methotrexate achieved superior event-free survival rates compared with standard Capizzi (escalating) methotrexate treatment in children and young adults with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a practice-changing study reported during the Plenary Session of the...
Novel Agents Prolong Disease-free Survival in Ovarian Cancer
Novel agents produced high response rates and prolonged remissions in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, in studies reported at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting. In an international randomized phase II trial, maintenance therapy with the oral poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase (PARP)...
Iniparib Fails to Improve Outcomes in Triple-negative Breast Cancer
As reported in the March 15 issue of The ASCO Post, a phase III trial of the novel agent iniparib failed to demonstrate a significant improvement in survival for women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. The “top-line” results were communicated in the spring via press releases from...
Expert Point of View: Longer Imatinib Treatment Is Better in High-risk GIST
Charles D. Blanke, MD, Chief of Medical Oncology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, critiqued the SSGXVIII study, noting its “goals were reasonable and the methodologies for primary and secondary objectives were sound. The conclusion regarding recurrence-free survival is valid, as...
Longer Imatinib Treatment Is Better in High-risk GIST
A phase III trial presented at the ASCO 2011 Plenary Session could change the duration of adjuvant therapy for some patients with resected gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). When imatinib treatment was extended to 3 years, compared with the standard 1 year, patients with high-risk GIST were...
Novel Agents Improve Survival in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma
Novel treatments for metastatic melanoma dominated the buzz at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting and across the major news outlets, with reports that two agents with entirely different mechanisms of action could extend survival. The studies’ inclusion in the ASCO Plenary Session attested to the...
Studies Explore Potential Benefits of Sunitinib before Nephrectomy in Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cancer
The multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib (Sutent) is established as first-line therapy in metastatic clear cell renal cancer. Data supporting use of cytoreductive nephrectomy in metastatic clear cell renal cancer come from the pre–targeted therapy era, when less-effective immune...
Intergroup Study Evaluates Outcomes of Elderly vs Younger Patients Treated for Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma
The 11th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma was held June 15–18 in Lugano, Switzerland. Topics of discussion included lymphoma staging in the new millennium, lymphoma and its microenvironment, and lymphoma cure vs control. The ASCO Post summarized several key presentations in the July...
Breast Cancer Studies Focus on Tailoring Therapy for Patient Subsets
As part of our ongoing coverage of the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting, The ASCO Post has provided substantive reports on key breast cancer trials, but others deserve attention. Lapatinib/Capecitabine Controls Brain Metastases Results of the French phase II LANDSCAPE trial found lapatinib (Tykerb) plus...
Novel JAK Inhibitor May Be an Option for Patients with Myelofibrosis
A new approach to treating myelofibrosis appears to be paying off, according to several studies presented at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting. Treatment with a novel JAK inhibitor called ruxolitinib demonstrated significant and sustained improvement in splenomegaly and overall quality of life,...
Expert Point of View: Maintenance Therapy Prolongs Progression-free Survival in Advanced NSCLC but Produces No Overall Survival Benefit
Maintenance therapy in NSCLC is an ever-contentious issue,” stated formal discussant of these trials, Martin Edelman, MD, University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, Baltimore, at the ASCO Annual Meeting. “The maintenance approach is based on two observations: limited benefit from more than...
Maintenance Therapy Prolongs Progression-free Survival in Advanced NSCLC but Produces No Overall Survival Benefit
Maintenance therapy with either pemetrexed (Alimta) or gefitinib (Iressa) achieved modest improvements in progression-free survival in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The magnitude of improved progression-free survival was 1.3 months and 2.2 months, respectively, in the...
Emerging Targeted Therapies Offer Glimmer of Hope for NSCLC but Biomarkers for Response Needed
Among the newer approaches to treatment of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors, toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) agonists, and vascular-disrupting agents. So far, none appears to be a “home run,” but Hsp90 inhibition may be the most promising of the three...
Axitinib Improves Progression-free Survival over Sorafenib in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
A randomized comparative effectiveness phase III trial demonstrated significantly superior efficacy for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor axitinib compared to sorafenib (Nexavar) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). These data suggest that axitinib may become a new standard of care for ...
Exemestane Prevents Invasive and Preinvasive Breast Cancers in MAP.3 Trial
The aromatase inhibitor exemestane, taken for 5 years, significantly reduced invasive and preinvasive breast cancers in postmenopausal women at increased risk for the disease, in the large Canadian NCIC CTG MAP.3 randomized trial. Results of the trial were presented at the recent ASCO Annual...
Expert Point of View: Sorafenib Acceptable in Child-Pugh B Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
The GIDEON trial “can provide us with important information on safety and single-arm efficacy in the Child-Pugh B population,” said Bert H. O’Neil, MD, of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill. “The results suggest that safety is similar between...
Intermittent or Continuous Androgen Suppression Produces Comparable Survival after Radical Therapy in Prostate Cancer
Men with prostate cancer who receive intermittent courses of androgen-suppressing therapy can live as long as those who are treated with continuous therapy, according to results of a recently concluded study. Until now, standard treatment has consisted of continuous therapy, but this is expected to ...
Bevacizumab Makes Inroads against Ovarian Cancer
Bevacizumab (Avastin) administered with chemotherapy and continued after chemotherapy improves outcomes in ovarian cancer, according to two multicenter, randomized, double-blind phase III investigations presented at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting. The first study, ICON7, incorporated bevacizumab as...
Second Primary Malignancies Explored in Multiple Myeloma
Three randomized controlled trials presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) suggested that treating multiple myeloma with lenalidomide (Revlimid) increased the risk of second primary malignancies; of particular concern is transformation to acute myeloid...
Patients with Early Breast Cancer Benefit from Regional Nodal Irradiation
Findings from a Canadian study presented at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting may expand the pool of patients with lymph node–positive breast cancer offered extended-field irradiation.1 “Results from MA.20 suggest that all women with node-positive disease following breast-conserving surgery be offered...
A Conversation with Constance M. Chen, MD, MPH
Although incidence data vary widely, breast cancer–related lymphedema may affect as many as 54% of the 2.3 million survivors of breast cancer in the United States. The condition is often disabling and can result in both long-term devastating physical consequences for survivors, including the loss...
Screening for Ovarian Cancer Does Not Reduce Mortality and Leads to Unnecessary Tests for False-Positives
Using a CA-125 blood test combined with transvaginal ultrasound for early detection of ovarian cancer failed to reduce the risk of mortality associated with the disease and led to a large number of false-positive tests with unnecessary related biopsies and other follow-up procedures in the large,...
Adjuvant Immunotherapy Provides No Clinical Benefit in Patients with High‑risk Renal Cell Carcinoma
For renal cell carcinoma patients at high risk of relapse following nephrectomy, adjuvant therapy with the combination of interleukin-2 (Proleukin), interferon alfa, and fluorouracil (5-FU) provides no survival benefit over observation alone, according to a phase III trial conducted by the European ...
A Conversation with Samuel Silver, MD, PhD
Over the past 2 decades, significant therapeutic advances have led to greater survival rates and quality of life for patients with cancer. During the same period there has been a transformation in the way oncology services are both perceived and delivered. In a recent conversation with The ASCO...
World Conference on Lung Cancer: Personalized Approaches to Treatment
The 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer hosted more than 7,000 attendees in Amsterdam recently, with the theme “Better Care through Personalized Medical Approaches.” The following are brief summaries of key data presented at the conference, with perspective provided by Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, of...
Long-term Data Show Benefit of Degarelix Beyond 3 Years in Advanced Hormone-dependent Prostate Cancer
Degarelix (Firmagon) is effective and well tolerated beyond 3 years in patients with advanced prostate cancer, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Urology.1 The new study (CS21A) extends the conclusions of the pivotal phase III study (CS21) in which the risk of prostate-specific ...
Crizotinib plus Companion Diagnostic Test Approved in NSCLC
On August 26, 2011, the FDA granted accelerated approval to Pfizer’s crizotinib (Xalkori) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that is anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive as detected by an FDA-approved test. The FDA approved the...
ASCO’s Immediate Past President Helps Build Future of Cancer Research and Care by Supporting Conquer Cancer Foundation
George W. Sledge, Jr, MD, has been treating patients with breast cancer, and pursuing research in the field, for more than 30 years—the last few electrified by a rapid proliferation of knowledge. “We have so much to offer our patients today,” says Dr. Sledge, who serves as Ballve-Lantero Professor...
FDA Approves Brentuximab Vedotin in Two Lymphoma Indications
The antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) was granted accelerated approval on August 19 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Brentuximab vedotin is the first new drug to be approved in Hodgkin lymphoma in more...
Hepatic Resection Remains Preferred Strategy for Colorectal Liver Metastases
Hepatic resection was shown to be superior to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of colorectal liver metastases, according to a model used to stimulate a randomized controlled trial. Researchers from the Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Program at the Providence Portland Medical...
Replacing Epirubicin with Docetaxel for Three Cycles Improved Outcomes for Node-positive Breast Cancer
Substituting docetaxel for epirubicin in the final three cycles of chemotherapy resulted in improvement in disease-free and overall survival in a trial among postmenopausal women with node-positive early breast cancer. Following complete excision, women enrolled in the Docetaxel Epirubicin Adjuvant ...
Yoga, Geriatric Assessment, and Nausea/Vomiting Addressed in Session on Supportive Care and Survivorship Issues
Marie E. Wood, MD, of the Familial Cancer Program at the University of Vermont, Burlington, addressed clinically relevant issues in supportive care and survivorship at the Best of ASCO® Annual Meeting ‘11 in Miami. Delayed Nausea and Vomiting Two studies addressed the problem of...
FDA Approves Denosumab to Increase Bone Mass in Patients with Cancer
Denosumab (Prolia) recently received FDA approval as a treatment to increase bone mass in patients at high risk for fracture receiving androgen deprivation therapy for nonmetastatic prostate cancer or adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy for breast cancer. Pivotal Trials The approvals were based...
SIDEBAR: The March of Progress in Lung Cancer Treatment
Before the discovery of predictive molecular tests (eg, EGFR mutation and ALK rearrangement), each chemotherapy drug for stage IV non–small cell lung cancer had about the same chance of success. Progress was made as more drugs were discovered. Patients lived longer with second- and third-line...
New ASCO Focused Update Recommendation on Maintenance Treatment of Stage IV Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
A focused update to the 2009 ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline Update on Chemotherapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer reflects new evidence on maintenance therapy in patients with response or stable disease after four cycles of first-line cytotoxic chemotherapy.1 The 2009 update...
No Value for Axillary Dissection in Patients with Breast Cancer and Occult Nodal Metastases
In a subanalysis of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-32 study, nearly 16% of clinically node-negative patients were found to have occult metastases upon more detailed assessment of the sentinel lymph nodes. While a slight difference in outcomes was found among this...
SIDEBAR: A Snapshot of I-SPY 2
With principal investigator Laura Esserman, MD, MBA, of the University of California, San Francisco, and co–principal investigator Donald Berry, PhD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center, I-SPY 2 will screen up to 12 different drugs in neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer over the course of the trial. In...
Can Bayesian Design Streamline Our Sluggish Clinical Trial System?
The randomized controlled clinical trial has long been the gold standard for new cancer drugs to demonstrate worthiness of FDA approval; however, many experts contend that that our method of bringing drugs to the market is plagued by undue costs, long delays, and overregulation. According to Donald ...
International Prostate Cancer Studies Report Inroads in Managing Bone Metastases
Treatment and prevention of bone metastases in patients with prostate cancer is coming of age, according to several studies presented at the European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress (ECCO/ESMO/ESTRO). Among the most impressive studies reported was an international phase III trial of radium-223,...
Novel Approaches and Agents Making Headway against Sarcoma
Novel approaches and agents reported at the ASCO 2011 Annual Meeting are improving outcomes in sarcoma, a heterogeneous disease with historically poor outcomes, according to William D. Tap, MD, Section Chief of Sarcoma Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Tap...
