Debora S. Bruno, MD, of Seidman Cancer Center at Cleveland Medical Center, discusses study findings that show Black patients with advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer tend to be less likely to undergo biomarker testing or to be treated in clinical trials than White patients....
Linda R. Mileshkin, MBBS, MD, of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, discusses phase III findings from the OUTBACK trial, which showed that adjuvant chemotherapy given after standard cisplatin-based chemoradiation for women with locally advanced cervical cancer did not improve either overall or...
Michael J. Morris, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses phase III results of the VISION study, which showed that lutetium-177–PSMA-617 (LuPSMA), a targeted radioligand therapy, plus standard-of-care treatment improves radiographic progression-free survival and extends overall...
Ian Chau, MD, of Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, discusses first results of the CheckMate 648 study, which showed that nivolumab plus chemotherapy and nivolumab plus ipilimumab both demonstrated superior overall survival vs chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell...
Toni K. Choueiri, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses phase III results from KEYNOTE-564, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab in the adjuvant treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma who have undergone nephrectomy for intermediate-high or high-risk disease or...
Andrew Tutt, PhD, MBChB, of the Institute of Cancer Research, London, discusses findings from the phase III OlympiA trial, which showed that adjuvant olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, following adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, may improve invasive disease–free survival in patients with germline...
The combination of ponatinib and blinatumomab was found to be safe and highly effective in patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The study—presented by Nicholas J. Short, MD, and colleagues during the 2021 ASCO...
A 5-year community outreach and engagement effort by the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania to increase enrollment of Black patients into cancer clinical trials more than doubled the percentage of participants, improving access and treatment for a group of patients with...
A clinical trial in a racially diverse group of postmenopausal women with early breast cancer to study severe pain in the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves caused by aromatase inhibitor treatment has found that the symptoms were more commonly reported in Black and Asian patients than...
Results from the phase II MyPathway basket trial found that the HER2-targeted therapies pertuzumab and trastuzumab demonstrated durable activity in patients with a wide variety of tumors marked by HER2 amplification or overexpression, although responses were limited in those with KRAS mutations....
ASCO has elected five new members to the ASCO Board of Directors and the Nominating Committee for 4- and 3-year terms, respectively, starting in June 2021: Gladys I. Rodriguez, MD, has been elected to a Designated Community Oncologist seat on the Board. Dr. Rodriguez is Vice President of...
Jaap Verweij, MD, PhD, FASCO, was born in 1953 in Velsen, a municipality situated on both sides of the massive North Sea Canal in the Netherlands. His father was a sea captain, and other close family members also plied the oceans for a living in the fishing or transport industries. Dr. Verweij...
Over the past year (May 2020–May 2021), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and expanded indications for many drugs related to the treatment of different types of cancers and adverse events. The new approvals and accelerated approvals are listed below. PEMBROLIZUMAB (KEYTRUDA) in...
Beginning in 2012,The ASCO Post introduced Narratives in Oncology, a special commemorative issue profiling several of the many leaders in the oncology community. Over the past years, many in the oncology community have been profiled in this commemorative issue. A complete list of individuals...
ASCO has elected Eric P. Winer, MD, FASCO, to serve as its President for the term beginning in June 2022. He will take office as President-Elect during the ASCO Annual Meeting in June 2021. “ASCO is as equally devoted to improving outcomes for patients as it is to supporting oncology professionals ...
Doctors and scientists across America at National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers and other organizations recently issued a joint statement urging the nation’s health-care systems, physicians, parents, children, and young adults to get human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination back on ...
Even among a large group of cancer survivors who were mostly insured, college-educated, and had annual incomes above the national average, up to 10% delayed care in the previous 12 months because they simply could not afford out-of-pocket expenses like copays and deductibles. These findings were...
On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the kinase inhibitor infigratinib (Truseltiq) for adults with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with a fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) fusion or ...
On May 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sotorasib (Lumakras) as the first treatment for adult patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have a KRAS G12C genetic mutation and who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. This is the first approved ...
Evan J. Lipson, MD, of Johns Hopkins University, discusses primary phase III results from the RELATIVITY-047 study, which showed that relatlimab plus nivolumab as a fixed-dose combination may improve progression-free survival compared with nivolumab monotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma....
On May 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved piflufolastat F-18 injection (Pylarify), an F-18–labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging agent, to identify suspected metastasis or recurrence of prostate cancer. This is...
An Australian study published by Chow et al in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found a 70% reduction in one type of human papillomavirus (HPV) in gay and bisexual men after the implementation of the school-based HPV vaccination program. The HYPER2 study found that there was a significant reduction...
The American Urological Association (AUA) announced amendments to its clinical guideline on Renal Masses and Localized Renal Cancer, originally published in 2013 and updated in 2017, based on an additional literature search conducted through October 2020. One in four renal masses are benign;...
Adding sintilimab to a regimen of gemcitabine and platinum demonstrated clinical benefit over gemcitabine and platinum alone as first-line therapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These results from the ORIENT-12 trial were published by...
The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) released Trending Now in Cancer Care 2020, an annual report that identifies current and emerging trends in cancer programs across the country. The detailed report presents findings from focus groups that illuminate the short- and long-term impact...
Dannielle Engle, PhD, of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and Avery D. Posey, PhD, of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, were announced at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2021 as the inaugural recipients of the Lustgarten...
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has appointed Agnes Witkiewicz, MD, as Director of Cancer Genetics and Genomics. She will also hold the John & Santa Palisano Endowed Chair of Cancer Genetics. An internationally recognized clinician-scientist who combines groundbreaking laboratory...
The American Academy of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Medicine recently announced the appointment of Leslie McGorman, MPPA, as its new Director of Public Policy. A seasoned professional in both federal and state government affairs, Ms. McGorman possesses 20 years of health policy experience...
Each year, the American Urological Association (AUA) honors the contributions of physician researchers and educators in the field of medicine, the specialty of urology, and the organization. The following individuals are the 2021 honorees: Ian M. Thompson Jr, MD, Ramon Guiteras Award, for...
Memorial Sloan kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announced that Sloan Kettering Institute (SKI) researchers Regina Bou Puerto and Mijin Kim, PhD, have been named 2021 Marie-Josée Kravis Women in Science Endeavor (Kravis WiSE) fellowship grant recipients. The Kravis WiSE initiative, created in 2020,...
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is launching the biggest strategic investment in its nearly 60-year history, committing $11.5 billion during the next 6 years to accelerate research and treatment globally for children with catastrophic diseases. The Six-Year St. Jude Strategic Plan focuses on...
A NEW COLLABORATION between two Western New York cancer research leaders will help oncologists learn whether Black and White patients with cancer respond differently to immunotherapy and seek to improve the safety and effectiveness of these newer drugs in diverse populations. Funded by a 2-year,...
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for Cancer Research (AACR) has recognized Nima Sharifi, MD, with the 2021 AACR–Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research. Dr. Sharifi is Director of the Center for Genitourinary Malignancies Research at Lerner Research...
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for Cancer Research (AACR) recognized Ton Schumacher, PhD, FAACR, with the 2021 AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology during the virtual AACR Annual Meeting 2021 in April. The award recognizes an active scientist whose outstanding and innovative research has made ...
STAND UP TO CANCER® (SU2C) has awarded $6 million to a multi-institutional team headed by Mount Sinai researchers to collaborate with other New York institutions in an initiative that addresses disparities in cancer clinical trials participation by patients who are Black, indigenous, and people of...
Narjust Duma, MD, of the Carbone Cancer Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Gladys I. Rodriguez, MD, of South Texas Oncology and Hematology, talk about the underrepresentation of Hispanic individuals in medicine, especially in oncology, and their efforts to create the first Young...
Breast cancer screening took a sizeable hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research showing that the number of screening mammograms completed in a large group of women living in Washington state plummeted by nearly half. Published by Amram et al in JAMA Network Open, the study...
While the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is higher among patients who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), it’s even higher among patients who have HIV and detectable hepatitis B, according to research published by Kim et al in Hepatology. Among patients with HIV and hepatitis B,...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) presented Douglas R. Lowy, MD, FAACR, with the 2021 AACR–Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research during the virtual AACR Annual Meeting 2021. Dr. Lowy is Chief of the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology,...
On May 21, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to amivantamab-vmjw (Rybrevant), a bispecific antibody directed against epidermal growth factor and MET receptors, for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) honored a number of cancer researchers, physician-scientists, advocates, and policymakers for their achievements during week 1 of the virtual AACR Annual Meeting 2021 (April 10–15, 2021). Several of these recipients were mentioned in previous...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will recognize the St. Baldrick’s Foundation–Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) Pediatric Cancer Dream Team with the 2021 AACR Team Science Award. In early 2013, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and SU2C collaborated to create a Pediatric Cancer Dream Team...
The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have elected Lisa M. Coussens, PhD, FAACR, as their President-Elect for 2021–2022. She started her official role as President-Elect on April 12, 2021, during the AACR’s Business Meeting of Members and will assume the Presidency in...
The Society ofSurgical Oncology (SSO) recently announced its 2021–2022 elected Executive Council Officers, including its new President, Douglas S. Tyler, MD, MSHCT, FSSO. Dr. Tyler currently holds the John Woods Harris Distinguished Chair in Surgery at The University of Texas Medical Branch in...
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to zanubrutinib in pretreated patients with marginal zone lymphoma, and accepted a biologics license application for sintilimab injection in combination with pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy for the first-line...
Data from a study published by Margaret von Mehren, MD, and colleagues in BMC Cancer showed that avapritinib, a platelet-derived growth factor receptor A (PDGFRA) inhibitor, has a “clinically meaningful benefit” for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) with PDGFRA D842V...
As President-Elect of ASCO, you are asked to choose a theme for your presidency. This can be a daunting task, as the theme will not only shape the discourse of your presidency, but also, more importantly, that of the Society. The subject should be one that reflects the needs of the cancer community ...
On May 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab (Opdivo) for patients with completely resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer with residual pathologic disease who have received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. CheckMate 577 Efficacy was evaluated in CheckMate ...
An American Cancer Society (ACS) review of cancer prevention and early detection measures for 2018 and 2019 in the United States shows mixed progress. Smoking prevalence during this time was at an historic low, partly because most people who ever smoked have quit. However, obesity rates remained...
Up to 38.6% of people with colon cancer who have a hereditary cancer syndrome—including 6.3% of those with Lynch syndrome—could have their conditions remain undetected with current universal tumor-screening methods, and at least 7.1% of people with colorectal cancer have an identifiable inherited...