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Showing 3701 - 3750Computer-Based Support May Allow Physicians to Spend More Time on ‘Human Aspects of Cancer Care’
As computer-based physician support systems for decision-making in cancer management continue to evolve, “we will come to embrace this as something that liberates us to spend more time on the human aspects of cancer care,” Andrew D. Seidman, MD, told participants at the 2017 Lynn Sage Breast Cancer ...
Where Are We Now in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?
The treatment of triple-negative breast cancer is rapidly evolving, as clinical trials continue to test chemotherapy agents and combinations and immunotherapy studies promise potentially “game-changing” interventions early in the course of disease, Joyce O’Shaughnessy, MD, reported at the 19th...
Gauging the Impact of Weight Loss Intervention on Breast Cancer Outcomes
“Growing research suggests that body weight is not only related to the risk of developing malignancy, but also prognosis after diagnosis, especially in breast cancer,” said Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, at the 19th Annual Lynn Sage Breast...
Clinical Relevance of Minimal Residual Disease Monitoring Limited in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Although a majority of major cancer centers may test for minimal residual disease (MRD), a recent survey conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, suggests most oncologists remain uncertain about what to do with the results. At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network®...
NCCN Hits 1 Million Registered Users Accessing NCCN Guidelines® and Related Content
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has announced that its registration count has grown to more than 1 million users. By registering on the NCCN website, users are able to view and download all of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) free of charge...
PARP Inhibitors in BRCA-Related Ovarian Cancer—and Beyond!
Poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are among the most exciting new classes of oncology drugs, and their development has coincided with the increasing recognition of the therapeutic vulnerability in targeting DNA damage response and DNA repair. The initial clinical testing of PARP...
ASCO Survey Reveals Concerning Trends in Americans’ Knowledge About Cancer Risks and Impact of Costs on Compliance
Although most Americans, 78%, recognize that smoking is a major risk factor for cancer, just 31% say obesity—the second-leading preventable cause of cancer after smoking—is a risk factor for the disease, according to the results of ASCO’s National Cancer Opinion Survey, which polled over 4,000...
FDA Expands Approval of Sunitinib Malate for Adjuvant Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma After Nephrectomy
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sunitinib malate (Sutent) for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients who are at a high risk of recurrent renal cell carcinoma after nephrectomy. “This is the first adjuvant treatment approved for patients with renal cell...
Donald Coffey, PhD, Prostate Cancer Expert, Dies at 85
Donald Coffey, PhD, a distinguished Johns Hopkins professor and prostate cancer expert, who was the former Director of the Brady Urological Research Laboratory and Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, died on November 9 at the age of 85. Long Career at Johns Hopkins In his...
Paul Neiman, MD, PhD, Founding Member of Fred Hutch, Dies at 78
PAUL NEIMAN, MD, PhD, a founding member of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch), transplant physician, and cancer biologist, died on October 11 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 78. Dr. Neiman was also one of the founders and leaders of the Basic Sciences Division,...
Life With Death in the Room
It began, as so many do, with what a doctor often calls “a small spot,” a vague description that makes a potentially fatal disease sound like something that, with a slight bit of attention, can be ridded, like erasing a misplaced comma. In 2015, during a routine mammogram, doctors found one “small ...
A Revolutionary Technology Offers Hope and Ethical Concern
Aldous Huxley’s classic 1932 dystopian novel Brave New World pictures an eerie future where humans are genetically bred, altered to create worthy citizens. Welcome back to the future. First there was the astounding feat of sequencing the entire human genome; now, thanks to a revolutionary...
New Cancer Care Collaboration Brings Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Care to Norwalk Hospital
NORWALK HOSPITAL and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announced a new cancer care collaboration that will integrate MSK medical and radiation oncologists and care practices with the existing cancer program at the C. Anthony and Jean Whittingham Cancer Center at Norwalk Hospital. For...
Barrie Cassileth, PhD: A Pioneer in Integrative Oncology
Integrative oncology is an evolving evidence-based specialty providing whole-person care by combining conventional approved cancer treatments with integrative and complementary therapies that best serve the needs of patients based on their diagnosis, prognosis, treatment history, and individual...
Balancing Immune-Related Adverse Events With Efficacy of Dual Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Melanoma
MUCH PROGRESS has been made in the past decade in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed metastatic melanoma. In the front-line setting, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) monotherapy (nivolumab [Opdivo] and pembrolizumab [Keytruda]) and combined PD-1 plus cytotoxic...
EXPERT POINT OF VIEW: Geraldine M. Jacobson, MD, MPH, MBA
GERALDINE M. JACOBSON, MD, MPH, MBA, ASTRO Secretary/Treasurer, Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, went into more detail about the importance of this study. “The study directly compared brachytherapy/chemotherapy, which we use...
Pelvic Radiation Therapy Preferred Over Brachytherapy Plus Chemotherapy in Treatment of High-Risk Endometrial Cancer
VAGINAL CUFF BRACHYTHERAPY plus chemotherapy failed to show superiority over pelvic radiation therapy for women with high-risk stage I–II endometrial cancer in a phase III trial.1 Furthermore, vaginal cuff brachytherapy plus chemotherapy led to more pelvic and para-aortic nodal recurrences and...
Dacomitinib vs Gefitinib in Advanced NSCLC: Improving Upon Established First-Line Targeted Therapy
THE RESULTS FROM the ARCHER 1050 study—reported by Wu et al1 and reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post—highlight the recent optimism about improved outcomes in metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. This trial...
FDA Approves Vemurafenib for Certain Patients With Erdheim-Chester Disease
On November 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the approval of vemurafenib (Zelboraf) to include the treatment of certain adult patients with Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD), a rare cancer of the blood. Vemurafenib is indicated to treat patients whose cancer cells have a specific ...
Fat Cells May Inactivate Chemotherapeutic Drug and Contribute to Poorer Survival in ALL
It is well established that obesity increases the risk for cancer mortality, although no mechanisms have been proven to explain the reason for this association. Now a laboratory study investigating how obesity might alter the effectiveness of daunorubicin in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic...
Conqueror in Action: Six-Time Survivor Brittany Sullivan Takes on Sarcoma
Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a cancer so rare that some oncologists have never heard of it. Brittany Sullivan, a 29-year-old anatomy teacher from Nashville, Tennessee, learned about it when she was 3 years old. She has been conquering it ever since. Since her childhood diagnosis, Ms....
Emeritus Membership: What Does Retirement Mean to You?
In a 2013 survey, oncologists in the United States and Canada said they aim to retire at about age 64 or 65—but the majority transition into retirement in the few years after turning 65.1 When oncologists reach the point of retirement, the transition from ever-busy physician to retiree can be a...
Immunotherapeutic Approaches for B-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
New therapeutic agents for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) have led to dramatic improvement in remission rates, but questions concerning the proper sequencing and combination of these agents remain. At the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) 13th Annual Congress: Hematologic...
How Effective Communication Is Integral to Patient-Centered Care
Communicating effectively with patients with advanced cancer not only helps patients and their family members successfully transition to palliative and end-of-life care, it can prevent physicians from experiencing professional burnout, according to Robert M. Arnold, MD, Distinguished Service...
Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: Neoadjuvant or Adjuvant Therapy?
For potentially curable treatment of resectable pancreatic cancer, adjuvant therapy remains the standard “for now,” but evidence is growing that neoadjuvant therapy may be more beneficial, at least in certain patient subsets, according to Thomas Seufferlein, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at the...
International Trials Reveal New Findings in the Management of Breast and Ovarian Cancers
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2017 Congress, held in Madrid, featured important news including at least seven practice-changing or potentially practice-changing trials, which are covered in recent issues of The ASCO Post. Here we present additional highlights of studies in breast ...
No Additional Benefit Found for Routine, Early Palliative Care in Mesothelioma
Early routine specialist palliative care for patients recently diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma did not impact quality of life, an international multicenter study has found.1 “Regular early specialist palliative care for patients was not associated with improved quality of life, as...
Gary Gilliland, MD, PhD, Testifies Before Congress on NIH Funding System
Gary Gilliland, MD, PhD, President and Director of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, recently delivered the following testimony and answered questions from members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. His remarks...
AACR-NCI-EORTC: Tazemetostat as Treatment for Certain Pediatric Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors
Children with relapsed or refractory malignant rhabdoid tumors, epithelioid sarcomas, or poorly differentiated chordomas with a particular genetic defect tolerated treatment with the investigational drug tazemetostat well, and some had objective and durable responses, according to data from a phase ...
Quality Training Program Now Accepting Applications for 2018; Courses to Be Held in Miami and Northern Virginia
Applications are now being accepted for ASCO’s Quality Training Program (QTP), a comprehensive program designed to train oncology health-care providers to investigate and implement data-driven quality improvement, as well as manage clinical and nonclinical processes and outcomes. The program...
Recommend an Early-Career Oncologist for ASCO’s 2018 Health Policy Fellowship
APPLICATIONS ARE now being accepted for ASCO’s 2018 Health Policy Fellowship program. The Health Policy Fellowship aims to provide oncology fellows and early-career physicians with the necessary skills to shape cancer policy and to help increase the involvement of ASCO members in policy, advocacy,...
Documentary Film Takes a Walk on the Wild Side With Oncology Pioneers
Oncology luminaries. Thought leaders. The soul of chemotherapy. These are just a few of the phrases used to describe Emil Frei, MD, FASCO, Emil J Freireich, MD, FASCO, James F. Holland, MD, FASCO, Georges Mathé, MD, and their historic contributions to the world of oncology. Inspired by these...
Funding the Future of Cancer Research Led by Women Making an Impact
WOMEN WHO CONQUER CANCER (WWCC) funds the promising careers of the best and brightest women researchers through the Conquer Cancer Foundation’s Young Investigator Award (YIA) program. Thanks to the generosity of supporters, five awards were granted in 2017. Right now, gifts to the WWCC Endowment...
Julie R. Palmer, ScD, Honored With 2017 AACR Distinguished Lecture on Cancer Health Disparities
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) awarded Julie R. Palmer, ScD, the AACR Distinguished Lecture on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities, funded by Susan G. Komen. Dr. Palmer was recognized for her work as a cancer epidemiologist who has devoted most of her career to...
Breast Cancer Has Changed Me, But the Change Has Been Positive
I’ve always had dense breasts and avoided doing breast self-exams because I couldn’t tell if the lumpiness I was feeling was something serious or merely normal fibrous tissue. Instead I relied on my yearly mammogram to spot any early signs of cancer. Four years ago, I was once again relieved to...
Standard of Care Upheld for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer
THE FIRST FORMAL comparison of two acceptable approaches to locally advanced cervical cancer has concluded that standard chemoradiotherapy is preferable to neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus surgery. The findings confirm what most specialists have believed to be the optimal treatment. The results came ...
Expert Point of View: Alexander Eggermont, MD, PhD
BASED ON THE RESULTS of COMBI-AD1 and CheckMate 238,2 invited discussant Alexander Eggermont, MD, PhD, Professor of Oncology at Gustave Roussy in Paris, commented: “It’s a good day for melanoma!” In COMBI-AD, treatment with the combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist)...
Expert Point of View: Cora Sternberg, MD
FORMAL DISCUSSANT of the STAMPEDE trial, Cora Sternberg, MD, Chief of the Department of Medical Oncology, San Camillo Forlanini Hospital, Rome, commended the study design. “This multiarm, multistage design is very innovative. The investigators plan up to 10 trials over 20 years. The first results...
Could the Rising Rates of Colorectal Cancer in AYAs Be Linked to HPV Infection?
TWO STUDIES published this year examining the incidence of colorectal cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) show an undeniable and sobering trend: Colorectal cancer rates are increasing in this age group, and younger people are dying of the cancer at slightly higher rates than in previous...
Smashing the Glass Ceiling in Medicine
IT IS A SAD TRUTH that academic medicine, like many other professions, has a glass ceiling that hampers its ambitions. In medicine, this glass ceiling blocks women and minority faculty from reaching the highest ranks of leadership. Even if the root cause is not yet known, we want to eliminate...
2018 Integrative Oncology Scholars Program Accepting Applications
Applications are now open for a nationwide integrative oncology training program. The Integrative Oncology Scholars program brings together oncology professors in a free, year-long course. Designed for the full spectrum of oncology care professionals, the program equips oncologists, nurses,...
Engaging Patients in Value-Based Care
Turning the Tide Against Cancer is an annual conference sponsored by the Personalized Medicine Coalition, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Feinstein Kean Healthcare, and CancerCare. Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), AACR Chief Executive Officer, introduced the proceedings for the 2017...
IASLC 2017: IASLC Releases New Atlas of EGFR Testing
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) released its Atlas of EGFR Testing in Lung Cancer at the IASLC 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Yokohama, Japan. The EGFR Atlas provides health-care professionals with information on EGFR testing processes and...
Role of the E7 Gene in High-Risk HPV
National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers have found that for the most common high-risk type of human papillomavirus (HPV) to cause cervical cancer, an important viral gene may need to have a precise DNA sequence. The findings, published by Mirabello et al in Cell, contribute to a better...
Relationship Between Targeted HER2 Therapy and Breast Reconstruction
Trastuzumab (Herceptin) therapy for breast cancers that express the HER2 protein does not increase the risk of complications at the surgical site in women who undergo immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy, according to findings published by Shammas et al in the Journal of the American...
Potential Biomarkers to Identify Patients at Risk for Neurotoxicity From CAR T-Cell Therapy
Although lymphodepletion chemotherapy followed by an infusion of CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells has produced high response rates in phase I studies of patients with refractory CD19-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia...
For Breast Cancer Specialist Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, Medicine Is a Family Tradition
Breast cancer specialist Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, was born in Manhasset, Long Island, and grew up several miles east in Muttontown, New York. Since tiny Muttontown didn’t have its own school system, Dr. Partridge went to high school in nearby Locust Valley, a town on Long Island’s North Shore,...
Immunotherapy for Metastatic Mismatch Repair–Deficient Colorectal Cancer: Game-Changer for Small Group of Patients
PATIENTS WITH DNA mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer display a high level of microsatellite instability (MSI-H)1 and demonstrate poor chemosensitivity and shorter overall survival than patients with mismatch repair–proficient (pMMR) metastatic metastatic colorectal...
Cord Blood Transplantation Proves Beneficial in High-Risk Patients With Leukemia
Studies show that only about one-third of patients with acute myeloid leukemia who have detectable amounts of cancer cells in their blood at the time of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation will be alive 3 years later, compared with nearly three-quarters of those patients without minimal...
Expert Point of View: Sandro Pignata, MD
FORMAL DISCUSSANT of ARIEL3, Sandro Pignata, MD, of the IRCCS National Cancer Institute, “Fondazione G. Pascale,” Naples, Italy, said: “This is new evidence for maintenance therapy with rucaparib [Rubraca]. These results are extraordinary, particularly in the BRCA mutation patients, but also in...
