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Showing 3701 - 3750ASCO 2017: Adjuvant Capecitabine May Extend Survival in Biliary Tract Cancer
A phase III randomized clinical trial in 447 patients with biliary tract cancers showed that treating the disease with capecitabine after surgery extends survival by a median of 15 months compared to surgery alone. The finding could provide the basis for a new standard of care in the disease. This ...
New Canadian Guideline Provides Advice to Physicians to Avoid Overprescribing of Opioids
Opioid overdoses are claiming the lives of thousands of Canadians. The impact of the opioid crisis continues to be devastating to individuals, families, and communities. Inappropriate prescribing of opioids has led to long-term dependence on this class of drugs. To help address problematic...
Delaying Colonoscopy for 9 Months or More After Positive Fecal Screening Test May Increase Risk of Colorectal Cancer
The risk of colorectal cancer increased significantly when colonoscopy was delayed by more than 9 months following a positive fecal screening test, according to a large Kaiser Permanente study published by Rutter et al in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “With this study, we...
ASCO Remembers Robert L. Comis, MD, FASCO
ASCO and the oncology community are deeply saddened by the loss of Robert L. Comis, MD, FASCO, who passed away on May 10, 2017, at the age of 71. Dr. Comis was a powerful voice in support of clinical trials, cooperative group research, and patient advocacy throughout his career. “Bob helped...
FDA Approves Pembrolizumab as First-Line Combination Therapy With Pemetrexed and Carboplatin for Metastatic Nonsquamous NSCLC
On May 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) therapy, in combination with pemetrexed (Alimta) and carboplatin for the first-line treatment of metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer...
ONS 2017: Hospital-Wide Initiative to Standardize the Administration of Vinca Alkaloids Using a Mini-Bag, Side-Arm Technique
Many patients with cancer who receive vinca alkaloids such as vincristine have a treatment regimen including other chemotherapy drugs that are administered intrathecally. If vincristine is mistakenly administered into the spinal fluid, it is uniformly fatal, causing ascending paralysis, neurologic...
ESTRO 2017: ESTRO Announces GIRO, a Project to Save 1 Million Lives in Under 20 Years
Although radiation therapy is an essential part of modern cancer treatment, and is indicated for about half of all new cancer patients, facilities for its provision are sadly lacking in many countries worldwide. Indeed, 29 out of 52 African nations have no radiotherapy facilities whatsoever. At the ...
Ensuring Equitable Cancer Care for All Patients
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death across the globe. Significant efforts, such as the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Moon Shots Program, will drive advances in cancer prevention, screening, and treatment. However, right now,...
ELCC 2017: Prospective Study Shows Concordance of EGFR Mutation Detection Between ctDNA and Tumor Samples
Detection of EGFR mutations in circulating tumor (ct) DNA from plasma samples can be accomplished using the cobas platform, according to findings presented by Kumar et al at the 2017 European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) (Abstract 95PD). Assays of ctDNA offer a noninvasive method of finding EGFR...
Expanding Role Seen for Minimal Residual Disease in Managing Multiple Myeloma
Minimal residual disease is a promising biomarker for guiding the management of multiple myeloma that is becoming increasingly important with the advent of more efficacious therapies, according to emerging data and expert opinion. “The story of minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma is like...
Social Media: A Knowledge-Sharing Tool in Oncology
Social media is a uniquely positioned platform that can spread specific knowledge to a larger audience. Unlike traditional media, it allows anyone to join the conversation, and according to the Pew Research Center, it is here to stay, with 79% of online American adults using Facebook and 24% using...
Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in High-Risk Melanoma: A New Approach
Melanoma is an immunogenic tumor, as it expresses various melanoma-specific antigens. However, it is both biologically and clinically heterogeneous. Biologically, it expresses different melanoma antigens and has diverse genetic profiles among different patients. Clinically, it varies in the amount ...
On the Variance of Cancer Outcomes by Time and Geography
A recent study by Mokdad and colleagues, reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, looks at cancer demographic data for 28 cancers and compares mortality rates in 1980 to results in 2014.1 Publishing mortality rates by geographic area and the observation of significant differences is not new. The...
IMPAKT 2017: Luminal Androgen Receptor Subtype of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Demonstrates Sensitivity to CDK4/6 Inhibition
Researchers have identified a subtype of triple-negative breast cancer that may be responsive to inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6), according to findings presented by Asghar et al at the 2017 IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference, held in Brussels (Abstract 44P). This study also...
IMPAKT 2017: High Baseline Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Levels Signal Superior Responses in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Baseline levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in pretreatment biopsies from patients with HER2-positive breast cancer are significantly associated with pathologic complete response rates following neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus anti-HER2 agents (trastuzumab [Herceptin], lapatinib...
WHO to Begin Pilot Prequalification of Biosimilars for Cancer Treatment
This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) will launch a pilot project for prequalifying biosimilar medicines, a step toward making some of the most expensive treatments for cancer more widely available in low- and middle-income countries. The decision comes after a 2-day meeting in Geneva...
ASCO Provisional Clinical Opinion: Second-Line Hormonal Therapy for Chemotherapy-Naive Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
As reported by Katherine S. Virgo, PhD, MBA, of Emory University, and colleagues in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, ASCO has issued a provisional clinical opinion on second-line hormonal therapy for chemotherapy-naive castration-resistant prostate cancer. The provisional clinical opinion applies...
AANS 2017: Genetic Underpinnings of Desmoplastic Infantile Ganglioglioma/Astrocytoma
Winner of the American Brain Tumor Association Young Investigator Award Anthony C. Wang, MD, a neurosurgeon at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Mattel Children’s Hospital and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, presented his research findings on desmoplastic infantile...
New Spanish-Language Videos and Brochures From ASTRO Provide an Overview of Radiation Therapy
Spanish-speaking patients with cancer have new tools to help them understand treatment options for their disease. The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has released a series of Spanish-language patient videos on radiation therapy for cancer, including breast, prostate, lung, brain,...
Tumor CD274 (PD-L1) Expression and Survival With Aspirin Use in Colorectal Cancer
According to a study reported by Hamada et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, postdiagnosis aspirin use was associated with improved survival vs nonuse among patients with colorectal cancer who have lower, but not higher, tumor levels of CD274 (programmed cell death 1 ligand 1; PD-L1). Study...
‘Out-of-the-Box’ Approach Plus Temozolomide Extends Survival in Glioblastoma
Using a novel approach called tumor-treating fields—which involves the delivery of low-intensity electric fields to the brain by a patient-operated device—along with standard-of-care temozolomide therapy improved overall survival and progression-free survival vs temozolomide alone in patients with...
Selected Clinical Trials of CDK4/6 Inhibitors
This Clinical Trials Resource Guide includes a selection of actively recruiting clinical trials of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors, including palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib in multiple tumor types. All of the studies here and many others are listed on the National...
CDK4/6 Inhibitors: Where They Are Now and Where They Are Headed in the Future
Geoffrey I. Shapiro, MD, PhD, Director of the Early Drug Development Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, explained the current research initiatives involving cyclin D–dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors. Mechanism of Action How do CDK4/6 inhibitors work at the cellular level in...
CDK4/6 Inhibitors: Their Role in Breast Cancer
The robust progression-free survival benefits achieved with the use of the CDK4/6 inhibitors palbociclib or ribociclib in the metastatic setting provided the impetus to study these agents in early-stage breast cancer. Adjuvant studies are underway, but they take time to mature. For evaluating...
Introduction: CDK4/6 Inhibitors: Moving Beyond the Breast Cancer Setting
The novel mechanism of action of drugs that inhibit the cyclin D–dependent kinases CDK4 and CDK6 has prompted effective new treatment strategies. Although the bulk of the data supporting the use of selective CDK4/6 inhibitors is currently in breast cancer, patients with other tumor types are...
European Commission Approves Nivolumab for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progressing on or After Platinum-Based Therapy
On April 28, the European Commission approved nivolumab (Opdivo) as monotherapy for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) in adults with disease progression on or after platinum-based therapy. Nivolumab is the first and only immuno-oncology treatment that has...
Potential Predictive Biomarker of Response to Crizotinib in Lung Cancer
Although the duration and magnitude of clinical response are unpredictable in patients with ALK-rearranged non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with crizotinib (Xalkori), eventually all patients develop resistance to the drug. A study by Pailler et al evaluating whether circulating...
Novel Imaging Method for Predicting Immunotherapy Response
Although cancer immunotherapy can produce dramatic responses, only a minority of patients benefit from such therapy. Being able to differentiate treated responders from nonresponders early in the course of therapy would help to triage nonresponding patients away from ineffective therapies, reducing ...
Second Cancers May Be Deadlier in Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Patients
Second cancers in children as well as adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are far deadlier than they are in older adults and may partially account for the relatively poor outcomes of cancer patients aged 15 to 39 years overall, according to a new study by University of California (UC), Davis...
FDA Grants Lorlatinib Breakthrough Therapy Designation for ALK-Positive Metastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
On April 27, the investigational next-generation ALK/ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor lorlatinib was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive metastatic non–small cell...
FDA Expands Approved Use of Regorafenib for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approved use of regorafinib (Stivarga) to include treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who have been previously treated with the drug sorafenib (Nexavar). This is the first new FDA-approved treatment for liver cancer in...
Joint Position Statement on Management of Aromatase Inhibitor–Associated Bone Loss in Postmenopausal Women With Hormone-Sensitive Breast Cancer
A new position statement, jointly published by seven international and European organizations, identifies fracture-related risk factors in patients treated with aromatase inhibitors and outlines key management strategies to help prevent bone loss and related fractures. It was published by Hadji et...
FDA Takes Action Against 14 Companies for Selling Illegal Cancer Treatments
On April 25, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted warning letters addressed to 14 U.S.-based companies illegally selling more than 65 products that fraudulently claim to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure cancer. The products are marketed and sold without FDA approval, most commonly on ...
NCCN Survey Reveals Oncology Community Professionals’ Concerns About Financial Distress, Access to Care
Oncology community professionals are concerned about the ability of their patients to access cancer screening and treatment under the proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA), according to a survey conducted March 23–24, 2017, at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) 22nd ...
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in End-of-Life Care for Patients With Ovarian Cancer
A study using linked Texas Cancer Registry–Medicare data has identified racial/ethnic disparities in end-of-life care in women with ovarian cancer. The study was reported by Taylor et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Study Details The study included 3,666 patients dying in 2000 to...
Metastatic Uveal Melanoma Response to Adoptive Transfer of Autologous Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes
As reported by Chandran et al in The Lancet Oncology, a single-center study has shown that adoptive transfer of autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes produces tumor responses in metastatic uveal melanoma. Study Details The study involved 21 consecutive patients treated at the Surgery Branch...
21-Gene Assay Score and Chemotherapy Decision-Making in Node-Positive Early Breast Cancer
The 21-gene recurrence score assay, Oncotype DX, determines a score that estimates the likelihood of distant recurrence of disease in women with early-stage estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer; this score is used to assess the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. Testing with this assay is...
Study Associates Comorbidities With Survival Outcomes in Women With Ovarian Cancer
Research from epidemiologists at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, published by Minlikeeva et al in Cancer Causes & Control, suggests that hypertension and diabetes and the use of medications to treat these comorbidities may have an effect on survival outcomes in women with ovarian cancer. Study...
Utilizing Physiatrists to Evaluate and Manage Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment
Chemotherapy-associated cognitive dysfunction, often referred to as “chemobrain” or “chemofog,” is a common occurrence during active cancer treatment and may continue after treatment is completed. However, since treatment other than chemotherapy, including radiation therapy, surgery, and hormonal...
Roger S. Lo, MD, PhD, Receives Inaugural AACR–Waun Ki Hong Award for Cancer Research
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) honored Roger S. Lo, MD, PhD, with the first AACR–Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research during the 2017 AACR Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. The AACR established this award in recognition of AACR President...
Carlo M. Croce, MD, FAACR, Recognized With 2017 AACR Margaret Foti Award
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) recognized Carlo M. Croce, MD, FAACR, with the 11th Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research during the AACR Annual Meeting 2017 in Washington, DC. The Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and...
Trastuzumab Biosimilar Could Lead to Lower Health-Care Costs and Greater Drug Access for Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer
The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family consists of four members—epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HER2, HER3, and HER4—all transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases, which regulate cell growth and survival, differentiation, and migration, as well as other cellular responses.1 ...
Using Geriatric Assessment Strategies to Inform Patient-Centered End-of-Life Care
End-of-life care in any patient with cancer is challenging for the patient, family, and physician. Issues faced at the end of life include pain, depression, loss of dignity, and hopelessness. In the geriatric patient, additional complexities are present in the form of comorbid conditions,...
Equivalent Response Rates With Trastuzumab or a Trastuzumab Biosimilar Plus Taxane in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
In part 1 of the Heritage study, a phase III equivalence trial reported in JAMA, Hope S. Rugo, MD, of the University of California Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, and colleagues found that treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin) or a proposed trastuzumab biosimilar...
Monoclonal Antibody Therapy With Daratumumab in Multiple Myeloma: Expanding Therapeutic Horizons
The advent of successful monoclonal antibody therapy in the treatment of relapsed/refractory myeloma has dramatically improved the prognosis of patients for whom currently approved novel therapies have failed. In 2015, the approval of the combination of elotuzumab (Empliciti) with lenalidomide...
Treating Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Related Lymphoma
Alexandra Levine, MD, MACP, is Professor in the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope, Duarte, California, and has been on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic from the beginning—before the disease even had a name. Dr. Levine spoke with The ASCO Post about ...
Treatment of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Continues to Evolve
Although the prognosis of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has improved with R-CHOP—the addition of rituximab (Rituxan) to the cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone chemotherapy regimen—one-third of patients still relapse after therapy, and patients with the ...
Stage I Lung Cancer: Treatment Advances Have Changed the Game
Read more in the Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP). Visit ASCOPubs.org/journal/jop Patients with stage I lung cancer are achieving excellent local tumor control, thanks to an evolution in radiotherapy and surgical approaches. Jeffrey A. Bogart, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of...
Two Studies Show Potential of Venetoclax as Single Agent and in Combination for Myeloma
Early-phase studies suggest that venetoclax (Venclexta) holds promise as a treatment for myeloma. At the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, investigators reported strong activity in heavily pretreated patients, especially those with the t(11;14)...
Cranberry
Scientific Name: Vaccinium macrocarpon Common Names: Mossberry, sassamanash, bounceberry Case Study M.C. is a 55-year-old woman with a history of stage I endometrial cancer, diagnosed and curatively treated 5 years ago. Since then, she has been having urinary tract infections from time to time....
