Research has consistently shown that Native American and Alaska Native individuals are among the most underserved minority populations in the United States and are disproportionately affected by cancer. The results from a 50-year report by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Alaska Native...
Researchers have developed new imaging guidelines, representing a major shift in the management of patients with head and neck cancers, according to a study published by Henson et al in The Lancet Oncology. The guidelines may lay the foundation for these patients to be treated with tailored...
Researchers have developed a novel prompt, embedded in electronic health records, to flag older patients with early-stage breast cancer who may be at risk of unnecessary sentinel lymph node biopsy, according to a recent study published by Carleton et al in JAMA Surgery. Background “In breast...
A new survey conducted in the United Kingdom found two-thirds of the public say they are very or somewhat worried about being told they have cancer—a higher percentage than for any other medical condition, including dementia and having a heart attack—according to polling released today. The...
A novel personalized cellular immunotherapy approach may be effective at treating certain patients with metastatic solid tumors, according to early findings from a recent study published by Parkhurst et al in Nature Medicine. Background Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has already...
On May 30, 2017, 9 days before I turned 19 and soon after I had completed my sophomore year at college, I was diagnosed with aggressive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. But getting to the diagnosis was a tortuous process. I had been feeling fatigued and losing weight for several weeks prior to the...
For patients with cancer and cancer survivors, sexual dysfunction and reproductive health concerns are often the elephant in the exam room—a significant quality-of-life issue that both patients and clinicians struggle to discuss openly and effectively. At the recent NCCN Policy Summit on Sexual and ...
Delegates from the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) participated in the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) on June 7 to 12 in Chicago. ASCO created and was the primary sponsor of six resolutions that the AMA HOD adopted as policy, an...
Targeting lactate with the epilepsy drug stiripentol may reverse chemotherapy resistance in patients with gastric cancer, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in Nature. Background Chemotherapy attacks cancer cells by damaging their DNA. The cancer cells then try to rapidly repair...
Only a minority of adult cancer survivors may have access to specialized survivorship services such as those addressing fertility and sexual health issues, and having survivorship standards in place may help cancer centers better provide services that meet the distinct needs of these patients,...
In patients with advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer and disease control after oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, “switch” maintenance with paclitaxel plus ramucirumab in the phase III ARMANI trial significantly improved both progression-free and overall survival,...
Recent phase III findings support the antibody-drug conjugate belantamab mafodotin-blmf as a treatment option for patients with multiple myeloma in early relapse. Belantamab mafodotin is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) expressed on multiple myeloma cells,...
Suppression of the estrogen receptor has proven to be an effective treatment for hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, but standard endocrine therapies have liabilities that are not limited to their pharmacokinetics or toxicity profiles, which allow for ligand-independent estrogen receptor...
A serum fusion-gene machine-learning model may offer early diagnostic accuracy and could help improve the 5-year survival rate in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Yu et al in The American Journal of Pathology. Background Hepatocellular carcinoma is...
A novel chelator may significantly reduce off-target toxicity in prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radiopharmaceutical therapy, according to new findings presented by Ho et al at the 2024 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting (Abstract 242340). Background...
I read with interest the excellent article by Anant Madabhushi, PhD, and Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, in the May 10, 2024, issue of The ASCO Post, entitled “AI in Cancer Care: Embrace the Change.” I wanted to add information on how an available AI Cancer Mentor application (app) has become a beneficial...
OCE Insights is an occasional department developed for The ASCO Post by members of the Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this installment, the OCE’s Steven Cunningham, MD, MLA, FACS, Clinical Reviewer on the Gastrointestinal Cancers Team,...
Despite urgings from my primary care physician to get a colonoscopy screening after I turned 50, I resisted. As a health-care provider, and someone who is tuned into changes in my body, I thought I would instinctively know if I had a serious illness. I was wrong. Even after finally relenting to at...
When Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD, FASCO, graduated from high school in 1970 and enrolled at the University of Illinois in Champaign, she was determined to seek a career in special education, because she wanted to “help people through difficult situations.” Although Dr. Von Roenn ultimately decided to...
Facing mortality can be a paralyzing experience for some people, but for others, it may ignite a passion to accelerate life. One such person is Kathy Giusti, cofounder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), where she served as Chief Executive Officer and President for nearly 20 years....
Several years ago, a visit to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, so fascinated and inspired Mace L. Rothenberg, MD, FASCO, about the history of flight, he wondered why there was not a similar museum showcasing the past and present achievements in science and medicine. The result...
The highly anticipated ENGOT-en9/LEAP-001 trial in endometrial cancer has missed both its primary endpoints. At the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2024 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, the study investigators reported no significant benefit in progression-free survival or overall survival...
Results of the phase III NADINA trial support a new standard of care for the treatment of resectable macroscopic stage III melanoma. Treatment with preoperative ipilimumab plus nivolumab followed by total lymph node dissection, with adjuvant therapy guided by depth of response, led to a highly...
A little more than 12 months ago, the first major cardio-oncology guidelines were published by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 The extensive document embodied the immense progress of this subspecialty over its short existence. In reaching this milestone, it is worth considering what...
The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) announced that the blue-ribbon selection committee, composed of world-renowned research leaders and visionaries, has awarded the 2024 Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research to Dennis J. Slamon, MD, PhD, of UCLA Health, for his...
Telemedicine visits for cancer care are not only more convenient and possibly easier to schedule than in-person appointments—they may also be better for the planet. These findings were presented by Andrew Hantel, MD, and colleagues at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1522) and simultaneously...
Some people with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer may safely avoid having their lymph nodes removed during surgery without it impacting their survival outcomes, helping to reduce the risk of postoperative complications. This research was presented by Classe et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting...
Osimertinib improved progression-free survival in patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has been treated with chemoradiotherapy—and may be a new standard of care for this population, according to research presented by Suresh Ramalingam, MD, FACP,...
Miriam Mutebi, MD, MSc, FACS, was born and reared in the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. “The suburb I grew up in (Langata), has seen a lot of development over the past couple of decades. When I was a child, it was a smaller community, where you would go and play at somebody else’s house and have...
Deputy Editor of The ASCO Post, Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, recently spoke with gynecologic cancer expert Sharmila K. Makhija, MD, MBA, about her journey to her current position as Founding Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, Bentonville, Arkansas. Raised by...
Like many young boys, David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, loved sports and dreamed about playing college football. He attained that dream, but along the way, family tragedy and a personal battle with a life-threatening disease reshaped his worldview and accelerated his ambitions as a...
Genitourinary cancer expert Toni K. Choueiri, MD, FASCO, was born in 1975 in Beirut, Lebanon, the year a devastating civil war erupted, lasted for 15 years, and cost the lives of some 150,000 individuals and also led to the exodus of almost 1 million people from Lebanon. “People with the financial...
Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, was born and reared in Kerala, a tropical state in southwestern India. Situated on the Malabar Coast, Kerala was named as one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler. “Along with its natural beauty, Kerala is a true melting pot. Over centuries,...
ASCO President for the 2024–2025 term, Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO, was born and reared in Cheektowaga, a town in the western part of New York. “Cheektowaga is the Native American name for ‘land of the crabapple tree.’ Western New York was first settled by one of seven tribes belonging to the...
Lymphoma expert Jane N. Winter, MD, grew up on the south shore of Long Island in New York. “My dad sold cars in my great uncle’s dealership after a failed foray into business after World War II. My mom graduated high school at 16 to go to work to help support her family. When my younger brother...
Leukemia expert Eunice S. Wang, MD, is the daughter of first-generation immigrants, whose work ethos inspired in her a world without boundaries. “My parents were born in China during the communist era, and they immigrated to Taiwan when the communists took over in the 1940s and then subsequently...
ASCO President-Elect Eric J. Small, MD, FASCO, developed much of his multicultural world view during his childhood in Mexico City. “My parents were expatriates who moved to Mexico in the 1950s and settled there. I was born in Mexico City and grew up bilingually. I went to an English-Spanish...
I’m not prepared. It could be a few months, a few years, maybe longer. I don’t know how bad the verdict will be, but whatever it is, I’m not prepared. They always told us to be prepared. That was our motto. At age 7, I joined the Brownies, the beginning of 12 years of being molded by Girl Scout...
Sessions of moderate-to-vigorous exercise may improve the efficacy of antibody therapies, such as rituximab, used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to a recent study published by Collier-Bain et al in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. The findings may demonstrate the potential of...
The profound progress in cancer care since President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act of 1971 into law is evidenced by the soaring number of cancer survivors since the law went into effect. In the 1970s, there were 3 million cancer survivors1; today, there are more than 18 million, and...
Serving as ASCO’s 60th President over the past year has been an honor and a privilege, said Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, FASCO, who will end her Presidential term during ASCO’s Annual Meeting, being held from May 31 to June 4, 2024, in Chicago, and welcome incoming President Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO,...
An ASCO volunteer for nearly 30 years, Robin T. Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO, is humbled and honored to be elected ASCO’s 61st President, effective during the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting, May 31 to June 4, 2024, in Chicago and online. Dr. Zon began her 4-year term in June 2023 as President-Elect and will...
About 3 years ago, I woke up from a sound sleep and was having a hard time breathing. It felt like someone was sitting on my neck, constricting my airways. I could feel prominent swelling in my lymph nodes along my neck and clavicle, and I was scared. A trip to the emergency room proved fruitless, ...
Guest Editor’s Note: Children with cancer and their caregivers face physical and psychosocial challenges during and after treatment. Dance/movement therapy has been used to improve well-being, promote healthy coping, and mitigate the impact of illness, but limited knowledge exists regarding its...
The field of oncology is experiencing a revolution driven by artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Artificial intelligence tools are already being used in medical imaging analysis, treatment planning, and even patient counseling. These advancements hold immense promise for earlier cancer...
Evidence from a small early trial called COBALT-RCC provides proof of concept for use of an allogeneic off-the-shelf CD70-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy called CTX130 in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). CTX130 is engineered using gene-editing...
The female partners of patients with prostate cancer may experience quality-of-life issues that impact their sexual well-being, according to a recent study published by Loeb et al in European Urology Oncology. Background Prostate cancer—one of the most common cancer types in U.S. men—and its...
Treatment with metformin may be associated with a lower risk of developing myeloproliferative neoplasms over time, according to a recent study published by Kristensen et al in Blood Advances. Background Myeloproliferative neoplasms are a group of diseases that develop over long periods of time and...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) in 1996, covering eight tumor types. Currently, guidelines are available for more than 60 tumor types, subtypes, and related topics. The NCCN’s 29th Annual Conference...
In the fall of 2023, Justin Baker, MD, took on the role of Chief of the Division of Quality of Life and Pediatric Palliative Care and Director of the Quality of Life for All Program, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, Stanford, California. He formerly worked at St. Jude Children’s Research...