In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Living a Full Life series, I interviewed Dario Trapani, MD, a medical oncologist at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan and Assistant Professor at the Department of Oncology and Haemato-Oncology of the University of Milan, in Italy. Dr. Trapani is a...
On July 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Guardant Health’s Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening in adults aged 45 years and older who are at average risk for the disease. It is the first blood test to be approved by the FDA as a primary screening option for...
The advancement of retinoblastoma treatment over the past 15 years may have resulted in a higher likelihood of vision preservation without compromising survival, according to a recent study presented by Kocharian et al at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) Annual Meeting 2024 and...
Agricultural pesticides may carry a similar risk as smoking for some types of cancers, according to a recent study published by Gerken et al in Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society. Background In modern agriculture practices, pesticides are essential to ensure high enough crop yields and food...
The anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin is a standard of care for certain types of lymphomas, including classical Hodgkin lymphoma in combination with multiagent chemotherapy. Brentuximab vedotin has also shown efficacy and safety in combination with lenalidomide and rituximab in...
When health-care providers, including oncologists, fail to promptly diagnose a medical condition or communicate their diagnosis to their patients, it can have devastating consequences for those patients. In such cases, patients may seek legal recourse through medical malpractice lawsuits, creating...
In a study reported in NEJM Evidence, Joseph A. Sparano, MD, and colleagues found that a risk score integrating the 21-gene recurrence score (RS) with clinicopathologic factors—the RSClin tool—performed well in predicting risk of late distant recurrence in patients with breast cancer. Study...
Blocking the tyrosine kinase KDR could lead to cell death caused by the degradation of the TAX viral protein, thereby treating diseases associated with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), according to a recent study published by Mohanty et al in Nature Communications. Background HTLV-1 is...
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...
Investigators have assessed whether RNAs can be used as a biomarker to predict which patients with stage II colorectal cancer may benefit from postsurgical chemotherapy, according to a recent study published by Korsgaard et al in The American Journal of Pathology. Background Colorectal cancer is...
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 ...
A novel algorithm may help physicians to identify which patients have a highly aggressive subtype of facial basal cell carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Ceder et al in Dermatology Practical & Conceptual. Background Basal cell carcinoma—the most common type of skin...
Researchers have uncovered the long-term effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy on the hearing of cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Sanchez et al in JAMA Oncology. Background Cisplatin is commonly used in chemotherapy to treat a variety of cancer types, including...
Patients with treatment-refractory tumors who received eligibility and testing waivers to participate in a large basket/umbrella oncology trial demonstrated similar rates of clinical benefit and adverse events compared with patients who participated in the trial without waivers, according to recent ...
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) are applauding efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to broaden eligibility criteria for cancer clinical trials in order to include more diverse patient populations. In joint comments submitted on ...
Investigators have uncovered the potential benefit of undergoing alcohol rehabilitation and maintaining abstinence in patients with alcohol dependence at risk of developing alcohol-associated cancers, according to a recent study published by Schwarzinger et al in The Lancet Public Health. The...
For hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer that has progressed on CDK4/6 inhibition plus endocrine therapy, the CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib plus fulvestrant significantly reduced the risk of further disease progression in the phase III postMONARCH study.1 “The postMONARCH ...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues, interim analysis of the phase III NATALEE trial has shown improved invasive disease–free survival with the addition of...
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who undergo frequent immunoglobulin G testing may be less likely to experience severe infections than those who don’t undergo frequent testing, according to a recent study published by Soumerai et al in Blood Advances....
Findings from a Spanish study on the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 infection among patients with cancer recommend administering additional doses of the vaccine to this at-risk population. These data were published by Neto et al in Nature Communications. Patients with cancer are at an...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Akihito Kawazoe, MD, and colleagues, the final analysis of the phase III LEAP-017 trial showed no significant overall survival benefit with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab vs the standard of care in previously treated patients with mismatch...
Craig Jordan, CMG, OBE, PhD, DSc, FMedSci, a pioneering scientist whose innovative work in breast cancer research has saved countless lives and will continue to impact the field for generations to come, died on June 9, according to a news release from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer...
Investigators have found that U.S. veterans who underwent lung cancer screening prior to diagnosis were potentially more likely to be diagnosed with earlier-stage disease and have a higher cure rate compared with those who did not undergo screening, according to a recent study published by Edwards...
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,...
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...
Following an extensive national search, Diane M. Simeone, MD, has been appointed Director of Moores Cancer Center at the University of California (UC) San Diego Health. Dr. Simeone brings institutional, national, and international leadership experience both to oncologic patient care and scientific...
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...
Osimertinib significantly improved progression-free survival compared with placebo in patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutated non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following definitive chemoradiotherapy. These findings of the phase III LAURA trial suggest that osimertinib may become a new...
The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab may offer benefit in patients with soft-tissue sarcoma, according to recent findings presented by Mowery et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 11504). Background Soft-tissue sarcoma is a rare type of cancer affecting muscles, fat, and other connective...
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...
Allison M. Winter, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, discusses real-world outcomes with lisocabtagene maraleucel in patients with Richter transformation, a difficult-to-treat population with a poor prognosis. Data from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant...
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...
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...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN®) has announced the election of Matt Kalaycio, MD, FACP, as Chair of the Board of Directors, with Christopher H. Lieu, MD, elected as Vice-Chair, succeeding Dr. Kalaycio in the position he has held since 2022. “The exemplary leadership from our Board...
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...
On behalf of 2024 International Development and Education Award (IDEA) awardees, we received the decision of our acceptance in this outstanding training program offering mentorship and educational opportunities for early-career oncologists and cancer researchers with great interest. This will...
A longitudinal cohort study published by Gottschlich et al in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention investigated the optimal interval between screening tests and the long-term risk of cervical precancer or worse (CIN2+). Researchers found that the risk of cervical precancer 8 years after ...
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...
Researchers have uncovered novel genetic variants potentially associated with a higher risk of breast cancer–related mortality among women of African ancestry, according to a recent study published by Jia et al in Nature Genetics. Background Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among...