Breast cancer screening and imaging-based surveillance after treatment remain suboptimal, largely because of confusion in the guidelines and the fact that dense breasts are too often ignored, according to Elizabeth Morris, MD, FACR, FSBI, FISMRM, Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiology...
In a new colocation model for cancer diagnostic services, researchers have found that a new program installed at a community health center that cares for historically underserved populations was able to reduce the time to cancer diagnosis from a median of 32 days to 12 days, according to an article ...
Young women with breast cancer have many concerns about their future fertility. How confident are you in discussing their chances of a future pregnancy, the effect of breast cancer treatment and fertility interventions on these offspring, and their risk of a compromised oncologic outcome after...
An advanced surgical therapy may be more efficacious than conventional treatments for patients with uveal melanoma that has spread to the liver, according to results from the phase III SCANDIUM trial published by Bagge et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Infusing the liver with high doses of ...
In a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Locke J. Bryan, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of pembrolizumab with ICE chemotherapy (a regimen including ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide) produced a high rate of complete response in patients with relapsed or refractory...
Investigators have found that Black individuals’ trust in information provided by the government on cancer fell by almost 50% during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study published by Bispo et al in the Journal of Health Communication. The investigators stressed the need to assess whether ...
In a single-center phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Renata Ferrarotto, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of axitinib and avelumab showed evidence of activity in patients with recurrent or metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma. Study Details In the study, 28...
In the phase II NEOSTAR trial, adding ipilimumab to a neoadjuvant combination of nivolumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy resulted in a major pathologic response in half of all treated patients with early-stage, resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). New findings from the NEOSTAR study,...
On March 16, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dabrafenib (Tafinlar) with trametinib (Mekinist) for pediatric patients aged 1 year and older with low-grade glioma with a BRAF V600E mutation who require systemic therapy. The FDA also approved new oral formulations of both...
In the phase II TBCRC041 trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Haddad et al found that the addition of fulvestrant to alisertib did not improve objective response rate in postmenopausal patients with HER2-negative, endocrine-resistant metastatic breast cancer. Study Details The multicenter trial,...
Consuming a diet rich in vitamin A or its analogs may help prevent pediatric and young adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) reduce their risk of developing pancreatitis during chemotherapy, according to a recent study by Tsai et al in Science Translational Medicine. Background For ...
Racial minorities in the United States may be less likely to receive treatment for prostate cancer and, overall, have worse survival outcomes compared with individuals who are White, according to a new study published by Nguyen et al in Urologic Oncology. Typically, patient-level and...
Investigators have found that patients undergoing treatment for cancer who have comorbidities, metastatic solid or non–B-cell hematologic malignancies, and those living in areas with lower levels of education and higher levels of unemployment may have lower rates of COVID-19 vaccination, according...
Researchers have revealed how the lack of genomic research for individuals with African ancestry—particularly those from the Sub-Saharan region—may be hampering efforts to reduce disparities for patients with prostate cancer, according to a new study published by Gheybi et al in JNCCN–Journal of...
The invited discussant of KEYNOTE-859,1 Elizabeth Smyth, MD, consultant in gastrointestinal oncology at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom, called the findings “practice-changing” but cautioned that better patient selection is needed to optimally apply them....
Results of the interim analysis of KEYNOTE-859 are in, and they confirm the overall survival benefit of first-line immunotherapy plus chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer.1 Pembrolizumab plus a fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing doublet provided a statistically significant improvement in...
In a phase Ib trial (5F9005) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, David A. Sallman, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of magrolimab and azacitidine showed activity in previously untreated patients with intermediate- to very high–risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). As stated...
Dan T. Vogl, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Abramson Cancer Center at the Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, told The ASCO Post that the follow-up of the UK NCRI Myeloma XI trial confirms the importance of...
A study aimed at determining the optimal duration of lenalidomide maintenance after autologous stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma has not answered that question, per se, but has yielded some hints that may inform future clinical trials. The follow-up analysis of the UK NCRI Myeloma XI...
Patients with prostate cancer who undergo active monitoring may experience the same 15-year survival rates as those who undergo radiotherapy or surgery, according to new findings published by Hamdy et al in The New England Journal of Medicine and simultaneously presented at the 2023 European...
In an analysis from the phase III KEYNOTE-826 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Bradley J. Monk, MD, and colleagues found that the addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab did not adversely affect health-related quality of life in patients with persistent,...
In a single-institution phase I trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Marwan Fakih, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of regorafenib, ipilimumab, and nivolumab showed evidence of activity in patients with microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer who did not have liver metastases....
Testing for genetic mutations in urine may help clinicians detect bladder cancer years before the disease shows clinical symptoms, according to new findings presented by Le Calvez-Kelm et al at the 2023 European Association of Urology Annual Congress (Abstract A0268). The researchers identified...
Researchers have found that a novel technique used during prostate cancer surgery may reduce the risk of postoperative lymphocele by 50%, according to new findings presented by Neuberger et al at the 2023 European Association of Urology Annual Congress (Abstract A0656). The technique—involving the...
On March 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided an update on reports of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the scar tissue, or capsule, that forms around breast implants. Previously, on September 8, 2022, the FDA released a safety communication informing the public of reports of...
A common method of detecting prostate cancer may not be accurate enough to serve as a reliable screening tool by itself, researchers have warned. The digital rectal exam (DRE), in which health-care providers check the prostate gland with a finger for unusual swelling or lumps in the rectum, is...
A trial conducted at the University Hospital Bonn, Germany, has been testing the benefit of PSMA-PET/CT (prostate-specific membrane antigen–positron-emission tomography/computed tomography) to help target where to take biopsy samples, potentially improving the diagnosis of prostate cancer by giving ...
In the GET FIT study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Winters-Stone et al found no significant difference in incidence of falls with programs of tai ji quan (also known as tai chi) or strength training vs a stretching control group among postmenopausal women who had received...
Molecular changes observed in the breast tissue of transgender men undergoing androgen therapy may signal the potential for also using the hormone to prevent or treat estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer. The findings were published by Raths et al in Cell Genomics. “These findings build upon...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Gounder et al, the phase III DeFi trial has shown significant improvement in progression-free survival with the investigational oral γ-secretase inhibitor nirogacestat vs placebo in patients with desmoid tumors. As noted by the investigators,...
Ironically, I received a diagnosis of lung cancer when I was feeling my healthiest. In December 2015, when I was just 51 years old, a routine chest x-ray found a small shadow on the lower lobe of my right lung. Despite being a never-smoker, a regular exerciser, and a healthy eater, my primary care...
“There are misconceptions about prostate cancer screening,” Karen Knudsen, MBA, PhD, said in an interview with The ASCO Post about newly published cancer statistics, including an increased incidence of prostate cancer, particularly advanced-stage disease. Dr. Knudsen is Chief Executive Officer of...
Overall cancer mortality rates have decreased 33% since 1991, and cervical cancer incidence decreased 65% from 2012 through 2019, according to the latest statistics reported by the American Cancer Society (ACS).1 Amid this good news, however, was a troubling 3% annual increase in prostate cancer...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, Guest Editor of the Integrative Oncology series, and Yen ...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and colleagues, the phase II SORAYA study has shown activity of mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx, an antibody-drug conjugate targeting folate receptor α (FRα), in women with...
On January 19, 2023, tucatinib was grated accelerated approval for use in combination with trastuzumab for RAS wild-type, HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer that progressed following fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy.1 Supporting Efficacy...
In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology, guest editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Rajendra Toprani, MBBS, MS, MCh, Head of the Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at HCG Cancer Centre, Ahmedabad, India. Dr. Toprani’s areas of interest include oral,...
Discussant of the February ASCO Plenary session, Anjali S. Advani, MD, Staff Physician in the Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders and Director of the Inpatient Leukemia Program, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, noted that the PhALLCON study is the only prospective...
Ponatinib appears to be a more effective tyrosine kinase inhibitor than imatinib in newly diagnosed, Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) when combined with reduced-intensity chemotherapy, according to data presented during the ASCO Plenary Series: February 2023...
On March 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published updates to the mammography regulations to, among other things, require mammography facilities to notify patients about the density of their breasts, strengthen the FDA’s oversight and enforcement of facilities, and help interpreting...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Mauz-Körholz et al, children and adolescents with early-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma enrolled in the EuroNet-PHL-C1 study who had an adequate response to an OEPA chemotherapy regimen (vincristine, etoposide, prednisone, and doxorubicin) and did not receive...
An ASCO expert panel has developed a comprehensive guideline for immunotherapy and targeted therapy in patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancer.1 The guideline is based on the many recent advances in immunotherapy and targeted therapy. “The role of immunotherapy has changed practice in the...
On February 3, 2023, sacituzumab govitecan-hziy was approved for unresectable locally advanced or metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative (immunohistochemistry [IHC] 0, IHC 1+, or IHC 2+/in situ hybridization–negative) breast cancer who have received endocrine-based therapy and at...
Among the high-quality abstract presentations at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), a few always stand out as particularly meritorious. Each year, The ASCOPost asks our Associate Editor, breast cancer specialist Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, to give us his picks. Dr. Abraham is Chairman of ...
In an Australian phase III trial (ONTRANS) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Allen et al found that 1 year of treatment with nicotinamide (vitamin B3) vs placebo did not reduce the risk of keratinocyte cancers or actinic keratoses in immunosuppressed solid organ transplant...
Researchers have found that screening for residual disease prior to a bone marrow transplant may help physicians identify which adult patients in remission from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are at risk of relapsing after the procedure, according to a novel study published by Dillon et al in JAMA....
On January 27, 2023, elacestrant was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for postmenopausal women or adult men with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative, ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following at least one line of endocrine ...
Aparna R. Parikh, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center’s Global Cancer Care Program, Boston, shared her thoughts on the C-800 study of balstilimab plus botensilimab with The ASCO Post. Noting that the...
In heavily pretreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have microsatellite-stable tumors, the novel combination of the monoclonal antibodies botensilimab and balstilimab showed clinical activity, producing durable responses and an estimated 63% overall survival rate at 12 months,...
David Wang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and VA North Texas Health Care System, was invited to discuss the CheckMate 649 and RATIONALE 305 studies. “CheckMate 649 was the first randomized controlled trial to demonstrate a significant survival...