Two gynecologic oncologists and ASCO’s Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President Richard L. Schilsky, MD, FACP, FSCT, FASCO, commented on the findings of the TROPHIMMUN trial for The ASCO Post. “The authors demonstrate efficacy of a new treatment approach for gestational trophoblastic...
Advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients whose tumors have no EGFR or ALK alterations poses a particular challenge in terms of first-line therapy. The use of nivolumab plus ipilimumab as well as nivolumab/ipilimumab plus two cycles of chemotherapy, respectively, as first-line therapy ...
Results of the phase III E2108 study indicate that surgery and radiotherapy given after systemic treatment afforded no additional survival benefit among women with newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer. The practice may, however, reduce locoregional progression of disease, according to a report...
Sharing his perspective on KEYNOTE-177 with The ASCO Post was Axel Grothey, MD, Director of GI Cancer Research at the West Cancer Center, OneOncology, Memphis. “This is a very important, highly anticipated study,” he said. “It’s the first randomized trial of any checkpoint inhibitor in...
“These data are solid, showing a 7-month improvement in overall survival in patients with stable disease or better after first-line chemotherapy. This is roughly a 50% improvement in survival, which is clinically meaningful. Also, progression-free survival was significantly increased with...
According to an interim analysis of the phase III JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial, rates of survival among patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma who did not progress on first-line platinum-based chemotherapy were significantly prolonged by maintenance therapy with avelumab and best supportive care...
LYNN M. SCHUCHTER, MD, FASCO, Chief of Hematology/Oncology at the Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, Philadelphia, was optimistic about the vaccine approach in this study. “We have seen broad use of PD-1 and PD-L1 agents across a range of cancers, and it makes sense to combine the immune...
AN APPROACH using an RNA-based personalized cancer vaccine called RO7198457 in combination with the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab has shown a preliminary benefit, according to an early study in patients with advanced solid tumors. The novel combination was well tolerated, and 8% of patients showed a ...
LYNN M. SCHUCHTER, MD, FASCO, Chief of Hematology/Oncology at the Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, Philadelphia, was optimistic about the vaccine approach in this study. “We have seen broad use of PD-1 and PD-L1 agents across a range of cancers, and it makes sense to combine the immune...
In a phase I trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, and colleagues identified recommended phase II doses of the first-in-class ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3–related) kinase inhibitor berzosertib alone and in combination with carboplatin and found...
In a new study published by Wentzensen et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, a computer algorithm improved the accuracy and efficiency of cervical cancer screening compared with cytology (Papanicolaou [Pap] test), the current standard for follow-up of women who test positive in...
A study by Camacho-Rivera et al published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention examining how increasing knowledge about cancer and cancer services among Hispanic adults may help in reducing inequities to care has found that there is significant variation by ethnicity and other...
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to relugolix for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer; Fast Track designation to a radioimmunotherapeutic treatment for marginal zone lymphoma; and Orphan Drug designation to a novel monoclonal antibody for...
AN APPROACH using an RNA-based personalized cancer vaccine called RO7198457 in combination with the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab has shown a preliminary benefit, according to an early study in patients with advanced solid tumors. The novel combination was well tolerated, and 8% of patients showed a ...
In a new study published by Wentzensen et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, a computer algorithm improved the accuracy and efficiency of cervical cancer screening compared with cytology (Papanicolaou [Pap] test), the current standard for follow-up of women who test positive in...
A study by Camacho-Rivera et al published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention examining how increasing knowledge about cancer and cancer services among Hispanic adults may help in reducing inequities to care has found that there is significant variation by ethnicity and other...
In a phase I trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, and colleagues identified recommended phase II doses of the first-in-class ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3–related) kinase inhibitor berzosertib alone and in combination with carboplatin and found...
Extended analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-426 study upholds pembrolizumab plus axitinib as a preferred front-line regimen over sunitinib in patients with advanced sporadic renal cell carcinoma.1 These updated results were presented at the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program by Elizabeth R. Plimack,...
A visiting away elective is a resident’s designated time to visit another academic program to foster the growth of medical knowledge through patient care from the perspective of another health-care system and educational experience. The time dedicated to make this dream happen is grueling. First is ...
A new study published by Savitch et al in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery found that black patients are less likely to receive surgery for resectable esophageal cancer, which may contribute to higher rates of death. “National guidelines suggest that early-stage esophageal cancer should be...
“GnRH antagonists have several advantages over GnRH agonists,” explained David Wise, MD, of Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health in New York. “There is no testosterone flare on initiation [as there is with leuprolide], no increase in cardiac toxicity, and faster onset of action. Currently ...
Scientists studying a common TP53 R337H variant found among people of Brazilian descent discovered that a variant in the tumor-suppressor gene XAF1 increases cancer risk when combined with the inherited TP53 R337H mutation. These findings were published by Pinto et al in Science Advances. “We...
In a study that investigated objective measures of sedentary behavior and cancer mortality, researchers found that greater inactivity was independently associated with a higher risk of dying from cancer. An accelerometer was used to measure physical activity, rather than relying on participants to...
Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation honored recipients of the 2020 Medical Student Rotation for Underrepresented Populations (MSR), Resident Travel Awards for Underrepresented Populations (RTA), Long-Term International Fellowship (LIFe), and International Development and Education Awards (IDEA)...
In further statements from professional oncology organizations about inequities and disparities among racial and ethnic minorities and underserved populations, as well as racism and discrimination, the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) issued the following statement: The AACI...
The first symptoms I had of colorectal cancer—blood in my stool and abdominal pain—coincided with surgery I had to remove my appendix in the spring of 2017. My surgeon attributed the symptoms to the appendectomy and to the medications I received both before and after the surgery. In addition to...
Susan R. Bailey, MD, an allergist from Fort Worth, recently took office as the 175th President of the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s premier physician organization. Dr. Bailey is the third consecutive woman to hold the office, a record for the AMA. In addition, the organization...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has now published a third book to complete the NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: Head and Neck Cancers series. Each book contains detailed, expert guidance on what to expect and management options for various cancers that impact the mouth and throat....
Although the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has recommended extended-fraction radiation therapy (more than 10 fractions) not be routinely used for palliation of bone metastases,1 a recently published retrospective cohort study using Medicare data for more than 12,000 patients found ...
An analysis of radiation therapy patterns among more than 12,000 Medicare patients treated for bone metastases found that 23.4% received extended-fraction radiation therapy, “wasting both health-care dollars and precious patient time,” according to the investigators.1 One-third of the treating...
In further statements from professional oncology organizations about inequities and disparities among racial and ethnic minorities and underserved populations, as well as racism and discrimination, the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO) issued the following ...
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. Accumulating evidence suggests the benefits of physical activity through the cancer continuum....
As pandemic-related restrictions gradually begin to ease, oncology practices are trying to understand how to safely restore patient access to critical cancer care services. In response, ASCO released the ASCO Special Report: A Guide to Cancer Care Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic, which...
As oncology trainees, we develop skills to synthesize complex data and communicate this information with empathy as we accompany our patients through the trenches of a cancer diagnosis. With the current COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented layer of challenges has surfaced, as our patients who are...
The ASCO Post is pleased to reproduce installments of Art of Oncology as published previously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. These articles focus on the experience of tolerating cancer or of caring for people diagnosed with cancer, and they include narratives, topical essays, historical...
A new infographic in the May 2020 print and online issues of JCO Oncology Practice (JCO OP) outlines paths to implementing ASCO’s Patient-Centered Oncology Payment (PCOP) model—an alternative payment model designed to support transformation in cancer care delivery and reimbursement while ensuring...
GUEST EDITOR Dr. Abraham is Professor of Medicine, Lerner College of Medicine, and Chair of the Hematology and Medical Oncology Department at Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic. In this edition of the Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with pioneering art ...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that occasionally quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this first-part of a two-part installment, Drs. Abutalib and Medeiros highlight the histologically rare lymphocyte-rich type of classic Hodgkin lymphoma,...
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) announced the opening of a Gastrointestinal (GI) Care Neighborhood, a new cancer clinic aimed at improving the experience for patients with GI cancers, which features dedicated GI-related cancer care services on one floor of SCCA’s South Lake Union campus. “We...
In a recent study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,1 an alternative treatment regimen that is less toxic than standard dose-intensive chemotherapy was found to be highly effective for adults with Burkitt lymphoma across all age groups and independent of HIV status. In addition to being...
Breast surgical oncologist Laura S. Dominici, MD, was born and reared in Litchfield, a small town in the southern portion of New Hampshire. “Our house was on a long dirt road, in a very rural area,” she shared. “There were only about 5,000 residents in the town. My mother was a teacher, and my dad...
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and Hackensack Meridian Health recently announced they have formed an Immunology Research Collaboration. Through this joint initiative, researchers can apply for funding to support innovative investigations exploring the power of the immune system and...
Studies have shown a disconnect between where patients say they want to die and where they actually die. According to research from Stanford School of Medicine, although an overwhelming majority of Americans—about 80%—would prefer to die at home, just 20% do. In fact, 60% die in acute care...
Oncology pharmacy practitioners around the world are fighting to provide patients who have cancer with high-quality care despite increasingly limited and sometimes restricted personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as impaired access to essential anticancer medication, according to study...
In an article published in JCO Oncology Practice, David Waterhouse, MD, MPH, of Oncology Hematology Care, Cincinnati, Ohio, and colleagues presented the results of a recent ASCO survey of clinical programs on the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of oncology clinical...
The global toll of breast cancer on women is staggering. In 2018, nearly two million new breast cancer cases were diagnosed, an increase of more than 20% since 2008,1 and mortality rates have increased by 14%, bringing the annual number of deaths worldwide from the cancer to more than 611,625.2...
In the phase II LOTUS trial, the addition of the AKT inhibitor ipatasertib to paclitaxel in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer yielded a strong numerical improvement—a median gain of 9 months—in overall survival, in the final survival analysis reported...
Worldwide, nearly 1.7 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Of that number, nearly 300,000 Americans and more than 500,000 Europeans will be diagnosed with both invasive and in situ breast cancers.1,2 Breast-preserving surgery will initially be performed on approximately 60% of...
Black patients are better represented in taxpayer-funded cancer clinical trials compared to trials run by pharmaceutical companies, although they remain underrepresented in clinical trials, regardless of sponsor. These results were published by Joseph M. Unger, PhD, and colleagues in JNCI Cancer...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched Project Patient Voice, an initiative of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE). Through a new website, Project Patient Voice creates a consistent source of publicly available information describing patient-reported symptoms from cancer ...