In a registrational trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Foss et al found that denileukin diftitox (DD)-cxdl—a fusion protein comprising diphtheria toxin fragments A and B and human interleukin-2—was active in patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)....
A genetic mutation long believed to drive the development of esophageal cancer may play a protective role early in the disease, according to a recent study published by Ganguli et al in Nature Cancer. The findings could help physicians identify which patients are at greater risk of developing...
Managing cancer pain in patients with substance use disorder presents a unique challenge for oncologists, requiring a balance between effective symptom management and mitigation of the risks of substance misuse. During the 2024 JADPRO Live, Antonia Corrigan, MSN, ANP-C, ACHPN, emphasized the...
For patients with “good-risk” ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who underwent breast-conserving surgery and did not receive radiotherapy, tamoxifen significantly decreased the risk of recurrence in the same breast, according to results presented at the 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium...
A self-pay, artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced breast cancer screening program could help improve breast cancer detection rates, according to new findings presented by Sorensen et al at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2024 Annual Meeting (Abstract R5B-SPBR-4). Background Despite ...
Consolidation therapy with the PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab is set to become the new global standard of care for patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to groundbreaking data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024.1...
An updated overall survival analysis of the phase III HIMALAYA study, now at 5 years, confirms the benefit for the STRIDE regimen of the monoclonal antibodies durvalumab plus tremelimumab in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.1 [The STRIDE regimen consists of a single priming dose of...
A 3-week moderately hypofractionated radiotherapy regimen has been found to be noninferior to the 5-week fractionation when irradiating nodal areas in patients with breast cancer, according to data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024.1 The 5-year results of...
In the neoadjuvant I-SPY2.2 trial, a treatment strategy including the antibody-drug conjugate datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), partnered with the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab, yielded a high pathologic complete response rate, especially in immune-positive and ‘all-negative’ subtypes.1...
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 in Barcelona featured several groundbreaking trials with the potential to significantly influence clinical practice. These studies highlighted the benefits of new combination immunotherapy strategies and innovative approaches in the...
Researchers have found that in healthy women, some breast cells that otherwise appear normal may contain chromosome abnormalities typically associated with invasive breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Lin et al in Nature. The findings challenged conventional thinking on the...
Researchers may have developed ultrasensitive, nanoscale sensors that distinguished a key change in the chemistry of the breath of patients with lung cancer, according to a recent study published by Cheng et al in ACS Sensors. Background Individuals breathe out many gases, such as water vapor and...
Researchers have identified genes that breast cancer cells may use to survive in the bloodstream after escaping the low-oxygen regions of a tumor, according to a novel study published by Godet et al in Nature Communications. Each of the genes may serve as a potential therapeutic target to prevent...
“Inequities are a major obstacle in delivering safe, timely, respectful, and affordable cancer care globally,” commented moderator John Varallo, MD, MPH, FACOG, of the Global Surgery Foundation, at the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) World Cancer Congress (WCC) 2024 in Geneva.1...
According to an ASCO-sponsored study of burnout and career satisfaction among U.S. oncologists, 44.7% of surveyed oncologists reported feeling symptoms of burnout. ASCO offers information, practical advice, and member perspectives on how to prevent and manage burnout and prioritize wellness in your ...
At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024, the Eyes to the Future Presidential Symposium showcased innovative approaches in personalized medicine, immunotherapy resistance, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven pathology analysis. These presentations, focusing on the...
The use of measurable (or minimal) residual disease (MRD) status to guide treatment in multiple myeloma has become a topic of intense interest. Phase III studies presented at the Plenary Session of the 2024 International Myeloma Society Annual Meeting moved MRD status ever closer to validation in...
Quitting smoking within 6 months of receiving a cancer diagnosis could add an average of 2 years to a patient’s life, according to a recent study published by Cinciripini et al in JAMA Oncology. The findings demonstrated a broad survival benefit of using evidence-based smoking cessation to help...
Researchers may have uncovered how urothelial carcinoma originates and progresses, according to a novel study published by Nguyen et al in Nature. The findings provided insights into the biology of urothelial carcinoma and may point to new therapeutic strategies for this difficult-to-treat cancer...
In the neoadjuvant I-SPY2.2 trial, a treatment strategy including the antibody-drug conjugate datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd), partnered with the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab, yielded a high pathologic complete response rate, especially in immune-positive and “all-negative” subtypes.1...
A 3-week moderately hypofractionated radiotherapy regimen has been found to be noninferior to the 5-week fractionation when irradiating nodal areas in patients with breast cancer, according to data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024.1 The 5-year results of...
Although significant progress has been made against cancer, especially in the United States, which has seen the overall death rate from cancer fall by 33% over the past 3 decades, translating into averting an estimated 3.8 million deaths from the disease,1 progress worldwide has not been as...
Although improving cancer screening participation in the United States is central to the country’s national goals for reducing disability and death, currently, participation is lagging behind the Healthy People 2030 targets set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A study by the...
Consolidation therapy with the PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab is set to become the new global standard of care for patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to groundbreaking data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024.1...
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to two U.S. scientists: Victor Ambros, PhD, and Gary Ruvkun, PhD, for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. The recipients were named in a news release issued by The Nobel Assembly at ...
An updated overall survival analysis of the phase III HIMALAYA study, now at 5 years, confirms the benefit for the STRIDE regimen of the monoclonal antibodies durvalumab plus tremelimumab in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.1 [The STRIDE regimen consists of a single priming dose of...
Two types of contemporary radiation therapy—proton-beam therapy or intensity-modulated radiation therapy—may provide comparable rates of tumor control with no differences in patient-reported quality of life among patients with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer, according to new findings...
Investigators have identified a substantial increase in the proportion of U.S. patients with cancer participating in clinical trials sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry over the past decade compared with those supported by the federal government, according to findings recently presented by...
Advancing surgical and pathologic techniques may improve overall survival rates in high-risk patients with lung cancer, according to new findings presented by Akinbobola et al at the 2024 ASCO Quality Care Symposium (Abstract 278). Background “Over the past 15 years, a quality improvement...
Medical oncology had a turbulent beginning, as we explained in part 1 of this commentary published in the September 25, 2024, issue of The ASCO Post. And although no other specialty we know of struggled as much, with perseverance and time, it had become a stable specialty of internal medicine by...
Medical oncology had a turbulent beginning. No other specialty we know of struggled as much. But by 1980, it had become a stable specialty of internal medicine and was off and running—with the major problem of how to marshal available resources to freely test the myriad opportunities presented by ...
An updated overall survival analysis of the phase III HIMALAYA study, now at 5 years, has confirmed the robust benefit for the STRIDE regimen of durvalumab plus tremelimumab in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.1 At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 (Abstract...
Research suggests an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called DeepGEM may provide an advancement in genomic testing that offers an accurate, cost-effective, and timely method for gene mutation prediction from histopathology slides. The research was presented at the International Association for the ...
Researchers have explored whether an artificial intelligence (AI)-based tool could help to detect immune-related adverse events in patients with cancer, according to a recent study published by Sun et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Background Although immune checkpoint inhibitors can...
A joint guideline from the International Society of Oral Oncology–Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer and ASCO seeks to fill a gap in the clinical guidance for patients with head and neck cancers who develop osteoradionecrosis following their head and neck radiation therapy.1...
In certain regions of the world, cancer claims more lives than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined, yet surgery has been relegated to the sidelines of global health initiatives. This critical need to address global inequities in access to safe, timely, and affordable cancer surgery led to the...
Growing awareness of the benefits of palliative care in patients with cancer has prompted ASCO to update its recommendations for clinicians, patients, caregivers, and health-care organizations on integrating palliative care in oncology.1 The updated guideline reinforces prior recommendations in the ...
Researchers have developed an alternative set of simple criteria using a prediction model to identify groups of patients who may benefit most from lung cancer screening but are disproportionately excluded by current eligibility criteria, according to a new study published by Kearney et al in the...
Endometrial cancer is most frequently diagnosed among women aged 55 to 65, with a median age at diagnosis of 64 years.1 In epidemiologic studies, women diagnosed with endometrial cancer at an older age are more likely to have high-grade disease, aggressive histology, deep myometrial invasion, lower ...
Immune checkpoint inhibitors, including atezolizumab, have been evaluated in several phase II trials for neoadjuvant therapy in resectable lung cancer, both with and without chemotherapy, such as the LCMC3 trial and CheckMate 816. Ongoing studies, including the IMpower030 trial, are further...
In an article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, corresponding author Benjamin J. Solomon, MBBS, BS, PhD, of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, and colleagues provided a long-term analysis of 5-year outcomes from the phase III CROWN trial.1 Median progression-free survival had not been...
Researchers may have uncovered the mechanisms behind fungal bloodstream infections in patients who receive bone marrow transplants, according to a recent study published by Zhai et al in Nature Medicine. Background A phenomenon known as heteroresistance occurs when a tiny fraction of bacteria...
Guest Editor’s Note: Chemotherapy and its side effects can lead to decreased physical activity and poor diet quality, resulting in unfavorable changes in physical functioning and quality of life. However, adopting healthy behaviors during cancer treatments can be challenging because of physical,...
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...
Some patients with a genetic predisposition for cancer may not qualify for genetic screenings under the current guidelines, according to a recent study published by Samadder et al in JCO Precision Oncology. Researchers are investigating how to advance personalized medicine and tailor prevention and ...
The search for biomarkers of response to immunotherapy is high on the list of cancer-related research efforts. A new classifier in triple-negative breast cancer is showing promise and is currently being validated in the I-SPY2.2 trial, according to Laura van ’t Veer, PhD, Professor of Laboratory...
In an Indian phase II trial (GECCOR-GB) reported in JAMA Oncology, Ostwal et al found that both adjuvant gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) and capecitabine and capecitabine given concurrently with chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) showed activity in patients with resected gallbladder cancer. Study Details In...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Benjamin J. Solomon, MBBS, PhD, and colleagues, analysis of 5-year outcomes in the phase III CROWN trial showed that median progression-free survival had not been reached in previously untreated patients receiving lorlatinib vs a median of 9.1...
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....
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...