As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Russell et al, the NCRI AML18 trial has shown survival benefit with treatment intensification in fit older patients with measurable residual disease (MRD)-positive response after first induction for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Study Details In...
Researchers have demonstrated that a targeted intervention may increase screening rates in patients who do not adhere to current colorectal cancer screening recommendations, according to a recent study published by Reuland et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Colorectal cancer screening is often...
“While clinical trials emphasize improvement in cure rates for patients with advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma, an important goal is reducing the potential long-term effects of treatment,” commented Iris Isufi, MD, of the Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut, and ...
The combination of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib and the MET inhibitor savolitinib has demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements compared with osimertinib alone as a first-line treatment of patients with de novo MET-aberrant, EGFR-mutant advanced non–small cell lung cancer...
The addition of the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab to standard neoadjuvant gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy has demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in survival compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in cisplatin-eligible patients with muscle-invasive bladder...
ASCO’s 2022 State of the Oncology Workforce in America report presented a dismal picture of the representation of Hispanic/Latinx oncologists in the field. According to the report, despite initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in the nearly 13,400 oncology workforce, which includes about 36%...
Millions of Americans with cancer likely struggle to access some of the most advanced, state-of-the-art treatments being tested in clinical trials for their disease, according to a recent analysis from ASCO. The 2023 State of Cancer Care in America Snapshot and corresponding manuscript found 70% of ...
The combination of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib and the MET inhibitor savolitinib has demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements compared with osimertinib alone as a first-line treatment of patients with de novo MET-aberrant, EGFR-mutant advanced non–small cell lung cancer...
Millions of U.S. patients with cancer may face barriers to accessing some of the most advanced treatments being tested in clinical trials for their disease, according to a recent study published by Kirkwood et al in JCO Oncology Practice. Background “We need to support bringing clinical trials to...
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 ...
Imagine walking into a fancy restaurant only to find a menu consisting mostly of kids’ dishes. It would make no sense. Just 25% of restaurant diners are younger than age 12, and they rarely write Yelp reviews. But when it comes to cancer treatment, this is not very far from what we do. The median...
Researchers have found substantial variations in the performance characteristics of five commonly used fecal immunochemical tests (FIT), according to a recent study published by Levy et al in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Background Stool-based tests like FIT are currently recommended for...
Combining Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibition with chemoimmunotherapy induction significantly extended progression-free survival for older patients with mantle cell lymphoma, and there was also a trend toward improvement on the overall survival benefit, according to data presented during 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 ...
In newly diagnosed, transplant-ineligible patients with multiple myeloma, treatment with the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody isatuximab plus bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) led to a 40% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death and “deep and sustained responses,” almost...
Consolidation therapy with the PD-L1 antibody durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy extended survival in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) compared with standard-of-care chemoradiotherapy alone, according to the first planned interim analysis of the phase III ADRIATIC trial...
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) announced that following a nationwide search, Vivek S. Kavadi, MD, MBA, FASTRO, will become Chief Executive Officer of the Society, effective November 1, 2024. Dr. Kavadi will succeed Laura Thevenot, who had already announced her intent to retire...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Fürstenau et al, 4-year follow-up of the phase III GAIA/CLL13 trial showed improved progression-free survival with venetoclax/obinutuzumab and venetoclax/obinutuzumab/ibrutinib vs both chemoimmunotherapy and venetoclax/rituximab in the first-line treatment of...
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...
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...
In two studies reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, investigators found that a cell-free DNA (cfDNA) blood-based test (ECLIPSE study)1 and a next-generation multitarget stool DNA test (BLUE-C study)2 both showed high sensitivity for colorectal cancer and high specificity for advanced...
Patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer now have a new medication option that extends survival, according to an ASCO rapid guideline update.1 The update was designed to orient clinicians to outcomes from the CAPItello-291 trial, which led to the U.S. Food...
This is Part 2 of Treatment Options for Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma: What Comes Next, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Andrew M. Evens, L. Elizabeth Budde, and Carla Casulo discuss the management of...
In a pooled analysis of data from clinical trials in the ACCENT/IDEA databases reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Claire Gallois, MD, and colleagues found that patients aged ≥ 70 years receiving oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer had a similar time to...
Long-term exposure to radon gas may be associated with a rise in nonsmoking lung cancer cases, according to a recent consumer survey conducted on behalf of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC–James)....
In 1996, at the age of 37, Kathy Giusti was diagnosed with the incurable blood cancer multiple myeloma and told she had about 3 years to live. In the mid-1990s, effective therapies for this second most common blood cancer were nearly nonexistent. Standard of care for myeloma consisted of oral...
With a 5-year overall survival of close to 90% in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), there have been large treatment shifts over the past decade in this disease, which now includes “more disciplines than it did before,” commented medical oncologist Danielle Shafer, DO, of Inova Schar Cancer...
In the BLUE-C study—reported in The New England Journal of Medicine—Imperiale et al found that a next-generation multitarget stool DNA test showed high sensitivity for colorectal cancer and high specificity for advanced neoplasia compared with colonoscopy screening. Study Details The U.S....
DREAMM-7, which evaluated belantamab mafodotin-blmf, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (BVd) in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, was discussed at the virtual session by Rachid Baz, MD, Myeloma Section Head and Co-Director of the Pentecost Family Myeloma Research Center at Moffitt Cancer Center, ...
Except for my right thigh being bigger than my left thigh, there was no hint that I was harboring advanced alveolar soft-part sarcoma when I was diagnosed with the cancer in 2019. I initially chocked up the discrepancy in my legs to the vigorous workouts I had received during my cheerleading days,...
In a Dutch study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Wisse et al found that a multitarget fecal immunochemical test (mtFIT) improved detection of advanced adenomas vs standard FIT in colorectal cancer screening. The mtFIT used in the study measures hemoglobin, calprotectin, and serpin family F member...
Investigators may have identified colorectal cancer screening programs in Latin America, according to a recent systematic review and meta-analysis published by Montalvan-Sanchez et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Colorectal cancer—the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality...
Hordes of classical and malignant hematologists returned to the tranquil city of San Diego for the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition this past December. The packed agenda lit the Gaslight District up with neuron-searing data, creating an environment for...
In a UK trial (NCRI AML19) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Russell et al found that intensified induction therapy with FLAG-Ida (fludarabine, cytarabine, granulocyte colony–stimulating factor, and idarubicin) plus gemtuzumab ozogamicin did not improve overall survival in younger...
In May 2023, The ASCO Post launched a new feature, View From the Top: The Future of Cancer Care Delivery, which explores how leaders in oncology are developing strategies to ensure continued innovative oncology care in an ever-changing health-care environment. In this installment, Guest Editor Jame ...
A newly published guideline update from ASCO and Ontario Health provides evidence-based recommendations on the use of systemic therapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC).1 Recommendations cover where novel agents fit in the treatment landscape, the management of disease in older patients with...
Invited discussant of the PSMAfore trial, Christopher J. Sweeney, MBBS, Director of the South Australian Immunogenics Cancer Institute, University of Adelaide, Australia, congratulated the authors for a well-powered, controlled phase III trial. “The study showed clear documentation of...
Among patients who have acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with genetic mutations in NPM1, those with no residual leukemia cells in the blood based on high-sensitivity testing after two cycles of chemotherapy achieved high rates of overall survival at 3 years and saw no additional survival benefit from...
Among patients newly diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who were treated with two targeted agents and whose duration of treatment was determined by high-sensitivity testing for residual cancer cells in the blood, 97.2% were free of cancer progression and 2% had died at 3 years. By...
The results of a recent study from the United Kingdom could spell the end of a long-standing treatment strategy for mesothelioma, according to data presented during the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer.1 When combined with...
Greater understanding of biological disease factors in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has led to more effective and personalized treatment options. At the 2023 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies,1 Rebecca Olin, MD, MSCE, of UCSF Helen Diller Family...
Research on the advances in radiation modeling presented by Rebecca M. Howell, PhD, at the 2023 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting may provide insights into the late cardiac effects of survivors of childhood cancer in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS).1 Dr....
A retrospective cohort study by Liu et al published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention investigated the prevalence and reasons for an unsatisfactory fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Researchers found that over 10% of the tests used for routine colorectal cancer screening contained...
Barbara Burtness, MD, the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine and Chief Translational Research Officer at Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, featured the CONTINUUM study at the head and neck cancer session on Highlights of the Day during the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting. She noted the study’s premise...
Researchers have found that the novel targeted therapy zolbetuximab in combination with a standard chemotherapy may extend survival in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma and overexpression of the claudin-18 isoform 2 protein (CLDN18.2), according to a novel...
Catherine S. Diefenbach, MD, Associate Professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Director of the Clinical Lymphoma Program, and Director of Hematology Translational Research at Perlmutter Cancer Center, in New York, called the findings from the TRANSFORM trial “very striking.” “This study...
The second-generation FLT3 inhibitor quizartinib has recently emerged as a treatment option for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in both FLT3-ITD–wild-type and FLT3-ITD–mutated cases. At the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2023 Hybrid Congress, several studies demonstrated the...
In an analysis reported in JAMA Network Open, Robertson et al found U.S. veterans most frequently cited a preference for stool testing as a reason for declining participation in the CONFIRM trial, which compared the effect on colorectal cancer mortality with annual colonoscopy vs annual fecal...
In a modeling study reported in JAMA Oncology, Kalyta et al found that reducing the starting age for colorectal cancer screening with the biennial fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in Canada would result in reduction in colorectal cancer burden at a “modest cost.” As stated by the investigators:...
The 5-year survival rate of pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has continued to increase to 94%, according to a new study published by Pieters et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Background ALL is the most common form of pediatric cancer in the Netherlands—with about...