Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has transformed treatment for patients with hematologic malignancies, achieving unprecedented responses in some patients, especially those diagnosed with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Cloughesy et al, vorasidenib was associated with improvement in some secondary and exploratory outcomes vs placebo in the phase III INDIGO trial in patients with residual or recurrent IDH1-mutant or IDH2-mutant low-grade glioma. Initial reports at second...
In an interim analysis of a Chinese phase III trial (BL-B01D1-303) reported in The Lancet, Yang et al found that izalontamab brengitecan (iza-bren)—a bispecific antibody–drug conjugate targeting EGFR and HER3—significantly improved the objective response rate vs physician’s choice of chemotherapy...
In an interim analysis of an Australian single-center phase I/II trial (AlphaBet) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kostos et al found that the combination of lutetium Lu-177–labeled PSMA–I&T (LuPSMA-I&T) and the bone-seeking alpha-emitter radium Ra-223 dichloride (Ra-223) was active in...
The addition of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab to weekly paclitaxel, with or without the VEGFA-targeted bevacizumab, significantly improved progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer, in the randomized, double-blind, phase III...
A major study of three of the most common cancers in women, conducted by the Cancer Survival Group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, found variations in the stage of disease at diagnosis, the type of treatment, and the extent to which treatment was consistent with...
In an individual-patient pooled analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Raimondi et al found that neoadjuvant treatment with dual CTLA-4/PD-(L)1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) was associated with higher pathologic response rates vs perioperative FLOT (fluorouracil, leucovorin,...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Bradley et al, the phase III PACIFIC-2 trial showed no significant progression-free survival benefit with the simultaneous addition of durvalumab to concurrent platinum-based chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) in patients with unresectable stage III...
The process of obtaining insurance prior authorization before a medical procedure, service, or medication prescription has typically been left to clinicians. However, as cancer therapies grow increasingly complex, the burden of navigating insurance prior authorization is increasingly being shared...
Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who achieve cytogenetic remission may have better survival outcomes than patients with new or sustained cytogenetic abnormalities, according to findings from a study published in the American Journal of Hematology. The study elucidated how cytogenetic...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology,1 Nicholas A. Pickersgill, MD, of the Department of Surgery (Urology Service) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues found that individuals without prostate cancer undergoing annual prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing often...
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is requesting over $11.5 billion in federal funding for fiscal year (FY) 2027, an increase of more than $4 billion from FY25. The agency shared the request on September 27 in its FY27 Professional Judgment Budget Proposal. The proposal—also known as a “bypass...
The 15th edition of the annual AACR Cancer Progress Report presents a mixed picture of the major advances in cancer care over the past year, including the approval of 20 new anticancer drugs, juxtaposed against the continuing rise in early-onset cancers and disparities in care as well as the...
BTK Inhibitor for Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia: On September 2, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor rilzabrutinib (Wayrilz) tablets to treat adults with persistent or chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who have had an...
Investigators have found several oral bacteria and fungi associated with an increased risk for pancreatic cancer, according to findings published in JAMA Oncology. This cohort study seems to confirm a long-standing suspicion of the relationship between poor oral health and pancreatic cancer and...
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), human papillomavirus (HPV)–associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is the most common type of HPV-related malignancy in the United States. In 2025, ACS estimates there will be 59,660 diagnoses of mouth and throat cancers, and about...
On April 22, 2025, an ASCO Expert Panel voted to approve ASCO’s global guideline on geriatric assessment of patients with cancer older than age 65 who are being treated in resource-limited settings or countries.1 Guideline recommendations were informed by the ADAPTE methodology and formal consensus ...
BMS-986504, a first-in-class agent targeting MTAP, demonstrated antitumor activity in heavily pretreated patients with MTAP-deleted non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings from the phase I/II CA240-0007 trial presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer...
Research has shown that pain is among the most commonly experienced and feared aspects of a cancer diagnosis.1 It’s easy to understand why. In fact, cancer-related pain is so ubiquitous, between 20% and 50% of patients with early-stage cancer will experience pain,2 and up to 90% of patients with...
The outlook for adequate funding for federal health agencies has become more dire. In July, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced it is reducing the number of grant applications it will award for the remaining 2 months of fiscal year 2025 (FY2025), from 9% down to 4%.1 The result is that...
Despite data from the latest edition of The Cancer Atlas showing that nearly half of cancer mortality worldwide is attributed to modifiable risk factors, cancer incidence and mortality rates continue to soar.1 Globally, approximately 19 million new cases of cancer, excluding nonmelanoma skin...
Rechallenge with the HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) after grade 1 interstitial lung disease (ILD) appeared to be safe in a diverse real-world population, including many patients with breast cancer, as presented during the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The ...
Investigators have developed and tested a hybrid reading strategy for screening mammography images with artificial intelligence (AI) that includes reads from radiologists and a stand-alone AI interpretation of mammograms with an uncertainty quantification. According to study findings published in...
In a substudy of the Australian phase II ENZA-p trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Emmett et al found that baseline prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)–positron-emission tomography (PET) total tumor volume (TTV) was prognostic for overall survival and predictive for a beneficial effect on ...
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to zongertinib (Hernexeos), a kinase inhibitor, for adults with unresectable or metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have HER2 tyrosine kinase domain (TKD)–activating mutations, as...
In patients with small cell lung cancer, second-line treatment with the bispecific T-cell engager tarlatamab-dlle (which targets the delta-like ligand 3 [DLL3]) vs standard-of-care chemotherapy appeared to significantly improve overall survival, progression-free survival, and patient-reported...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to dordaviprone (Modeyso) a protease activator, for adult and pediatric patients aged 1 year and older with diffuse midline glioma harboring an H3 K27M mutation who have progressive disease after prior therapy. This...
A recent study published by Menta et al in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology found that many people misunderstand how common skin, hair, and nail side effects are during cancer treatment—and those fears may lead some to avoid or delay care. Conducted by researchers at the George Washington...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Hoogendijk et al, the EUROCARE-6 population-based study has provided long-term survival rates and cure fraction estimates for pediatric patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumors across 31 European countries. Study Details The study involved data from...
New research out of Spain has shown that patients with cancer who had lower levels of the biomarker CD69 (receptor on T cells) before starting treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) had a more negative immune response and were at higher risk of cardiovascular damage and myocarditis.1...
Circulating tumor DNA has many roles in cancer treatment: early diagnosis, tumor profiling, determining response to therapy, and tracking clinical dynamics. In this video, Arvind N. Dasari, MD, MS, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, focuses on it as a marker for measurable...
Earlier this year, the first interim analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-689 trial showed that the use of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as part of a perioperative treatment regimen with standard-of-care surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy (with or without cisplatin alone) improved event-free...
In an Australian phase II trial (De-Squamate) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ladwa et al found that the use of pembrolizumab produced a high rate of clinical or pathologic complete response in patients with resectable cutaneous squamous cell cancer (cSCC), suggesting the potential to ...
In an analysis from the German phase III ESOPEC trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hoeppner et al found that perioperative chemotherapy reduced distant recurrence vs preoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with nonmetastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma. The primary analysis of the ...
In the phase III ASCENT-04/KEYNOTE-D19 trial, the combination of the TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan-hziy plus the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab in previously untreated patients with PD-L1–positive advanced triple-negative breast cancer significantly reduced the risk of...
In a UK population-based study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Watling et al examined the relationship between ever use vs never use of oral contraceptives and the risk of liver cancer. Some findings suggested the possibility of slightly increased risk with longer-term use. As noted by the...
Mammograms can detect breast cancer early before symptoms appear, and regular screening decreases the risk of dying from breast cancer. But a recent survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania shows that some Americans appear to be confused about...
In an analysis from a phase III trial (PACE-C) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Tree et al compared early toxicity rates with intensity-modulated moderately hypofractionated radiotherapy (MHRT) vs stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with intermediate- and high-risk prostate...
New reporting in The Cancer Atlas, Fourth Edition, showed that an estimated 50% of all cancer deaths worldwide are attributed to modifiable risk factors, including tobacco and alcohol use, infections, excess body weight, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, ultraviolet radiation, environmental...
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, FASCO, has been selected for the prestigious 2025 Hologic, Inc Endowed Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award. Launched in 2016, the Women Who Conquer Cancer award program honors extraordinary women leaders in oncology and role models who have excelled as mentors...
In the phase III DESTINY-Gastric04 trial, use of the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) was compared head to head with the monoclonal antibody ramucirumab and paclitaxel in patients with previously treated, HER2-positive metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction...
In an interim analysis of the phase III LEAP-015 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Shitara et al examined the survival benefit of adding lenvatinib-pembrolizumab to chemotherapy in patients with advanced/metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. Study Details In the open-label...
According to the initial findings of an ongoing first-in-human phase I trial, reported at the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2025 Congress, promising results have been shown for a novel off-the-shelf tri-specific antibody in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma highly refractory...
In a UK phase II trial (PLATO-ACT4) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Gilbert et al compared short-term response rates with standard- vs reduced-dose chemoradiotherapy in patients with localized squamous cell carcinoma of the anus. Study Details In the multicenter, open-label, noncomparative trial,...
Findings from a first-of-its-kind national survey are included in “The Health Insurance Maze: How Cancer Patients Get Lost in the Red Tape of Utilization Management,” a new report from CancerCare which details the impact that prior authorization requirement and coverage stoppages have on patients...
Researchers have developed a nomogram prediction model for the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, according to study results published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. A number of significant independent risk factors for DVT...
Artificial intelligence (AI) models, which were pretrained on vast data sets, outperformed a standard baseline model in identifying nonmelanoma skin cancers from digital images of tissue samples, based on a session presented during the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual...
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, Yen Nien (Jason) Hou, PharmD, DiplOM, LAc, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus...
Despite the significant rise over the past 50 years in the use of evidence-based integrative medicine in conjunction with conventional cancer treatments—up from just 20% in the 1970s to about 80% in 20171—training opportunities in the fundamentals of this emerging field within the specialty of...
The JAK (Janus kinase) inhibitor ruxolitinib may prove to be an effective treatment of parkinsonism arising from immunotherapy for patients with multiple myeloma, according to the results of two case reports by Baldeep Wirk, MD, and Jin Lim, MD, PhD, both of Virginia Commonwealth University,...