Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO, has spent more than half of her oncology career as a palliative care physician. After receiving her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in 1973, Dr. Abrahm completed her internship and residency at Massachusetts General...
“Care more particularly for the individual patient than for the special features of the disease.” —Sir William Osler Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) is the most common leukemia in the Western hemisphere. The majority of patients who require treatment are older than ...
In the phase III JCOG1411/FLORA trial of patients with untreated advanced-stage, very low–tumor burden follicular lymphoma, rituximab induction delayed disease progression to high–tumor burden follicular lymphoma and delayed the initiation of cytotoxic chemotherapy, according to Japanese...
This is Part 3 of EGFR-Mutant NSCLC: Treatment Considerations for Early-Stage Disease, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Stephen Liu, Tina Cascone, and Susan Scott discuss the treatment of unresectable...
The dire warnings about the lethal consequences of unchecked antimicrobial resistance are getting louder and becoming more urgent. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has called antimicrobial resistance “one of the most important health security threats of our time,” with at least 2.8...
Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) can offer patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) improved survival while minimizing or avoiding late toxicities associated with the standard of care of radiation with cisplatin chemotherapy, according to a recent ASCO guideline.1 “We show in a...
Prostate carcinoma is the most common type of cancer among men in the United States, accounting for more than 299,000 estimated new cases and approximately 35,000 new deaths in 2024.1 A new ASCO guideline based on findings from a systematic review indicates that in metastatic cases of prostate...
The addition of tafasitamab, a CD19 monoclonal antibody, to the commonly used lenalidomide and rituximab backbone significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, according to data presented during the 2024 American Society of Hematology...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Adi Diab, MD, and colleagues, the phase III ILLUMINATE trial showed adding the Toll-like receptor-9 agonist tilsotolimod to ipilimumab in patients with advanced refractory melanoma produced no benefit. Study Details Four hundred and eighty-one...
Regular physical activity prior to a cancer diagnosis may be linked to a lower risk of disease progression and mortality, according to a recent study conducted by Professor Jon S. Patricios, MBBCh, of the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and colleagues and published in the...
Neoadjuvant therapy that combines chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and the investigational PD-1 inhibitor sintilimab led to a significantly higher pathologic complete response rate in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, according to data presented at the 2025 ASCO...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in combination with lenalidomide and a rituximab product for adults with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL)—including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, DLBCL arising ...
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has evolved from an experimental biomarker to an increasingly actionable tool, informing treatment decisions throughout colorectal cancer care. Whether guiding adjuvant therapy intensification or de-escalation, refining organ-preservation strategies in rectal cancer,...
Adding intraperitoneal (IP) paclitaxel to standard intravenous (IV) paclitaxel plus S-1 (oral fluoropyrimidine derivative) significantly extended overall survival for patients with gastric cancer peritoneal metastases, according to data presented at the 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers...
The phase III DUO-E study evaluated the addition of the monoclonal antibody durvalumab to chemotherapy, and the benefit of maintenance durvalumab, with and without the PARP inhibitor olaparib, in advanced endometrial cancer. As reported this past year,1 the inclusion of durvalumab reduced the risk...
In an interim analysis of a Chinese phase III trial (HARMONi) reported in The Lancet, Xiong et al found that ivonescimab—a bispecific antibody against PD-1 and VEGF—significantly improved progression-free survival vs pembrolizumab in the first-line setting for patients with advanced PD-L1–positive...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted traditional approval to the PD-L1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with trastuzumab, fluoropyrimidine-, and platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic...
In a paper published in JAMA Oncology, Tilki et al reported that the current standard monitoring of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) following radical prostatectomy—1.5 to 2 months—is too short to accurately identify recurrence and inform treatment decisions. Rather, PSA levels should be measured...
In the phase II Neo-N trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Zdenkowski et al found no apparent advantage of lead-in nivolumab in neoadjuvant therapy comprised of nivolumab/carboplatin/paclitaxel for patients with early triple-negative breast cancer. Study Details In the investigator-initiated,...
With right-sizing treatment an aim of many treatment approaches in breast cancer today, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), as well as its overtreatment, has become a potential target of change. Which patients, however, might safely forgo the current recommendations and be safely followed with active...
Erectile dysfunction could be improved through regular exercise in men with prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Galvão et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Sexual dysfunction is a critical adverse effect of prostate cancer treatment and a major survivorship issue among...
This is Part 3 of Evolving Paradigms in the Treatment of HR-Positive/HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Sara Tolaney, Ian Krop, and Mark Pegram discuss second-line therapy...
This is Part 1 of Evolving Paradigms in the Treatment of HR-Positive/HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Sara Tolaney, Ian Krop, and Mark Pegram discuss the treatment of de...
The 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium once again delivered a slate of high-impact studies spanning esophageal, gastric, hepatocellular, pancreatic, biliary tract, and colorectal malignancies. Experts in the field offered fresh perspectives on evolving standards of care, and investigators ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) youth e-cigarette prevention campaign, known as The Real Cost, may have successfully reduced e-cigarette use among youth, according to a recent study published by MacMonegle et al in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Background The Real Cost...
Results from the phase III NRG Oncology GOG-0263 trial—which tested the addition of cisplatin-based chemotherapy to adjuvant radiotherapy following radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy for patients with early-stage, intermediate-risk cervical carcinoma—indicated that the addition of...
The ADAURA trial findings showed a significant benefit in disease-free survival with the EGFR inhibitor osimertinib, compared to placebo, making it the recommended standard of adjuvant treatment in patients with EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for up to 3 years after surgery. In a...
A novel treatment approach may improve outcomes in patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, according to new findings presented by Choi et al at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2025 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer. Recurrent cervical cancer remains a significant challenge,...
In a Japanese phase II trial (MARBLE) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Shukuya et al found that atezolizumab plus carboplatin/paclitaxel showed promising results in patients with recurrent or metastatic thymic carcinoma. Study Details In the multicenter trial, 48 patients enrolled between June 2022 ...
In a phase II trial reported in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Weiss et al found that the combination of pembrolizumab and bevacizumab was active in patients with previously untreated melanoma brain metastases. Study Details In the trial, 37 patients, enrolled at Yale Cancer Center and Moffitt...
Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) does not improve survival outcomes for patients with mantle cell lymphoma who achieve a deep first complete remission with undetectable measurable residual disease (MRD) after induction therapy, according to data presented during the 2024 American Society ...
A combination of two immunotherapies may improve treatment response among patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas compared with just one immunotherapy drug, according to a recent study published by Li et al in Cancer Cell. Background Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas occur in the...
In previously untreated patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, use of the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin-ejfv in combination with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab continues to demonstrate a significant survival benefit over chemotherapy, according to updated...
Recent findings from the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Impact Monitoring Project (HPV-IMPACT), which were published by Gargano et al in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, revealed decreased incidences of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)2+ and CIN3+ lesions among young women....
The PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab plus the tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib continues to demonstrate a significant survival advantage over sunitinib alone in patients with previously untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma, according to data presented at the 2025 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Petrylak et al, the phase III KEYNOTE-921 trial showed no benefit in outcomes with the addition of pembrolizumab to docetaxel in patients with previously treated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Study Details In the global...
In an Italian single-center phase II trial (RADIOSA) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Marvaso et al found that the addition of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) to stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) improved progression-free survival in patients with hormone-sensitive oligorecurrent prostate...
Over the past 20 years, the investment in research and development of cancer therapies has been unprecedented, and the pace of new drug development has been accelerating. To illustrate this trajectory, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 71 treatments for solid cancers in adults...
Cancer and its treatments often contribute to burdensome symptoms that negatively impact patients’ quality of life and treatment outcomes, including fatigue, anxiety, and depression.1 Many patients experience multiple symptoms concurrently2 that can disrupt their treatments and lead to unplanned...
Catharine Young, PhD, has spent the past decade of her career focused on cancer policy and advocacy. A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Dr. Young served as Senior Director of Science Policy at the Biden Cancer Initiative, which began in 2017 by then former Vice President Joe Biden. There she...
In a single-center phase I/II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Floudas et al found that the combination of the human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 therapeutic vaccine PDS0101, the tumor-targeting interleukin-12 antibody-drug conjugate PDS01ADC, and the bifunctional PD-L1/TGF-β inhibitor bintrafusp...
In a Chinese phase II trial (HORIZON-Lung) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Li et al found that trastuzumab rezetecan, a novel antibody-drug conjugate, showed activity in patients with advanced HER2-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Trastuzumab rezetecan consists of a HER2-directed...
A study evaluating the genetic landscape of candidate primary resistance alterations relevant to KRAS targeting in KRAS G12C–mutant colorectal cancers and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) has found that putative resistance alterations are prevalent in these cancers. The finding may explain...
Based on results from the phase II SKIPPirr trial, the addition of 8 mg of dexamethasone to standard infusion-related reaction prophylaxis appeared to reduce the incidence of such events by approximately threefold in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were...
The receipt of chemotherapy or endocrine therapy without chemotherapy could be associated with different long-lasting physical health declines among breast cancer survivors compared with those without breast cancer, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open. Background Physical...
In a retrospective study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hansen et al found that standard-of-care ciltacabtagene autoleucel was associated with better efficacy outcomes and increased risk of some toxicities vs standard-of-care idecabtagene vicleucel in patients with relapsed or...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Alexander Drilon, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, and colleagues, final results of the registrational phase I/II LIBRETTO-001 trial showed continued benefit of the RET receptor tyrosine...
In an overall survival analysis of a South Korean phase II trial (Young-PEARL) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ahn et al found no benefit with palbociclib plus exemestane and leuprorelin vs capecitabine in premenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast...
The Cancer Drug Development Forum (CDDF) held its annual conference in the Netherlands from February 3–5, 2025. Under the title “Challenges, Advances, and Open Questions in Global Cancer Drug Development and Clinical Trials,” the workshop focused on diversity and real-world evidence in anticancer...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Long et al, 7-year follow-up of the Australian phase II ABC trial showed continued benefit of ipilimumab/nivolumab vs nivolumab alone in patients with asymptomatic melanoma brain metastases. Study Details In the open-label multicenter study, 63...