Researchers have demonstrated that anti–PD-L1 immunotherapy combined with mutation-directed targeted therapy may improve overall survival in patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Cabanillas et al in JAMA Oncology. Background Anaplastic thyroid...
The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group and Caris Life Sciences announced a new multiyear research collaboration that will begin with the interrogation of the TAILORx trial. Background Breast cancer remains the most common cancer type in the United States, with approximately 310,720 new cases per...
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...
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced the election of 90 regular members and 10 international members during its annual meeting. Background Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, NAM addresses critical issues in health, science,...
I have many of the risk factors for melanoma. I’m fair-skinned, blue-eyed, and have a family history of melanoma, as well as other skin cancers, so I’ve always been diligent about practicing sun safety and maintaining annual full-body skin exams to catch any suspicious moles or lesions that could...
Guest Editor’s Note: Advances in cancer treatments have led to an increase in survival rates, but the quality of life is often diminished during survivorship. Because modifiable personal behavior contributes to health-care outcomes, interventions that support healthy behaviors may improve health...
The University of Arizona Health Sciences announced that it has received a $3.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health to continue testing a novel imaging method for breast cancer detection that could provide an alternative to the mammogram....
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may help patients with rectal cancer avoid invasive surgery and its potentially lifelong side effects, according to a recent study published by Williams et al in Radiology. Background “After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for rectal cancer, patients are...
OCE Insights is an occasional department developed for The ASCO Post by members of the Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this installment, the OCE’s Steven Clark Cunningham, MD, MLA, FACS, Clinical Reviewer on the Gastrointestinal Cancers Team, ...
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...
In the October 10, 2024, issue of The ASCO Post, we shared some unique insights from several recipients of the international development and education award (IDEA). As oncologists and cancer researchers from diverse low- and middle-income countries, their experiences at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting ...
In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.”1 The warning came decades after the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, which is the highest risk group, and also includes...
Investigators have highlighted a critical connection between heart failure and cancer, demonstrating how shared mechanisms may contribute to the incidence and progression of both diseases, according to a recent scientific statement published by Bloom et al in the Journal of Cardiac Failure....
Listening to music may accelerate postsurgical recovery, according to recent findings presented by Raees et al at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2024. Background “When patients wake up after surgery, sometimes they feel really scared and don’t know where they are,”...
Implementing the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verification program may reduce rates of postsurgical mortality and increase the proportion of patients with documentation standards such as advanced care directives, according to two new studies presented by Horattas et al and...
Researchers have found that financial fallout can follow patients with cancer and their families as financial bankruptcy, lower credit scores, and other types of financial challenges in the years following a cancer diagnosis, according to two new studies presented by Gomez-Mayorga et al and...
On October 18, Gilead Sciences announced its plans to voluntarily withdraw the U.S. accelerated approval for sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy) for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have previously received a platinum-containing...
On October 18, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved zolbetuximab-clzb (Vyloy), a claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2)-directed cytolytic antibody, with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced unresectable or...
Younger adults with colon cancer tend to be diagnosed at a later stage and have more aggressive types of tumors. Additionally, young patients living with colorectal cancer have long-term, adverse consequences on their lives, which are different from the impact the disease has on older adults,...
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) announced the introduction of two new risk calculators to inform physician-patient decision-making in thoracic surgery. Engineered using contemporary data from the STS General Thoracic Surgery Database, the interactive tools may provide surgeons with accurate, ...
Investigators have found that about 40% of postmenopausal hormone receptor–positive breast cancer cases may be linked to excess body fat, according to a recent study published by Cubelos-Fernández et al in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Background Using the widely used measure...
Investigators have found that one-third of adult survivors of childhood cancers may experience a severe fear of cancer recurrence that impacts their daily lives, according to a recent study published by Pizzo et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Although the number of survivors of childhood...
Researchers have found that the combination of nivolumab plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD) may reduce the risk of cancer progression and mortality in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma compared with standard treatment, according to a recent study published by Herrera et al in The New ...
On October 15, 2024, Novocure announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Optune Lua® for concurrent use with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors or docetaxel for the treatment of adults with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have experienced disease progression on or after...
Many patients with head and neck cancer may lack equal opportunity to access experimental treatments in clinical trials or receive treatments that were shown to be effective in similar patients, according to a recent study published by Zuckerman and Edwards in Head & Neck. Background Millions...
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...
Some cancer types may be slightly more prevalent among patients with multiple sclerosis compared with those without the condition, according to a recent study published by Pierret et al in Neurology. Background In multiple sclerosis, the body’s immune system attacks myelin, the fatty white...
The Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) 2024 Annual Meeting showcased several groundbreaking studies in the field of hematologic oncology, including key findings in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The ASCO...
Researchers have identified genetic risk factors that may contribute to prostate cancer in a diverse group of African men, according to a recent study published by Janivara et al in Nature Genetics. The findings could uncover new treatment options in this patient population. Background Certain...
Researchers found that a higher dosage of radioembolization treatment using yttrium (Y)-90 microspheres than previously recommended may benefit patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in Liver Cancer. The findings could be practice-changing....
The nation’s intravenous fluid shortage was exacerbated this week when flooding from Hurricane Helene damaged a Baxter International plant in North Cove, North Carolina, which makes about 60% of the United States’ supply of fluids used in IVs for patients with a variety of diseases, including...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the PI3K inhibitor inavolisib (Itovebi) with the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib and fulvestrant for adults with endocrine-resistant, PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as...
Despite considerable progress in the discovery and development of new cancer drugs between 1990 and 2022, there may be disparities in both the availability and timeliness of these treatment options globally, particularly among lower-income countries, according to a recent study published by Li et...
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Vanderbilt University have received a $3.7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to pioneer a novel approach to prostate cancer surgery that combines advanced robotics and low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. Overview...
In a Journal of Clinical Oncology editorial, Yara Abdou, MD, and Norman E. Sharpless, MD, responded to a recent study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle that found enrollment in industry-sponsored cancer clinical trials doubled between 2008 and 2022, whereas federally supported trial...
A recent study found that measuring circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a reliable way to predict later treatment response and survival prospects in men when metastatic prostate cancer is first diagnosed. The test may help providers to decide which patients should receive standard treatment vs who...
Canadian vaccination programs may switch to a one-dose, gender-neutral human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination approach to eliminate cervical cancer, according to a recent study published by Drolet et al in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Background HPV is known to cause cervical cancer...
A novel cell therapy targeting CD7 on leukemia cells may provide an effective treatment option for patients with refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a recent study published by Oh et al in Nature Medicine. The findings highlighted the effectiveness of a new chimeric...
A recent study suggests that for people older than age 65 who have cancer, physical activity may be key to reducing the chances of a dangerous fall. People with lung cancer, colorectal cancer, or prostate cancer, in particular, had a lower risk of falling when they talked with their doctor...
Researchers have found that common breast cancer treatments—including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery—may accelerate the biological aging process among breast cancer survivors, according to a new study published by Carroll et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The findings...
Investigators have uncovered that during the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) first decade, the survival rates of Dependent Coverage Expansion–eligible young adult patients with cancer may have improved, according to a recent study published by Roth et al in Cancer. The federal...
The ASCO Annual Meeting brings together oncologists, researchers, and health-care professionals to share the latest advancements in cancer care. The 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (ASCO24) was particularly momentous for those of who received the international development and education award (IDEA). As...
Three years ago, it had become clear that I needed to be tested for the BRCA1/2 mutation. I knew my family history of cancer was not good. My paternal grandmother died of breast cancer when she was just 41, and her mother had likely died of cervical cancer when she was in her 50s. More recently,...
Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, was named the recipient of the 2024 ESMO Award during the opening session of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 in Barcelona. The international award recognizes her work and commitment to the field of breast...
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 ...
The American Society for Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the University of Utah announced updated recommendations for managing intravenous fluid shortages and conserving supply after Hurricane Helene forced the closure of a critical manufacturing plant in North Carolina. The management and...
An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm may be effective at writing physician’s letters, according to a recent study published by Heilmeyer et al in JMIR Medical Informatics. Background According to recent surveys, physicians may spend almost 3 hours per day on documentation activities. “The...
In the field of radiology, where a correct diagnosis is critical to ensure proper patient care, large language models such as ChatGPT may improve accuracy or offer a second opinion in assessing brain tumor magnetic response imaging (MRI) reports, according to a recent study published by Mitsuyama...
In the multiarm phase II NeoCOAST-2 trial, neoadjuvant treatment with datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) plus the monoclonal antibody durvalumab and single-agent platinum chemotherapy led to promising rates of pathologic complete and major pathologic responses in patients with early-stage non–small...
Spiritual beliefs and a historically based distrust of clinical research may influence Black patients’ decisions about whether to participate in cancer trials, according to new findings presented by Gomez et al at the 2024 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting (Abstract...