Rates of local regional recurrence were very low for patients with early-stage triple-negative or HER2-positive breast cancer regardless of whether or not they received a breast MRI for staging and surgical planning, according to findings from the phase III Alliance A011104/ACRIN 6694 trial...
A multicenter trial led by investigators at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated that a 5-day regimen of azacitidine provides the best balance of efficacy and safety for patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The researchers compared three abbreviated...
Updated findings from the phase II iMMagine-1 study show that anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel), an investigational CAR T-cell therapy for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, continues to deliver high response rates with a reassuring safety profile. Researchers from The University of Texas ...
Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, reviews data from three abstracts in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) presented at this year’s meeting: outcomes from the phase III VERONA trial of venetoclax with azacitidine vs placebo with azacitidine in patients...
Krina Patel, MD, MSc, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, provides updated results from the fully enrolled, ongoing iMMagine-1 phase II registrational trial of anitocabtagene autoleucel, an autologous anti-BCMA CAR T-cell therapy with a novel D-domain binder. The agent is under...
Jayastu Senapati, MBBS, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, presents initial results from a phase II trial of brexucabtagene autoleucel as consolidation therapy in front-line high-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) or relapsed/refractory B-ALL after cytoreduction...
Health-related quality-of-life analyses for proton radiation therapy and photon radiation therapy in patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer showed similar impacts on quality of life with both treatments, according to findings from the phase III RadComp consortium trial. Shannon M. MacDonald, MD, ...
With 10 years of follow-up, no significant difference in survival rates was reported between patients who were treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These findings from the revised...
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has launched its historic $2.5 billion comprehensive philanthropic campaign, Only Possible Here, The Campaign to End Cancer. The campaign represents the largest fundraising effort in MD Anderson's 84-year history, bringing together philanthropic...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ratan et al, long-term follow-up in the phase III DeFi trial has shown maintained benefits with prolonged nirogacestat treatment in patients with desmoid tumors. Study Details In the double-blind trial, 142 patients with progressing desmoid tumors...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Richard Pazdur, MD, has been appointed Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). Dr. Pazdur is a 26-year veteran of the FDA and the Founding Director of its...
In the global phase III SUNMO trial, the combination of a bispecific antibody and an antibody-drug conjugate was compared with rituximab plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GemOx) in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who were ineligible for autologous...
In an effort to reduce the size of government, the current administration has proposed an across the board 37% reduction1 in funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This will result in approval of only 4% of applications2 from scientists at universities and cancer centers, with 96% of all ...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Neelapu et al, the 5-year follow-up of the phase II ZUMA-5 trial has shown sustained responses with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Study Details In the single-arm,...
“Someday you will be a doctor, Fazlur, and help people,” were the prophetic words of a mother to her son and the driving force behind the early quest of Fazlur Rahman, MD, to become a physician. Born and raised in what is now Bangladesh, he experienced the death of his mother at the young age of ...
Osimertinib in combination with local consolidative therapy of radiation and/or surgery led to a significant extension of progression-free survival for patients with EGFR-mutant metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings from the phase II NorthStar trial presented at the...
Use of PAM50 subtyping allowed clinicians to determine which patients with recurrent prostate cancer were most likely to benefit from the addition of apalutamide hormonal therapy to salvage radiotherapy, according to findings from the phase II BALANCE trial (NRG GU006). These results were presented ...
The oral targeted therapy sevabertinib led to tumor reduction and manageable side effects in patients with HER2-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data from the phase I/II SOHO-01 clinical trial. Over 70% of the patients studied saw their tumors shrink or disappear. The results ...
Belzutifan induced durable responses without surgery in patients with advanced pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma and demonstrated manageable safety in the phase II LITESPARK-015 trial, according to findings presented during the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 (Abstract...
The combination of lenvatinib and everolimus significantly improved progression-free survival compared with cabozantinib in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) that has progressed on PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors, according to findings from the phase II LenCabo...
Patients with cancer who received mRNA-based COVID vaccines within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint therapy were twice as likely to be alive 3 years after beginning treatment, according to a recent study. These findings, which include more than 1,000 patients treated between August 2019 and...
The first-in-class YAP-TEAD inhibitor VT3989 has demonstrated promising antitumor activity and tolerability in patients with refractory mesothelioma, according to findings from a phase I/II trial presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2025 (Abstract 920O) and...
In a Childhood Cancer Survivor Study analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Owens et al identified the risks of colorectal subsequent malignant neoplasms (SMNs) associated with colorectal-specific radiotherapy (RT) doses and chemotherapy doses among 5-year survivors of childhood...
A new study found that implementing a network of cancer drug repositories (CDRs) improved access to cancer medications and eliminated unnecessary medication waste by allowing people to donate unopened or unused medications that would otherwise be wasted. This resulted in patients with cancer...
Treatment with obecabtagene autoleucel was the focus of the phase Ib/II multicenter FELIX study of more than 100 adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).1 The initial report in 2024 revealed a rate of complete remission or complete remission with incomplete...
Stereotactic radiation therapy (SABR) was found to be noninferior to surgical resection in terms of overall survival for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to 10-year results from the STARS trial presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)...
In a single-center phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Tang et al found that metastasis-directed radiotherapy without systemic therapy was associated with good outcomes in patients with oligometastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Study Details In the trial, 121 patients...
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is one of the success stories among the hematologic malignancies. Now, with decades of data informing its management, it is time to change some of the practices to which clinicians have become accustomed, said leukemia expert Hagop M. Kantarjian, MD, FASCO, Professor...
Naval G. Daver, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Uma Borate, MBBS, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, give highlights of a lively debate they engaged in at the SOHO meeting. They discuss concomitant vs sequential use of lower-intensity regimens in ...
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) selected 43 members to receive the ASTRO Fellow (FASTRO) designation this year. This prestigious honor recognizes ASTRO members’ outstanding achievements and contributions to the Society, cancer research, education, patient care, and the...
Each year in the United States, nearly 16,000 children and adolescents between the ages of birth and 19 are diagnosed with cancer.1 And although survival rates have greatly improved for many types of childhood cancers, with more than 8 in 10 children and adolescents surviving at least 5 years after ...
In a study reported as a research letter in JAMA Network Open, Amboree identified U.S. counties with low or high cervical cancer screening coverage and associated risks of cervical cancer incidence and mortality. As stated by the investigators, “Recent research shows that cervical cancer incidence...
July marks a significant transition for many professionals, particularly those beginning structured training programs on July 1. This article is designed to support new and current hematology-oncology fellows and trainees in making the most of their training experience. Although not all suggestions ...
In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology Practice, Herb et al investigated racial and ethnic disparities in the receipt of guideline-concordant care among older adults with pancreatic cancer. Using data spanning 15 years, the researchers examined whether differences in treatment...
Researchers have uncovered that cancer cells degrade protective nerve coverings, causing cancer-induced nerve injury that can lead to chronic inflammation and resistance to anti–PD-1 immunotherapy, according to findings published in Nature. In exploring the role of perineural invasion and...
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...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Syed Ali Abutalib, MD, and L. Jeffrey Medeiros, MD, explore the impact of the prognostic marker RUNX1::RUX1T1 fusion on the diagnosis and treatment of...
Alcohol-associated cancer deaths have doubled in the United States, disproportionately affecting men and those aged 55 or older, according to the results of an observational study presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 Over the study period of 30 years, proportional mortality rates increased...
In an extended follow-up of a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Burton et al examined outcomes with neoadjuvant and adjuvant relatlimab-rmbw plus nivolumab in patients with resectable melanoma. Relatlimab targets LAG3, while nivolumab targets PD-1. Study Details In the...
Researchers have developed a novel AI-powered online platform for diagnosing endocrine cancers with speed and accuracy. The AI models achieved diagnostic accuracy of 99% or more in recognizing multiple endocrine tumors. Reports of the development and validation of the models were presented at ENDO...
A neoadjuvant and adjuvant regimen of anti–PD-1 therapy with nivolumab and anti–LAG-3 therapy with relatlimab led to a 4-year event-free survival rate of 80% in patients with advanced, resectable melanoma, according to long-term findings from a phase II study published in the Journal of Clinical...
Treating drinking water for multiple contaminants, especially arsenic and chromium-6, could prevent more than 50,000 cancer cases in the United States, according to the results of a study by the Environmental Working Group that was published in Environmental Research. Study findings highlighted...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres, manufactured by Sirtex, for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). With this approval, these microspheres become the only radioembolization therapy approved for the treatment of both ...
Patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma harboring PPP2R1A mutations showed significantly improved survival when treated with immunotherapy compared with those without PPP2R1A mutations, according to study findings published in Nature. Preclinical findings from the study also suggested that...
Results of a multi-institutional study published by St-Laurent et al in Science Direct revealed that testing urine-based tumor DNA (utDNA) may help to predict which patients with bladder cancer are at higher risk for recurrence after not responding to first-line treatment. The study analyzed utDNA...
In a single-center study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, DiNardo et al investigated whether frontline triplet regimens consisting of a hypomethylating agent, venetoclax, and an isocitrate dehydrogenase inhibitor were active in intensive chemotherapy-ineligible patients with IDH-mutant ...
A new clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) focuses on the use of radiation therapy for adults with World Health Organization (WHO) grade 4 diffuse gliomas, a category that includes some of the most common and most aggressive primary brain tumors. The...
Mail-in self-collection tests for human papillomavirus (HPV) more than doubled cervical cancer screening participation among never- and under-screened U.S. women, according to a first-of-its-kind study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. In the real-world,...
In 2022, I had a computed tomography (CT) coronary calcium scan to see whether there were any signs of narrowing or blockage in my heart arteries. Heart disease runs in my family. My father died of a heart attack the year before, and I worried that I was at risk for the same fate. It was a complete ...
Providing a brief, 90-day course of preoperative endocrine therapy to older women with early-stage, estrogen receptor–positive, invasive breast cancer may significantly alter both patient preferences and physician recommendations regarding adjuvant radiation therapy, according to data presented...