Search Results
Your search for it matches 15746 pages
Showing 5101 - 5150Pet Therapy: How the Cat I Never Wanted Saved My Life
My husband and I adopted our cat, Franklin, on a cold November day. It was one of the last days Andrew felt well enough to leave the house to go anywhere other than to chemotherapy or a doctor’s appointment. Our news at these appointments had shifted toward the negative, with disease progression...
Past CMS and FDA Head Discusses Challenges in U.S. Health-Care Policy and Possible Solutions
As evidenced at this year’s ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program, oncology science, technology, and clinical practice are evolving at a rapid pace, bringing new challenges to the efficient and ethical practice of cancer care at all levels. To shed light on some of the large-scale public health and...
ASCO Updates Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Guideline
ASCO has released an update to its Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Guideline that includes recommendations for second-line treatment, including early biomarker testing for actionable genomic alterations.1 Last updated in 2018, this new version was triggered by novel evidence related to targeted...
FDA Pipeline: Priority Reviews for Immunotherapy Dose Regimen, Small Cell Lung Cancer; Fast Track Designations in Brain Cancer and Leukemia
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Reviews for a novel dosing regimen for durvalumab as well as for trilaciclib in small cell lung cancer; granted Fast Track designations to treatments for glioblastoma and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia; and issued reports...
Study Finds Treatment Delays for Patients With Breast Cancer Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic
The results of an online questionnaire of 609 breast cancer survivors in the United States suggest that nearly half of patients experienced delays in care during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was published by Papautsky et al in the journal Breast Cancer Research and ...
Updated Registry Data Confirm Higher COVID-19–Related Mortality in Patients With Cancer
“The distressing intersection of COVID-19 and cancer requires the use of large registries to acknowledge diversity,” stated Solange Peters, MD, PhD, President of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), in her keynote speech at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual...
Tumor Mutational Burden and the Future of Complex Biomarkers
The development of complex biomarkers such as tumor mutational burden (TMB) has enabled clinicians to identify patients more likely to respond to treatment of a variety of cancers, leading to more accurate diagnoses and improved outcomes. Differences in testing assays, however, have produced...
Three Novel Genetic Variants Linked to Male Breast Cancer Discovered
Scientists have newly discovered three genetic changes that increase the risk of breast cancer in men. These findings were published by Maguire et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The researchers identified three common variations in DNA that predispose men to developing breast...
Molecular Testing in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Understanding How, When, and What to Profile
“In line with the emergence of targeted therapies, molecular biomarker testing in metastatic colorectal cancer has evolved over the past decade,” noted Jeanne Tie, MD, MBChB, FRACP, who acknowledged there is confusion about the best ways to use molecular testing in the clinic. Dr. Tie, who is...
Genomic Analysis of Cervical Cancer in Ugandan Patients
Nineteen of the 20 nations with the highest cervical cancer death rates are in sub-Saharan Africa. Now an international team has published the first comprehensive genomic study of cervical cancers in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on tumors from 212 Ugandan patients with cervical cancer. Their...
Brigatinib vs Crizotinib in ALK Inhibitor–Naive Patients With ALK-Positive Advanced NSCLC
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, and colleagues, a second prespecified interim analysis of the pivotal phase III ALTA-1L trial has shown maintained progression-free survival benefit with brigatinib vs crizotinib in ALK inhibitor–naive patients with...
Risk-Stratified Stem Cell Transplant and Vinblastine Monotherapy for Relapsed Pediatric Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Knörr et al, a trial of risk-stratified treatment for relapsed pediatric anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) showed that allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) was effective in patients with high-risk relapse, whereas autologous SCT was not...
Balancing Efficacy and Safety of Targeted Therapy in Breast Cancer Care
Novel targeted therapies have increased the likelihood of cure and prolonged survival in many patients with advanced breast cancer (Table 1), but these new agents also carry toxicity profiles that vary greatly from those of traditional chemotherapy. During the ASCO20 Virtual Education Program,...
Aspirin May Accelerate the Progression of Advanced Cancers in Older Adults
Results from a recent clinical trial indicated that for older adults with advanced cancer, initiating aspirin treatment may increase their risk of disease progression and mortality. These findings were published by McNeil et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Study Background and...
Study Finds Radiotherapy May Be Associated With Long-Term Impact on the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health of Childhood Cancer Survivors
A study by Wilson et al investigating the impact of radiation therapy on adult survivors of pediatric abdominal and pelvic tumors has found that these survivors were significantly more likely to have insulin resistance, high levels of triglycerides, and low levels of high-density lipoproteins...
Expert Point of View: Amit Mahipal, MBBS, MPH
Amit Mahipal, MBBS, MPH, Consultant, Associate Professor of Oncology, Mayo College of Medicine, Rochester, put the findings for tremelimumab/durvalumab into context regarding other studies evaluating checkpoint inhibitors in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. In the current study by Kelly et al, he ...
Novel Tremelimumab/Durvalumab Regimen Active in Advanced Hepatocelluar Carcinoma
A single priming dose of tremelimumab and durvalumab, followed by monthly durvalumab, showed clinical activity in a predominantly second-line advanced hepatocellular carcinoma population, in a study reported at the ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer Virtual 2020.1 In a study of 332...
FDA Pipeline: Approval for First Liquid Biopsy Next-Generation Sequencing Companion Diagnostic; Designations in Ovarian Cancer, Leukemia, and Lymphoma
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first liquid biopsy companion diagnostic that also uses next-generation sequencing technology to identify patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and specific types of EGFR mutations. The FDA also granted Fast Track...
Providing Aid for Patients With Cancer Affected by the Beirut Explosion
The explosion of 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate near the port of Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4 leveled whole sections of the city. The blast killed at least 200 people, injured more than 6,000, and left hundreds of thousands homeless. The blast also severely damaged Beirut’s already fragile...
New MASCC/ISOO Guidelines for Managing Mucositis
Updated clinical practice guidelines for managing mucositis—a common and often debilitating complication of cancer therapy—were recently published by Elad et al in the journal Cancer. The new guidelines summary, which will provide health-care professionals with better tools to deliver care for...
TITAN Trial: Apalutamide Adds to Options for Men With Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
Androgen-deprivation therapy has been, and remains, the standard of care for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Patients are often surprised to learn that was all we would do to control their disease and sometimes asked why they would not receive chemotherapy, as for other cancers. I would...
Expert Point of View: Toni K. Choueiri, MD
At the Genitourinary Highlights session of the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program, Toni K. Choueiri, MD, Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, put the findings from KEYNOTE-426 into perspective. “This is an important update. The initial...
Study Supports Pembrolizumab Plus Axitinib in Previously Untreated Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
Extended analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-426 study upholds pembrolizumab plus axitinib as a preferred front-line regimen over sunitinib in patients with advanced sporadic renal cell carcinoma.1 These updated results were presented during the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program by Elizabeth R....
Expert Point of View: Philip J. Saylor, MD
Philip J. Saylor, MD, Attending Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, Boston, commented on this study. “The results presented are clearly exciting and cause us to look forward to a likely phase III study of this strategy. The high response...
Early Data Show Activity for Enfortumab Vedotin Plus Pembrolizumab in Advanced Bladder Cancer
It may be possible to use a platinum-free combination as first-line treatment for advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in cisplatin-ineligible patients, if the results of the phase Ib/II EV-103 trial hold up. The combination of the newly approved antibody-drug conjugate (enfortumab vedotin)...
Many Choices Now for Men With Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: How to Decide?
Based on the recently published ENZAMET, ARCHES, and TITAN trials,1-3 we now have several choices of systemic combination therapies for men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Today, men are faced with decisions of androgen-deprivation therapy alone or combinations with abiraterone,...
Maintenance Avelumab Improves Survival in Advanced Bladder Cancer
Maintenance therapy with avelumab and best supportive care significantly prolonged overall survival vs best supportive care alone in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma that did not progress on first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, according to an interim analysis of the phase III JAVELIN ...
Enzalutamide Improves Survival vs Standard First-LineTreatment in Hormone-Sensitive Metastatic Prostate Cancer
As reported inThe New England Journal of Medicine by Ian D. Davis, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FAChPM, of Monash University and Eastern Health in Melbourne, and colleagues, the phase III ENZAMET trial has shown that the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide improved progression-free and overall survival...
Nonmetastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
Nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer arises in the subset of men with biochemically recurrent disease (ie, rising prostate-specific antigen [PSA] level after definitive therapy in the absence of metastases) who develop PSA progression after chronic exposure to androgen-deprivation...
Expert Point of View: Scott T. Tagawa, MD, MS
Discussant Scott T. Tagawa, MD, MS, of Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, congratulated Dr. Hofman and coauthors on this first randomized trial of any PSMA-targeted therapy and was cautiously optimistic about the targeted radioligand treatment being adopted as post-docetaxel therapy in men with...
Lutetium-177–Labeled PSMA-617 Improves PSA Response in First Analysis From TheraP Trial in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Initial results of the randomized phase II TheraP trial showed that therapy directed to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) with lutetium-177–labeled PSMA-617 (LuPSMA) significantly improved prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response compared with cabazitaxel in men with metastatic...
Genitourinary Oncology Highlights 2019–2020 Almanac
Over the past year, we have seen significant advances in the treatment of prostate, kidney, and urothelial cancers that will benefit patients now and in the future. We have learned about the final results of important clinical trials across multiple genitourinary cancers disease states leading to...
Robert A. Winn, MD, on the Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Among Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Robert A. Winn, MD, of Virginia Commonwealth University and the Massey Cancer Center, discusses the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is exacerbating disparities in cancer care among racial and ethnic minorities and the medically underserved who are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus...
UICC Applauds WHO Global Strategy on Eliminating Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem
The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) lauded the adoption of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global strategy toward eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem. WHO Member States adopted the strategy alongside other health resolutions as part of the silence procedure...
Update on Detecting and Treating Biologically Diverse Neuroendocrine Tumors
Neuroendocrine tumors are rare malignancies that arise in neuroendocrine cells, which can occur throughout the body but are most commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and pancreas. Although most neuroendocrine tumors are indolent and take years to grow, some are aggressive and grow...
Managing the Cost of Cancer Care Can Be Overwhelming
A cancer diagnosis is often overwhelming in and of itself, and adding financial burdens to the mix can sometimes feel unmanageable. Provide your patients with practical guidelines with the Managing the Cost of Cancer Care booklet from ASCO Answers. It covers health insurance benefits, information...
CMS, CMMI Announce Flexibilities for Oncology Practices Impacted by COVID-19
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced flexibilities for clinicians participating in the 2020 Quality Payment Program (QPP) Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) who have been impacted by the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). Affected clinicians may...
ASCO Special Report: Resuming Cancer Care Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic
I’m very pleased to be joined by Piyush Srivastava, MD, Past Chair of ASCO’s Clinical Practice Committee. Dr. Srivastava is a practicing gastrointestinal oncologist, Regional Medical Director of the End of Life Options Program, and Director of Outpatient Palliative Care at Kaiser Permanente Walnut...
Having Cancer Has Not Affected Me in Any Negative Way
I have witnessed much sickness and death over my 35-year career as a medical oncologist. During the early years of my career, I had difficulty dealing with the sickness and death I witnessed on a regular basis. As a result, with help from the Hindu scripture of Bhagavad Gita, I have trained my...
A Health-Care Journalist Explores Breast Cancer in America, Through the Lens of Her Own Diagnosis
Great strides in research and clinical practice have decreased breast cancer mortality rates by more than 35% since 1990, yet about 40,000 American women die of the disease each year. In Radical: The Science, Culture, and History of Breast Cancer in America, health-care journalist Kate Pickert...
Physicians, New Drugs, and Pharma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have approved record numbers of new cancer drugs recently. This is extraordinarily good news for physicians, patients, and drug companies, but it raises important questions as to how effective these drugs are, whether...
Pembrolizumab for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
On June 24, 2020, pembrolizumab was approved for treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma that is not curable by surgery or radiation.1,2 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the multicenter, multicohort, open-label KEYNOTE-629 trial ...
Pembrolizumab for First-Line Treatment of Unresectable or Metastatic MSI-H or dMMR Colorectal Cancer
On June 29, 2020, pembrolizumab was approved for the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the randomized,...
Flossie Wong-Staal, PhD, Molecular Biologist Who Uncovered the Secrets of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Dies at 73
The origin of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been traced back to Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, around 1920, when the virus crossed species from chimpanzees to humans. It wasn’t until the 1980s that epidemiologic data began to sum up the number of people who were...
A Pioneering Neurosurgeon Shares Hard-Earned Wisdom Gained Along the Road From the Segregated South
For this installment of the Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, spoke with noted neurosurgeon Keith L. Black, MD, Chair of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute. During his career, Dr. Black has...
Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin in Pediatric Patients With Newly Diagnosed CD33-Positive AML
On June 16, 2020, the indication of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg) for newly diagnosed CD33-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was extended to include pediatric patients aged 1 month and older.1,2 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was supported by findings from the phase III AAML0531 trial...
CICERO Software May Enable Detection of Cancer-Causing Gene Fusions
After years of development, engineering, and enhancement, researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis have made available a software system that enables better detection of gene fusions. The system, called CICERO, offers additional insights into cancers as well as new targets...
Selinexor in Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
On June 22, 2020, the oral nuclear export inhibitor selinexor was granted accelerated approval for treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), not otherwise specified, including DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma, after at least two lines of systemic...
Translated Tool From NCCN Measures Mental Health ‘Temperature’ of People With Cancer
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN) recently announced that the NCCN Distress Thermometer has been translated into 46 languages. This free resource helps providers worldwide identify and address the multifactorial aspects of distress patients with cancer can experience. The NCCN...
Fixed-Dose Subcutaneous Combination of Pertuzumab, Trastuzumab, and Hyaluronidase-zzxf in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
On June 29, 2020, a new fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and hyaluronidase-zzxf (PHESGO) for subcutaneous injection was approved for the following indications1,2: Use in combination with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment of patients with HER2-positive, locally advanced,...
