As many California residents continue to deal with the aftermath of past wildfires and the advent of new ones, CancerCare is now offering a patient assistance program for both emotional and financial support to patients with cancer affected by the California fires. As a leading national nonprofit...
Following a national search, Henry Ford Health System has selected its own Steven N. Kalkanis, MD, as Chief Executive Officer of the Henry Ford Medical Group. He succeeds William A. Conway, MD, who is stepping down after more than 4 decades with the health system. Dr. Kalkanis will provide...
Two grants for research that could transform cancer therapies have been funded through an innovative partnership between the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and MPM Capital through its management of the UBS Oncology Impact Fund. This unique grant program allows investigators to...
Stephanie Lee, MD, MPH, an expert in graft-vs-host disease as well as blood and bone marrow diseases, will serve as President of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for a 1-long term through December 2020. Dr. Lee is a member and Associate Director of the Clinical Research Division at Fred...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has announced three new members to the Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2020. Joining the ACS board are Katie Eccles, Patrick Geraghty, and Oyebode Taiwo, MD, MPH. The ACS Board of Directors consists of 21 members, which include 5 officers (elected for a ...
A retrospective analysis of 26,768 young adults with colorectal cancer aged 40 and under found that those who live in areas with lower income (a median income of less than $38,000) and less education (under 79% high school graduation rate), as well as those who live in urban areas, had worse...
Patient-reported outcomes from two large studies show that quality of life is maintained longer with newer drug combinations compared with standard-of-care treatments in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic colorectal cancer. The results, from...
A blood-based screening test using cell-free DNA to identify methylation signals of hard-to-detect gastrointestinal (GI) cancers could potentially help detect disease at earlier stages. This research will be presented by Brian M. Wolpin, MD, MPH, and colleagues at the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers...
Proton pump inhibitors, which are sometimes recommended to ease stomach problems during cancer treatment, may have an unintended side effect: impairment of breast cancer survivors' memory and concentration. These findings were published by Madison et al in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship....
In a paper published by Pruessmann et al in Nature Cancer, investigators presented a new, quantitative technique that leverages DNA sequencing to make more sophisticated and accurate predictions about which primary melanomas are likely to recur and spread. "As recently as 10 years ago, the outlook...
The likelihood of a patient responding to immune checkpoint blockade may depend on B cells in the tumor, located within specialized immune-cell clusters known as tertiary lymphoid structures, according to three studies all recently published in Nature. The studies showed that enrichment of B cells...
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to treatments for ovarian, prostate, and lung cancer; granted Orphan Drug designation to therapies for chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia and multiple myeloma; and granted Breakthrough Device designation to platforms...
A new study has shown how resistance to fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor treatment develops in patients with cholangiocarcinoma and suggests that adding another therapy at the time of disease progression might resensitize tumor cells to initial therapy. These findings were...
Researchers have discovered detailed new genetic information about the subtypes of pancreatic cancer. A better understanding of the disease groups may lead to new treatment options and improved clinical outcomes for this lethal disease, Chan-Seng-Yue et al reported in Nature Genetics. The study...
Neoadjuvant systemic therapy can shrink tumors in patients with breast cancer and, in some cases, allow patients to receive breast-conserving therapy who would otherwise require mastectomy. However, in the United States, about 55% of patients who become eligible for breast-conserving therapy after...
Researchers have developed a method based on artificial intelligence (AI) for the histopathologic diagnosis and grading of prostate cancer. The study, published by Ström et al in The Lancet Oncology, showed that the AI system can be trained to detect and grade prostate cancer from needle biopsy...
A new study shows that a test physicians commonly use to guide chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer after surgery may also help them decide whether radiation therapy may be of benefit. Results published by Wendy A. Woodward, MD, PhD, and colleagues in JAMA Oncology suggest patients with an...
New research indicates that there is a higher risk of early death among patients with oropharyngeal cancer not associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) vs those whose tumors are HPV-positive. The findings are published by Fullerton et al in Cancer. The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer is...
Patients with advanced melanoma who develop metastases in the leptomeninges usually have a poor prognosis—most patients only survive for 8 to 10 weeks after diagnosis. One reason for this poor prognosis is that very little is known about the molecular development of leptomeningeal melanoma...
Patients with the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis have a higher risk of dying from colorectal cancer, despite modern therapy, even though the risk has declined in recent years. Olén et al published these findings in The Lancet. Previous research has shown that patients with ulcerative ...
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to infigratinib for patients with advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with a certain genetic mutation, and Orphan Drug designation to the treatment for patients with cholangiocarcinoma. The FDA also granted...
About 40 million adults in the United States take a statin to lower their cholesterol and reduce the risk for heart disease—but they may also be getting an added anticancer benefit, a growing body of evidence suggests. According to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific...
On January 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved avapritinib (Ayvakit) for the treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) that harbors platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) exon 18 mutation. This approval includes...
A new study suggests step counters could play a role in predicting outcomes for people undergoing chemoradiation therapy for lung cancer. These findings were published by Ohri et al in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics. “I consider step counts to be a new vital...
New research published by Nina N. Sanford, MD, and colleagues in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has found most cancer survivors reported that they are current alcohol drinkers, with a subset of those survivors self-reporting excessive drinking behaviors. “We recommend...
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive, high-risk, non–muscle invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors who are ineligible for or have...
Pelvic examinations and cervical cancer screenings are no longer recommended for most females under age 21 during routine health visits, but a new study has found that millions of young women are undergoing the tests, which can lead to false-positive testing, overtreatment, anxiety, and needless...
Bariatric surgery is associated with a distinct reduction in skin cancer risk, according to findings published by Taube et al in JAMA Dermatology. This finding further substantiates the connection between weight loss and malignant skin cancer. “This [study] provides further evidence for a...
The cancer death rate declined by 29% from 1991 to 2017, including a 2.2% drop from 2016 to 2017—the largest single-year drop in cancer mortality ever reported. These findings were reported in “Cancer Statistics, 2020,” the latest edition of the American Cancer Society’s annual report on cancer...
The antibody-drug conjugate ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) showed activity in HER2-amplified salivary gland tumors, according to data published by Jhaveri et al in Annals of Oncology. The publication is for ‘Arm Q,’ which is one of nearly 40 single-arm phase II treatments in the NCI-Molecular...
A pooled analysis of nine prospective studies involving more than 750,000 adults has found that recommended amounts of leisure-time physical activity were linked to a lower risk for seven cancers, with several cancer types having a dose/response relationship. These findings were published by...
Testicular cancer recurrence may be prevented by giving men one cycle of chemotherapy instead of the two cycles used as standard. Lowering the overall exposure to chemotherapy also reduced side effects. These findings were published by Cullen et al in European Urology. Testicular cancer is the most ...
The phase III JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial met its primary endpoint of overall survival at the planned interim analysis. In this study, patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma whose disease did not progress on induction chemotherapy and who were randomly...
A report by Wang et al in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics described the use of acoustofluidics, a noninvasive method that analyzes saliva for the presence of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16), the pathogenic strain of the disease associated with oropharyngeal cancers. This novel technique...
Amid the epidemic levels of youth use of e-cigarettes and the popularity of certain products among children, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a policy prioritizing enforcement against certain unauthorized flavored e-cigarette products that appeal to children, including fruit...
Colorectal cancer screening rates more than doubled among people aged 45 to 49 in the months after the release of updated American Cancer Society guidelines in 2018 recommending screening in that age group, according to a new study. According to the findings from Fedewa et al—published in...
On December 27, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved olaparib (Lynparza) as a maintenance treatment for adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma as detected by an FDA-approved test whose disease has not ...
V. Craig Jordan, CMG, OBE, PhD, DSc, was presented with his Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) for services to women’s health. Prince William presented the award on November 5. Dr. Jordan was recognized for his discovery and development of selective...
Oncology Analytics, a technology-enabled service company that provides health plans, providers, and patients with an evidence-based, analytics-focused approach to utilization management, purpose-built for oncology, has announced the appointment of Lee Newcomer, MD, as a strategic advisor. Dr....
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation announced the creation of the AACR–St. Baldrick’s Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pediatric Cancer Research. The award includes a grant to provide support for a junior faculty investigator to...
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and the American Society of Hematology (ASH) recently announced a collaboration to expand access to LLS’s free service that provides clinical trials navigation and support to patients with hematologic malignancies and their families. With approximately 5%...
Dr. Smith called us on a Tuesday afternoon. “I have a patient who has an abnormal mammogram showing a large mass. I’m suspecting cancer and am referring her to you for diagnosis and treatment. She’s very anxious. I hope you can help.” We were able to get Dr. Smith’s patient in the next day for...
In a statement from Gustave Roussy on December 16, 2019, the following news was released: “By an order, the Minister of Health and Solidarity, Madame Agnès Buzyn, appointed Professor Jean-Charles Soria as General Director of Gustave Roussy for a term of 5 years. He will assume his responsibilities...
Edmondo Robinson, MD, MBA, FACP, has joined Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa as the new Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Innovation Officer. This newly created position will be critical to Moffitt’s success and navigating a continually evolving health-care industry. Dr. Robinson brings over...
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Reviews for treatments in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), non–muscle invasive bladder cancer, and BRAF V600E–mutant colorectal cancer. The Agency also recently issued multiple Breakthrough Therapy designations and ...
On December 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) for patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received two or more prior anti–HER2-based regimens in the metastatic setting....
Robert Knoerl, PhD, RN, an Instructor in Medicine and Nurse Scientist in the Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has been awarded the 2020 Oncology Nursing Society’s Victoria Mock New Investigator Award. Dr. Knoerl was...
Only one in five people (22%) disagrees with the statement “generally, patients with lung cancer have caused their illness through their lifestyle choices and behaviors,” according to a global, omnibus survey conducted by Ipsos MORI and sponsored by the Lung Ambition Alliance. The results were...
On December 4, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved FoundationOne CDx to be used as a companion diagnostic for alpelisib in combination with fulvestrant for the treatment of postmenopausal women as well as male patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, PIK3CA-mutated,...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and Flatiron Health has announced the launch of the American Cancer Society & Flatiron Health Real-World Data Impact Award. This joint grant-making program supports both organizations’ goals of accelerating cancer research and improving treatment and care...