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Showing 5751 - 5800Swiss Medical Board Recommendation to End Mammography Screening: A Disturbing Proposal
Despite evidence from a number of prospective, randomized controlled trials showing that screening mammography reduces breast cancer mortality, screening mammography has been the subject of continual debate, controversy, and conflicting guidelines. Recently, the Swiss Medical Board, tasked with...
Look for Changes to Cancer.Net’s Design and Navigation
Cancer.Net, ASCO’s patient information website, is in the process of updating the design and is now offering an easier way to navigate the site. Based on extensive testing, the site’s new look and feel is designed to improve each user’s experience. The changes will keep Cancer.Net up-to-date with...
Illumination to Innovation: Transforming Data Into Learning
“Illumination” is a provocative word, evoking as it does the banishment of the darkness of ignorance by the light of new knowledge. Today, we are benefiting from a steady stream of new knowledge about the molecular basis of cancer and the interaction between host and tumor immunology. The concept...
Adding Novel Agent to Standard Therapy Improves Survival in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer After Prior Gemcitabine-Based Therapy
The addition of the novel agent MM-398 to standard treatment improved overall survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who have already received gemcitabine, according to a phase III trial reported at the ESMO 16th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer in Barcelona.1 “Patients...
Phase III Trial Shows Improved Survival With TAS‑102 in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Refractory to Standard Therapies
The new combination agent TAS-102 can improve overall survival compared to placebo in patients whose metastatic colorectal cancer is refractory to standard therapies, researchers reported at the ESMO 16th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer in Barcelona.1 “Around 50% of patients with...
ASPHO Abstracts Cover Broad Range of Topics
More than 400 abstracts—a record—were submitted for the 27th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology in Chicago. Here is a small sampling of those studies, with comments from the abstract authors. Token Economy to Improve Compliance BMT Bucks form the basis of a...
Federally Funded Trials Praised—and Underfunded
All four studies presented at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting Plenary Session were at least partially funded by federal dollars, bringing long overdue attention to the value of federally supported cancer research. Perhaps because of this high visibility, ASCO leaders took to the soapbox to sound the...
FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Investigational Chimeric Antigen Receptor Therapy for Relapsed/Refractory ALL
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy status to CTL019, an investigational chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy for the treatment of pediatric and adult patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The Breakthrough Therapy filing...
Impressive Delay in Thyroid Cancer Progression Achieved With Lenvatinib
The investigational tyrosine kinase inhibitor lenvatinib reduced disease progression by 79%, as compared to placebo, in patients with metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer that is refractory to radioactive iodine in the phase III SELECT trial. These findings were presented at the 2014 ASCO...
Expert Point of View: Philip McCarthy, MD
Melphalan, prednisone, and thalidomide (Thalomid), or MPT, was a widely accepted regimen in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma when the E1A06 trial was launched, noted Philip McCarthy, MD, Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York....
Multiple Myeloma Studies Explore Roles of Panobinostat in Relapsed/Refractory Disease and Thalidomide Compared to Lenalidomide as Part of Initial Therapy
At the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting, one phase III trial confirmed the promise of a novel agent in advanced multiple myeloma, while another cooperative group trial returned some rather surprising results in newly diagnosed myeloma patients. Panobinostat Doubles Response, Prolongs Remission The phase...
Stakeholders Are Uniting Around Value in Cancer Care
Judging from its visibility at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting, the concept of “value” in cancer care has reached critical mass. “ASCO is leading this difficult discussion on value in cancer care. This had to happen,” said Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, Immediate Past President of ASCO and Chief of the ...
Take-Home Messages From ASCO's Immediate Past President
The ASCO Post recently spoke with ASCO Immediate Past President Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, about his term as ASCO President. Dr. Hudis discussed his thoughts on ASCO today and shared his perspective on a number of important issues in oncology, including value in cancer care, big data, and more....
Considerable Extension of Survival Achieved With Conventional Treatment in Grade 2 Glioma
Long-term results from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9802 study in high-risk grade 2 gliomas were presented at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting. The study’s mature analysis showed a 41% reduction in mortality at 5 years with combination radiation therapy followed by six cycles of PCV...
‘Reasonable’ to Advise Men Who Have Had Vasectomies That They Have a Small Increased Risk for Lethal Prostate Cancers
Long-term results from the Health Professionals Follow-up Health Study have shown a 20% increased risk of advanced prostate cancer and a 19% increased risk of lethal prostate cancer among men who had vasectomies.1 According to the study’s lead author, Mohummad Minhaj Siddiqui, MD, it is...
Plasma Tumor DNA Detectable Before and After Surgery in Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Detecting circulating plasma tumor DNA in patients with early-stage cancer has the potential to influence selection of adjuvant systemic therapy. In a study reported in Clinical Cancer Research, Beaver and colleagues found that plasma tumor DNA could be detected both before and after surgery in...
FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg’s Statement on the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer
Each year, thousands of Americans are diagnosed with some form of skin cancer. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to prevent skin cancer is important especially during these hot summer months when many of us spend extra time in the sun. Over the last few years, the FDA has taken a number of...
Surgeon General Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer
On July 29, 2014, the Surgeon General issued a Call to Action urging immediate action steps to prevent skin cancer. The report encourages increased awareness of the disease and calls for immediate and collaborative actions to reduce its risk. Nearly 5 million people are treated for skin cancer in...
Cancer Survivor and Patient Advocate Michael S. Katz, MBA, Has Helped Alter the Standard of Care for Myeloma Survivors
Michael S. Katz, MBA, has lived longer than any of his doctors thought he would. A two-time cancer survivor, Mr. Katz was diagnosed, first with multiple myeloma in 1990 and then with colorectal cancer in 2008, and has spent the past 2 decades tirelessly advocating for patients with cancer. The...
Taking Charge of Your Care
The first sign I had that something might be wrong was an uncontrollable itch all over my body. Although I had never had anything like that before, the problem was easy to initially dismiss. I’m a respiratory therapist and visit patients in their homes daily, so I chalked up the itchiness to an...
Focus on the Florida Society of Clinical Oncology
The Florida Society of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO) was founded in 1977, just 13 years after the founding of ASCO. Today, the Society has had such an impact on the practices of medical, radiation, surgical, gynecologic, and pediatric oncologists throughout the state, membership has risen to over...
How Technology Is Helping Bring Health Care to Patients
The term “telemedicine,” which is sometimes used interchangeably with “telehealth” and “m-health” (for mobile health) and is now collectively called “connected health,” involves the use of information and communications technology to connect patients with their providers through a variety of...
Michael Douglas Shares His Experience With Stage IV Oropharyngeal Cancer
Academy Award winning actor and producer Michael Douglas was the guest of honor at the opening day of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies (IFHNOS) 5th World Congress on July 27 in New York (see page 22 for more on the World Congress). He came not to plug the release of ...
Book Excerpt: Family
I've witnessed incredible courage and zest for life among so many patients from so many walks of life—individuals committed to helping others in spite of their own adversity. Forty years ago, when survival for patients with multiple myeloma was a matter of months, I knew that every person I sat...
Oncologists Tell Inspiring Stories of What It’s Like to Treat Cancer in The Big Casino
Title: The Big Casino: America’s Best Cancer Doctors Share Their Most Powerful StoriesEditors: Stan Winokur, MD, and Vincent CoppolaPublishing Platform: CreateSpacePublication date: May 2014Price: $9.99; Paperback, 160 pages In May, Stan Winokur, MD, and co-editor Vincent Coppola, published The...
Red Clover
The use of dietary supplements by patients with cancer has increased significantly over the past 2 decades despite insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness. Finding reliable sources of information about dietary supplements can be daunting. Patients typically rely on family, friends, and...
IPOS Celebrates 30th Anniversary at World Congress in Lisbon
The International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) will be celebrating its 30th anniversary at the 16th World Congress of Psycho-Oncology and Psychosocial Academy being held in Lisbon, Portugal from October 20-24, 2014. The Congress will feature a plenary session with nine past presidents, whose...
Facing Cancer Together
David sits at his desk, tapping angrily. He’s tired of his abusive, ignorant boss, the VP for regional sales. The man’s sales targets are absurdly high, he’s impossible to reach on the phone, his “motivational” speeches evoke the stress of Glengarry Glen Ross, and even his fake all-light-brown hair ...
New TV Ads, New Stories for CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers Campaign
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues its national tobacco education campaign—Tips From Former Smokers—with hard-hitting, new ads that show the harms caused by smoking. Beginning last month, ads will appear for a total of 9 weeks across television, radio, billboards, and...
African Medical Education Is Being Transformed by U.S. Program
Medical education in sub-Saharan Africa is being revitalized and expanded through a U.S.-funded effort that is dramatically increasing enrollment, broadening curricula, upgrading Internet access, and providing cutting-edge skills labs and other technologies. In the first substantial publication by...
Pioneering Medical Oncologist Remembers a Time Before the Subspecialty Was Created
While the first written record of cancer dates back to ancient Egypt, the history of modern oncology is fairly short, dating back only slightly more than half a century. Clinical trials in the early days of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the emerging cooperative groups were led by a...
Prominent Immunotherapy Researcher Sees Success Beyond the Challenges
Activating the immune system for therapeutic benefit in cancer patients has long been a goal in the scientific community. After decades of disappointment, this intriguing approach has come to the forefront of cancer research, showing promising results in several malignancies. To keep abreast of...
Low-Risk Prostate Cancer and Principles of Active Surveillance
For specific diseases, many physicians tend to recommend interventions and therapies with which they are most comfortable and familiar. It is not surprising that urologists and radiation oncologists did so in the study reported by Hoffman and colleagues in JAMA Internal Medicine and reviewed in...
Active Surveillance in Low-Risk Prostate Cancer: When Will We Pay It More Than Just Lip Service?
Active surveillance is well established as an appropriate management option for men with low-risk prostate cancer and particularly for those over 65 years of age. Its legitimacy is now enshrined within National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, in the American Society for Radiation Oncology...
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Researcher Veena Shankaran, MD, to Receive ‘40 Under 40’ Award
The Puget Sound Business Journal (PSBJ) has recognized Veena Shankaran, MD, a Medical Oncologist and Health Economist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, as one of 40 individuals under age 40 who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership within their field. Dr. Shankaran will accept the...
Patience Remains a Virtue: The Ongoing Quest to Optimize Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer
The most recent ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline update—summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post—represents the latest chapter in the ongoing evolution of adjuvant endocrine therapy for hormone-sensitive breast cancer.1 Rather than including a comprehensive review of the 2010 guidelines, this...
The Evolving Role of Surgery in Germ Cell Tumors
Over the past several decades, the role of postchemotherapy surgery for advanced testicular cancer has evolved with regard to patient selection, surgical planning, lymph node dissection, and surgical technique. To add clarity to this complex clinical setting, The ASCO Post recently spoke with...
Enzalutamide and the Landscape of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Integrating New Indications With Existing Agents
The androgen receptor axis is a validated target for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Several perturbations in this pathway are postulated to lead to androgen-independent growth, including androgen receptor mutation and amplification as well as the autocrine production of...
Supportive Care in Pediatric Patients With Cancer: Recent Developments in Treating Febrile Neutropenia
Recent developments in supportive care for children with cancer can be broken down into three categories: doing the simple things well, applying evidence-based medicine to daily practice, and extending the benefits to everyone, according to Scott C. Howard, MD, of St. Jude Children’s Research...
Tackling the Heterogeneity of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer is now recognized as a very complex subtype for which one treatment will not be applicable to all, according to Mohammad Jahanzeb, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Miami and Director of the UM Sylvester Deerfield Campus, who gave an update on...
Rational Strategies Are Advancing Combination Lymphoma Therapies
Rational strategies informed by knowledge of a drug’s molecular mechanisms are helping to bring new combinations of lymphoma therapies to the clinic, according to Anas Younes, MD, Chief of the Lymphoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The Challenge of Too Many Drugs...
Precision Medicine: Precisely Where Are We Really?
Having attended ASCO Annual Meetings for almost 40 years, I believe that this year’s 50th anniversary celebration was one of the best ever. In many of the presentations and discussions, I experienced a sense of reality about the true state of cancer management that in previous years has sometimes...
Who Will Care for Patients With Cancer?
The workforce numbers show a disturbing trend. According to a recent study by ASCO, by 2025, overall demand for oncology services is projected to grow by 40%, but physician supply is predicted to increase by only 25%, generating a shortage of 2,258 oncologists providing full-time equivalent...
Pioneer in Fight Against Tobacco, Emanuel Farber, MD, PhD, Dies at 85
On December 11, 1969, a soft-spoken pathologist wearing outsized spectacles answered a long and complex series of questions by the legal team representing Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, the maker of Chesterfield cigarettes. The tobacco lawyers contended that one Leslie Thayer—a lifelong...
Jesse L. Steinfeld, MD, Past Surgeon General, ASCO President, Dies at 87
The 1964 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health started a culture change in the way Americans viewed tobacco and their health, and has saved countless million of lives. But the 1964 Report remained scientifically ambiguous on certain vital issues, such as the effect smoking had on the...
Cancer Has Given Me Courage
In 1986, I was pregnant with my third child and excited to be interviewing for a job on the assembly line at a General Motors plant near my home in Brodhead, Wisconsin. Hiring requirements included a physical examination and a chest x-ray, which was done by my obstetrician to avoid any radiation...
Peter Pisters, MD, Appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, University Health Network, Canada
Mr. John Mulvihill, Chair of the Board of Trustees of University Health Network (UHN), Canada, and Chair of the Board’s Selection Committee for the President and CEO, recently announced that Peter Pisters, MD, will serve as UHN’s next President and CEO, beginning January 1, 2015. Dr. Pisters is...
Gynecologic Cancer Care: Collaboration With Resource-Challenged Ethiopia
Over the past 40 years, largely because of universal Pap screening, cervical cancer deaths have been drastically reduced in the United States and other wealthy industrialized countries. However, cervical cancer is still a leading cause of cancer death among women in resource-challenged areas of the ...
How Pharmaceutical Companies Are Partnering With Patient Advocates to Ensure Access to Oncology Care
Thomas P. Sellers, MPA, has been a tireless advocate for patients’ rights for more than 20 years. A 15-year prostate cancer survivor and only child, Mr. Sellers said it was his mother’s death from lung cancer when she was 51, followed by the death of his father from glioblastoma multiforme that led ...
A New Book Explores an Old Subject: Aging
Title: Lighter as We Go: Virtues, Character Strengths, and AgingAuthors: Mindy Greenstein, PhD, and Jimmie Holland, MDPublisher: Oxford University Press Publication date: September 2014Price: $27.95; Hardcover, 320 pages Death is the universal experience shared by Earth’s 7 billion or so...
