Search Results
Your search for ,now matches 6673 pages
Showing 5901 - 5950Life Is Like Riding a Bicycle
The following essay by Bruce D. Cheson, MD, is adapted from The Big Casino: America’s Best Cancer Doctors Share Their Most Powerful Stories, which was coedited by Stan Winokur, MD, and Vincent Coppola and published in May 2014. The book is available on Amazon.com and thebigcasino.org. The ride...
Personalized Integrative Cancer Care: Focus of the 11th International Conference of the Society for Integrative Oncology
There were several aspects of the 11th International Conference of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO), held October 26-28, 2014, in Houston, that distinguished it from past years. One major change was that this year’s conference was held in collaboration with The University of Texas MD...
Incorporating Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Into Palliative Care
Although cancer rehabilitation has been a part of oncology clinical practice for several decades, it has largely gone unrecognized as an integral part of palliative medicine and survivorship care. Now, the role of physical medicine and rehabilitation in oncology care may increase as patients with...
‘Mother of Bone Marrow Transplantation’ Dorothy ‘Dottie’ Thomas Dies at 92
Dorothy “Dottie” Thomas, wife and research partner to 1990 Nobel laureate E. Donnall Thomas, MD, died Friday, January 9, at her home near Seattle. She was 92. Dr. Donnall Thomas, Pioneer of the Bone Marrow Transplant and former Director of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer...
What It Means to Be Mortal
“I learned a lot of things in medical school, but mortality wasn’t one of them,” writes Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, in his new book on the medicalization of aging and dying, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End (Metropolitan Books, 2014). In the book, Dr. Gawande critiques the American...
Smarter Trial Design Saves Money and Produces Better Drugs
The process of identifying a promising molecule and moving it from the laboratory through the highly complex series of clinical trials necessary to garner U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is a costly scientific gauntlet during which many new agents fail. New trial design,...
Study Finds Whole-Genome Sequencing Is Successful in Identifying Patients’ Risk for Inherited Cancers
A study by researchers at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and The Ohio State University in Columbus of whole-genome sequencing on patients found to have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations as well as on those who were not carriers of a BRCA1/2 mutation has found cancer risk of...
Will Checkpoint Inhibitors Be Winners in Hematologic Cancers, Too?
A “Featured Topic” session during the 56th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition drew a standing-room-only crowd to hear two experts weigh in on checkpoint blockade in hematologic malignancies. While new to hematology, these drugs—the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated...
Victory for Pediatric Regimens in Adolescents and Young Adults With ALL
Long in the works, early results of the U.S. Intergroup C10403 trial clearly showed that treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adolescents and young adults using a pediatric-inspired regimen improves event-free survival and overall survival and should be the backbone for future studies in...
Blinatumomab Achieves Complete Molecular Responses in Majority of B-Cell Leukemia Patients
Results from the international phase II BLAST study show that one cycle of blinatumomab (Blincyto) immunotherapy achieved complete minimal residual disease response in 78% of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.1 Complete minimal residual disease response was achieved in 80% of patients...
Breast Health Global Initiative Tackles Third-World Health Care
Benjamin O. Anderson, MD, is the Director of the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) and surgical oncologist and Director of the Breast Health Clinic at the University of Washington in Seattle. The ASCO Post recently spoke with Dr. Anderson about the conceptual framework of the...
FDA Approves Companion Diagnostic for the Detection of BRCA1/2 Mutations in Ovarian Cancer
The recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of olaparib (Lynparza) occurred concurrently with that of a companion diagnostic, BRACAnalysis CDx. This genetic test is designed to detect the presence of mutations in the BRCA genes in blood samples from patients with ovarian cancer. The BRCA...
Appointments and Awards Announced at The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
The Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in Baltimore recently announced new appointments and awards given to faculty. New Director of Thoracic Oncology Julie Brahmer, MD, a medical oncologist with expertise in the use of immunotherapies to treat lung cancer, has been named...
Complexities of Targeting HER2 in Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancers
The interactions between the estrogen receptor (ER) and HER2 pathways in breast cancers are clearly complex and remain incompletely understood. Historically, cancers that express both ER and HER2 were thought to be intrinsically resistant to endocrine therapy, likely due to HER2 being the dominant...
Crizotinib in ROS1-Positive NSCLC: A Next Step Forward
Advances in the molecular characterization of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have led to the identification of molecularly defined distinct subsets of patients who derive benefit from targeted therapies. Currently, two such groups of agents have moved widely into clinical practice: epidermal...
Survival Benefits of Front-Line Treatment With Nivolumab for Advanced Melanoma Confirmed, Yet Questions Remain
As reported in this issue of The ASCO Post, Robert and colleagues recently published a phase III study comparing the anti–programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibody nivolumab with the standard melanoma chemotherapy dacarbazine in the front-line treatment of patients with advanced BRAF wild-type melanoma.1...
Ultrasonography Detects Mammographically Occult Invasive Cancers
Mammograms often miss occult breast cancers concealed in dense breasts. Women with dense breasts represent about 40% to 50% of women who undergo mammography screening. In some states and centers in the United States, women with dense breasts are routinely offered ultrasonography following a...
No Benefit for Adjuvant Capecitabine Monotherapy in Elderly Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Adjuvant therapy with capecitabine plus ibandronate failed to improve outcomes vs ibandronate alone in elderly patients with moderate-to-high-risk early-stage breast cancer in the ICE study—the largest study to date conducted in elderly women with breast cancer.1 “Capecitabine is frequently used in ...
Expert Point of View: Amy H. Comander, MD
Amy H. Comander, MD, a medical oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, told The ASCO Post that the findings will clearly help her in counseling patients. “I am excited to be able to discuss the study with my...
Save the Date: World Cancer Day 2015
Have you marked your calendar for World Cancer Day? Each year on February 4, World Cancer Day unites people from across the globe in the fight against cancer. The initiative is organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to raise cancer awareness and encourage governments and...
Latest ASCO-SEP® Edition Includes 20-Point Maintenance of Certification Course
The 4th edition of ASCO-SEP®, ASCO’s self-evaluation program, was released in October and not only includes 21 chapters of up-to-date information on all major cancer types, cancer prevention and more, but now also includes a Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Course in addition to its traditional...
Cancer.Net Launches PRE-ACT Patient Clinical Trial Education Program
Clinical trials are the key to driving advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, yet, it is estimated that only about 5% of patients with cancer participate in clinical trials. That is why Cancer.Net, ASCO’s patient-facing educational website, has teamed up with Neal Meropol,...
Treatment Paradigm in Advanced Melanoma Poised for Change… Again
In the treatment of advanced/metastatic melanoma, recent debate has focused on the choice of initial therapy: ipilimumab (Yervoy) or, for patients with BRAF-mutant cancer, a BRAF/MEK inhibitor. This issue is now taking a back seat to the emerging conversation about the positioning of antibodies...
ASCO and AACR Call for Regulation of E-Cigarettes and Other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and ASCO have outlined steps in a joint statement to guide policymakers as they work to minimize the potential negative consequences of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and other electronic nicotine delivery systems without undermining their...
Colorectal Cancer 2015
Despite advances in detection and treatment, colorectal cancer remains the third deadliest cancer among men and women in the United States. To get a better understanding of the current state of this disease and what lies ahead, The ASCO Post recently spoke with colorectal cancer expert John L....
Molecular Pathologists vs the FDA: Proposed Regulation of Laboratory-Developed Tests Sparks Debate
The packed ballroom looked like a plenary session at any big medical research meeting. But on the dais were representatives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the subject was the Agency’s proposed regulation of laboratory-developed tests, and the attendees who lined up to ask questions for...
Overdiagnosis May Be Overblown in Lung Cancer Screening
“Overdiagnosis has been overblown” in concerns voiced about lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography, Andrea B. McKee, MD, told participants at the opening session of the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. Dr. McKee is Chair of the Department of Radiation ...
Top 10 Lessons Learned So Far About Treating Lung Cancer With Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy agents “really work” in treating lung cancer, but they have unique toxicities, are challenging to combine with other therapies, and questions remain about dose and duration, Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, stated at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. “There are ...
Fulvestrant Surpasses Anastrozole in First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Fulvestrant (Faslodex) at a 500-mg dose was superior to anastrozole as first-line therapy for advanced hormone receptor–positive breast cancer in the phase II FIRST study.1 Overall survival and time to disease progression were significantly better with fulvestrant than with the current standard of...
Tamoxifen Prevention of Breast Cancer Extends More Than 16 Years
The benefits of tamoxifen as primary prevention of breast cancer are well established. The good news is that the benefits live on, with a protective effect that extends up to 22 years. At a median follow-up of 16 years, women treated with 5 years of tamoxifen enjoyed a 29% reduction in the risk of...
BOLERO-1: Everolimus Plus Trastuzumab/Paclitaxel Misses the Mark in First‑Line HER2-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer
The addition of everolimus (Afinitor) to weekly trastuzumab (Herceptin) plus paclitaxel in the first-line metastatic breast cancer setting did not improve outcomes in the phase III BOLERO-1/TRIO-019 but did provide a “signal” in the hormone receptor–negative subset. The study was reported at the...
Expert Point of View: Mary L. Disis, MD
Study discussant Mary L. Disis, MD, Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean of Translational Science at the University of Washington, Seattle, commented that the response rate, approaching 20%, is “in the ballpark” of those observed in melanoma, lung cancer, and renal cancer. She pointed out that...
Expert Point of View: David Steensma, MD
Patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive ALL have traditionally done poorly with conventional chemotherapy, but outcomes are improving in the era of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. This study reports the safety and efficacy with a combination of a targeted approach and low-intensity...
Nilotinib With Low-Intensity Chemotherapy Useful in Elderly Patients With Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive ALL
The addition of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib (Tasigna) to standard low-intensity chemotherapy improved outcomes in elderly patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and may represent a new approach to this group of patients, who are ...
Expert Point of View: Fredrick Hagemeister, MD
As session moderator, Fredrick Hagemeister, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, commented during the discussion of Dr. Connors’ study. He first emphasized the need to establish the safety of new drugs in clinical trials before incorporating them...
What Is a Physician? Call a Spade a Spade
Anyone who has awoken from a decades-long amnestic spell can be forgiven for thinking that physicians cannot do anything right nowadays. Compared with decades ago, when physicians did mostly right, we now seem to be nowhere close to correctness. Nearly every malady that befalls the health-care...
Growing Support Group for Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma Spins the ‘Wheel of Hope’
Two years ago, my son was diagnosed with the rare vascular sarcoma epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, on which there is incredibly little reseach and knowledge (see here for more on this rare cancer). PubMed revealed a “characteristic” description: unpredictable behavior, no correlation with...
Unraveling the Mysteries of Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma
Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare and devastating vascular sarcoma that affects between 100 and 200 people, mostly young adults, each year in the United States. The cancer may arise as a solitary lesion but more commonly presents with metastatic involvement, usually in the liver and lungs. ...
Patients May Voice Concerns About Chemotherapy Effects on the Brain Even If They Have Never Heard of ‘Chemobrain’
The concept of “chemobrain” is underrecognized, noted Serena Wong, MD, co-investigator of a clinical trial examining the effects of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy on the brain. Dr. Wong is a medical oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Assistant Professor of Medicine at...
'Chemobrain’ Study Aims to Correlate Structural Changes Within the Brain and Psychomotor Function
The novelty of our approach is that we are going to be using multiple modalities” to study the effects of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy on the brain, looking for structural changes within the brain and how these changes might affect psychomotor function, particularly upper-extremity movements...
Cancer Has Given Me More Than It Has Taken Away
In the fall of 2010, I developed a sore throat and tonsillitis while on a hike in North Carolina. Although it was not uncommon for me to have sore throats accompanied by some swelling on my tonsils, this time much of the inflammation and swelling were centered on just my left tonsil. After 7 days...
Suzanne Topalian, MD, Recognized for Pioneering Work in Immunotherapy Treatment of Melanoma and Other Cancers
The Melanoma Research Alliance has reported that Suzanne Topalian, MD, Chair of the group’s Scientific Advisory Panel, and former Chief Scientific Officer, has been named one of 10 people in science who mattered in 2014 by the Nature International Weekly Journal of Science. Dr. Topalian was cited...
West Cancer Center Announces The University of Tennessee/West Institute for Cancer Research
West Cancer Center has announced the establishment of The University of Tennessee (UT)/West Institute for Cancer Research, a nonprofit public charity fully dedicated to raising funds for adult cancer research in Memphis. The UT/West Institute for Cancer Research is soliciting grants from government ...
Friends of Cancer Research Holds Annual Conference on Clinical Cancer Research
Friends of Cancer Research, in conjunction with the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings, recently held the seventh annual Conference on Clinical Cancer Research in Washington, DC. The panels that comprised the daylong meeting discussed a future that has already begun. The most...
Treating Bladder Cancer in 2015
Treatment of advanced bladder cancer continues to prove challenging, and therapies that offer long-term survival remain elusive. The ASCO Post recently spoke with Derek Raghavan, MD, PhD, FACP, FRACP, FASCO, President of the Levine Cancer Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, about the current state...
Minimally Invasive Techniques Used to Address Small GIST Lesions
Surgeons at the cutting edge are offering minimally invasive resection to patients with small gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) deemed to be low-risk, according to panelists at a session of the American College of Surgeons 2014 Clinical Congress in San Francisco. “We are seeing more small...
Expert Point of View: Timothy Graubert, MD
"I’m certainly excited about the promise of CAR T cells for patients with lymphoid leukemia (ALL and CLL). It’s clear from the data presented and published that CAR T cells can induce remissions in patients refractory to multiple lines of therapy,” said Timothy Graubert, MD, Hagler Family Chair in...
Dr. Mary-Claire King Proposes Population Screening in All Young Women for BRCA Mutations
It is not enough for Mary-Claire King, PhD, to have identified the germline BRCA1 mutation associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. Her clinically applicable discovery is one of the world’s greatest in genetics and one for which she has been highly lauded. But not one to rest on her...
Expert Point of View: Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH
Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, commented on this study to The ASCO Post: With taxanes after doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC), it’s “dealer’s choice.” However, she noted that most oncologists do not give every-3-week paclitaxel now. “Many have...
Enzalutamide Shows Encouraging Activity in Triple‑Negative Breast Cancer
The androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide (Xtandi) showed encouraging activity as a single agent in advanced triple-negative breast cancer patients expressing the androgen receptor, according to an international study presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 Enzalutamide...
