As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ho et al, the phase III ASTRA trial showed no improvement in complete remission rate with the addition of selumetinib to adjuvant radioactive iodine (RAI) in patients with high-risk differentiated thyroid cancer. As stated by the investigators,...
In the French phase III ESTIMABL2 trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Leboulleux et al found that no use of radioiodine was noninferior to radioiodine ablation in the occurrence of functional, structural, or biologic events among patients undergoing thyroidectomy for low-risk...
Alexander T. Pearson, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, commended the artificial intelligence (AI)-augmented, ultrasound-based platform for screening and staging of thyroid cancer. “In this study, Dr. Chan and colleagues processed high-resolution ultrasound...
An artificial intelligence (AI) ultrasound platform that incorporates multiple methods of machine learning can accurately predict thyroid malignancy as well as pathologic and genomic outcomes, according to data presented at the 2022 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium.1 Findings from...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Hong et al, the final overall survival analysis of the Chinese phase III GEM20110714 trial showed a significant benefit with gemcitabine/cisplatin vs fluorouracil/cisplatin as first-line treatment for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal...
In a population-based age-period-cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Zhang et al estimated that current human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates will have a limited impact on overall oropharyngeal cancer incidence through 2045, due to a high risk of oropharyngeal cancer in unvaccinated...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase II ECOG-ACRIN E3311 trial has shown high progression-free survival rates and good functional outcomes in patients with intermediate-risk human papillomavirus (HPV; p16)-positive locally advanced...
“MC1675 is an important and exciting trial,” stated invited discussant Farzan Siddiqui, MD, PhD, of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Detroit. “Congratulations to the authors and to Dr. Ma for his award.” “There is strong evidence to suggest that patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers...
De-escalated adjuvant radiotherapy appears to be safe in patients with surgically resectable, human papillomavirus (HPV)--positive oropharyngeal cancers, particularly in patients without extranodal extension or pN2 disease by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition. These findings...
In a Chinese phase III trial reported in JAMA, Tang et al found that radiotherapy alone was noninferior to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in failure-free survival in patients with low-risk nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Study Details In the open-label multicenter trial, 341 patients were randomly assigned ...
In an updated analysis of the Japanese phase III NEJ009 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Miyauchi et al found that gefitinib plus carboplatin/pemetrexed was associated with prolonged progression-free survival and progression-free survival 2—but loss of significance in overall...
Women with a breast cancer diagnosis undergoing procedures for fertility preservation are not at an increased risk for recurrence of the disease or disease-specific mortality, according to the results of a study from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden that followed participants for 5 years on...
In an observational seroprevalence study reported in Blood Cancer Journal, Zeig-Owens et al found an elevated prevalence of myeloma precursor disease—monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)—in a cohort of World Trade Center (WTC) disaster–exposed rescue and recovery workers....
In a small phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Yamazaki et al found that the TGF-β type I receptor kinase inhibitor galunisertib appeared to show activity when added to neoadjuvant chemoradiation in previously untreated patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. As stated by the...
In an interview with The ASCO Post, Quynh-Thu Le, MD, FACR, FASTRO, Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at Stanford Cancer Center, called this phase II de-escalation trial an “intriguing study” that heads in the right direction for treatment de-escalation. However, Dr. Le noted, the...
Positron-emission tomography (PET) scans obtained before and midway through treatment may be used to de-escalate therapy for patients with oropharyngeal cancer, leading to fewer side effects, according to data presented at the 2022 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium.1 An interim...
According to Quynh-Thu Le, MD, FACR, FASTRO, Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at Stanford, these results suggest that monitoring circulating human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA may lead to the detection of relapse prior to imaging. In an interview with The ASCO Post, Dr. Le also noted that...
A blood-basedliquid biopsy may accurately predict recurrence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma following treatment, according to data presented at the 2022 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium.1 Results of the large, multi-institutional study...
In an Australian population–based study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Spilsbury et al found that perioperative dispensing of nonselective beta-blockers was associated with improved survival among patients with a history of a cardiovascular condition undergoing surgery for epithelial ...
In a Chinese phase III trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Li et al found that induction chemotherapy with paclitaxel, cisplatin, and capecitabine (TPC) prior to concurrent chemoradiation was associated with improved failure-free survival vs induction therapy with cisplatin and fluorouracil (PF) in...
Gary Walker, MD, MPH, MS, a head and neck radiation oncologist at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Arizona, expressed concern about the disparities identified in the adoption of advanced radiation therapy techniques for patients with head and neck cancer. “Despite widespread availability of...
Advanced radiotherapy techniques may reduce the risk of severe and debilitating toxicity associated with radiation, but not all patients have equal access to these modalities, according to data presented at the 2022 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium.1 Retrospective analysis of the...
The addition of the checkpoint inhibitor tislelizumab to first-line chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 50% and, despite a 49% crossover rate, numerically boosted overall survival in patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal cancer, Zhang et al...
Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the world, with 1.1 million new diagnoses reported annually.1 In the United States, the incidence of oral and pharyngeal cancers is over 54,000 cases per year, resulting in over 11,000 yearly deaths.2 Although smoking and alcohol consumption ...
In a multinational study using artificial intelligence (AI), investigators developed an algorithm to improve the prediction of colorectal cancer recurrence. Study results were published by Pai et al in Gastroenterology. QuantCRC Rish K. Pai, MD, PhD, a pathologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and...
A new study published by Birhiray et al in Blood Advances outlines practical strategies for promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in cancer clinical research. The study highlights significant racial disparities in cancer research, citing that between 2008 and 2018, only 7.8% of...
In a phase II EORTC Soft-Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Sanfilippo et al found that cabazitaxel showed activity in locally advanced, inoperable, or metastatic dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Study Details In the trial, 38 evaluable patients who had received no more...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Yeung et al, updated results of the phase III NRG Oncology RTOG 1203 trial show reduced chronic toxicity with adjuvant intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) vs conventional radiotherapy (CRT) in women with cervical or endometrial cancer. No...
As reported in The Lancet by Chihara et al, analysis of outcomes in National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored, investigator-initiated phase I trials in solid tumors over a 20-year period has shown a near doubling of objective response rate, with no increase in treatment-related mortality. Study...
On August 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pemigatinib (Pemazyre), a selective fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with FGFR1 rearrangement. Myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with...
In this episode, we’re featuring two speakers presenting data from the European Hematology Association 2022 Congress, focusing on findings in acute myeloid leukemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Lung cancer, the most common cancer worldwide, is targeted with radiation therapy in nearly one-half of cases. Radiation therapy planning is a manual, resource-intensive process that can take days to weeks to complete, and even highly trained physicians vary in their determinations of how much...
Researchers have identified biological markers in patients with triple-negative breast cancer that are associated with resistance to chemotherapy. The study was published by Anurag et al in the journal Cancer Discovery and was funded by the National Cancer Institute’s Clinical Proteomics Tumor...
In a Japanese phase III trial (TOPIC-NEC) reported in JAMA Oncology, Morizane et al found no difference in overall survival with etoposide/cisplatin (EP) vs irinotecan/cisplatin (IP) in chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced digestive system neuroendocrine carcinoma. Study Details The open-label ...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Casey et al found that most U.S. minority populations were underrepresented in clinical trials leading to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of drugs for treating leukemias and multiple myeloma. Study Details The investigators...
In our continuing effort to connect and learn more about our international oncology colleagues, The ASCO Post recently spoke with Rossana Berardi, MD, Professor in Medical Oncology and Director of the Postgraduate School of Oncology at the Università Politecnica Marche, Ancona, Italy, where she is...
Pilar Garrido, MD, PhD, is Head of the Medical Oncology Department, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid. She is also Co-Director of the Cancer Research Group at Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS). Her main areas of research and clinical interest are thoracic tumors,...
“I now think of prostate cancer as a story of success for many men, given the advancements in both research and treatment options over the past decade,” Behfar Ehdaie, MD, MPH, told The ASCO Post. Dr. Ehdaie is lead author of a study that found MRI-guided focused ultrasound focal therapy is safe...
MRI-guided focused ultrasound focal therapy produced “a high degree of success” and “a low rate of genitourinary adverse events” when used to treat select patients with intermediate-grade prostate cancer, Behfar Ehdaie, MD, MPH, and colleagues reported in The Lancet Oncology.1 Dr. Ehdaie is...
African Americans have been underrepresented in tobacco treatment research, including the clinical trials that led to the 2006 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of varenicline (Chantix), the leading pharmacologic treatment for smoking cessation. Meanwhile, African Americans suffer higher...
My diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer 3 years ago was filled with irony. As an interventional radiologist, I have treated hundreds of patients with advanced prostate cancer, and I knew my prognosis wasn’t good. After experiencing some of the common symptoms of the cancer, including voiding...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies sometimes used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, and Jyothirmai Gubili, MS, focus on the herb dong...
Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, FASCO, an internationally acclaimed medical oncologist whose innovations in immunotherapy have revolutionized melanoma treatment, has been chosen as the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Wolchok played a pivotal role...
"This e-mail is different from my usual. No smiley faces or funny cartoons, for I have moved on to another location…. My place in the long line of life has suddenly been jumped up to the head of the queue, and now I have a boarding pass,” notes Harry, a patient with end-stage lung cancer who has...
On May 27, 2022, tisagenlecleucel, a CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, was granted accelerated approval for adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on the multicenter ELARA...
On May 20, 2022, azacitidine for injection was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for pediatric patients with newly diagnosed juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the multicenter AZA-JMML-001 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov...
On August 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ibrutinib (Imbruvica) for pediatric patients aged at least 1 year with chronic graft-vs-host disease after failure of one or more lines of systemic therapy. Formulations include capsules, tablets, and oral suspension. iMAGINE Trial...
Radiotherapy to the prostate in addition to standard treatment may improve survival for some men with advanced prostate cancer without detriment to quality of life, long-term study results from the STAMPEDE trial confirmed. These findings were published by Chris C. Parker, MD, and colleagues in...
Recent research published by Xuesong Han, PhD, and colleagues in the journal Cancer indicated that during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of working-aged U.S. adults without health insurance did not change despite increases in unemployment. The prevalence of unhealthy...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Thierry André, MD, and colleagues, the French (GERCOR) phase II NEONIPIGA trial has shown a high pathologic complete response rate with nivolumab/ipilimumab neoadjuvant therapy in patients with localized deficient mismatch repair...