1980–1995, Villejeuf: Claud Jasmin, MD, advocates for the elimination of chronologic age from the eligibility criteria for clinical trials of cancer treatment. In 1995, Dr. Jasmin published a book entitled La Planète Blanche [The White Planet], where he foresaw challenges in a world crowded with...
With the aging of the world population, geriatric oncology is becoming a mainstay. Over the past year in The ASCO Post, we published a couple of articles on the history of oncology, including one on the history of geriatric oncology in the United States and Europe. Our goal was to promote a...
On August 5, 2022, darolutamide was approved for use in combination with docetaxel for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.1 Approval was based on the double-blind ARASENS trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02799602), in which 1,305 patients were randomly assigned to...
In the more than 7 months since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, cancer care for Ukrainian citizens has changed dramatically. Ukraine was once a country able to provide its approximately 160,000 newly diagnosed patients with cancer each year with modern diagnostic methods, including...
Sarah Cannon, the Cancer Institute of HCA Healthcare, announced recently that Stephen A. Strickland, Jr, MD, MSCI, has been named the Director of Leukemia Research for the Transplant & Cellular Therapy Network. In this role, Dr. Strickland provides scientific leadership and oversees Sarah...
Paula M. Fracasso, MD, PhD, FACP, has joined Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center and VCU Health as Deputy Director of the cancer center and Senior Vice President of the cancer service line at VCU Health. The cancer service line is a collaborative model designed to fulfill...
Scott M. Welford, PhD, Professor and Biology Division Chief in Radiation Oncology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, will lead the center’s Tumor Biology Research Program with Wael El-Rifai, MD, PhD, Associate Director of Basic Science at ...
Shaji K. Kumar, MD, an expert in multiple myeloma and monoclonal gammopathies, has been appointed to the position of Editor-in-Chief of The Hematologist: ASH News and Reports, the official member news magazine of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). As the seventh Editor-in-Chief of the...
Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, FASCO, recently joined Emory School of Medicine as Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Jagsi was formerly the Newman Family Professor, Deputy Chair, and Residency Program Director in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Director of the Center for...
Following an extensive national search, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, has appointed Cristina R. Ferrone, MD, as Chair of the Department of Surgery. Currently Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Office of Clinical Careers for Massachusetts General...
Abstract discussant Hisashi Saji, MD, Chair of Thoracic Surgery at St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan, said that, based on two recently reported phase III studies, sublobar resection, including wedge resection and segmentectomy, must be considered as a standard of care for...
After a nearly 20-year wait, the results are finally in: sublobar surgery has been found to be noninferior to lobectomy and may be the new standard of care of patients with small, early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results of the phase III Alliance trial, presented at the International ...
On this episode, we’re highlighting speakers who presented data in skin cancer during the ESMO Congress 2022, including findings on tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy in advanced melanoma, cemiplimab in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and the association of circulating tumor DNA and disease...
The addition of cabozantinib to nivolumab plus ipilimumab prolonged progression-free survival in untreated intermediate-risk patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), according to the first results of the phase III COSMIC-313 trial. These findings were presented as a Presidential Symposium ...
Survivors of prostate cancer originally diagnosed with metastatic disease may experience significantly worse health-related quality of life than those diagnosed with early-stage disease and individuals without a cancer history across all domains, according to a new study by Zheng et al published in ...
Recent data showed that Medicaid expansion may be associated with increased use of palliative care among newly diagnosed individuals with stage IV cancer, although overall usage of palliative care was low. In addition, the increase after Medicaid expansion varied by cancer type, according to a...
Recent findings showed that historical housing discrimination may negatively affect contemporary care and outcomes for patients diagnosed with colon cancer, according to a study by Hussaini et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The findings were also presented at the 2022 ASCO Quality Care...
Joannie M. Ivory, MD, MSPH, of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, discusses ways to raise the number of Black patients with cancer who take part in clinical trials. More successful accrual may be linked to conducting trials where Black patients live and designing studies to recruit a...
In a U.S. cross-sectional study reported in JACC:CardioOncology, Ganatra et al found that mortality from comorbid cancer and cardiovascular disease was significantly higher in counties with higher vs lower social vulnerability (ie, age greater than vs less than 45, male vs female sex, Black vs...
As reported in JAMA Oncology by Olson et al, the primary toxicity results of the phase II SABR-5 trial have shown a low rate of toxic effects with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for patients with up to five oligometastases. As stated by the investigators: “After the publication of the...
In an analysis from the International PPB/DICER1 Registry reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Schultz et al found that chemotherapy with IVADo (ifosfamide, vincristine, actinomycin-D, and doxorubicin) appeared to be associated with similar or improved outcomes vs historical controls among ...
Changchuan Jiang, MD, MPH, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the lack of transportation as a potentially modifiable barrier to care for patients with cancer. Timely intervention may reduce visits to hospital emergency departments, lower costs, and improve outcomes (Abstract 70).
As reported in JAMA by Cheng et al, an interim analysis of the phase III ASTRUM-005 trial has shown that the addition of the PD-1 inhibitor serplulimab to chemotherapy improved overall survival in the first-line treatment of patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Study ...
Young women who are cancer survivors may be at a much higher risk of sexual problems, including loss of libido and discomfort, according to research published by Wettergren et al in the journal Acta Oncologica. The study also suggests that cancer type and intensity of treatment may influence the...
New research showed that cancer survivors who delayed care due to a lack of transportation were more likely to use the emergency room (ER), according to the study published by Jiang et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. They also had the highest risks of all-cause and cancer-specific...
Findings reported by researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and Johns Hopkins University showed that area-level mortgage discrimination may be adversely associated with receipt of guideline-concordant care among patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the United States,...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III CheckMate 915 trial showed no improvement in recurrence-free survival with adjuvant nivolumab/ipilimumab vs nivolumab in patients with resected stage IIIB–D or IV melanoma. Study Details In...
In a report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study population reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Shin et al identified symptom clusters among adult survivors of childhood cancer and potential associations with health-related quality of life and physical and neurocognitive performance....
In a Swedish study reported in JAMA Network Open, Gahm et al found that multiple vs single doses of prophylactic intravenous (IV) antibiotics did not significantly reduce the risk of surgical site infection leading to implant removal in women undergoing implant-based breast reconstruction after...
Christopher E. Jensen, MD, of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, talks about older adults with acute myeloid leukemia who receive high-intensity chemotherapy. Although they may live longer, much of their survival gains may be spent engaged in oncology care (Abstract 376).
Medulloblastomas may exist in a premalignant form at birth after initially developing during the first or second trimester of pregnancy, according to a new international study published by Hendrikse et al in Nature. As medulloblastomas typically present around age 7, the team’s discovery is the...
An advanced software tool for analyzing DNA sequences from tumor samples has uncovered new, likely cancer-driving genes. In a study, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers designed the software, known as CSVDriver, to map and analyze the locations of large mutations, known as structural variants, in...
In a single-institution phase I study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Sham Mailankody, MBBS, and colleagues found that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting G protein–coupled receptor, class C, group 5, member D (GPRC5D) were active in heavily pretreated patients with...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Okhawere et al found that minimally invasive surgery was associated with similar or reduced total expenditures vs open surgery during the first year after partial or radical nephrectomy for kidney cancer. Study Details The study...
In a survey study reported in JCO Oncology Practice, Jimenez et al found that half of surveyed oncologists reported sometimes or usually using reduced doses at initiation of a new systemic treatment in patients with metastatic cancer in order to potentially reduce toxicity. Study Details The study...
In a single-institution study reported in JAMA Oncology, Allen S. Ho, MD, and colleagues found evidence that active surveillance may be a suitable treatment for most patients with low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma. Study Details The prospective study included 222 patients enrolled at...
Three thoracic oncologists were named co-chairs of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), which will take place September 9–12 in Singapore. Co-chairs work with IASLC to plan the annual research meeting, select program track...
Concurrent chemoradiation therapy followed by durvalumab has become the standard of care in patients with unresectable, locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on the PACIFIC trial.1 However, clinical trials have predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and they evaluate...
In locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), immunotherapy consolidation with the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab improved overall survival in the PACIFIC trial,1 thus leading to its use after chemoradiotherapy as a standard of care. Real-world evidence of durvalumab’s effect on overall and...
Abstract discussant Jacek Jassem, MD, of the Medical University of Gdansk, Poland, underscored smoking as the most important cause of lung cancer, noting that between 85% and 90% of patients with lung cancer are current or former smokers. “Lung cancer screening, which has recently become standard...
Discussant of the IMpower010 abstract, Benjamin Besse, MD, PhD, Professor and Head of Clinical Research at Institute Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, said there is enough evidence to use adjuvant immunotherapy in stage II–IIIA resected non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), calling the increased...
Despite significant advancements in cancer therapy, the number-one stopper of lung cancer remains the most basic intervention: quitting smoking. Unfortunately, for long-term smokers, that intervention can sometimes be the most challenging. According to data presented during the International...
Early results from the IMpower010 trial showed an overall survival trend favoring adjuvant atezolizumab vs best supportive care for patients with PD-L1–positive (tumor expression ≥ 1%), stage II–IIIA (UICC/AJCC staging system, 7th ed), resected non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These data were...
Over the past few years, we have seen rapid and dramatic transformation in the therapeutic landscape of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We have had multiple new targeted therapies for newer targets (previously undruggable targets) and better diagnostic strategies to workup patients to realize...
Abstract discussant Anand Devaraj, MD, PhD, Professor in Thoracic Radiology at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, and Professor of Thoracic Radiology at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, highlighted the increased risk of second primary tumors among current...
Approximately 6% of patients with stage I to III lung cancer develop second primary lung cancer within 5 years of their initial diagnosis, according to research presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2022 World Conference on Lung Cancer.1 Analysis of data...
Abstract discussant Anand Devaraj, MD, PhD, a thoracic radiologist at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, and Professor of Thoracic Radiology at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, noted that both the Nederlands-Leuvens Longkanker Screenings Onderzoek (NELSON) trial...
Lung cancer screening has been shown to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality, but some management protocols have more benefit than others, according to data presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2022 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC).1 Although the...
Interim results of a phase II study have demonstrated the safety and feasibility of treating elderly and frail patients with locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with the monoclonal antibody durvalumab during and after radiation therapy, without chemotherapy. The results of a...
The first discussant of the NADIM II study, Corinne Faivre-Finn, MD, PhD, Professor of Thoracic Radiation Oncology, University of Manchester, and Honorary Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, England, called the results “very impressive” but noted that...