In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Global Oncology series, Guest Editor Chandrakanth Are, MBBS, MBA, FRCS, FACS, spoke with Ahmad Bashir Barekzai, MD, FACS, Consultant Surgical Oncologist at Ali Abad Teaching Hospital, an affiliated hospital to Kabul University of Medical Science, Kabul,...
In a Swedish population-based cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Lin et al found that men with type 2 diabetes receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists for prostate cancer were more likely to have an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease compared with those...
A new study published by Hshieh et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network suggests a new way for hematologic oncologists to protect older patients from the risks of medication interactions. As part of the Older Adult Hematologic Malignancies Program, gerontology...
A newly constructed map of the landscape of genetic changes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may provide a better understanding of this complex malignancy, which could lead to more accurate prognoses for patients, improved diagnostics, and novel treatments. These research findings were...
The human monoclonal antibody sugemalimab is a safe and effective consolidation therapy for patients with unresectable stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without disease progression after either concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) or sequential chemoradiotherapy (sCRT), according to...
Young people with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who received doses of tisagenlecleucel, a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, at the higher end of the approved dosing range had significantly better survival rates at 1 year compared with those who received lower doses within...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Offersen et al, the phase III Danish Breast Cancer Group Partial Breast Irradiation Trial showed that partial-breast irradiation was noninferior to whole-breast irradiation in terms of the risk for breast induration in women aged ≥ 60 years...
Sexual dysfunction is highly prevalent in women with lung cancer, with most participants in a survey reporting little to no interest in sexual activity, according to research led by Narjust Florez (Duma), MD, presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World...
Using data from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), researchers found that the incidence of second primary lung cancer was approximately 4% among the entire cohort of patients with lung cancer and was as high as 8% among patients undergoing surgery for stage IA disease. The research was...
The protocol used to screen and detect lung cancer in the NELSON trial may be more sensitive than the protocol used in the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST), particularly for early-stage cancers, according to research reported by de Nijs et al at the International Association for the...
The repercussions of overturning Roe v Wade—and the failure of the Supreme Court to provide any guidance on exceptions related to the life and health of the mother—are potentially catastrophic for a subset of women who face a life-threating diagnosis of pregnancy-associated cancers. In a...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by de Wild et al, 5-year follow-up from a Dutch prospective registry study (RAPCHEM, BOOG 2010-03) showed low rates of locoregional recurrence with de-escalation of adjuvant radiotherapy according to predefined risk levels in women receiving primary chemotherapy...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Bauer et al, the phase III INTRIGUE trial showed no significant progression-free survival benefit with second-line ripretinib vs sunitinib in imatinib-pretreated patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), including among patients with KIT ...
Dr. Courtney DiNardo, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, sat down with two colleagues at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting to discuss data presented in leukemia. On this episode of the podcast, we’re featuring Dr. DiNardo’s conversations.
Informed consent forms can be overwhelming for patients—they are written at a level that is too high for many patients, possibly impeding true informed consent, according to a report given by King-Kallimanis et al at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2022 World...
Researchers from Japan recently reported that the first phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of durvalumab and concurrent curative radiation therapy for PD-L1–positive unresectable locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without chemotherapy met its primary endpoint with...
In an analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Zhong and Mao found that a higher daily insulin dose was associated with an increased risk of cancer diagnosis in patients with type 1 diabetes. Study Details The analysis used data from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and the...
In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Aggarwal et al identified the impact of several models of centralization of specialist cancer services in England, using rectal cancer surgery as an example. As stated by the investigators, “Centralization of specialist cancer services is occurring in...
In a population-based retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Sood et al found that longer time to adjuvant endocrine therapy initiation in Medicaid-insured women with breast cancer was associated with a reduced likelihood of short- and long-term adherence to treatment. As stated...
On August 11, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd; Enhertu) for adult patients with unresectable or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have activating HER2 mutations, as detected by an...
On August 10, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regular approval to capmatinib (Tabrecta) for adult patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have a mutation leading to mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) exon 14 skipping, as detected by an ...
Researchers from Vancouver, British Columbia examined the effect of duration of past exposure to air pollution with lung cancer diagnosis in new research presented by Myers et al at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World Conference on Lung Cancer 2022 (Abstract...
Younger patients with lung cancer are significantly more likely than older patients to be diagnosed with later stages of disease, illustrating the need to develop strategies to increase the early detection of lung cancer among younger patients who are currently ineligible for lung cancer screening. ...
On August 11, Roche announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a label expansion for the Ventana MMR RxDx Panel. The Ventana MMR RxDx Panel is the first immunohistochemistry (IHC) companion diagnostic test to aid in identifying patients whose solid tumors are deficient in DNA ...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Sherer et al found that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening was associated with reduced prostate cancer mortality among both non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White U.S. veterans who developed prostate cancer. Annual vs some screening was associated...
In a report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Schoot et al provided findings from the European Paediatric Soft Tissue Sarcoma Study Group MTS 2008 and pooled findings of MTS 2008 with those of the concurrent BERNIE study, both of which evaluated strategies for the treatment of pediatric...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Michaeli and Michaeli described data supporting U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initial approval and subsequent indications for new cancer drugs from 2003 through 2021. Study Details Clinical trial evidence supporting approval for...
Although considered a rare occurrence in adolescents and young adults (AYAs), aged 15 to 39 years, the incidence of cancer in this age group has been increasing by approximately 30% since the 1970s. This year, it is estimated that nearly 90,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in this...
About 7 years ago, I had emergency hernia surgery and soon after began experiencing severe constipation and abdominal bloating. I had started to have minor symptoms leading up to the surgery, but now the pain and exhaustion of trying to have a bowel movement became unbearable. I met with a...
Irene Ghobrial, MD, Director of the Clinical Investigator Research Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, has received the William Dameshek Prize. This award is given annually by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to an individual younger than age 50 who has made outstanding...
Jaye Gardiner, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, is among 10 recipients of the 2022 Dr. Eddie Méndez Award. This honor recognizes underrepresented postdoctoral researchers across the United States who have demonstrated research expertise in cancer, infectious...
Ochsner Health has announced the recipient of the 37th Annual Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Disease: Claudia Henschke, PhD, MD. She is Director, Early Lung and Cardiac Action Program (ELCAP) and Professor of Radiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. This...
Ludwig Cancer Research recently announced the appointment of Pat Morin, PhD, as Deputy Scientific Director of its international nonprofit organization, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Dr. Morin joins Ludwig from the University of Pennsylvania, where he has served as Executive Director for ...
In 2016, Theresa Brown, RN, wrote The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives, a vivid real-time description of an oncology nurse’s standard 12-hour shift on a hospital cancer ward. It was an excellent book, which was reviewed on these pages and highly recommended for readers of The...
Robert Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia. In addition, Dr. Uzzo will assume the roles of Executive Vice President, Cancer Services for Temple University Health System, and Senior Associate Dean, Clinical Cancer...
In this installment of Living a Full Life, Guest Editor Jame Abraham, MD, spoke with Manmeet S. Ahluwalia, MD, MBA, Deputy Director, Chief Scientific Officer, and Chief of Solid Tumor Medical Oncology at Miami Cancer Institute, where his research focuses on the development of new therapies for...
Here is a summary of the strategies developed by ASCO and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) to increase participation by minority patients in cancer clinical trials and ensure greater equity, diversity, and inclusion in research studies. For a detailed list of the recommendations,...
Research shows that although 15% of Black individuals and 13% of Hispanic individuals have cancer in the United States, only between 4% and 6% of clinical trial participants are Black and between 3% and 6% are Hispanic.1-3 To improve these statistics, in 2020, ASCO and the Association of Community...
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center recently announced that Donna Hansel, MD, PhD, has been named Division Head of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Hansel will lead a team of 650, including more than 130 clinical and research faculty, across 4 departments that serve as a bridge...
The members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) elected seven new officers to the society’s Board of Directors, including Howard Sandler, MD, FASTRO, as President-Elect; Michael Kuettel, MD, PhD, MBA, FASTRO, as Secretary/Treasurer-Elect; Iris C. Gibbs, MD, FASTRO, and Curtiland...
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) recently announced that Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, a pancreatic cancer surgeon and researcher, a pioneer in cancer health disparities research, and an academic medical leader, has been selected to serve as its next President and Chief Executive...
At the 2022 Summit on Cancer Health Disparities in Seattle, leaders from five of the leading professional societies in cancer discussed their respective organizations’ current initiatives toward improving cancer health disparities.1 Representatives from ASCO, the American Society for Clinical...
The use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can reduce treatment disparities between White and Black patients, according to research presented by Ganesh et al at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World...
Patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received a combined therapy of tremelimumab, durvalumab, and chemotherapy experienced longer overall survival compared with those who received chemotherapy alone, regardless of STK11, KEAP1, or KRAS mutational status. These findings...
In an analysis of the Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial II reported in JAMA Surgery, Crystal et al found that patients with melanoma with sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis who were randomly assigned to observation vs completion lymph node dissection (CLND) following SLN biopsy...
ASCO’s CancerLinQ and Owkin recently announced a new research collaboration to use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze real-world oncology data with the aim to understand why some cases of metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are resistant to first-line immunotherapy. Using data from...
In a collaboration announced on June 4, ASCO will work with the World Health Organization (WHO) to measure and improve the quality of cancer care internationally. The goal is to achieve health-related targets of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and WHO Global Action Plan on Non-Communicable...
ASCO has released the first comprehensive set of guidelines for the management of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC).1 The guidelines are subdivided into six main sections: diagnosis, the role of cytoreductive nephrectomy, first-line systemic treatment, second- or later-line systemic...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Marks et al found that only two-thirds of a sample of U.S. Commission on Cancer–accredited cancer care facilities accepted Medicaid insurance for the treatment of four common cancers in a simulated cohort of adult patients with newly diagnosed disease....
ASCO has endorsed the recommendations put forth in a new guideline, developed by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), on the use of radiation therapy for the management of brain metastases.1,2 Although ASTRO—in conjunction with ASCO and the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO)—recently...