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Showing 651 - 700The Challenges and Rewards of Neuro-oncology
Despite the extremely difficult clinical challenges posed by brain tumors, mortality rates in this disease have decreased somewhat over the past several decades due, in part, to advances in surgical techniques and therapies. The ASCO Post recently discussed contemporary issues in neuro-oncology...
Homoharringtonine/Omacetaxine: The Little Drug that Could
First, a clarification: Homoharringtonine is a natural plant alkaloid derived from Cephalotaxus fortunei; from the 1970s until the present, it was the subject of intensive research efforts by Chinese investigators to clarify its role as an antileukemic agent.1-3 Omacetaxine mepesuccinate (Synribo)...
Neurosurgeon Eric Holland, MD, PhD, joins Fred Hutchinson and University of Washington Medicine; Plans to Develop Brain Cancer Program
Neurosurgeon and brain cancer researcher Eric Holland, MD, PhD, will be joining Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington in summer 2013. Dr. Holland will be Senior Vice President and Director of the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,...
Improving Treatment and Care for Patients with Primary Brain Cancers
Despite advances in neuroimaging, the development of focused radiation therapy, and more effective chemotherapy, life expectancy for patients with primary malignant tumors of the brain and spinal cord remains stubbornly low at between 15 and 18 months. However, there are significant advances on the ...
Molecular Imaging Improves Care in Pediatric Glioma
The amino acid imaging agent, O-(2-[18F]-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (F-18 FET), may improve upon standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its diagnostic benefit for imaging pediatric gliomas when conventional MRI is not sufficient, said researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular ...
Second-generation ALK Inhibitor Breakthrough Drug Promising in Early Study for Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Encouraging results were seen in a preliminary study of a second-generation ALK inhibitor in advanced ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The drug—dubbed LDK378—achieved tumor shrinkage in almost all patients enrolled in the study, in all mutational subsets, in crizotinib...
Bevacizumab in Glioblastoma: Another Perspective
Given the results of the AVAglio trial, we feel that a more balanced discussion about the role of bevacizumab (Avastin) in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma is in order. The accompanying article in The ASCO Post suggests that bevacizumab has no benefit in newly diagnosed glioblastoma; data ...
Studies Explore Role of Bevacizumab in Combination Therapies for Glioblastoma
At the 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting, studies evaluating the addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) to standard therapy in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme patients did not meet their primary endpoints. When paired with irinotecan, however, bevacizumab showed activity in MGMT-unmethylated tumors....
Management of Anaplastic Oligodendroglial Tumors
Pearls in Neuro-oncology is guest edited by Tracy Batchelor, MD, Director, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston. The series is intended to provide the practicing oncologist with guidance in managing...
Ongoing Progress in Treatment of Medulloblastoma
Brain tumors are the second most frequent pediatric malignancy. Medulloblastoma, a primitive cerebellar tumor of neuroectodermal origin, is the second most common brain tumor, accounting for 20% of childhood tumors of the central nervous system. Craniospinal radiotherapy has been the main curative...
No Event-Free Survival Difference With Chemotherapy Before vs After Radiotherapy in Children With High-Risk Medulloblastoma
A number of different strategies for combining chemotherapy and radiation therapy have been evaluated in the effort to improve survival in patients with high-risk medulloblastoma. In a trial (POG 9031) reported in Journal of Clinical Oncology, Nancy J. Tarbell, MD, of Massachusetts General...
Sitimagene Ceradenovec/IV Ganciclovir in Glioblastoma: Legitimizing the Gene Therapy Approach for Brain Tumors
The ASPECT study,1 a randomized, open-label, phase III trial examining adenovirus-mediated gene therapy with sitimagene ceradenovec followed by IV ganciclovir for patients with operable high-grade glioma, is an important achievement for both neuro-oncology and gene therapy. As vector engineering...
Postresection Adenovirus-Mediated Gene Therapy Improves Time to Death/Reintervention but Not Survival in Adult Glioblastoma
In an open-label phase III trial (ASPECT) reported in Lancet Oncology, Manfred Westphal, MD, of University Hospital Eppendorf in Hamburg, and colleagues assessed the effects of locally applied adenovirus-mediated gene therapy with sitimagene ceradenovec followed by IV ganciclovir after surgical...
Resistance to Anti-VEGF Drugs in Glioblastoma Is Linked to Mesenchymal Transition
Antiangiogenic therapy reduces tumor vascular permeability and delays tumor progression but may ultimately promote an aggressive treatment-resistant phenotype. In a study reported in Clinical Cancer Research, Piao and colleagues attempted to identify factors responsible for glioblastoma resistance...
Protecting Hippocampus During Whole-Brain Radiation Substantially Reduces Rate of Cognitive Decline
Protecting the stem cells that reside in and around the hippocampus substantially reduces the rate of cognitive decline in patients during whole-brain radiotherapy without a significant risk of recurrence in that area of the brain, a new study shows. Results of the phase II clinical trial of...
Psychosocial Health in Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer
The study by Lund and colleagues discussed in this issue of The ASCO Post reinforces concerns about psychosocial health in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Taking advantage of national registries, these investigators demonstrated that, when compared to the general population, survivors are...
Study Shows Increased Risk of Mental Disorders in Childhood Cancer Survivors and Potential Increased Risk in Young Siblings
Survivors of childhood cancer are at risk for long-term adverse physical and mental effects, but little is known about the effects of illness in siblings of these patients. In a study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Lasse Wegener Lund, MD, of the Danish Cancer Society Research Centre and...
FDA Approves Transducer Array Layout System for Use in Patients With Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme
Novocure recently announced that it has received FDA approval for its NovoTAL (Transducer Array Layout) System through a Premarket Approval supplement. The NovoTAL System allows certified physicians to use the individual magnetic resonance imaging data of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme patients...
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Glioblastoma Are Related to Specific Genomic Alterations
The role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in glioblastoma has not been fully defined. In a study reported in Clinical Cancer Research, Rutledge and colleagues assessed the association between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and molecular alterations, histologies, and survival in glioblastoma. In...
No Progression-Free Survival Difference for Cediranib or Cediranib/Lomustine vs Lomustine in Recurrent Glioblastoma
In a phase III study (REGAL trial) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Tracy T. Batchelor, MD, MPH, of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and colleagues compared oral monotherapy with the investigational pan–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinase ...
Early Evidence Supports Novel ALK Inhibitor in Patients with Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer With Brain Metastases
Identifying ALK rearrangements as a cancer target in patients with lung cancer led to the development and FDA approval of crizotinib (Xalkori) to treat ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several second-generation ALK inhibitors are in development, and these agents appear to work in...
Valganciclovir in Glioblastoma, Selection Bias, and Flawed Conclusions
As reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, Söderberg-Nauclér et al from the Karolinska Institute have written a provocative letter to The New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that long-term administration of valganciclovir (Valcyte), a drug that targets cytomegalovirus (CMV), improves...
Investigators Report Valganciclovir May Increase Survival in Glioblastoma
In a letter to The New England Journal of Medicine, Cecilia Söderberg-Nauclér, MD, PhD, and colleagues from the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, described experience with the anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) agent valganciclovir (Valcyte) in the treatment of glioblastoma, citing dramatically improved...
Expert Point of View: Prashant Kapoor, MD
At the recent American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, Prashant Kapoor, MD, Assistant Professor of Hematology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, agreed that CTL019 is a promising, exciting, and novel approach to treating patients with advanced B-cell hematologic malignancies. “Although...
An Overview of the REGAL Trial and Anti-VEGF Therapies in Recurrent Glioblastoma
As published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Batchelor and colleagues1 and reviewed in a recent issue of The ASCO Post (November 15, 2013, page 106), the REGAL trial was a randomized, phase III, placebo-controlled, partially blinded trial evaluating the efficacy of cediranib, an...
How to Approach the Problem of CNS Metastasis in HER2-Positive Patients
Central nervous system (CNS) metastasis is a pervasive problem in the setting of HER2-positive breast cancer. While some patients can be managed easily, others are challenging, said Eric P. Winer, MD, Chief of the Division of Women’s Cancers and the Thompson Senior Investigator for Breast Cancer...
The Ketogenic Diet in Cancer Control
Ketogenic (or very-low-carbohydrate) diets have been employed since the 1920s as nonpharmacologic therapies for epilepsy and, in some instances, have obviated the need for medication for that disease. Since the 1960s, the ketogenic diet has become better known as a means of managing obesity. This...
Neuro-Oncology Community Convenes in Workshop to Advance Imaging-Related Endpoints in Clinical Trials
Leaders from key cross-sections of the neuro-oncology community came together at a recent Brain Tumor Clinical Trial Endpoints Workshop to confront a critical challenge in developing and testing treatments for glioblastoma multiforme. Participants were able to adjourn the workshop with the...
Dual PI3K/mTOR Inhibitor Effective as Radiosensitizer for Glioblastoma
In a study reported in Clinical Cancer Research, del Alcazar and colleagues assessed the effects of the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor NVP-BEZ235 as a radiosensitizer in glioblastoma. No DNA double-strand break repair inhibitors have been successful in treating glioblastoma. However, in prior studies in...
Mutation Predicts Benefit From Alkylating Chemotherapy in Oligodendroglial Tumors
Patients in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9402 study with 1p/19q codeleted anaplastic oligodendroglial tumors had markedly prolonged overall survival after chemoradiotherapy (with procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine) compared with radiation therapy alone. Some patients with...
Case Studies: Collaborative Practice in Action
The panel presented two case studies—one on high-dose methotrexate toxicity and one on 5-FU toxicity—as a platform for discussion of considerations, challenges, and interconnected roles of oncologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and clinical pharmacists in safely managing patients...
Surgical Resection of Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: What Is the Standard of Care?
The neurosurgeon is often the gateway provider when patients present with what on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appears to be a new glioblastoma. Because histology-based diagnosis is a prerequisite for initiating standard therapy with radiation and chemotherapy, the first question that the...
Ceritinib Highly Active in Patients With ALK-Rearranged Advanced NSCLC
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring ALK rearrangement is sensitive to the ALK inhibitor crizotinib (Xalkori), but resistance ultimately occurs. In a phase I study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, and...
Oncology Advanced Practitioners in the Midst of Growth, Change
The number of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in community cancer practices is growing, according to ASCO’s annual census of oncology practice, published in March 2014.1 As though to illustrate that finding, a new professional society—the Advanced Practitioner Society for...
2014 Oncology Meetings
JUNE National Coalition of Oncology Nurse Navigators 5th Annual Conference: Setting the Course for Improved Cancer CareJune 12-14 • Atlanta, Georgia For more information: www.nconnconference.com Targeting VEGF-mediated Tumor Angiogenesis in Cancer TherapyJune 19-20 • New York, New York For more...
St. John's Wort
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...
Glioblastoma: Can We Make This Intractable Disease Tractable?
In the clinical array of brain tumors, glioblastoma is the most difficult to treat, and despite decades of research and the advent of new therapies, patients with glioblastoma continue to have a very poor prognosis. Leading brain tumor experts at the recent 25th Annual Cancer Progress Conference in ...
2014 Oncology Meetings
JUNE MASCC/ISOO International Symposium on Supportive Care in CancerJune 26-28 • Miami, Florida For more information: www.mascc.org/symposium European Conference of Oncology Pharmacy 2June 26-28 • Krakow, Poland For more information: http://ecop2014.wordpress.com 6th International Workshop on...
A New Era in the Management of Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Approximately 20% of all breast cancers are human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive. Prior to the era of HER2-targeted therapy, HER2-positive breast cancer was characterized by a poor prognosis.1,2 The development of the first HER2-targeted therapy, trastuzumab (Herceptin), led to...
2014 Oncology Meetings
JULY Breast Cancer: New Horizons, Current ControversiesJuly 10-12 • Boston, Massachusetts For more information: www.hms-cme.net/341279/ The 12th Annual Scientific Meeting of Japanese Society of Medical OncologyJuly 17-19 • Fukuoka, Japan For more information: www.congre.co.jp/jsmo2014/en/ The 13th...
ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline: Disease Management in Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer With Brain Metastases
As many as half of all patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer develop brain metastases over time. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently released a clinical practice guideline on disease management for patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer and brain...
2014 Oncology Meetings
JULY 5th World Congress of International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies Annual Meeting of American Head and Neck SocietyJuly 26-30 • New York, New YorkFor more information:www.ahns.info/meetings/index.php AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Cancer Research WorkshopJuly 26-August 1 •...
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...
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...
Mesenchymal Stem Cells With Oncolytic HSV Variants Promising in Glioblastoma Multiforme
Although oncolytic herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been found to be safe in clinical trials in malignant glioblastoma multiforme, its efficacy is limited by insufficient viral spread after tumor resection. In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Duebgen and colleagues...
2014 Oncology Meetings
AUGUST Best of ASCO® ChicagoAugust 15-16 • Chicago, Illinois For more information: boa.asco.org 16th Annual Scientific Meeting: AGITG Trials in ActionAugust 20-22 • Brisbane, Australia For more information: www.agitg.asnevents.com.au 29th International Papillomavirus Conference and Clinical &...
Small Molecule Induces Catastrophic Vacuolization and Death of Glioblastoma Cells
In a study reported in Cell, Kitambi and colleagues screened patient-derived glioblastoma cells to identify targetable cellular processes gained by these cells that are not necessarily involved in malignancy. They found that a quinine derivative (NSC13316) selectively compromised viability of...
2014 Oncology Meetings
SEPTEMBER American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual MeetingSeptember 14-17 • San Francisco, California For more information: www.astro.org Cancer Medicine and Hematology 2014September 14-19 • Boston, Massachusetts For more information: www.hmscme.com/cancermedicine 18th Annual Meeting:...
2014 Oncology Meetings
SEPTEMBER Celebrating 100 Years of Retinoblastoma Center in New York: 1914-2014September 18-19 • New York, New York For more information: www.mskcc.org/events/cme Palliative Medicine and Supportive Oncology 2014 – The 17th International SymposiumSeptember 18-20 • Henderson, Nevada For more...
Gene Therapy Betters Chemotherapy Tolerance, Effectiveness in Small Glioblastoma Study
Using gene therapy and a combination of chemotherapy drugs, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have been able to enhance the tolerance and effectiveness of medications used in treating glioblastoma while also protecting healthy cells from their toxic effects. The report,...
