A Medicare policy requiring shared decision-making between primary care physicians and patients regarding whether to proceed with lung cancer screening may require further examination, according to a recent study published by Kale et al in the Annals of Family Medicine. The findings indicated that...
Researchers examined whether the artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbot ChatGPT can help provide answers to patients with cancer regarding radiation oncology treatment, according to a recent study published by Yalamanchili et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Over 60% (n = 500,000) of...
This is Part 2 of Addressing Unmet Needs in Myelofibrosis, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. John Mascarenhas, Gabriela Hobbs, and Abdulraheem Yacoub discuss role of hematopoietic stem cell transplant in patients...
ASCO and Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, will recognize researchers, patient advocates, philanthropists, teachers, and global oncology leaders who have reshaped cancer care around the world with the Society’s highest honors at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting. The 2024 Special Award Recipients...
Hospitals accredited by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) may demonstrate lower mortality and complication rates in patients undergoing proctectomy compared with nonaccredited hospitals, according to a recent study published by Harbaugh...
Researchers have found that a specific subtype of Fusobacterium nucleatum may be capable of growing within colorectal cancer, driving cancer progression, and leading to poorer outcomes following colorectal cancer treatment, according to a recent study published by Zepeda-Rivera et al in Nature. The ...
Researchers have found that a low-dose radiotherapy boost in addition to whole-breast radiotherapy may prevent local recurrence in young patients with breast cancer, according to new findings presented by Bosma et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC) (Abstract 4LBA) and...
Extensive removal of the lymph nodes may be safely avoided in patients with breast cancer that has metastasized to the axillary nodes if treatment is tailored to their response to therapies such as chemotherapy prior to surgery, according to new findings presented by van Hemert et al at the 2024...
About 8 years ago, I was just a few years into menopause when I noticed blood in my urine. It wasn’t accompanied by pain, frequent urination, or any other troubling symptoms, so initially I wasn’t too concerned. But when I started passing pieces of tissue, I became alarmed and made an appointment...
Although more than 85% of childhood cancer survivors will achieve a 5-year survival,1 that does not tell the whole tale for these individuals who move into adulthood. They are at excess risk of late mortality, even 40 years out from a cancer diagnosis, from non–cancer-related causes,1 and related...
In Kathy Giusti’s empowering and deeply personal book Fatal to Fearless: 12 Steps to Beating Cancer in a Broken Medical System (HarperCollins, 2024), she details the shock of being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, in 1996, at the age of 37. Told she had 3 years to live, the book recounts how Ms....
In 1996, at the age of 37, Kathy Giusti was diagnosed with the incurable blood cancer multiple myeloma and told she had about 3 years to live. In the mid-1990s, effective therapies for this second most common blood cancer were nearly nonexistent. Standard of care for myeloma consisted of oral...
The addition of atezolizumab to postsurgery chemotherapy may not benefit patients with triple-negative breast cancer, according to findings recently presented by McArthur et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC; Abstract 1LBA). Background Triple-negative breast cancer is often...
Taking part in an exercise program may improve pain, fatigue, and quality of life in patients with metastatic breast cancer, according to recent findings presented by Hiensch et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC; Abstract 1). Background “Although there’s been quite a lot of...
Investigators have found that second primary malignancies following chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy were reported in 4.3% of CAR T-cell therapy adverse event reports submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System, with T-cell malignancies...
A novel genetic test may predict how patients with triple-negative early-stage breast cancer will respond to immunotherapy, according to new findings presented by Wolf et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC) (Abstract 2LBA). The research may help patients who are unlikely to...
The addition of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to chemotherapy prior to and following surgery may lead to improved outcomes in patients with breast cancer regardless of their age or menopausal status, according to new findings presented by Cardoso et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer...
ASCO has released a new guideline on the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer in resource-constrained settings, where maximal setting–recommended treatments are not available.1 The guideline, designed for clinicians, policymakers, and patients, provides stratified recommendations...
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, took the helm as the 17th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), on December 18, 2023. A renowned kidney cancer expert and influential leader in cancer research and patient care, Dr. Rathmell was selected by...
Adjuvant use of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab achieved a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in disease-free survival in patients with high-risk muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma vs observation after surgical resection, according to an interim analysis of the phase ...
With a 5-year overall survival of close to 90% in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), there have been large treatment shifts over the past decade in this disease, which now includes “more disciplines than it did before,” commented medical oncologist Danielle Shafer, DO, of Inova Schar Cancer...
Managing patients with lung cancer in the current era of an increasing array of systemic treatments has become a complex balancing act of trying to improve outcomes and survival from a cancer perspective while taking the necessary treatment and monitoring steps for cardioprotection. With few...
Monitoring circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels with liquid biopsies could help physicians accurately assess treatment responses and predict future prognoses in patients with operable esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancer receiving an immunotherapy doublet, according to a recent study...
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) announced that its members have elected Lillian L. Siu, MD, FRCPC, FASCO, FAACR, as the 2024–2025 President-Elect of the AACR. Professional and Research Background Dr. Siu currently serves as Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto; as ...
The artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbot ChatGPT version 3.4 may correctly answer a majority of the common genetic counseling questions related to gynecologic oncology, according to new findings presented by Patel et al at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s (SGO) 2024 Annual Meeting on...
Researchers have identified two genetic markers that may illuminate the association between red and/or processed meat consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a novel study published by Stern et al in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Background Previous studies...
Investigators may have identified a decrease in newly diagnosed breast cancer cases during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent study published by Fefferman et al in Cancer Medicine. The findings highlight that breast cancer was not immune to pandemic-related stressors and ...
Philip A. Salem, MD, Director Emeritus of Cancer Research at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Houston, was born and reared in Bterram, a village that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. “I had the most beautiful and blessed childhood, as I lived in a household dominated by a father who believed in the...
Adding specialized mental health support to the treatment plan of patients with cancer may improve their quality of life, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in family caregivers, and boost cost savings to the health-care system, according to a recent study published by Steel et al in The...
Patients with a higher body mass index (BMI) may have a greater risk of overall and specific complications following autologous breast reconstruction, according to a recent study published by Barnes et al in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Background Autologous breast reconstruction—an...
On February 6, 2024, Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), testified before the full House Committee on Ways and Means on the crisis of ongoing cancer drug shortages. More than 15 cancer drugs continue...
ASCO in partnership with the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) has released a new guideline addressing recommendations in germline testing in patients with breast cancer.1 The guideline provides oncologists with a framework for how to approach germline testing and recommendations for who should be ...
Patricia LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), an internationally recognized expert in drug development and early-phase clinical investigation of novel cancer therapies, was recently appointed the Amy and Joseph Perella Professor of Medicine (medical oncology). The appointment is for a term of 10 years,...
Positive results with the use of belantamab mafodotin-blmf in the phase III DREAMM-7 study were presented during the ASCO Plenary Series: February 2024.1 In relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, DREAMM-7 evaluated the use of the regimen belantamab mafodotin, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (BVd)...
Long-term follow-up of the phase III KEYNOTE-590 trial confirms the benefit of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in advanced esophageal cancer. As compared with chemotherapy alone, after a median of follow-up of almost 59 months, patients treated with the chemoimmunotherapy...
he latest findings for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in colorectal cancer were discussed at the 2024 ASCO Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium by Aparna R. Parikh, MD, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard...
Medical debt is associated with worse health status, more premature deaths, and higher mortality rates in the United States, according to a recent cross-sectional study published by Han et al in JAMA Network Open. Background“Patients are increasingly burdened by high out-of-pocket costs for health...
This is Part 3 of Targeting Endocrine Resistance in HR-Positive/HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable. In this video, Drs. Kevin Kalinsky, Manali Bhave, and Ruth O’Regan discuss the treatment of...
This is Part 2 of Targeting Endocrine Resistance in HR-Positive/HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable. In this video, Drs. Kevin Kalinsky, Manali Bhave, and Ruth O’Regan discuss the treatment of...
This is Part 1 of Targeting Endocrine Resistance in HR-Positive/HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable. In this video, Drs. Kevin Kalinsky, Manali Bhave, and Ruth O’Regan discuss the treatment of...
The established dual HER2 blockade of pertuzumab and trastuzumab may be an effective treatment for patients with several types of HER2-amplified cancers, according to a study published by Connolly et al in Clinical Cancer Research. Background HER2 receptors control how cells grow and divide. The...
Investigators may have uncovered the social determinants of health hindering breast cancer screening in the United States, according to a recent systematic review published by Jhumkhawala et al in Frontiers in Public Health. Background Health disparities have consistently been associated with...
Although liquid biopsies are now helping determine the need for adjuvant therapy in a number of malignancies, they have yet to prove useful in the setting of oropharyngeal carcinoma, according to a prospective pilot study presented at the 2024 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium that...
Non-Hispanic Black patients with locally advanced rectal cancer may experience poorer treatment outcomes independent of the sociodemographic, clinical, and pathologic factors that often influence racial and ethnic disparities in this patient population, according to a recent study published by...
Researchers have demonstrated that an online genetic education program may encourage patients with a family history of cancer to undertake genetic testing, according to a recent study published by Rodriguez et al in Gastroenterology. Background Although research has shown that an inherited...
Researchers have found that exposure to secondhand smoke during treatment with cisplatin may reduce its effectiveness in patients with head and neck cancer, even if they don’t have a history of smoking, according to a recent study published by Sadhasivam et al in the International Journal of...
Investigators have found that U.S. individuals with a history of incarceration may have worse access to and receipt of breast cancer and colorectal cancer screenings compared with those without a history of incarceration, according to a recent study published by Zhao et al in JAMA Health Forum....
Although current ASCO guidelines recommend exercise for patients with breast cancer during adjuvant therapy with curative intent, the guidelines state that more study is needed regarding the effects of exercise for patients with metastatic breast cancer. The results of the PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial...
It may be possible for some patients with breast cancer to avoid adjuvant regional nodal irradiation safely, according to the results of the NRG Oncology/NSABP B-51/RTOG 1304 clinical trial presented at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 These findings particularly apply to patients...
Investigators used low recurrence scores on a genomic assay as guidance for selection of favorable-risk patients, and they found most postmenopausal patients (aged 50–69) with stage I hormone receptor–positive breast cancer who omitted adjuvant radiation therapy but continued endocrine therapy for...