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Showing 6551 - 6600Cabozantinib Prolongs Progression-free Survival in Advanced Medullary Thyroid Cancer
Cabozantinib prolonged progression-free survival in patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer with documented disease progression in the phase III EXAM trial. Based on these results, Exelixis submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA in May 2012. The...
NK Cell Signature Associated with Favorable Prognosis in Breast Cancer
Tumor cell recognition by natural killer (NK) cells is mediated by the interaction of activating and inhibitory NK cell receptors with ligands expressed on the tumor cells. NK cells also express adhesion molecules that facilitate formation of the immune synapse with tumor targets. Maria Libera...
Alterations in PTEN Insufficient to Predict Sensitivity to Drugs Targeting PI3K/mTOR Pathway
PTEN acts as a tumor-suppressor gene through the action of its phosphatase protein product, which participates in regulation of the cell cycle to prevent too-rapid cell growth and division. Loss of PTEN function has been shown to increase PI3K/mTOR signaling, and preclinical data suggest that PTEN...
New Study Examines Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Mortality
According to the first national study looking at racial disparity in breast cancer mortality rates at the city level in the United States, societal factors—especially poverty and residential segregation—are resulting in the unnecessary deaths of five black women every day—more than 1,700 deaths a...
Mitotane-containing Regimens Explored for a Rare Tumor
Response rates and progression-free survival rates were significantly better among patients with advanced adrenocortical carcinoma receiving mitotane (Lysodren) plus EDP (etoposide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin) than in patients receiving mitotane with streptozocin (Zanosar), according to results of...
Cancer Care in Rwanda: A Model of Creative Partnerships
While disparities in cancer care remain problematic in wealthy industrial nations like the United States, the challenges faced in poorer regions of the world are, by comparison, inestimable. Nationally regarded health-care expert Lawrence N. Shulman, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is part of...
YIA and CDA: Abbreviations of Great Importance to Continued Progress in Cancer Research
Behind the scenes researchers—who are well acquainted with the human cost of cancer and see the vast scientific and clinical opportunities for conquering it—are working to unlock the secrets of cancer in its many forms. Some are well established in their careers and have been conducting studies for ...
ASCO Bookstore Revamped
ASCO has redesigned its online bookstore. Now visitors can enjoy a streamlined environment powered by Amazon, allowing them to search in just about any way they want to: newest to oldest, most popular, by disease type, by professional interest, and the list goes on. The new bookstore platform,...
ASCO Launches Oncology Practice Census
How many oncologists are in private practice and how many are employed by hospitals and academic medical centers in the United States? No one knows the answer for sure, but ASCO is undertaking an ambitious national effort to determine where oncologists are practicing these days. Online Survey...
Regorafenib in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA has granted priority review designation to Bayer HealthCare’s New Drug Application (NDA) filed end of April 2012 for the oral multikinase inhibitor regorafenib, for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer whose...
Proton Therapy System Granted 510(k) Clearance
Mevion Medical Systems, Inc, announced that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Mevion S250 Proton Therapy System. According to Mevion, the new system delivers precise, noninvasive treatment comparable to that available with larger, more complex proton therapy systems but with higher...
PACE Trial Update: Ponatinib Produces High Response Rates in CML
The third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor ponatinib showed robust efficacy in the 10-month follow-up of the phase II PACE trial (Ponatinib Ph+ALL and CML Evaluation), which is evaluating ponatinib in treatment-refractory chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)1 At the 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting, Jorge E. ...
Increased Adjuvant Therapy Use and Improved Survival in Dutch Elderly Patients with Stage III Colon Cancer: A Direct Correlation?
A survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy has been reported for select elderly patients with stage III colon cancer, but many elderly patients are not candidates for or are not given adjuvant therapy due to comorbidities and fear of toxicity. In a recent Annals of Oncology article, van...
First-line Afatinib Superior to Standard Chemotherapy in Advanced EGFR-mutated Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
First-line therapy with the investigational oral agent afatinib improved progression-free survival compared with standard chemotherapy (pemetrexed (Alimta)/cisplatin) in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring an EGFR mutation. Afatinib improved progression-free survival ...
Landscape for Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma Is Expanding
Metastatic melanoma was long considered untreatable and incurable. The FDA approval of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and vemurafenib (Zelboraf) ushered in a new era for this disease, and now additional treatment options are in late stages of clinical development. Dabrafenib, a novel oral BRAF inhibitor, and...
Reflections from the Old World
A few years ago, I was a key witness for a patent dispute at a trial in Delaware. Acting for the complainant, I was briefed that the opening gambit of the opposition lawyer would be to discredit my CV and, therefore, the value of my testimony. “So you are a full Professor at the University of...
The Affordable Care Act Stands: Now What?
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law—a hotly contested bill that enacted sweeping changes to the U.S. health-care system. The debate over the Affordable Care Act continued all the way to the Supreme Court, spearheaded by the case Florida...
Conquer Cancer Foundation Honors Oncology Professionals forHigh-quality Research in Breast Cancer
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO recently announced the recipients of its 2012 Breast Cancer Symposium Merit Awards, which recognize leading oncology professionals for their work in the area of breast cancer research. This year, the Foundation honors 16 individuals for their research in the...
Astragalus
The use of dietary supplements by cancer patients has risen 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 the...
Supportive Care Experts Explore 30 Years of Progress in the Field
Thirty years ago, when the first supportive care meeting as a forerunner of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Symposium was held in New York, supportive care was largely ignored, with little discussion at major cancer meetings, which focused primarily on...
Former Foundation Grantee Pays It Forward, Building a Legacy for the Next Generation
Hundreds of investigators, such as 2008 Young Investigator Award and 2010 Career Development Award recipient Richard Carvajal, MD, have received seed funding from ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation early in their careers—funding that supported their professional growth and helped lay the foundation...
Clinicians to Benefit from New JCO Initiatives
Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) has recently launched several new features for readers under the direction of Stephen A. Cannistra, MD, who began his tenure as Editor-in-Chief in June 2011. These initiatives include the creation of two new article types: Rapid Communications (RC) and...
No Improvement in Overall Survival, Worse Toxicity with Motesanib Added to Chemotherapy in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Two trials (E4599 and AVAiL) have suggested a benefit to adding the anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (Avastin) to chemotherapy in patients with advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Bevacizumab acts by binding directly to circulating...
As Conflicting Guidelines Evolve, Experts Continue to Debate the Merits of Cancer Screening
In the 1930s and 1940s, when the American Cancer Society [ACS] first brought forth the message that early cancer detection saves lives, it was a broad brushstroke and an appropriate message. The problem now is that new technology enables us to find [tumors that would never progress to invasive...
Molecularly Targeted Treatment of Thyroid Cancer Rapidly Evolving
Recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis and altered signaling pathways in thyroid cancer are improving treatment options for this malignancy, especially for the subset of patients with medullary thyroid cancer and those with differentiated thyroid cancer that has metastasized, according...
Supportive Care Research Runs the Gamut from Genetic Markers of Treatment Side Effects to Neuropathic Pain Therapies
Attendees from around the world gathered for the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer, held June 28–30 in New York. Below are highlights from the meeting, representing...
Biokine Therapeutics Awarded FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Mobilization of Stem Cells in Patients with Cancer
Biokine Therapeutics Ltd announced that it has received Orphan Drug designation from the FDA for BKT140, a highly selective chemokine receptor antagonist that induces mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow into peripheral blood for collection and subsequent transplantation in...
Rethinking the Role of PSA Screening in Public Health
Population screening to identify preclinical disease is considered a central factor in the decades-long decrease in mortality seen in certain cancers. However, hope in the face of deadly disease can sometimes blind us to the scientific evidence. According to the recent U.S. Preventive Services Task ...
Expert Point of View: James O. Armitage, MD
In an accompanying editorial entitled “Who Benefits From Surveillance Imaging?” James O. Armitage, MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, noted that data on surveillance imaging (CT or PET/CT) indicate a general absence of survival benefit in adults with lymphomas, while pointing out...
SIDEBAR: Don’t Expect Questions: Be Proactive with Younger Patients
It is unrealistic to expect adolescents and young adults with cancer to initiate questions about disease-related or or treatment-related issues that are troubling them, according to Bradley Zebrack, PhD, MSW, MPH, Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor....
It’s Time to Get Ready for New Medicare Reporting Requirements
As if you didn’t already have enough to worry about, now add this: If your practice doesn’t meet the requirements of the Physicians Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive, you don’t just miss out on the bonuses the programs offered as incentive in recent years....
Conquer Cancer Foundation $10K Challenge: Multiply Your Donation’s Impact in September
The Foundation proudly announces its first-ever Conquer Cancer Foundation $10K Challenge. In September, a portion of online gifts to the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology will be matched by the generous support of Ariad Pharmaceuticals®. The Conquer Cancer...
The 2013 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium Will Observe the Meeting’s 10-Year Anniversary
A decade after its start in 2003 with a few hundred attendees, the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium now boasts more than 3,000 participants from all over the world. The next implementation marks the meeting’s 10th anniversary. The 3-day meeting—to be held January 24–26 in San Francisco—is...
Despite Challenges, Initiatives Bring Gradual Improvements to Cancer Care in Lebanon
Nagi S. El Saghir, MD, FACP, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Hematology-Oncology at the American University of Beirut, is the founding President of the Lebanese Society of Medical Oncology (LSMO). Dr. El Saghir has focused much of his research on the early detection, prevention, and treatment of ...
The Problem of Monitoring Remission
How wonderful it is that we now have to concern ourselves with survivorship issues! The ever-increasing success of cancer therapy means that more and more patients can look to a life beyond cancer diagnosis and treatment. But living with cancer creates its own problems. While treatment often may be ...
Letter to the Editor: More Thoughts on PSA
An article that appeared in the August 15 issue of The ASCO Post (“Rethinking the Role of PSA Screening in Public Health”) contains false statements about the discovery of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and its effectiveness as a test for early detection of prostate cancer. Contrary to what’s...
Getting the Right End-of-life Care: Coming to Terms with the Realities of Advanced Disease and Mortality
“Dying is at once a fact of life and a profound mystery.” That was the opening sentence of a 1997 Institute of Medicine report, Approaching Death: Improving Care at the End of Life, a much-needed jump-start in the national dialogue over identifying the barriers that impede the delivery of...
FDA Grants Priority Review to Supplemental New Drug Application for Abiraterone Acetate in Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
Janssen Research & Development, LLC, announced that the FDA has granted Priority Review to the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) administered in combination with prednisone for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer ...
Kidney Cancer Association Works with Conquer Cancer Foundation to Stimulate Breakthrough Research
For any nonprofit cancer organization, a key challenge is how to balance the enormous task of supporting cancer patients with the latest information about current treatments while helping to advance the search for new breakthroughs in therapeutic options. For the past 6 years, the Kidney Cancer...
Genitourinary Cancers Symposium Still Intimate Despite Record Growth
Despite its exponential growth since launching in 2007—from 1,450 attendees then to a record 2,530 last year—the Genitourinary (GU) Cancers Symposium remains an inviting meeting that feels small, accessible, and comfortable. And that’s the perfect blend for networking, said Jeff Michalski, MD,...
A Leading Light in Cancer Advances, Mary Lasker Used Wealth and Connections to Increase Funding for Medical Research
Born in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1900, Mary Woodard Lasker was introduced to the ravages of cancer when she was just 3 or 4 years old and went with her mother to visit the family’s laundress, Mrs. Belter, who had just undergone surgery for breast cancer. On the way over to Mrs. Belter’s home, Ms....
Lack of Sleep Found to Be Risk Factor for Aggressive Breast Cancers
Lack of sleep is linked to more aggressive breast cancers, according to new findings published in the August issue of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment by physician-scientists from University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s Seidman Cancer Center and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case...
Dying Patients with Cancer Who Avoid Aggressive Care but Stay Connected with an Oncologist Have Better Quality of Life
Dying patients with cancer who avoided hospitalizations and life-prolonging measures, who worried less, prayed or meditated, were visited by a pastor, and maintained a therapeutic alliance with their oncologist had the highest quality of life at the end of life, according to a study recently...
NDA for Chemosaturation System to Treat Melanoma in the Liver
Delcath Systems, Inc, announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA, seeking approval for its chemosaturation system (CHEMOSAT) for use with melphalan hydrochloride in the treatment of patients with unresectable metastatic melanoma in the liver. The system is designed to...
FDA Issues New Safety Alert on Reumofan Plus and Reumofan Plus Premium
In August 21, the FDA issued a new warning to consumers about the potential health risks of two products marketed as natural dietary supplements for treating arthritis, muscle pain, osteoporosis, bone cancer, and other conditions. The products, Reumofan Plus and Reumofan Plus Premium, contain...
Expert Point of View: Fritz H. Schröder, MD
I am happy to accept the invitation by The ASCO Post to comment on the recent, long-awaited publication of the PIVOT study (Wilt et al: N Engl J Med 367:203-213, 2012) and the accompanying editorial by Thompson and Tangen (N Engl J Med 367:270-271, 2012). The editorial both points out weaknesses of ...
No Survival Benefit of Radical Prostatectomy vs Observation for Localized Prostate Cancer Detected by PSA Testing
The relative benefits of surgery or observation in men with prostate cancer detected by prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing have not been defined. Randomized trials comparing radical prostatectomy with observation were conducted before widespread use of PSA testing and an observational study...
Contagious Cancer and an Unexplained Phenomenon Might Inspire Future Therapies
A deadly contagious cancer known as devil facial tumor disease is pushing the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilius harrisii), to the brink of extinction. The loss of an interesting creature aside, the plight of the Tasmanian devil raises provocative questions...
Exciting New Agents Offer Further Treatment Options for Metastatic Melanoma
“This is a very exciting time in melanoma,” said Michael Sabel, MD, of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. “For years, we chugged along with few options for systemic therapy. Then in 2010 and 2011, we saw melanoma data presented at ASCO plenary sessions. At ASCO 2012, we expanded in these areas...
SIDEBAR: Maximizing Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy in CML
Second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors as initial therapy in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) continue to prove their worth by demonstrating protection against disease progression and by producing increasingly “higher quality” remissions, said Attaya Suvannasankha, MD, of Indiana University...
