As reported at the 2017 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition and in The New England Journal of Medicine, Stephen J. Schuster, MD, of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues found that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell...
GUEST EDITOR Dr. Abraham is the Director of the Breast Oncology Program at Taussig Cancer Institute, and Professor of Medicine, Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic. MATT KALAYCIO, MD Affiliation: Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer InstituteOn balancing priorities: “As an oncologist in...
BOOKMARK Title: Autobiography of a FaceAuthor: Lucy GrealyPublisher: Houghton Mifflin HarcourtOriginal Publication Date: June 1994Price: $14.95, paperback; 256 pages We live in a celebrity-obsessed society that is consumed by images of what we perceive as ideal beauty. Numerous studies show that ...
BOOKMARK Title: Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American MealAuthor: Eric SchlosserOriginal Publisher: Houghton MifflinOriginal Publication Date: January 2001Price: $23.95, paperback, 288 pages The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about two-thirds of...
Breast cancer specialist Stacy L. Moulder, MD, was born and reared in Brookhaven, Mississippi, a small town southwest of the state capital of Jackson. “I was always interested in math and science, and I had a wonderful biology teacher in high school. It was when the advanced placement courses...
GUEST EDITOR Addressing the evolving needs of cancer survivors at various stages of their illness and care, Palliative Care in Oncology is guest edited by Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD. Dr. Von Roenn is ASCO’s Vice President of Education, Science, and Professional Development. Although advances in such ...
The current guidelines for mammographic breast cancer screening, which are based on data from primarily white populations, may lead to delayed diagnosis in nonwhite women, according to a report published by Stapleton et al in JAMA Surgery. A team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)...
An Italian study featured in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine demonstrates that a novel nuclear medicine imaging agent targeting copper accumulation in tumors can detect prostate cancer recurrence early in patients with biochemical relapse (ie, rising prostate-specific antigen [PSA] level). Copper...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Drs. Abutalib and Medeiros explore the recently updated World Health Organization (WHO) classification of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue...
Law and Ethics in Oncology explores the legal and ethical issues oncologists must be aware of in this era of precision medicine and changing health-care policy, both to protect patients’ rights and to safeguard against potential legal jeopardy. For years, ASCO and other medical societies have...
ON DECEMBER 19, 2017, cabozantinib (Cabometyx) was granted regular approval for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma.1,2 Cabozantinib was initially granted approval in 2016 for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who had received prior antiangiogenic therapy. The...
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms of action, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On December 19, 2017, bosutinib (Bosulif) was granted...
Dr. Katz is a certified sexuality counselor at CancerCare Manitoba, Canada. SEXUALITY AND SEXUAL functioning are important to cancer survivors, and considering the significant number of survivors, this is an issue that should not be ignored. In a survey of cancer survivors who had completed...
AS REPORTED in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Jeanne Carter, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues, ASCO has issued a clinical practice guideline adaptation of the Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) guideline on interventions to address sexual problems in people with cancer.1 ...
THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH and its corresponding medical center (UPMC) are once again partnering to advance the pace of life-changing innovation in the region and beyond. The University of Pittsburgh and UPMC leaders announced plans to establish the new UPMC Immune Transplant and Therapy Center...
ADITYA BARDIA, MD, Director of Precision Medicine at the Center for Breast Cancer, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, said: “This large, well-powered trial that included 181 centers and more than 2,600 patients unfortunately failed to show that celecoxib improved...
EACH YEAR, The ASCO Post asks Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, Director of the Breast Oncology Program at Taussig Cancer Institute and Co-Director of the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program, to give his picks for the most important research presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer...
INTERVIEWED BY The ASCO Post, Andrzej Jakubowiak, MD, PhD, Director of the Multiple Myeloma Program at the University of Chicago Medical Center, commented on the “controversial findings” of EMN02/HO95. “This European study has opened the gate toward showing the benefit of a second transplant,...
Six years ago, I was 38 years old and, like many young people, took life for granted. I had two young daughters, ages 7 years and 4 months, and a wife I adored. And, except for a nagging pain on the left side of my abdomen, I was blessed with good health. Then, suddenly, the pain became so...
New compounds targeting epigenetics have shown early activity in patients with lymphoma, according to data presented at the TAT (Targeted Anticancer Therapies) International Congress 2018 in Paris. The meeting, which focused on phase I research, featured early clinical studies with BET inhibitors...
The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology series is intended to facilitate the availability of evidence-based information on integrative and complementary therapies commonly used by patients with cancer. In this installment, Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, reviews the current data on the use of acupuncture...
On January 26, 2018, the radiolabeled somatostatin analog lutetium Lu-177 dotatate (Lutathera) was approved for the treatment of somatostatin receptor–positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, including foregut, midgut, and hindgut neuroendocrine tumors, in adults.1,2 Supporting...
The level of genomic alterations in genes associated with the oncogenesis of specific solid tumor types is being investigated in patients that have demonstrated an exceptional response to currently approved targeted therapies, researchers announced at the International Congress on Targeted...
ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY achieved robust improvements in disease-free survival and metastasis-free survival compared with surveillance in the phase III POUT study of patients with upper tract urothelial cancer.1 Further, there was an early trend toward improved overall survival with adjuvant...
FOR MANY adolescents and young adults (AYAs), the most distressing and troubling phase of the cancer continuum that began with diagnosis is survivorship, and among the toughest challenges are those involving sexual health and reproduction, Jessica Gorman, PhD, MPH, stated at the 11th Annual...
THE SOLOMON CENTER for Health Law and Policy at Yale Law School, in collaboration with Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, hosted a major interdisciplinary conference addressing topics at the cutting edge of cancer policy. The 2-day program took place on February 8–9,...
AN INVESTIGATIONAL TOOL called ColotypeR classifies colon cancers by molecular subtype and creates a subtype-specific risk of recurrence, according to research. Developers of the tool say it will be able to guide treatment decisions. Colon cancer is highly heterogeneous in prognosis and response to ...
RESULTS OF a new study suggest that expression of endogenous retroviruses may be associated with activation of immune checkpoint pathways in renal cell cancer.1 According to data presented at the 2018 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium, abnormal expression of endogenous retroviruses may...
ON OCTOBER 17, 2017, Norman E. Sharpless, MD, became the 15th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), succeeding Harold E. Varmus, MD, who stepped down as Director of the agency in March 2015, and replacing Douglas R. Lowy, MD, who had served as Acting Director for 2 years. The...
FOR DECADES, the status of metastatic prostate cancer trials was not particularly exciting. With an absence of high-impact novel agents, the focus of cancer trial groups was on the improvement of standard care. Well-crafted, large trials of hormonal therapy demonstrated the utility of combined...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Lee et al found that measurement of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can help distinguish between pseudoprogression (radiologic progression prior to response) and true progression in patients with metastatic melanoma receiving anti–programmed cell death ...
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Personal Genome Service Genetic Health Risk (GHR) Report for BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants). It is the first direct-to-consumer (DTC) test to report on three specific BRCA1/BRCA2 breast cancer gene mutations that are most common in...
The Texas Society of Clinical Oncology (TxSCO) is one of the newest supporters of the Conquer Cancer Foundation’s Young Investigator Award (YIA) program. A state affiliate of ASCO, TxSCO currently has more than 600 members who represent a diverse array of oncology health providers in Texas. “We are ...
In a Japanese phase III noninferiority trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ito et al found that dexamethasone could be spared on days 2 and 3 in an antiemetic regimen including the neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor antagonist aprepitant and palonosetron in patients receiving highly...
Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors is the first of a new generation of immunotherapy treatments, revolutionizing treatment for many different types of cancer. By unleashing the body’s immune system to attack cancer, these treatments can send even the most hard-to-treat cancers into...
A sizable percentage of elderly patients with blood-related cancers such as leukemia and multiple myeloma are apt to show signs of diminished cognitive functioning—a decline that may impact their survival—a new study by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and...
When a cutting-edge cancer tool becomes available, marginalized populations such as African Americans and older patients often have less access to it than other populations. This is problematic, especially when those with limited access are those who could benefit the most. As a result, public...
On December 5, 2017, bevacizumab (Avastin) was granted regular approval for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma in adults.1 Bevacizumab was granted accelerated approval in May 2009 for use in treating patients with glioblastoma who had disease progression on prior therapy. Supporting Efficacy...
Why wouldn’t you support a patient with a terminal illness the “right to try” any therapy that may save his or her life? The answer to this question—one engulfed in a political debate in Congress—seems simple. It is not. [Editor’s Note: On May 30, 2018, the President signed into law the Trickett...
A study examining prevalence estimates of colorectal cancer screening at the county level in the United States has found that the country is far behind reaching the goal of screening 80% of adults aged 50 and older for colorectal cancer by 2018, which is supported by the National Colorectal Cancer...
Researchers have determined that children and adults with cancer often have different mutated genes driving their disease, which suggests they would likely benefit from different therapies. The finding, from a collaborative study led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and published by...
On March 1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation for the anti–connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) antibody pamrevlumab for the treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer. This follows review of the phase II clinical...
People with stage III colon cancer who regularly eat nuts are at significantly lower risk of cancer recurrence and mortality than those who don’t, according to findings published by Fadelu et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Findings The study followed 826 participants in the CALGB...
On February 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to GC4419, a highly selective and potent small molecule dismutase mimetic, for the reduction of the duration, incidence, and severity of severe oral mucositis induced by radiation therapy with...
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Manzano et al found that unplanned rehospitalization within 30 days after gastrointestinal (GI) cancer hospitalization was more likely after medical vs surgical index hospitalizations among older patients. Some risk factors for...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN) has released new NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) intended to help make sure people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who are diagnosed with cancer receive safe, necessary treatment. According to ...
A new study reveals that many patients with breast cancer have misconceptions and fears about radiation therapy, but their actual experiences with this treatment modality are better than they expected. In the study published by Shaverdian et al in Cancer, most patients agreed that their initial...
ASCO AND the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) have launched their new, joint platform for quality reporting, making it easier for oncologists to comply with federal government reporting requirements in 2018. The new QOPI® Reporting Registry, a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR), ...
THIS SURVIVORSHIP resource will inform your patients and their caregivers about the importance of seeking follow-up care, addressing recurrence concerns, and managing long-term and late effects. The guide also includes: Blank treatment summary and survivorship care form List of questions to ask ...
IN JANUARY 2018, ASCO launched the ASCO in Action Podcast, a new podcast series hosted by ASCO Chief Executive Officer Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO. This series features thought leaders and experts in oncology discussing the most pressing policy and practice issues impacting the cancer care...