The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), along with 46 state oncology societies, sent a letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership urging Congress to pass the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 8702/S. 4532), which would streamline prior authorization practices within Medicare...
ASCO has issued a rapid update to its guideline on the management of stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on the results of the phase III LAURA trial, which was presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting and published simultaneously in The New England Journal of Medicine.1,2 The...
Initial analysis from the PEACE-3 trial suggests that the addition of radium-223 dichloride to enzalutamide could offer a promising new first-line treatment option for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, according to data presented by lead study author, Silke Gillessen,...
An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm may be effective at writing physician’s letters, according to a recent study published by Heilmeyer et al in JMIR Medical Informatics. Background According to recent surveys, physicians may spend almost 3 hours per day on documentation activities. “The...
Late-breaking findings from the phase IIIb/IV, open-label DESTINY-Breast12 trial support the use of the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and brain metastases who have experienced disease progression on at least...
Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) followed by rectal surgery is the standard of care in proficient mismatch repair (pMMR) locally advanced rectal cancer, but studies are finding that patients with clinical complete response may often avoid surgery and be followed “nonoperatively.” In the first...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Motzer et al, part B of the phase III CheckMate 914 trial showed no disease-free survival benefit with the adjuvant use of nivolumab vs placebo in patients with localized renal cell carcinoma at high risk of recurrence after nephrectomy. These...
Distinguished Service Awards were presented to Kwun Fong, MBBS, PhD, FRACP; Claudia Henschke, MD, PhD; Erik Thunnissen, MD, PhD; and Julie Brahmer, MD, MSc, FASCO, during the 2024 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World Conference on Lung Cancer. Adi F. Gazdar IASLC...
Deintensified treatment involving a lower radiation dose and immunotherapy in place of chemotherapy may not perform as well as a more rigorous chemoradiation treatment approach in patients with early-stage human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal cancer, according to new findings...
Two types of contemporary radiation therapy—proton-beam therapy or intensity-modulated radiation therapy—may provide comparable rates of tumor control with no differences in patient-reported quality of life among patients with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer, according to new findings...
As reported in The Lancet by Spicer et al, overall survival results of the phase III KEYNOTE-671 trial indicate benefit of the addition of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab to chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At the first...
Adding the immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab, with or without the monoclonal antibody oleclumab, to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) significantly improved pathologic complete response rates in patients with high-risk hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast ...
In the the phase IA/B dose-escalation and -expansion EMBER study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Jhaveri et al, the next-generation oral selective estrogen receptor degrader imlunestrant (alone and in combination with other targeted therapies) demonstrated a manageable safety...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Chan et al, the multicenter phase III CABINET trial has shown significantly improved progression-free survival with the multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib vs a placebo in previously treated patients with progressive, advanced...
A study conducted by Kaitlyn Lapen, MD, a radiation oncologist resident at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues evaluated the financial challenges adolescent and young adults (AYA) survivors experience during and after treatment. They found that more than half (54%) of these...
The alternative use of the monoclonal antibody cetuximab during the shortage of cisplatin in the treatment of head and neck cancer resulted in a 16% total cost increase, leading to a 144-fold increase in costs at the administrative level, impacting payer costs and patient cost-sharing amounts,...
World Cancer Day is marked every year on September 24 and seeks to raise awareness of the importance of cancer research as a key driver of advances in prevention and therapeutic strategies that increase survival and reduce the global cancer burden. This year, World Cancer Research Day focuses on...
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased guideline-concordant care for colorectal cancer among non-White patients, those from rural areas, and those from the most deprived neighborhoods in Pennsylvania, according to new findings presented by Kudaravalli et al at the 2024 American Association for ...
In a phase III trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Shuch et al found that zirconium Zr-89–labeled girentuximab (Zr-89 girentuximab) positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) imaging was accurate in detecting clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in patients with renal masses....
On April 29, 2024, tisotumab vedotin-tftv (Tivdak) was granted regular approval for recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with disease progression on or after chemotherapy.1 Tisotumab vedotin is a tissue factor–directed antibody and microtubule inhibitor conjugate. The agent was granted...
ASCO has released its first clinical practice guideline focused specifically on the management of locally advanced rectal cancer.1 “Rectal cancer, and especially locally advanced rectal cancer, is a complex disease that requires individualized approaches using multimodality therapies to have the...
Multicancer early detection (MCED) tests are beginning to enter clinical practice, but how useful will they be? “This is an exciting field, with many competing technologies. MCED assays will be coming across your desk in the near future if they haven’t already. But they are not a panacea. They are ...
Clinical trials are now demonstrating the value of immune checkpoint inhibitors as neoadjuvant therapy in certain subsets of patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, described this newer approach—specifically, which subsets of patients may...
Medical oncology had a turbulent beginning, as we explained in part 1 of this commentary published in the September 25, 2024, issue of The ASCO Post. And although no other specialty we know of struggled as much, with perseverance and time, it had become a stable specialty of internal medicine by...
Medical oncology had a turbulent beginning. No other specialty we know of struggled as much. But by 1980, it had become a stable specialty of internal medicine and was off and running—with the major problem of how to marshal available resources to freely test the myriad opportunities presented by ...
The second planned interim analysis of the global phase III AEGEAN trial—reported by John V. Heymach, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, and colleagues at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Laura A. Dawson, MD, of the University Health Network–Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, and colleagues, the Canadian phase III CCRG HE1 trial showed that the addition of a single fraction of palliative radiotherapy to best supportive care...
On September 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance to provide sponsors with recommendations for conducting multiregional clinical trials in support of applications for drugs intended to treat cancer, according to a notice published in the Federal Register....
Researchers have found that chemotherapy prior to surgery may reduce the amount of normal tissue that needs to be removed in patients with advanced nasal and paranasal sinus squamous cell carcinoma, according to recent findings presented by Saba et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking consumer representatives to serve on the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC). A consumer representative must be able to analyze scientific data, understand research design, discuss benefits and risks, and evaluate the safety and...
In long-term follow-up of the French phase III GETUG-13 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Fizazi et al reported that intensified chemotherapy was associated with significantly better progression-free survival among patients with poor-prognosis nonseminomatous germ cell tumors with ...
The PanCan nodule management protocol may be superior at triaging lung cancer screening participants compared with the LungRADSv1.1 approach, according to new findings presented by McWilliams et al at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2024 World Conference on Lung...
In a phase III study conducted in China, the bispecific antibody ivonescimab demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival compared with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as a first-line treatment of PD-L1–positive advanced non–small...
A fewer number of U.S. youths have reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2024 compared with 2023, according to new findings published by Park-Lee et al in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Background E-cigarettes and nicotine pouches are two categories of tobacco products the U.S. Food...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new presentation of bortezomib (Boruzu) for ready-to-use subcutaneous or intravenous administration. This new ready-to-use oncology product reduces the compounding preparation steps typically required with administration. Bortezomib, a...
In a Canadian study reported in JAMA Network Open, Hamilton et al found that use of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) prior to the diagnosis of prostate cancer was not associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer–specific or overall mortality. Study Details The study involved data from...
In two studies recently reported in JACC: CardioOncology, Upshaw and colleagues1 examined the impact of preexisting heart failure on mortality in older patients in the United States with newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma, and Gon and colleagues2 analyzed the incidence and impact of arterial...
In patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, the addition of atezolizumab to standard adjuvant chemotherapy provided no benefit over chemotherapy alone in the final analysis of the phase III ALEXANDRA/IMpassion030 trial. The results were presented at the 2024 European Breast Cancer...
Researchers have found that a liquid biopsy may help to predict whether patients with cancer may be at risk of developing venous thromboembolism, according to a recent study published by Jee et al in Nature Medicine. Background Liquid biopsy tests—such as MSK-ACCESS—increasingly play a role in...
Researchers have explored whether an artificial intelligence (AI)-based tool could help to detect immune-related adverse events in patients with cancer, according to a recent study published by Sun et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Background Although immune checkpoint inhibitors can...
In a meta-analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Nielsen et al estimated the risk of cardiotoxicity associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment of cancers. Study Details The meta-analysis included 83,315 unique patients in 589 unique trials of ICIs and ICI combination therapies. The...
On April 5, 2024, fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) was granted accelerated approval for adults with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive (immunohistochemistry 3+) solid tumors who received prior systemic treatment and have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.1 Supporting...
Nivolumab (Opdivo) was approved for use in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine for first-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on the open-label CheckMate 901 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
A joint guideline from the International Society of Oral Oncology–Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer and ASCO seeks to fill a gap in the clinical guidance for patients with head and neck cancers who develop osteoradionecrosis following their head and neck radiation therapy.1...
Investigators have found that there may not be an association between mobile phone use and an increased risk of brain cancer, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO)-commissioned review published by Karipidis et al in Environmental International. Background The WHO and other...
Clinical trials are now demonstrating the value of immune checkpoint inhibitors as neoadjuvant therapy in certain subsets of patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, described this newer approach—specifically, which subsets of patients may...
In a long-term follow-up of Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) randomized trials reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Rowan T. Chlebowski, MD, PhD, and colleagues identified risks of ovarian and endometrial cancers associated with the use of menopausal hormone therapy. Study Details The...
In patients with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancers with HER2-low or HER2-ultralow expression, treatment with the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) was found to be superior to chemotherapy after one or more lines of endocrine therapy. In...
In an analysis from the phase III EORTC 1325-MG/KEYNOTE-054 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Bührer et al found that adjuvant pembrolizumab was not associated with significant differences in long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) compared with placebo in patients with stage III...
In an Australian phase II/III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Grimison et al found that oral cannabis extract improved the antiemetic complete response rate vs placebo in patients with cancer who had refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) despite use of...