OCE Insights is an occasional department developed for The ASCO Post by members of the Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this installment, the OCE’s Steven Clark Cunningham, MD, MLA, FACS, Clinical Reviewer on the Gastrointestinal Cancers Team, ...
Although significant progress has been made against cancer, especially in the United States, which has seen the overall death rate from cancer fall by 33% over the past 3 decades, translating into averting an estimated 3.8 million deaths from the disease,1 progress worldwide has not been as...
In the October 10, 2024, issue of The ASCO Post, we shared some unique insights from several recipients of the international development and education award (IDEA). As oncologists and cancer researchers from diverse low- and middle-income countries, their experiences at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting ...
In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.”1 The warning came decades after the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, which is the highest risk group, and also includes...
The multicenter phase III CARMEN-LC03 trial did not meet its dual primary endpoints of progression-free and overall survival with the CEACAM5-directed antibody-drug conjugate tusamitamab ravtansine vs standard chemotherapy with docetaxel in previously treated patients with advanced nonsquamous...
Investigators have highlighted a critical connection between heart failure and cancer, demonstrating how shared mechanisms may contribute to the incidence and progression of both diseases, according to a recent scientific statement published by Bloom et al in the Journal of Cardiac Failure....
Listening to music may accelerate postsurgical recovery, according to recent findings presented by Raees et al at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2024. Background “When patients wake up after surgery, sometimes they feel really scared and don’t know where they are,”...
An examination of patient-level data from the phase III CheckMate 816 and CheckMate 77T trials supports the perioperative use of the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab plus chemotherapy, as compared with the neoadjuvant use of nivolumab plus chemotherapy without adjuvant therapy, in resectable non–small...
Two novel oral HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors have demonstrated promising efficacy in patients with HER2-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), potentially transforming the treatment landscape for this rare but challenging subset of lung cancer cases. According to data presented at the...
The combination of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib and the MET inhibitor savolitinib has demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements compared with osimertinib alone as a first-line treatment of patients with de novo MET-aberrant, EGFR-mutant advanced non–small cell lung cancer...
Implementing the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Geriatric Surgery Verification program may reduce rates of postsurgical mortality and increase the proportion of patients with documentation standards such as advanced care directives, according to two new studies presented by Horattas et al and...
Researchers have found that financial fallout can follow patients with cancer and their families as financial bankruptcy, lower credit scores, and other types of financial challenges in the years following a cancer diagnosis, according to two new studies presented by Gomez-Mayorga et al and...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Pavlakis et al, the phase III INTEGRATE IIa study showed improved overall survival with regorafenib plus best supportive care vs placebo vs best supportive care in patients with refractory advanced gastric/esophagogastric junction cancer. Study...
My dad agreed to receive hospice on a technicality. It happened after weeks of trying to get him home oxygen. My brother drove him to the oncologist’s office, and I helped him get into the wheelchair. He did not complain, but just asked me to hold his coffee mug, smiling because I snuck him a...
On October 18, Gilead Sciences announced its plans to voluntarily withdraw the U.S. accelerated approval for sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy) for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have previously received a platinum-containing...
On October 18, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved zolbetuximab-clzb (Vyloy), a claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2)-directed cytolytic antibody, with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced unresectable or...
Although improving cancer screening participation in the United States is central to the country’s national goals for reducing disability and death, currently, participation is lagging behind the Healthy People 2030 targets set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A study by the...
In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA Network Open, Rezaei et al found that risk of melanoma and other nonkeratinocyte skin cancers was elevated in patients who had received radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer. Study Details The study involved data from 17 Surveillance,...
Younger adults with colon cancer tend to be diagnosed at a later stage and have more aggressive types of tumors. Additionally, young patients living with colorectal cancer have long-term, adverse consequences on their lives, which are different from the impact the disease has on older adults,...
Investigators have found that about 40% of postmenopausal hormone receptor–positive breast cancer cases may be linked to excess body fat, according to a recent study published by Cubelos-Fernández et al in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Background Using the widely used measure...
Investigators have found that one-third of adult survivors of childhood cancers may experience a severe fear of cancer recurrence that impacts their daily lives, according to a recent study published by Pizzo et al in JAMA Network Open. Background Although the number of survivors of childhood...
Researchers have found that the combination of nivolumab plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD) may reduce the risk of cancer progression and mortality in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma compared with standard treatment, according to a recent study published by Herrera et al in The New ...
In a Chinese phase III trial (Northern Radiation Oncology Group of China-002) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sun et al found that the addition of thoracic radiotherapy to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment improved progression-free survival in first-line treatment of...
Among most members of the health-care and oncology workforces, the lofty goals of the organizational framework of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) seem to be clear and indisputable: to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically...
On October 15, 2024, Novocure announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Optune Lua® for concurrent use with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors or docetaxel for the treatment of adults with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have experienced disease progression on or after...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Lerner et al, the phase III SWOG S1011 trial showed no disease-free survival benefit for extended vs standard lymphadenectomy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy. Study Details In the trial, 592 patients ...
Consolidation therapy with the PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab is set to become the new global standard of care for patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), according to groundbreaking data presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024.1...
Neoadjuvant therapy for patients with resectable stage III melanoma has recently emerged as a better approach than resection plus adjuvant therapy. At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024, updates of pivotal neoadjuvant studies demonstrated the long-standing benefit of...
In a study reported in JAMA Network Open, Bodelon et al found that survivors of first primary cancers with overweight or obesity were at increased risk for second primary cancers, particularly obesity-related cancers. Study Details The study focused on data from the Cancer Prevention Study II...
In the final per-protocol analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-811 trial, an overall survival benefit was shown by adding the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab to trastuzumab and chemotherapy in treatment-naive, unresectable, HER2-positive metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.1...
In a study published as a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Cederquist et al found that patients with breast cancer who received adjuvant radiation therapy and harbored likely pathogenic TP53 germline variants were at increased risk of developing secondary in-field sarcoma during follow-up. Study...
The Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) 2024 Annual Meeting showcased several groundbreaking studies in the field of hematologic oncology, including key findings in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The ASCO...
Researchers have identified genetic risk factors that may contribute to prostate cancer in a diverse group of African men, according to a recent study published by Janivara et al in Nature Genetics. The findings could uncover new treatment options in this patient population. Background Certain...
Researchers found that a higher dosage of radioembolization treatment using yttrium (Y)-90 microspheres than previously recommended may benefit patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in Liver Cancer. The findings could be practice-changing....
For women with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, KEYNOTE-522 changed the treatment paradigm several years ago. Support for neoadjuvant use of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab, was bolstered by the positive overall survival analysis...
In a Chinese phase II trial (INOVA) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Peng et al found that the combination of sintilimab and bevacizumab showed activity in patients with relapsed or persistent ovarian clear cell carcinoma. Study Details In the multicenter trial, 37 evaluable patients with exposure...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the PI3K inhibitor inavolisib (Itovebi) with the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib and fulvestrant for adults with endocrine-resistant, PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as...
A recent study found that measuring circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a reliable way to predict later treatment response and survival prospects in men when metastatic prostate cancer is first diagnosed. The test may help providers to decide which patients should receive standard treatment vs who...
A novel cell therapy targeting CD7 on leukemia cells may provide an effective treatment option for patients with refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a recent study published by Oh et al in Nature Medicine. The findings highlighted the effectiveness of a new chimeric...
A recent study suggests that for people older than age 65 who have cancer, physical activity may be key to reducing the chances of a dangerous fall. People with lung cancer, colorectal cancer, or prostate cancer, in particular, had a lower risk of falling when they talked with their doctor...
Researchers have found that common breast cancer treatments—including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery—may accelerate the biological aging process among breast cancer survivors, according to a new study published by Carroll et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The findings...
Investigators have uncovered that during the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) first decade, the survival rates of Dependent Coverage Expansion–eligible young adult patients with cancer may have improved, according to a recent study published by Roth et al in Cancer. The federal...
The ASCO Annual Meeting brings together oncologists, researchers, and health-care professionals to share the latest advancements in cancer care. The 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (ASCO24) was particularly momentous for those of who received the international development and education award (IDEA). As...
Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, was named the recipient of the 2024 ESMO Award during the opening session of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 in Barcelona. The international award recognizes her work and commitment to the field of breast...
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to two U.S. scientists: Victor Ambros, PhD, and Gary Ruvkun, PhD, for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. The recipients were named in a news release issued by The Nobel Assembly at ...
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,...
The combination of the VEGF tyrosine kinase inhibitor lenvatinib, the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab, and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with TACE alone, according to...
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...