On December 13, 2023, eflornithine (Iwilfin), an ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, was approved for adult and pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma with at least a partial response to prior multiagent, multimodality therapy including anti-GD2 immunotherapy.1 This represents the first...
On April 18, 2024, the ALK inhibitor alectinib was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adjuvant treatment after tumor resection in patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as detected by an FDA-approved test.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based ...
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who undergo frequent immunoglobulin G testing may be less likely to experience severe infections than those who don’t undergo frequent testing, according to a recent study published by Soumerai et al in Blood Advances....
Administering chemotherapy prior to and following surgery may extend survival in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma compared with postoperative administration alone, according to a recent study published by Cecchini et al in JAMA Oncology. The findings may be encouraging for the 15% to...
Researchers have found that brigatinib may be effective in treating patients with NF2-related schwannomatosis, according to a recent study published by Plotkin et al in The New England Journal of Medicine. The findings revealed a potential new treatment option for the genetic syndrome. Background...
Suppression of the estrogen receptor has proven to be an effective treatment for hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, but standard endocrine therapies have liabilities that are not limited to their pharmacokinetics or toxicity profiles, which allow for ligand-independent estrogen receptor...
Researchers have found that administering the anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib after surgery may improve disease-free survival in a subset of patients with PIK3CA-mutated stage III colorectal cancer, according to a study published by Nowak et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The findings...
Findings from a Spanish study on the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 infection among patients with cancer recommend administering additional doses of the vaccine to this at-risk population. These data were published by Neto et al in Nature Communications. Patients with cancer are at an...
A serum fusion-gene machine-learning model may offer early diagnostic accuracy and could help improve the 5-year survival rate in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Yu et al in The American Journal of Pathology. Background Hepatocellular carcinoma is...
A novel “armored” chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell appears to be feasible for retreatment of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who fail to respond to standard CAR T-cell therapy, according to preliminary results of a phase I trial presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The unique...
In a European phase Ib/II study (OPTIMIZE-1) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Jean-Luc Van Laethem, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of the CD40 agonist antibody mitazalimab with mFOLFIRINOX (modified fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) showed activity in previously...
Researchers have found that fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) may offer more accurate staging in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer than fluorine (F)-18–labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT, according to new findings ...
A novel chelator may significantly reduce off-target toxicity in prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radiopharmaceutical therapy, according to new findings presented by Ho et al at the 2024 Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) Annual Meeting (Abstract 242340). Background...
Over the past 20 years, Medicare reimbursements for 10 breast cancer surgical procedures rose by 22%, but inflation rose three times as much—by 69%. Compared with the financial picture had rates kept pace with inflation, the result is an estimated aggregate loss of more than $100 million for breast ...
Measuring ethylene oxide levels using mobile optical instruments in Louisiana’s southeastern corridor may help to improve cancer risk assessments, according to a recent study published by Robinson et al in Environmental Science & Technology. Background Louisiana’s southeastern corridor is...
Craig Jordan, CMG, OBE, PhD, DSc, FMedSci, a pioneering scientist whose innovative work in breast cancer research has saved countless lives and will continue to impact the field for generations to come, died on June 9, according to a news release from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer...
On June 12, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted traditional approval to selpercatinib (Retevmo) for adult and pediatric patients aged 2 years and older with advanced or metastatic RET fusion–positive thyroid cancer who require systemic therapy and whose disease is radioactive...
Investigators have found that U.S. veterans who underwent lung cancer screening prior to diagnosis were potentially more likely to be diagnosed with earlier-stage disease and have a higher cure rate compared with those who did not undergo screening, according to a recent study published by Edwards...
I read with interest the excellent article by Anant Madabhushi, PhD, and Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, in the May 10, 2024, issue of The ASCO Post, entitled “AI in Cancer Care: Embrace the Change.” I wanted to add information on how an available AI Cancer Mentor application (app) has become a beneficial...
An ASCO guideline update offers new recommendations on systemic treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), based on promising findings from several recent randomized controlled trials as well as the approval of new first- and second-line immunotherapy combinations.1 “This guideline...
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 Cunningham, MD, MLA, FACS, Clinical Reviewer on the Gastrointestinal Cancers Team,...
Despite urgings from my primary care physician to get a colonoscopy screening after I turned 50, I resisted. As a health-care provider, and someone who is tuned into changes in my body, I thought I would instinctively know if I had a serious illness. I was wrong. Even after finally relenting to at...
When Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD, FASCO, graduated from high school in 1970 and enrolled at the University of Illinois in Champaign, she was determined to seek a career in special education, because she wanted to “help people through difficult situations.” Although Dr. Von Roenn ultimately decided to...
Facing mortality can be a paralyzing experience for some people, but for others, it may ignite a passion to accelerate life. One such person is Kathy Giusti, cofounder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), where she served as Chief Executive Officer and President for nearly 20 years....
Several years ago, a visit to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, so fascinated and inspired Mace L. Rothenberg, MD, FASCO, about the history of flight, he wondered why there was not a similar museum showcasing the past and present achievements in science and medicine. The result...
On April 22, 2024, the interleukin-15 receptor agonist nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln was approved for use with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for adults with BCG-unresponsive non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors.1 Supporting Efficacy Data...
The highly anticipated ENGOT-en9/LEAP-001 trial in endometrial cancer has missed both its primary endpoints. At the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2024 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, the study investigators reported no significant benefit in progression-free survival or overall survival...
On February 15, 2024, tepotinib (Tepmetko)-—a kinase inhibitor directed against MET, including variants with exon 14 skipping—was granted regular approval for patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) exon 14–skipping ...
Results of the phase III NADINA trial support a new standard of care for the treatment of resectable macroscopic stage III melanoma. Treatment with preoperative ipilimumab plus nivolumab followed by total lymph node dissection, with adjuvant therapy guided by depth of response, led to a highly...
Following an extensive national search, Diane M. Simeone, MD, has been appointed Director of Moores Cancer Center at the University of California (UC) San Diego Health. Dr. Simeone brings institutional, national, and international leadership experience both to oncologic patient care and scientific...
A little more than 12 months ago, the first major cardio-oncology guidelines were published by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 The extensive document embodied the immense progress of this subspecialty over its short existence. In reaching this milestone, it is worth considering what...
“Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), once a rare entity, now comprises 20% to 30% of newly diagnosed breast cancers detected on mammography and is appreciated to be a widely heterogeneous disease,” said E. Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, the Mary and Deryl Hart Distinguished Professor at Duke University, who ...
Osimertinib significantly improved progression-free survival compared with placebo in patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutated non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following definitive chemoradiotherapy. These findings of the phase III LAURA trial suggest that osimertinib may become a new...
The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab may offer benefit in patients with soft-tissue sarcoma, according to recent findings presented by Mowery et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 11504). Background Soft-tissue sarcoma is a rare type of cancer affecting muscles, fat, and other connective...
Researchers have examined whether adding chemoradiation to adjuvant systemic therapy may improve survival outcomes in patients with resected periampullary pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to recent findings presented by Abrams et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 4005). Study Methods ...
Intensity-modulated proton therapy may achieve similar clinical outcomes and offer significant benefits compared with traditional intensity-modulated radiation therapy in patients with oropharyngeal cancer, according to preliminary data from a multi-institutional phase III trial presented by Frank...
Researchers examined whether the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab given neoadjuvantly may improve outcomes in certain patients with stage II or III mismatch repair–deficient/microsatellite instability–high colorectal cancer. Interim findings from the phase II NEOPRISM-CRC clinical trial were presented...
The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) announced that the blue-ribbon selection committee, composed of world-renowned research leaders and visionaries, has awarded the 2024 Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research to Dennis J. Slamon, MD, PhD, of UCLA Health, for his...
High blood insulin levels may contribute to worse outcomes in Black women with triple-negative breast cancer compared with White women with the disease, according to new findings presented by Engel et al at the Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting & Exposition 2024. Background Triple-negative...
Exposure to increased neighborhood violence may change the glucocorticoid receptor for the stress hormone cortisol and influence the aggressiveness of lung cancer, according to new findings presented by Heath et al at the Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting & Exposition 2024. Study Methods and...
A novel ultrasensitive liquid biopsy may be predictive of breast cancer recurrence up to years prior to relapse in high-risk patients with early breast cancer, according to recent findings presented by Garcia-Murillas et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1010). Background Circulating...
Telemedicine visits for cancer care are not only more convenient and possibly easier to schedule than in-person appointments—they may also be better for the planet. These findings were presented by Andrew Hantel, MD, and colleagues at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1522) and simultaneously...
New findings suggest that docetaxel may be considered the preferred treatment over paclitaxel for Black patients with early-stage breast cancer. While the EAZ171 trial focused specifically on Black people, the results highlight the need to personalize therapy to minimize toxicity. Importantly, this ...
Some people with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer may safely avoid having their lymph nodes removed during surgery without it impacting their survival outcomes, helping to reduce the risk of postoperative complications. This research was presented by Classe et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting...
Clifford A. Hudis, MD, CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, CEO of the American Cancer Society, discuss a newly launched collaboration between the organizations to make it simpler for patients to find authoritative cancer information online. The effort ...
Fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) delayed cancer growth in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-low or -ultralow metastatic breast cancer that progressed following endocrine therapy, according to findings from the phase III DESTINY-Breast06 trial. The research was presented by...
According to results from the phase III DREAMM-8 trial, adding belantamab mafodotin-blmf to pomalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma was more effective at slowing disease progression or death compared to the current standard-of-care triplet,...
Mazyar Shadman, MD, MPH, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, discusses a network meta-analysis showing that zanubrutinib appears to be the most efficacious Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor for patients with high-risk relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It offers delayed...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and ASCO today announced an expanded collaboration to make it simpler for patients to find authoritative cancer information online. The partnership between ASCO, the leading organization for cancer care providers, and ACS, the leading patient education, support,...
A novel combination comprising experimental immunotherapy drugs plus chemotherapy may improve survival outcomes in previously treated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer compared to the targeted therapy regorafenib alone. These findings will be presented by Wainberg et al at the 2024 ASCO...