Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after two cycles of lutetium-177 (Lu-177)-PSMA radioligand therapy has shown a significant predictive value for patient survival. The research was...
In the phase II ECOG-ACRIN 1412 trial, presented by Nowakowski et al at the 15th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML; Abstract 006), researchers sought to compare the addition of lenalidomide to R-CHOP (rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) vs...
Data presented by Lokhande et al at the 15th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML; Abstract 360) focused on noninvasive strategies to guide patient stratification for relapsed mantle cell lymphoma. Researchers used an antibody-based platform to identify serum proteins in patients...
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted a new drug application for niraparib in the treatment of certain pretreated gynecologic cancers; granted Fast Track designation to a T-cell product; accepted investigational new drug applications for a myelopreservation agent and an...
On June 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bevacizumab-bvzr (Zirabev), a biosimilar to bevacizumab (Avastin), for the treatment of five types of cancer: metastatic colorectal cancer; unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell ...
Just as newer drugs have significantly improved outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma in the past decade, newer imaging techniques are upgrading detection of the disease, leading to earlier treatment, but standards to help guide clinicians on the optimal use of advanced imaging have lagged...
New research published in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and presented by Jarushka Naidoo, MBBCh, at the NCCN 2019 Annual Conference suggests that institutions and networks that utilize immunotherapy should consider establishing multidisciplinary teams for...
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved daratumumab (Darzalex) in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). The application received approval ...
Final analyses from the ALCANZA study, a phase III trial investigating brentuximab vedotin vs physician’s choice for the treatment of CD30-positive cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), were presented by Horwitz et al at the 15th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML; Abstract...
Today, the American Association for Cancer Research, Moffitt Cancer Center, and Biden Cancer Initiative hosted a congressional briefing titled “Let’s End HPV-Related Cancers” in Washington, DC. In conjunction with this briefing, leading health organizations and...
The ROBUST trial compared the addition of lenalidomide to R-CHOP (rituximab plus cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone) vs placebo/R-CHOP in previously untreated, prospectively selected, CD20-positive patients with activated B-cell–like (ABC)-type diffuse large B-cell...
An abstract presented by Camus et al at the 15th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML; Abstract 138) found that targeted genotyping of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in classical Hodgkin lymphoma at diagnosis “may help to assess early treatment response in complement to...
The MAVORIC study—presented by Scarisbrick et al at the 15th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML; Abstract 034)—examined the efficacy of mogamulizumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets the CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4), in patients with previously treated mycosis...
In an abstract presented by Rushton et al at the 15th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML; Abstract 004), researchers found that patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with specific mutations in relapse-enriched genes may be at a higher risk of treatment failure. The...
Outcomes are typically grim for patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. At the 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), three early-stage studies hinted at ways that standard treatments might be made more effective. Metronomic Dosing of...
IN A SEPARATE interview with The ASCO Post, Charles Drake, MD, PhD, commented on the clinical implications of the ENZAMET and TITAN trials, as well as studies of apalutamide, abiraterone acetate, and docetaxel used in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Dr. Drake is Director of...
ONEONCOLOGY, a clinical partnership between three community oncology practices—Tennessee Oncology, New York Cancer and Blood, and West Cancer Center, and other independent community oncologists, recently announced three new appointments to the group's executive team: Natalie Dickson, MD, as Chief...
On June 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the anti–programmed cell death protein 1 immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Pembrolizumab was approved for...
IAN CHAU, MD, a consultant medical oncologist at the Gastrointestinal and Lymphoma Units of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London and Surrey, United Kingdom, was the invited discussant of KEYNOTE-062. In an interview with The ASCO Post, he first commented that although single-agent...
Excluding skin cancer, colorectal cancer is the third most prevalent and lethal cancer among both men and women in the United States.1 Although the risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age—more than 90% of cases occur in people aged 50 or older2—recent research shows that the...
HOW DO YOU respond when patients with a good prognosis want to delay chemotherapy to try an anticancer diet for a few months or visit an unregulated clinic for unproven therapies? I’m asking because of an alarming finding of ASCO’s 2018 National Cancer Opinion Survey: “Nearly 4 in 10 Americans...
WHEN ASKED which treatment to start with—docetaxel or enzalutamide, Dr. Sweeney said, “Patients fit for chemotherapy with high-volume disease can receive chemotherapy [docetaxel] and come back to these newer hormonal treatments or start with anyone of the hormonal options. Choosing among the newer...
The Oncology Center of Excellence of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced a new pilot program to assist oncology health-care professionals in requesting access to unapproved therapies for patients with cancer. A new call center designated Project Facilitate will be a...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) and the NCCN Foundation® recently announced four recipients of the annual Young Investigator Awards. These awards provide funding and study support to early-career cancer researchers from across the 28 academic cancer centers that comprise NCCN....
I am writing to provide personal context to my column on adjuvant denosumab or bisphosphonates for resected breast cancer, which appears on page 52 in this issue of The ASCO Post. I have been upset since 2013 that adjuvant zoledronate has been recommended for women with breast cancer onset after...
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has joined with hospitals, health systems, physicians, and supportive care teams from across New York to launch the Roswell Park Care Network. Led by Roswell Park, the network is the most expansive community cancer, supportive care, and specialized care...
As you probably already know, physicians do not make the best patients. When I began experiencing the early signs of Hodgkin lymphoma, in 2007, including a persistent cough, unusual fatigue, and pruritus, I self-diagnosed allergic rhinitis and began treatment with intranasal corticosteroids....
The most common reason that patients with cancer do not tell their physicians about using complementary and alternative medicines is that their physicians do not ask, according to a nationwide survey.1 Among 3,118 survey participants who reported a history of cancer, 1,023 (33.3%) had used a...
Nearly one-third of patients with cancer who reported that they used complementary and alternative therapies in a nationwide survey did not tell their physicians about the use of those therapies, and the most frequently cited reason for not telling their physicians was that their physicians did...
Recently, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) debuted the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)—the most comprehensive and up-to-date, evidence-based, consensus-driven guidelines for treating children with...
NYU Langone Health has opened the doors to a new multispecialty outpatient facility in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. This new location features the capabilities of the Perlmutter Cancer Center. Previously, patients received radiation treatment at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn and chemotherapy and other...
Like most clinicians, oncologists often informally consult their colleagues, both asking questions and seeking suggestions on how best to care for their patients.1,2 These informal or “curbside” consults (sometimes called “sidewalk,” “elevator,” or “hallway” consults) are valuable, because the...
Nonmetastatic (M0) castration-resistant prostate cancer arises in the subset of men with biochemically recurrent disease (ie, rising prostate-specific antigen [PSA] level after definitive therapy in the absence of metastases) who develop PSA progression after chronic exposure to...
Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, Director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and Phase ONE Foundation Distinguished Chair in Oncology, has been inducted as a new member of the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Theodorescu is a translational cancer researcher and expert in bladder cancer. He is known for his...
ELI LILLY AND COMPANY recently announced that it has been working to facilitate the withdrawal of olaratumab from the market for the treatment of advanced soft-tissue sarcoma. Lilly’s actions to withdraw olaratumab from the market follow completion of the international phase III ANNOUNCE clinical...
An international group of researchers has found that antibodies to the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) may develop in the body between 6 to 40 years prior to a clinical diagnosis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and their presence indicates a strong increased risk of the disease....
A new study published by McDonough et al in the Journal of Oncology Practice found that while primary care physicians are often involved in cancer survivorship care, many do not feel adequately prepared for key components of it. The study shared the results of a survey of 117...
Poor oral health is associated with an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, according to new research published by Jordão et al in the United European Gastroenterology Journal. Methods “Poor oral health has been associated with the risk of several chronic diseases, such as...
First responders such as paramedics and firefighters may be exposed to hazardous occupational environmental exposures, but linking these exposures to conditions such as cancers is difficult due to the latency period of disease, magnitude of potential exposure, and potential interactions of...
Nitrate levels in water resources have increased in many areas of the world, largely due to the use of inorganic fertilizer and animal manure in agricultural areas. Research has shown that the risk of specific cancers and birth defects may be increased when nitrate is ingested under conditions that ...
In a prospective study of directly measured body fat distribution and prostate cancer risk, investigators found that higher levels of abdominal and thigh fat are associated with an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer. The findings—published by Dickerman et al in Cancer—may lead ...
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is calling on allies to participate in its 2019 Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Survey. The survey enables the Alliance to learn about and track the self-reported medical, psychosocial, and quality-of-life experiences of patients, survivors, and...
In a study conducted under the supervision of researchers from the MedUni Vienna, human experts competed against computer algorithms in diagnosing pigmented skin lesions. The algorithms achieved better results when diagnosing, but had decreased performance for out-of-distribution images. These...
The speed at which older individuals with blood cancers are able to walk 4 meters (about 13 feet) holds information about their overall health and may help to predict survival and unplanned hospital visits, according to study published by Liu et al in Blood. The association was...
Sixty percent of patients with triple-negative breast cancer will survive more than 5 years without disease after standard treatment, but 4 out of 10 women will have a rapid recurrence of the disease. There are currently no clinical tests to assess an individual patient’s prognosis, so all...
The randomized, global, multicenter, open-label phase III ASCEND trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of acalabrutinib vs investigator’s choice of rituximab/idelalisib or rituximab/bendamustine in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Ghia et al presented ...
At the 24th Annual Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Langerbeins et al presented findings from the phase III CLL12 trial, which evaluated whether ibrutinib prolongs event-free survival in patients with previously untreated, Binet stage A chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)...
The phase III BELLINI trial—reported by Kumar et al at the 24th Annual Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA; Abstract LB2601) investigated the efficacy and safety of venetoclax/bortezomib/dexamethasone vs bortezomib/dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory...
On June 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) therapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with disease...
A new retrospective study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute examined outcomes for patients after receiving treatment for locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), finding that the average radiation dose delivered to the...