Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have begun to establish a biologic basis for the long-held but not well-tested theory that neighborhood exposures can impact health outcomes. Shannon Lynch, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase, led a team...
Prostate cancer has lagged behind breast cancer in the identification of predictive and prognostic biomarkers, but the field is catching up. Researchers have identified a molecular signature that can distinguish aggressive prostate cancer that is androgen-indifferent and will have a better response ...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) of ASCO recently announced the recipients of its 2017 International Innovation Grant. The 1-year grant of up to $20,000, given directly to each awardee’s nonprofit organization or government agency, funds research projects aimed at improving cancer care in low-...
As most oncology professionals know, the Quality Payment Program (QPP), established by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), began on January 1, 2017—but did you know that 2017 is a transition year, meaning you can “Pick Your Pace” when implementing QPP in your practice? “Pick...
The onset of diabetes, or a rapid deterioration in existing diabetes that requires more aggressive treatment, could be a sign of early, hidden pancreatic cancer, according to research presented by Autier et al at the 2017 European Cancer Congress (Abstract 540).1 Study Design and Key Findings...
At this year’s ASCO Quality Care Symposium, Neeraj K. Arora, PhD, Associate Director at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, opened his presentation by stressing that integrating the patient’s voice and experience into the clinical setting produces better health outcomes.1 Dr. Arora,...
“Dr. Neuman and colleagues point out that patients often will seek out information on their diagnosis preconsultation,” commented session co-moderator Steven L. Chen, MD, a surgical oncologist with OasisMD in San Diego. “Their study demonstrates that the provision of high-quality information can...
A Web-based decision aid that allows women with early breast cancer to easily compare surgical treatment options helps them make more informed decisions, suggests a randomized trial reported at the 2017 Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Annual Cancer Symposium.1 “Having knowledge of surgical...
At this year’s ASCO Quality Care Symposium, Blase N. Polite, MD, MPP, Associate Professor of Medicine at The University of Chicago Medical Center, examined his practice’s experience with the Oncology Care Model, a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services test payment and delivery program...
A machine learning model that uses a set or ensemble of algorithms has good accuracy for predicting colorectal cancer recurrence, investigators reported during a plenary session at the 2017 Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Annual Cancer Symposium.1 Persistent key questions in managing early...
ASCO strongly supports increasing access to investigational new treatment options for patients with cancer, while raising serious concerns about recently proposed federal “right-to-try” legislation as well as state-enacted right-to-try laws. In a position statement released April 4, 2017, ASCO said ...
Avelumab (Bavencio) achieved durable responses in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, according to longer-term follow-up of the phase II JAVELIN study, the largest study conducted to date in this relatively rare orphan cancer.1 Results were presented at the 2017 American Association for ...
“The status quo for HPV [human papillomavirus]-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is not sufficient.… Our treatment is effective, but the toxicity associated with it is not tolerable.” And HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer “is a cancer of relatively younger patients,” said Nishant...
Mark S. Soberman, MD, MBA, FACS, was elected as the 2017–2018 President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) during its 43rd Annual Meeting on March 31, 2017, in Washington, DC. Dr. Soberman brings a wealth of experience in thoracic surgery, thoracic oncology, and value-based...
Twenty-five of the nation’s leading medical groups issued this statement on April 17: As the world's leading organizations representing clinicians, laboratory researchers, and physician-scientists committed to improving patient care, we support the March for Science and its nonpartisan call...
Breast cancer can have a pervasive effect on a woman’s psychological functioning, but sexual minority (ie, lesbian and bisexual) breast cancer survivors are underrepresented in studies of psychological distress, according to Charles Kamen, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the University of Rochester ...
There is a new yin-yang of management in genitourinary oncology, with the balance of opposing power focused among cancer cells, kinase inhibition, and lymphocyte function, representing a shift in the fashions of treatment somewhat away from chemotherapy. This linear progress has been complicated...
High attrition but positive trends such as increased “benefit finding” were observed with a Web-based intervention designed to address the psychosocial burden on informal caregivers, according to Allison J. Applebaum, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center...
This past November, ASCO announced the launch of CancerLinQ Discovery™, a big data learning platform physicians and researchers can use to analyze highly curated, de-identified, real-world cancer care data sets to broaden their clinical knowledge about specific cancers and eventually improve...
The combination of trastuzumab (Herceptin) plus lapatinib (Tykerb) achieved positive results in patients with heavily pretreated, HER2-positive metastatic colorectal cancer, according to the final results of the phase II HERACLES-A trial. This two-pronged, HER2-directed approach achieved clinical...
On April 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) requirements for the use of epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa to treat patients with anemia due to associated myelosuppressive chemotherapy. The Agency's announcement regarding...
An individual patient-level meta-analysis has shown that the Decipher® (GenomeDx) genomic classifier is capable of distinguishing risk groups for metastatic disease after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. The study was reported by Spratt and colleagues in the Journal of Clinical...
On April 11, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) posted for public comment a draft recommendation statement and three draft evidence reviews on screening for prostate cancer. Through this draft recommendation, the Task Force is providing clinicians and their patients with...
Matching the size of a tumor to the body’s immune response could help physicians tailor immunotherapy treatments for patients with metastatic melanoma. Researchers found that patients who didn’t respond to treatment had an imbalance between the size of their tumor and how exhausted...
In a research statement reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Visvanathan et al, ASCO has outlined steps for incorporating high-quality observational research into the evidence base for clinical decision-making. As stated by the authors: “ASCO believes that high-quality...
Findings offered by a University of Kansas (KU) researcher at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in early April suggest a possible therapeutic intervention for “chemobrain,” the cognitive impairment that plagues up to a third of cancer patients following chemotherapy. ...
On April 11, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) released its first report examining the costs of treating cancer, specifically the out-of-pocket portion patients face. The report, released at the organization’s annual national policy forum, found U.S. cancer patients...
Using state-of-the-art gene-editing technology, scientists from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago have discovered a promising target to treat atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor, a highly aggressive and therapy-resistant brain tumor that mostly occurs in infants. They found...
A study published by Smith et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute indicates that different therapies for early-stage breast cancer have very different relative values. Some therapies may have fewer complications and be much less expensive than others. Women may be making treatment...
Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have begun to establish a biological basis for the long-held but not well-tested theory that neighborhood exposures can impact health outcomes. Shannon Lynch, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase, led a team...
Overall cancer death rates continue to decrease in men, women, and children for all major racial and ethnic groups, according to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2014, published by Jemal et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The report...
The length of the telomeres that protect the tips of chromosomes may predict cancer risk and be a potential target for future therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) scientists reported at the 2017 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Pusic et al, patient-reported outcomes in the Mastectomy Reconstruction Outcomes Consortium Study indicate that autologous tissue breast reconstruction is associated with greater breast satisfaction and greater sexual and psychosocial well-being...
On March 13, the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor ribociclib (Kisqali) was approved for use in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as initial endocrine-based therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast ...
Publicity surrounding a recent study showing a sharp increase in colorectal cancer among young people, even those in their 20s,1 may result in increased patient visits and questions. Among people aged 20 to 39, colon cancer rates have increased 1% to 2.4%, and rectal cancer rates have increased...
The incidence of colorectal cancer continues to increase among young adults, with the sharpest increase among those aged 20 to 29, according to a recent article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.1 This trend has been called disturbing and ominous, but the widely reported results of...
For more than 3 decades, Nancy E. Davidson, MD, has dedicated her clinical and research career to better understanding the molecular mechanisms driving the development of breast cancer and to the discovery of more effective therapies to treat the disease. The recipient of an ASCO Young...
With its recently issued clinical practice guideline update, reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, ASCO has spoken: Interdisciplinary palliative care teams improve the outcomes of cancer care; patients live longer and feel better.1 There is no doubt. Multiple well-designed studies show the...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Saro H. Armenian, DO, MPH, of City of Hope, and colleagues, ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline on prevention and monitoring of cardiac dysfunction in survivors of adult cancers.1 Recommendations were developed by an expert panel...
The Applied Proteogenomics Organizational Learning and Outcomes (APOLLO) network, which represents a partnership among the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, has tapped the Paulovich Laboratory at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research...
CancerLinQ LLC, a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of ASCO, and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) have recently formed the CancerLinQ® Ambassadors Program. This new collaboration is a national practice engagement initiative that will provide on-the-ground support and guidance to CancerLinQ...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO (CCF) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2017 CCF Merit Awards in Gastrointestinal Cancers, Cancer Survivorship, Genitourinary Cancers, Immuno-Oncology, and Quality Care. The following 65 young researchers, recognized for the scientific merit of their ...
Al Covens, MD, Professor and Chair of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Toronto, and Head of Gynecologic Oncology at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, commented on the phase II findings of axalimogene filolisbac: “As almost all cervical cancers are human papillomavirus (HPV)-related, this...
In a separate talk at the 2017 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, Thomas Atwell, MD, a radiologist at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, who performs ablation, discussed his experience with cryoablation for small renal tumors. “Early in our practice, we used both radiofrequency ablation and...
Formal discussant of this abstract, Alessandro Volpe, MD, of the University of Eastern Piedmont Hospital, Maggiore Della Carita Hospital, Novara, Italy, commented that nephron-sparing surgery is recommended for clinical stage T1 tumors; however, when compared with ablation, the advantages of...
Patients with breast cancer who perceive having enough and the right kinds of social support tend to be less stressed, although a paucity of research exists on the social support needs of young women with metastatic breast cancer, according to Amanda Ginter, PhD. Dr. Ginter, Assistant Professor in ...
At this year’s ASCO Quality Care Symposium, CancerLinQ’s Vice President and Medical Director, Robert S. Miller, MD, shed light on CancerLinQ’s current and future value in the oncology community.1 Dr. Miller opened by explaining to the audience that CancerLinQ™ is an instrument for quality...
Implementation science encompasses the study of methods to accelerate integration of evidence into practice and policy to improve health-care outcomes. At the 2017 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, Sandra A. Mitchell, PhD, CRNP, of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to avelumab (Bavencio) on March 23, 2017, for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, including those who have not received prior chemotherapy. Avelumab is a...
A study presented by Hildebrandt et al at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR; Abstract 990) revealed several findings about racial disparities in health-related quality of life among colorectal cancer patients. Hispanics and blacks had a higher burden of...