Patients with the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis have a higher risk of dying from colorectal cancer, despite modern therapy, even though the risk has declined in recent years. Olén et al published these findings in The Lancet. Previous research has shown that patients with ulcerative ...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by George D. Demetri, MD, and colleagues, integrated analysis of three phase I/II trials has shown high levels of activity of the tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitor entrectinib in advanced NTRK fusion–positive solid tumors. This analysis supported the...
Karen Ballen, MD, an international expert in stem cell transplantation, particularly for patients who have a difficult time finding a donor, was born and reared in the Bronx in a family that encouraged academic and professional pursuits. “My grandfather was an old-fashioned pediatrician who made...
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to infigratinib for patients with advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with a certain genetic mutation, and Orphan Drug designation to the treatment for patients with cholangiocarcinoma. The FDA also granted...
About 40 million adults in the United States take a statin to lower their cholesterol and reduce the risk for heart disease—but they may also be getting an added anticancer benefit, a growing body of evidence suggests. According to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Louis Fehrenbacher, MD, and colleagues, the phase III NSABP B-47/NRG Oncology trial has shown no invasive disease–free survival benefit with the addition of trastuzumab to adjuvant chemotherapy therapy in patients with HER2-negative breast cancer...
At the press conference where these data were presented, moderator Gary Schiller, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, explained that although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a major advance in cellular immunotherapy, enabling killing of cancer cells in blood and bone ...
A novel off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cell (CAR-NK) product called FT596 may prove to be an active therapy for B-cell malignancies. This agent is designed to overcome several challenges inherent in CAR T-cell therapy, including CD19-antigen escape, which leads to relapse in ...
A new study suggests step counters could play a role in predicting outcomes for people undergoing chemoradiation therapy for lung cancer. These findings were published by Ohri et al in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics. “I consider step counts to be a new vital...
New research published by Nina N. Sanford, MD, and colleagues in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network has found most cancer survivors reported that they are current alcohol drinkers, with a subset of those survivors self-reporting excessive drinking behaviors. “We recommend...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ambrosone et al, an analysis of the SWOG S0221 trial population suggests that use of antioxidant and nonantioxidant dietary supplements, but not multivitamins, before and during adjuvant chemotherapy may be associated with poorer treatment outcomes ...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Isabelle Ray-Coquard, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III PAOLA-1 trial has shown a progression-free survival benefit with the addition of olaparib to bevacizumab maintenance in patients with advanced ovarian cancer responding to first-line...
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive, high-risk, non–muscle invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors who are ineligible for or have...
Pelvic examinations and cervical cancer screenings are no longer recommended for most females under age 21 during routine health visits, but a new study has found that millions of young women are undergoing the tests, which can lead to false-positive testing, overtreatment, anxiety, and needless...
Bariatric surgery is associated with a distinct reduction in skin cancer risk, according to findings published by Taube et al in JAMA Dermatology. This finding further substantiates the connection between weight loss and malignant skin cancer. “This [study] provides further evidence for a...
The cancer death rate declined by 29% from 1991 to 2017, including a 2.2% drop from 2016 to 2017—the largest single-year drop in cancer mortality ever reported. These findings were reported in “Cancer Statistics, 2020,” the latest edition of the American Cancer Society’s annual report on cancer...
As reported in The Lancet by Frank A. Vicini, MD, and colleagues, 10-year follow-up in the phase III NSABP B-39/RTOG 0413 equivalence trial has shown that accelerated partial-breast irradiation did not achieve equivalence to whole-breast irradiation in preventing local recurrence in women receiving ...
In the phase II TOPARP-B trial—reported by Mateo et al in The Lancet Oncology—investigators found that olaparib showed activity in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and DNA damage response (DDR) gene aberrations who had received one or two prior taxane regimens. Study...
The antibody-drug conjugate ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) showed activity in HER2-amplified salivary gland tumors, according to data published by Jhaveri et al in Annals of Oncology. The publication is for ‘Arm Q,’ which is one of nearly 40 single-arm phase II treatments in the NCI-Molecular...
Interim analysis of the phase I/II KEYNOTE-051 trial, reported in The Lancet Oncology by Geoerger et al, indicated minimal activity of pembrolizumab in pediatric patients with programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive advanced, relapsed, or refractory solid tumors; however, activity was...
Testicular cancer recurrence may be prevented by giving men one cycle of chemotherapy instead of the two cycles used as standard. Lowering the overall exposure to chemotherapy also reduced side effects. These findings were published by Cullen et al in European Urology. Testicular cancer is the most ...
The phase III JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial met its primary endpoint of overall survival at the planned interim analysis. In this study, patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma whose disease did not progress on induction chemotherapy and who were randomly...
In a study reported in JCO Precision Oncology, Gutierrez et al found that most patients in a U.S. sample diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer between 2013 and 2017 did not receive guideline-aligned genomic testing for RAS, BRAF, and microsatellite instability/mismatch repair–deficiency (MSI/dMMR) ...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Dennis J. Slamon, MD, PhD, and colleagues, in the phase III MONALEESA-3 trial, the second interim analysis of overall survival has shown a significant benefit with the addition of ribociclib to fulvestrant in first- or second-line treatment of...
As reported in The Lancet by Maria-Victoria Mateos, MD, and colleagues, interim analysis of overall survival in the phase III ALCYONE trial has shown a significant benefit of the addition of daratumumab to bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone (D-VMP) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple...
Amid the epidemic levels of youth use of e-cigarettes and the popularity of certain products among children, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a policy prioritizing enforcement against certain unauthorized flavored e-cigarette products that appeal to children, including fruit...
In a phase I trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Hughes et al found that asciminib, an oral BCR-ABL1 inhibitor with a mechanism of action different from available ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors, was active in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) after failure of ABL...
Colorectal cancer screening rates more than doubled among people aged 45 to 49 in the months after the release of updated American Cancer Society guidelines in 2018 recommending screening in that age group, according to a new study. According to the findings from Fedewa et al—published in...
On December 27, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved olaparib (Lynparza) as a maintenance treatment for adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma as detected by an FDA-approved test whose disease has not ...
Emily Johnston, MD, MS, thinks about death a lot. “I wish we would stop saying people ‘lost a battle’ with cancer when someone dies,” she said. Dr. Johnston specializes in pediatric oncology at Children’s of Alabama hospital. Conquering cancer, she believes, doesn’t simply mean surviving it—it...
Researchers from around the country joined together for learning and collaboration at the 2019 ASCO Research Community Forum (RCF) Annual Meeting in September. During the meeting, Aisha Peterson Johnson, MD, MPH, MBA, of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Compliance, delivered a...
Women Who Conquer Cancer (WWCC) is a groundbreaking program that is committed to supporting early-career women researchers by funding research grants through Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation. Since its inception 6 years ago, the program has raised over $4 million, funded 21 Young Investigator...
Medical oncologists in Brazil are being encouraged to take advantage of a new measure set for assessing the quality of care they provide to patients with lung cancer. Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadly types of cancer in Brazil.1 Providing a platform for health-care providers to...
Early in 2019, trastuzumab and the endoglycosidase hyaluronidase-oysk for subcutaneous injection was approved in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer.1,2 The agent is indicated for adjuvant treatment of patients with HER2-overexpressing node-positive or node-negative (estrogen...
Multiple myeloma is a malignancy characterized by clonal proliferation of terminally differentiated plasma cells within the bone marrow. Although it leads to a host of different issues within the body, overall survival has steadily improved in recent years. “This is largely because of better...
Findings in the phase Ib KEYNOTE-013 and phase II KEYNOTE-170 trials, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Philippe Armand, MD, PhD, of DanaFarber Cancer Institute, and colleagues, indicate that pembrolizumab is active in relapsed or refractory primary mediastinal large B-cell...
As reported in The Lancet by Barbara Burtness, MD, of the Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, and colleagues, the phase III KEYNOTE-048 trial has shown improved overall survival with first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy vs cetuximab plus chemotherapy among patients...
Dr. Smith called us on a Tuesday afternoon. “I have a patient who has an abnormal mammogram showing a large mass. I’m suspecting cancer and am referring her to you for diagnosis and treatment. She’s very anxious. I hope you can help.” We were able to get Dr. Smith’s patient in the next day for...
The novel antibody-drug conjugate [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) achieved high response rates and durable responses in heavily pretreated patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to results of the phase II DESTINY-Breast 01 trial presented at the 2019 San Antonio...
In a statement from Gustave Roussy on December 16, 2019, the following news was released: “By an order, the Minister of Health and Solidarity, Madame Agnès Buzyn, appointed Professor Jean-Charles Soria as General Director of Gustave Roussy for a term of 5 years. He will assume his responsibilities...
A year before my diagnosis of multiple myeloma, in 2010, my husband Paul and I moved with our six children to Monterrey, Mexico, where Paul was helping to create a venture capital industry. We were so busy settling into a new country and getting our children integrated into school that when I...
In a Canadian phase II crossover trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kim N. Chi, MD, and colleagues found that time to second prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression from start of treatment was longer with crossover from abiraterone acetate/prednisone to enzalutamide vs the reverse sequence ...
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Reviews for treatments in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), non–muscle invasive bladder cancer, and BRAF V600E–mutant colorectal cancer. The Agency also recently issued multiple Breakthrough Therapy designations and ...
A recent study found rising rates of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus, “particularly advanced-stage disease, and a similar rise in mortality.”1 The authors concluded: “Improved prevention strategies are urgently needed to mitigate the rising [squamous cell carcinoma of the anus] burden among a...
On December 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) for patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received two or more prior anti–HER2-based regimens in the metastatic setting....
“Squamous cell carcinoma of the anus incidence has increased dramatically in elderly women and young black men,” according to a study of recent trends in incidence and mortality. “Advanced-stage [anal squamous cell carcinoma] incidence tripled with a prominent rise in … mortality,” researchers...
It was a press conference on a cold Saturday in January 1964 that had garnered international attention, but the trappings were those of a secret government meeting, behind locked doors secured by uniformed guards. To the chagrin of the reporters, “no smoking” signs had been hastily posted around...
In the Dutch DENSE study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Bakker et al found that supplemental magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in women with extremely dense breast tissue and normal results on screening mammography was associated with the diagnosis of significantly fewer interval...
Late in 2018, the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib was approved for the treatment of adult patients who have relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a FLT3 mutation, as detected by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved test.1,2 The FDA also approved an expanded indication...
To complement The ASCO Post’s comprehensive coverage of the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, here are several abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing on novel therapeutic regimens for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). For full details of these...