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Showing 8601 - 8650Using Pharmacogenetics to Predict Cancer Prognosis, Response to Treatment, and Toxicity
Although clinical trials are helpful in determining the effectiveness of a specific drug across a patient population, they are not as reliable at pinpointing how well a particular patient will respond to the drug or dosing regimen or how the drug may impact the patient’s quality of life from...
ESMO 2016: Longer Interval Between Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy and Surgery Urged in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
A longer waiting interval from the end of preoperative chemoradiotherapy to surgery increases the rate of pathologic complete response and yields a higher proportion of patients achieving tumor downstaging in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, according to new findings from a...
Personalized Vaccines May Protect Patients With High-Risk Melanoma
The field of cancer vaccines may be reinvigorated by a new understanding, and the therapeutic leveraging, of neoantigens. Researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston are exploring this novel approach as a means of protecting patients with high-risk melanoma from recurrence. Early...
When Breath Becomes Air: Dr. Lucy Kalanithi Reflects on Dr. Paul Kalanithi’s Life and Writing
Perhaps more than any other book in recent memory, When Breath Becomes Air has struck a chord among readers, both inside the medical community and among the public, desiring an honest and philosophical consideration of death. The autobiographical account of Paul Kalanithi, MD, a physician diagnosed ...
ASCO Answers Palliative Care: A Resource for Patients
ASCO Answers Palliative Care is an informative booklet that shows how palliative care is used to manage symptoms and side effects; help with practical concerns; address spiritual questions; and support family, friends, and caregivers at any stage of cancer. It also gives practical advice about...
Leave a Legacy of Hope
By including a planned gift to the Conquer Cancer Foundation in your estate plans, you can help make a dramatic difference for cancer patients years—even decades—into the future. With just one small change to your will or trust, your planned gift of any size will deliver a big impact, and: Your...
Arti Hurria, MD: From Leadership Development Program to Board of Directors
Arti Hurria, MD, a geriatric oncologist at City of Hope in Duarte, California, is the first graduate of ASCO’s Leadership Development Program to be elected to ASCO’s Board of Directors. Within 5 years of completing the program, Dr. Hurria went from learning leadership skills to applying them to...
New Member Categories Provide Specialized Support to Cancer Care Team Members
As part of ASCO’s ongoing effort to fully support all members of the cancer care team, it recently created three new member categories: Advanced Practice Providers, Practice Administrators, and Patient Advocates (see sidebar). Originally part of the Affiliated Health Professionals member category, ...
ASCO Presents First-Ever ASCO Congressional Leadership Award to Representative Michael Burgess, MD
ASCO presented Representative Michael Burgess, MD (TX-26) with the Society’s first-ever ASCO Congressional Leadership Award to recognize his steadfast work to advance policies that support cancer research and treatment. This new, annual award honors a Member of Congress who is a dedicated champion ...
Free PQRS Reporting Now Available Through QOPI®; No Additional Reporting Required
ASCO is pleased to announce that oncology practices can now complete all of their Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS)1 requirements through the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) platform. All users will be able to use the QOPI system to fulfill the Oncology Measures Group set of 7...
Precision Promise Clinical Trial Focuses on Precision Medicine, Collaboration, and Data-Sharing in Pancreatic Cancer
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network recently announced Precision Promise, the first large-scale precision medicine trial designed to transform outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer. The organization also announced the 12 initial Precision Promise Clinical Trial Consortium sites selected to...
What We Know and What We Need to Know About Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Ever since the landmark studies of Griffiths and colleagues in the 1970s,1 primary cytoreductive surgery followed by chemotherapy with the objective of achieving minimal residual disease has been the standard approach for women with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. However, what is...
Expert Point of View: Olivier Michielin, MS, MD, PhD
The paper’s invited discussant was Olivier Michielin, MS, MD, PhD, Head of Personalized Analytical Oncology and the Melanoma Clinic at Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland. He called the findings of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment (EORTC) 18071 trial a “new landmark in...
Adjuvant Ipilimumab Improves Survival in High-Risk Melanoma
Patients with stage III melanoma who were considered to be at high risk for recurrence derived an overall survival benefit from adjuvant treatment with ipilimumab (Yervoy), although it came at the price of considerable toxicity, according to updated survival results from the phase III European...
Mount Sinai and Thomas Jefferson University Researchers Receive Falk Foundation Grant to Study Uveal Melanoma
Uveal melanoma is the second most common type of skin cancer. Approximately 50% of patients with uveal melanoma will develop metastasis, most commonly to the liver. The disease can appear more than 10 years after the primary lesion has been removed, lying dormant for long periods. There are...
With Changing Strategies for Laryngeal Cancer, Multidisciplinary Team Approach Is Key
The treatment of cancer of the larynx has changed dramatically in recent years. With organ preservation now possible in many cases, it is more important than ever for patients to receive guidance from every corner of the field. In a recent article in the Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP),1 a...
Consensus on Defining and Measuring Lymphedema Is Needed to Advance Efforts to Intervene Early and Prevent Progression
“Early intervention might prevent lymphedema progression,” Alphonse Taghian, MD, PhD, said at the 18th Annual Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium in Chicago, but the lack of a universal definition of lymphedema and agreement on how to optimally measure it impedes phase III studies to test that...
Mammography-Detected Small Breast Cancers May Represent Overdiagnosis, With Survival Gains Reflecting Improved Systemic Therapy
In a study using SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) data reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Welch et al found that screening mammography has resulted in a substantial increase in detection of small breast tumors, many of which represent overdiagnosis, accompanied by...
Breast Cancer Study Finds Higher Mortality Rate in Black Women Than White Women, and the Disparity Is Growing
The Avon Foundation for Women recently released a new study on the racial disparities in breast cancer mortality in the 50 largest cities in the United States between 2005 and 2014. Published in Cancer Epidemiology,1 the study was conducted by Sinai Urban Health Institute in collaboration with the...
Prognostic and Predictive Molecular Subtypes of Prostate Cancer Identified
Members of the oncology community have long complained that prostate cancer lags behind breast cancer regarding biomarkers for prognosis and treatment, but the good news is that this gap is narrowing. In the largest study of its kind to date, presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American...
Expert Point of View: Vinai Gondi, MD
Formal discussant of both trials, Vinai Gondi, MD, Director of CNS Radiation Oncology at Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center in Warrenville, Illinois, offered a somewhat more nuanced take on the data from these studies. To begin, he commended the authors of both studies. “These were both...
Stereotactic Radiosurgery Achieves Better Quality of Life and Improved Cognition Than Whole-Brain Radiotherapy
Two separate randomized trials presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) affirmed the value of stereotactic radiosurgery as an option for postoperative treatment of the surgical cavity of resected brain metastases, potentially avoiding the cognitive...
COA Releases 2016 Community Oncology Practice Impact Report
On October 4, the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) released the 2016 Community Oncology Practice Impact Report, which tracks the changing landscape of cancer care in the United States. It documents a 121% increase in community cancer clinic closings and a 172% increase in consolidation into...
Safety of Extreme Hypofractionation Reassuring in Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer
Giving patients larger fractions of radiation over shorter periods (ie, hypofractionation) is gaining ground in several types of cancers. This approach is attractive for patients’ convenience, shortening treatment and travel times, and also for resource utilization. Several studies have shown that ...
Expert Point of View: Brian Kavanagh, MD
“Lung cancer patients are living longer with stereotactic body radiation therapy. Patients should have access to this care. It would be tragic if we couldn’t give this treatment to patients who need it,” said Brian Kavanagh, MD, President of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and...
Investigational Immunotherapy Appears Safe and Somewhat Active in Advanced Melanoma
The investigational immunotherapeutic IMC-20D7S was found to be well tolerated and somewhat active in patients with advanced melanoma, including one complete response, according to the results of a phase I/Ib trial reported by Khalil et al in Clinical Cancer Research. IMD-20D7S is a...
Margins for Breast-Conserving Surgery With Whole-Breast Irradiation in Ductal Carcinoma in Situ
A clinical practice guideline on margins for breast-conserving surgery with whole-breast irradiation in ductal carcinoma in situ has been jointly developed by the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO), the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and ASCO.1-3 The recommendations were...
‘Dear Presidential Candidates’: A Letter From an Oncologist
Dear Presidential Candidates: Wouldn’t it be great if history’s Alexander the Great was actually Dr. Alexander Fleming, the doctor-scientist who saved millions of lives by discovering penicillin, rather than the other Alexander, who conquered and killed thousands of innocent people? Wouldn’t it be...
Expert Point of View: Stephen R.D. Johnston, MD
“These results apply to about two-thirds of women with advanced breast cancer, ie, those with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer,” noted the formal discussant of this paper, Stephen R.D. Johnston, MD, of the Royal Marsden Hospital, London. “At present with first-line endocrine...
ESMO 2016: Nivolumab Maintains Function and Reduces Symptoms in Relapsed Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer
Nivolumab (Opdivo) maintains function and reduces symptoms in treatment of relapsed metastatic head and neck cancer, according to results from the CheckMate 141 trial presented by Harrington et al at the 2016 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark (Abstract...
Vice President Biden Delivers Cancer Moonshot Report, Announces Public and Private Sector Actions to Advance Cancer Moonshot Goals
Today in the Oval Office, Vice President Joe Biden delivered the Cancer Moonshot report to the President and the American public. The report summarizes the work of the Cancer Moonshot Task Force since its creation in January and lays out the Vice President’s strategic plan for transforming...
HHS Finalizes MACRA Rule, ASCO Applauds Focus on High-Quality Patient-Centered Care
Today, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) finalized a landmark new payment system for Medicare clinicians that will continue the Administration’s progress in reforming how the health-care system pays for care. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of ...
ESMO 2016: Cabozantinib Improves Progression-Free Survival in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
Cabozantinib (Cabometyx, Cometriq) significantly improves progression-free survival and response rate in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma compared to sunitinib (Sutent), according to research presented by Choueiri et al at the 2016 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)...
Study Indicates Safety of Stopping Imatinib in CML With Undetectable Minimal Residual Disease for at Least 2 Years
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Etienne et al, long-term follow-up in the French Stop Imatinib (STIM1) study indicates imatinib can be safely stopped in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with undetectable minimal residual disease sustained for at least 2 years. Study...
ESMO 2016: Niraparib Significantly Improves Outcomes in Platinum-Sensitive Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
The PARP inhibitor niraparib significantly improves the outcome of platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, according to full data from the ENGOT-OV16/NOVA trial presented by Mirza et al at the 2016 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Copenhagen (Abstract LBA3_PR), and...
Lack of Androgen Receptor Protein May Contribute to Racial Disparities in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Outcomes
Triple-negative breast cancer in African American women is much more likely to lack the androgen receptor protein compared with triple-negative breast cancer in European American women, and this may contribute to the racial disparity in survival outcomes among these two populations, according to a...
African American Cancer Survivors More Likely to Experience Lasting Debt Related to Cancer and Its Treatment
African American cancer survivors are more likely than whites to experience lasting debt or forgo necessary medical care as they struggle with the financial burden of cancer, while whites are somewhat more likely to use existing assets to pay for their cancer care, according to a study (C13)...
Affordable Care Act Increased Access to Cancer Care and Clinical Trial Participation Among Hispanics
Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in California may have led to a significant increase in the number of Hispanic breast cancer patients at a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center and an increase in the number of Hispanic women who consented to participate in a...
Modified Staging System for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Luo et al found that a modified staging classification based on the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging classifications may improve distinction among risk groups in pancreatic...
Extended Active Surveillance Prior to Systemic Therapy May Be Safe in Some Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Brian I. Rini, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, and colleagues found that some patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma can safely undergo active surveillance for an extended duration prior to initiation of systemic...
Tailoring Breast Cancer Screening for Older Women by Breast Density and Risk
A collaborative modeling study evaluating outcomes for various screening intervals for women over the age of 50 based on breast density and risk for breast cancer has found that average-risk women with low breast density undergoing triennial screening and higher-risk women with high breast density...
HHS Takes Steps to Provide More Information on Clinical Trials to the Public
To make information about clinical trials widely available to the public, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule on September 19 that specifies requirements for registering certain clinical trials and submitting summary results information to ClinicalTrials.gov....
The FDA Urges Physicians and Patients to Forgo Ovarian Cancer Screening Tests
In a Safety Communication directed at women and physicians, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted women “about the risks associated with the use of tests being marketed as ovarian cancer screening tests” and recommended “against using currently offered tests to screen for ovarian...
The Medical Profession Has to Become Culturally Sensitive to the Needs of LGBT Cancer Survivors
Despite my breast cancer diagnosis 4 years ago, I feel really lucky. My cancer was detected relatively early, stage IIB, during a routine mammogram screening—a test that many of my lesbian friends skip because they don’t want to deal with a medical system steeped in a heterosexual culture that is...
A Space to Heal
We pass them every day on our way to the hospital, the street dwellers of our town in India. Their home consists of a plastic sheet suspended between four poles on the pavement. One day, two women sat under the plastic sheet in happy conversation. It had rained heavily the previous night, and I...
ASCO Recommends ‘Quick Wins’ for National Cancer Moonshot
Last month, ASCO recommended to Vice President Joe Biden several immediate and practical actions the Cancer Moonshot Initiative could take during the remainder of his term in the White House—steps that could make a lasting impact in the effort to discover new cancer treatments. ASCO’s...
ASCO Supports Recent Tobacco Legislation
On August 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rule giving the agency the authority to regulate e-cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, and pipe tobacco took effect. In May, ASCO applauded the FDA for exercising its congressionally mandated authority to regulate e-cigarettes as a crucial step in ...
Advanced Cancer Care Planning Booklet for Your Patients and Caregivers
The ASCO Answers Advanced Cancer Care Planning booklet contains comprehensive information about how patients can communicate directly and honestly about advanced cancer and end-of-life care with friends, family, children, and the health-care team. Featured content includes: Thorough descriptions...
Are You Ready for MACRA? ASCO Offers Educational Resources and Events to Help Practices Prepare
There are only a few months to go before program changes go into effect under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) on January 1, 2017. MACRA was enacted more than a year ago to replace the Sustainable Growth Rate formula for updates to the Medicare physician fee schedule, and it ...
Susan M. O’Brien, MD, Embraces the Challenge of Balancing Patient Care With Clinical Trial Investigation
Susan M. O’Brien, MD, one of the nation’s foremost leukemia experts, told The ASCO Post that she wanted to become a doctor since her earliest memories. “The idea of being able to help sick people always appealed to me,” said Dr. O’Brien, who was born in Manhattan but spent her formative years in...
