On World Lung Cancer Day (August 1), the members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) commemorate, celebrate, and support those impacted by lung cancer. FIRS continues to support the grassroots efforts of the lung cancer community to raise awareness about lung cancer and its...
The European Commission (EC) has approved Trazimera, a biosimilar to trastuzumab (Herceptin), for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor (HER2)–overexpressing breast cancer and HER2-overexpressing metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. This approval...
A new frailty index may aid in predicting overall survival for patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma, according to a study published by Mian et al in JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics. This tool is important because frailty is a critical factor in treatment decision-making for ...
Conventional wisdom suggests that a high level of the protein prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in men with prostate cancer means a poor prognosis. However, this may not always be the case in men with a particular subtype of prostate cancer, according to a new study from Weill Cornell Medicine and...
Patients with colorectal cancer tumors on the right side may have poorer 5-year survival rates than those whose tumors are located on the left side. However, a new large-scale retrospective study is the first to demonstrate a potential improvement of these outcomes. Study results show that nearly...
In a prospective study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Parker et al found that among women with nonhereditary breast cancer electing contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), fear and worry over breast cancer may be dominant at the time of surgical decisions without sufficient...
High rates of regional lymph node involvement and metastases are not uncommon in Merkel cell carcinoma. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines recommend sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for staging purposes in this malignancy. In a study by Knanckstedt et al in ...
The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) has estimated that in developed countries, about 35% of breast cancers and 45% of colorectal cancers could be prevented with a better adherence to nutritional recommendations. A large prospective study evaluating...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a magnetic device system for guiding lymph node biopsies in patients with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy. The Magtrace and Sentimag Magnetic Localization System uses magnetic detection during sentinel lymph node biopsy procedures to ...
Researchers from Samsung Medical Center and Guardant Health, Inc have demonstrated the feasibility of determining a measure analogous to tumor mutation burden, a promising biomarker that may predict patient response to certain immunotherapies, utilizing the Guardant360 assay, a...
As reported in JAMA Oncology by the Integrative Analysis of Lung Cancer Etiology and Risk (INTEGRAL) Consortium for Early Detection of Lung Cancer, incorporating biomarkers into a lung cancer risk prediction model may improve performance compared with risk based on age and smoking exposure alone....
People who received complementary therapy for curable cancers were more likely to refuse at least one component of their conventional cancer treatment, and were more likely to die as a result, according to researchers from Yale Cancer Center and the Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy and Effectiveness...
Jonathan W. Friedberg, MD, of the University of Rochester Medical Center, discusses treatments that enhance progression-free and overall survival and clear minimal residual disease—obinutuzumab plus chemotherapy, lenalidomide, and rituximab—and the types of lymphoma patients who may benefit.
Steven M. Horwitz, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses aggressive subtypes of peripheral T-cell lymphoma and the coming data that may help clarify what could be the most effective treatments.
I’ve been a loyal ASCO member since the early 1970s (aka “back in the day”) and wanted to share a growing pet peeve. I thought of attacking an individual author, but my sense tells me the source of my annoyance is really now a cultural problem and one that can only be fixed at the editor level....
A study reported in JAMA Oncology by Anne Marie McCarthy, PhD, of the Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues identified the risk of interval breast cancer after negative screening mammography, including the risk of poor-prognosis breast cancer. The...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology by Chelain R. Goodman, MD, PhD, of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues, adjuvant radiotherapy was associated with better outcome in patients with early breast cancer who had detectable...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology by Allison W. Kurian, MD, of Stanford University School of Medicine, and colleagues found that use of germline multiple-gene sequencing has become more common than BRCA1/2-alone sequencing after breast cancer diagnosis in clinical practice. ...
A NEW INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Advances in Cell & Gene Therapy, recently published its inaugural issue in May 2018. The new publication aims to provide a forum for authors to share their newest results, views, and visions in the field of cell and gene therapy. The journal will be published on a...
ASCO HAS ENDORSED the recommendations in the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) clinical practice guidelines for integrative therapies during and after breast cancer.1,2 The guidelines “are clear, thorough, and based on the most relevant scientific evidence,” wrote the ASCO expert panel that...
The article “A Commitment to Innovation, Gender Equality, and Family Legacy Inspire Endowed Young Investigator Award Gifts for ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation” in the May 25, 2018, issue included an incorrect quote attributed to Murdo Gordon. The corrected article is available online at...
RECOMMENDATIONS IN the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) clinical practice guidelines for integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment “are clear, thorough, and based on the most relevant scientific evidence,” concluded an ASCO expert panel that reviewed the guidelines.1,2...
On June 4, 2018, pegfilgrastim-jmdb (Fulphila) was approved as a biosimilar to pegfilgrastim (Neulasta) to decrease infection risk in patients with nonmyeloid cancer receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy associated with a significant incidence of febrile neutropenia.1,2 Approval Basis Approval...
In an article published recently in TheNew England Journal of Medicine, Gary H. Lyman, MD, MPH, FACP, FRCP (Edin), FASCO, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and colleagues reviewed opportunities, issues, and challenges posed by the advent of biosimilar medications, focusing on...
Prior to ASCO’s 2016 endorsement of the Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) guideline on active surveillance in the management of localized prostate cancer,1 most men—over 90%—diagnosed with low-risk localized disease were treated with active therapy.2 Today, about 50% of American men with low-risk disease...
Critics of health-care consolidation have cited higher costs of chemotherapy administration as an example of how mergers drive up costs. A new study by Kalidindi et al in The American Journal of Managed Care found that although drug administration costs in hospitals are higher,...
A new study by Meulepas et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that computed tomography (CT) scans may increase the risk of brain tumors. The use of CT scans has increased dramatically over the past 2 decades. CT scans greatly improve diagnostic capabilities,...
ERIC TETZLAFF, MHS, PA-C, DFAAPA, a physician assistant at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has received the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) 2018 Publishing Award for his article, “National Study of Burnout and Career Satisfaction Among Physician Assistants in Oncology: Implications for...
Difficult-to-treat, cancer-related fatigue is a common, distressing clinical issue. It impedes daily activities, severely affecting patients’ quality of life. Compounding the problem is a lack of consensus on an effective pharmacologic intervention. Acupressure is a traditional Chinese medicine...
EARLY IN 2018, olaparib tablets (Lynparza) were granted regular approval for treatment of patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who have been treated with chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or metastatic setting.1,2...
Question 1 Which of the following is one of the four major criteria for the diagnosis of essential thrombocythemia? Correct Answer: A. Platelet count ≥ 450 × 109/L. Expert Perspective The diagnosis of essential thrombocythemia requires that all four major criteria or the first three major...
EARLY IN 2018, abiraterone acetate tablets (Zytiga) in combination with prednisone were approved for the treatment of metastatic high-risk castration-sensitive prostate cancer.1,2 Supporting Efficacy Data APPROVAL WAS based on the findings of the phase III LATITUDE trial, in which 1,199 patients...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hu et al found that higher postradiotherapy levels of the inflammatory marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were associated with an increased risk of early grade 4+ skin toxicity in patients with breast cancer. Study Details...
Patients with cancer receiving anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (anti–PD-1) therapies who develop lesions, eczema, psoriasis, or other forms of autoimmune diseases affecting the skin may experience those adverse reactions on a delay—sometimes even after treatment has...
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ivosidenib (Tibsovo) tablets for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who have a specific genetic mutation. This is the first drug in its class (isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 [IDH1]...
The gains in insurance coverage with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) have already translated into improved health for young women with gynecologic cancers, who are getting diagnosed at earlier stages of their disease because of ACA benefits. That’s the conclusion of a new ...
In a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Autio et al found that prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)–targeted docetaxel nanoparticle (BIND-014) treatment was active in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Study Details In the multicenter trial,...
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the leading cause of death for Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders in the United States. However, their cancer burden is less than that of non-Hispanic whites and especially non-Hispanic blacks, who bear the most disproportionate share of the...
“What is a reasonable plan of follow-up for patients with cancers for which early detection of metastatic disease offers no advantage?” Posing that question during his Presidential Address at the 2018 Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Annual Cancer Symposium, Kelly M. McMasters, MD,PhD,...
Veterans with cancer who receive treatment from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will now have easier access to clinical trials of novel cancer treatments, thanks to an agreement between the VA and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The NCI...
An analysis of cancer registry data from a California hospital system showed that women with head and neck cancer were less likely to receive intensive chemotherapy (35% vs 46%) and radiation (60% vs 70%) compared to men. Controlling for factors such as age and serious medical conditions, a...
The ASCO Post presents these brief summaries of important studies in breast cancer, presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. Ribociclib Plus Fulvestrant in Metastatic Breast Cancer The benefit of an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) added to fulvestrant has now been proven to...
It would be impossible to cover all of the important presentations from the 5,000-plus abstracts accepted for the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting. In addition to our regular meeting coverage of the top news stories, the following highlights focus on novel investigational approaches to therapy for various...
As first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer, the oral taxane tesetaxel produced a 45% confirmed response rate and was well tolerated, producing little alopecia or neuropathy, according to Andrew D. Seidman, MD, and colleagues from several cancer centers. Dr. Seidman, of Memorial Sloan...
Shannon Westin, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, served as an ASCO expert for the press briefing and made several comments. “What we’re learning is that among tumors with...
When it comes to how much end-of-life care a patient with cancer receives, geography may, indeed, be destiny, according to new research led by Harvard Medical School that found differences in this type of cancer care across different parts of the country. The findings, published by Keating et al...
In a study that many consider to be practice-changing, Lynch syndrome, a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome, was found in many persons who would not ordinarily be suspected of having it.1 The study, which was presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, has implications for broader testing...
In an individual patient-level analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Shi et al found that progression-free survival could serve as a surrogate endpoint for overall survival in the first-line treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The study involved data from 7,507...
Patients with advanced squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) had a greater benefit from first-line treatment with the combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) plus chemotherapy vs chemotherapy alone in the randomized, phase III, IMpower131 clinical trial.1 At the landmark of 12-month...
At the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), the International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG) and its collaborators presented the 8-year updates of the key modern trials of ovarian function suppression after local treatment for young women with resected breast cancer.1 These updates...