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Showing 8751 - 8800AACR 2016: MammaPrint Genetic Test Can Reduce Use of Adjuvant Chemotherapy Among Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients
Among patients with early-stage breast cancer who were considered at high risk for disease recurrence based on clinical and biologic criteria, the MammaPrint genetic test identified a large group of patients for whom 5-year distant metastasis–free survival was equally good whether or not they ...
ELCC 2016: Studies Confirm Benefit of Plasma Genotyping to Predict Treatment Benefit in Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
The benefit of plasma genotyping to predict treatment benefit in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was confirmed in three studies presented April 15 at the European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) 2016 in Geneva. However, researchers warned that plasma tests are unlikely to fully ...
ELCC 2016: Osimertinib Given as First-Line Treatment May Alter Biology of EGFR-Mutated Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
The third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib (Tagrisso) is effective in the first-line treatment of EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a late-breaking abstract presented by Ramalingam et al (Abstract...
ELCC 2016: Immunotherapy With Live Bacterium Improves Response Rate in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Immunotherapy with a live bacterium combined with chemotherapy demonstrated more than 90% disease control and a 59% response rate in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, according to the results of a phase Ib trial presented by Jahan et al April 14 (Abstract 208O_PR) at the European Lung...
Adding Ovarian Function Suppression to Tamoxifen Worsened Some Patient-Reported Outcomes in Premenopausal Women With Early Breast Cancer
Ribi et al reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that addition of ovarian function suppression to tamoxifen resulted in greater endocrine and sexual function symptoms among premenopausal patients with early breast cancer in the Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial (SOFT). The SOFT study...
Shorter Delays Between Diagnosis, Surgery, and Chemotherapy Initiation May Improve Survival in Breast Cancer
The survival benefits of reducing the time to surgery following a diagnosis of breast cancer, and time to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery were outlined in two articles and an accompanying editorial in JAMA Oncology. Analyzing two independent population-based studies with a...
In Early Brain Radiation Recovery Studies, Cranial Grafting of Stem Cell–Derived Therapy Improves Cognition and Reduces Neuropathology
While stem cells have shown promise for treating brain regions damaged by cancer radiation treatments, University of California, Irvine (UCI) researchers have found that microscopic vesicles isolated from these cells provide similar benefits without some of the risks associated with stem cells....
p53- and Mevalonate Pathway–Driven Cancers Require Cell-Signaling Protein Arf6 for Metastasis and Drug Resistance
A metabolic pathway that is upregulated in certain breast cancers promotes the disease's progression by activating a cell-signaling protein called Arf6, according to findings published by Hashimoto et al in the Journal of Cell Biology. The study, conducted by a team of researchers at Hokkaido...
Evidence of Intracranial Benefit With Crizotinib in Advanced ALK-Positive NSCLC
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Solomon et al found that crizotinib (Xalkori) was associated with a significantly better disease control rate vs chemotherapy among patients with brain metastases in ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Crizotinib was also...
UK Trial Shows Similar Survival With PET-CT Surveillance vs Planned Neck Dissection in Advanced Head and Neck Cancer
In a UK noninferiority trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Mehanna et al found that positron-emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) surveillance was associated with similar survival vs planned neck dissection in patients with stage N2 or N3 squamous cell carcinoma ...
Improved Detection of Breast Cancer With Ultrasound vs Tomosynthesis in Mammography-Negative Dense Breasts
Ultrasound was associated with improved incremental detection of breast cancer at screening compared with tomosynthesis in women with mammography-negative dense breasts, according to the interim findings of the Italian prospective ASTOUND study. Tagliafico et al reported these results in the...
Adding 6 Months of Androgen Suppression to Radiotherapy Improves Disease-Free Survival in Intermediate- and High-Risk Prostate Cancer
In the phase III EORTC 22991 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bolla et al found that the addition of 6 months of androgen suppression to radiotherapy improved biochemical and clinical disease-free survival in patients with intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer. Study...
Most Patients With Melanoma Had Few Nevi, None Atypical
Although nevi are considered among the strongest risk factors for melanoma, most patients with melanoma had few total nevi and no atypical nevi, according to an analysis of 566 patients with invasive cutaneous melanoma. “Three notable findings emerged from this case study,” Alan C. Geller, MPH, RN, ...
A Political Activist Challenges the Drug Approval Process and the U.S. Government
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) primary concern in the drug approval process is to ensure that the drug is safe and effective. For the past several decades, the advocacy groups have vociferously painted the agency as a stodgy bureaucracy that prevents desperate patients access to...
Things May Not Be What They Seem: Are Old Cancer Treatment Theories New Again?
The adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” is true, but authors still need to be aware of the importance of first impressions. The title of science writer Travis Christofferson’s book Tripping Over the Truth: The Return of the Metabolic Theory of Cancer Illuminates a New and Hopeful Path to ...
Crizotinib in ROS1-Positive Metastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
On March 11, 2016, crizotinib (Xalkori) was approved for treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ROS1 rearrangement–positive tumors.1,2 A U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved test for the detection of ROS1 rearrangements in NSCLC is not currently...
Cancer on the Global Stage: Incidence and Cancer-Related Mortality in Israel
The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this special feature on the worldwide cancer burden. In this issue, we feature a close look at the cancer incidence and mortality rates in Israel. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of the world. For...
Phase Ib/II Study Reports High Response Rates Seen With Addition of Cisplatin to Regimen for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
The oncology research team at HonorHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, is spearheading a phase Ib/II trial that is demonstrating promising results with a novel regimen in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. “The patients we are treating have advanced adenocarcinoma of the...
Everolimus Improves Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Lung or Gastrointestinal Tract
In a phase III trial (RADIANT-4) reported in The Lancet, James C. Yao, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues found that everolimus (Afinitor) and supportive care significantly prolonged progression-free survival vs placebo and supportive care in patients with...
Survival Period for Esophageal Cancer Is Tied to Race and Income
African American patients with esophageal cancer survive fewer months after diagnosis than white patients, but only if they also have low incomes, according to a study presented by Loretta Erhunmwunsee, MD, at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Dr. Erhunmwunsee led the study...
Selected Abstracts From 2015 ASH Annual Meeting: Part 4
Here is the final installment of selected abstracts from the proceedings of the 2015 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, focusing on Hodgkin lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. For other selected abstracts...
FDA Approves Defibrotide for Complication of Stem Cell Transplant
On March 30, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved defibrotide sodium (Defitelio) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with hepatic veno-occlusive disease, also known as sinusoidal obstructive syndrome, with renal or pulmonary dysfunction following hematopoietic...
Patrick Moore, MD, MPH, Named NCI Outstanding Investigator, Awarded $6.4 Million for Discovering Cancer Viruses
Patrick Moore, MD, MPH, has received the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Outstanding Investigator Award, and was awarded $6.4 million to further his work into the link between viruses and cancer. This NCI grant provides 7 years of secured support, giving the investigator freedom from the pressure...
Providing Perspective on Pressing Economic Issues Facing Cancer Care—Now and in the Future
CANCERSCAPE, the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), provided a forum for about 300 attendees to gain insight into the complexities of oncology treatment, where “clinical advances, policy mandates, and value-based payment reform intersect.” Of particular...
Understanding and Preparing for MACRA
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) was passed in April 2015, introducing comprehensive changes to how Medicare pays physicians for services. As the policies passed in MACRA are rolled out over the coming years, they will profoundly impact reimbursement and care...
Diversity Training Key to Increasing Cultural Competence Among Oncology Surgeons
A study in the Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP)1 measured the level of cultural competence among surgeons from six hospitals in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, home to a large population of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. According to the study, “Assessing Cultural Competence...
Update of ASCEND-1 Trial Shows Ceritinib Highly Active in ALK-Rearranged NSCLC, Including Intracranial Disease
Updated results of the phase I ASCEND-1 trial, reported by Kim et al in The Lancet Oncology, indicate that the ALK inhibitor ceritinib (Zykadia) produced high response rates in advanced ALK-rearranged non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including intracranial disease, in both patients with and...
MicroRNA miR-181a Reduces NFκB Signaling in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphomas
A recent study by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine showed that a microRNA called miR-181a dampens signals from the cancer-driving NFκB protein pathway in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). By reducing NFκB...
New Commission on Cancer Standards Clarifies and Emphasizes Process, Quality, Data Reporting, and More
The 2016 edition of the Commission on Cancer’s accreditation standards manual clarifies and provides additional information in many areas and raises the bar for compliance in some, including psychosocial distress screening, survivorship care, data reporting, and activities in prevention and...
Outcome Measures in Quality and Identifying High-Quality Practice
At this year’s ASCO Quality Care Symposium, Craig Earle, MD, MSc, of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, used Donabedian’s Triad—structure, process, and outcome—to set the stage for his presentation on the science of quality. “The theory behind Donabedian’s Triad is that structure...
A Business Professor and Husband Turns Breast Cancer Researcher
In more than 25 years of viewing posters at oncology meetings, I’ve met researchers from virtually all professional walks of life, but it was not until the 2016 Miami Breast Cancer Conference, that the author’s affiliation turned my head: It was a business school. “Utilizing Metastatic Tumor...
Trabectedin Improves Progression-Free Survival in Uterine Leiomyosarcoma
In women with uterine leiomyosarcoma, trabectedin (Yondelis), a novel cytotoxic agent, significantly improved progression-free survival, compared with dacarbazine (4.2 vs 1.5 months, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.55, P < .001). According to the study’s authors, a lack of cumulative toxicity allows...
Computer-Assisted Decision Support in Medical Oncology: We Need It Now
Today’s medical oncologist is increasingly challenged to stay current with the latest developments in cancer treatment. I have been fortunate to speak with many oncologists over the past quarter-century on how professional life has evolved since the 1990s. These conversations have left me with a...
Throwing Out the Baby With the Bathwater: A Critical Appraisal of the USPSTF Recommendation Against Screening for Prostate Cancer
In 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a recommendation against routine screening for prostate cancer.1,2 The grade D recommendation was considered controversial at the time, and remains so now, because many stakeholders have weighed the same body of evidence and come to...
The POPLAR Trial: PD-L1 Blockade With Atezolizumab in Second- or Third-Line Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
The randomized phase II POPLAR trial—reported by Fehrenbacher and colleagues and reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post—is another key piece of information for the medical community regarding the value of immune checkpoint blockers in second/third-line treatment of patients with non–small cell...
Glioblastoma Multiforme With Mismatch Repair Deficiency May Be Target for Immune Checkpoint Inhibition
Glioblastoma multiforme resulting from germline biallelic mismatch repair deficiency was characterized by hypermutation and elevated neoantigen load—characteristics associated with response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in other settings—according to a study reported in the Journal of ...
Study Finds Adaptive Image-Guided Radiation Therapy for Bladder Preservation Clinically Feasible in Urinary Bladder Cancer
A prospective study examining a trimodality treatment approach in localized bladder cancer cases using adaptive image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy found that the bladder preservation rate at 3 years was 83%. These findings were published by Murthy et al in the International Journal ...
FDA Approves Defibrotide Sodium for the Treatment of Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
On March 30, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved defibrotide sodium (Defitelio) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with hepatic veno-occlusive disease, also known as sinusoidal obstructive syndrome, with renal or pulmonary dysfunction following hematopoietic...
Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Shows Sustained Effectiveness in Breast Cancer Screening
In a single-center retrospective study reported in JAMA Oncology, McDonald et al found that adding digital breast tomosynthesis to digital mammography reduced recall rates, increased cancer detection, and was associated with a numeric reduction in interval cancers. Study Details The analysis...
Italian Study Suggests Benefit of Interim PET Response–Adapted Therapy in High-Risk Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma
The phase II portion of the Italian HD0801 study suggests that treatment based on positron-emission tomography (PET) performed early in first-line therapy for advanced Hodgkin lymphoma may improve outcome in patients at risk of first-line treatment failure. Zinzani et al reported their findings in...
Low-Magnitude, High-Frequency Mechanical Stimulation May Improve Bone Mineral Density in Young Childhood Cancer Survivors
In a small trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Mogil et al found that low-magnitude, high-frequency mechanical stimulation improved the whole-body bone mineral density score in childhood cancer survivors with low bone mineral density. Study Details In the double-blind trial, 65 survivors of...
Minimal Residual Disease in AML: Worth Looking?
As summarized in this issue of The ASCO Post, Ivey and colleagues demonstrated that assessing for NPM1-mutated gene transcripts by reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay is a feasible approach for measuring minimal residual disease after acute myeloid leukemia (AML)...
Quality Improvement Projects Aim at Reducing Errors in Prescribing IV and Oral Chemotherapy
Two quality improvement projects described in the Journal of Oncology Practice resulted in reduced errors in prescribing intravenous (IV) and oral chemotherapy. A project at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston outpatient infusion centers first identified 15 different types of...
Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Survivors of Some Adult-Onset Cancers
In a study using managed-care organization data reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Armenian et al found that survivors of adult-onset multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, lung/bronchus cancer, and breast cancer had an increased risk for subsequent cardiovascular disease. Study...
Study Explores Genomic and Transcriptomic Features of Anti–PD-1 Resistance in Advanced Melanoma
Immunotherapy using anti–programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) antibodies has revolutionized the treatment of advanced melanoma and a growing list of other cancers. But 60% to 70% of melanoma tumors are resistant to anti–PD-1 antibodies, and there is an urgent need to understand how to...
Assessment of Survival Impact of Atypical Responses With Pembrolizumab Treatment in Advanced Melanoma
As reported by Hodi et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, use of conventional Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) to assess response may have underestimated the benefit of treatment with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in the...
Fecal Immunochemical Test Highly Sensitive and Effective When Used for Colorectal Cancer Annual Screening Programs
Annual screening with the fecal immunochemical test is highly sensitive for detecting colorectal cancer and “is feasible and effective for population-level colorectal cancer screening,” according to a large-scale retrospective cohort study assessing this test over four rounds of annual screening....
Somebody’s Watching You: Meet the Tweet Trackers of the Social Oncology Project
In a one-story concrete industrial building across the street from a lumberyard in Austin, Texas, Greg Matthews and his computers are tracking everything that more than 500,000 U.S.-based physicians post publicly on social media. Every tweet. Every public blog, Facebook, or Instagram post. Every...
The Perplexing Increase in Bilateral Mastectomies
The increased rate of bilateral mastectomies, as shown in recently released data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), is “perplexing,” Ismail Jatoi, MD, PhD, told The ASCO Post. “We are seeing more and more women with unilateral breast cancer opt for bilateral mastectomy,...
A Cancer Patient’s Harried Survivorship Story
There are approximately 14 million cancer survivors in the United States, a number that is steadily increasing, thanks to our advances in detection and treatment. However, surviving cancer can leave a host of physical, emotional, and financial hardships for years after diagnosis and treatment. In ...
