Here is an update on five different studies featured at the 2017 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. Topics center on possible newer treatment regimens in both Hodgkin and Burkitt lymphomas, relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and newly...
More evidence of the power of pathologic complete response (pCR) now comes from an update of the multicenter, adaptively randomized I-SPY 2 trial. In a study reported at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, pCR predicted for event-free and distant disease–free survival in high-risk...
The combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus trastuzumab (Herceptin) may turn out to be a good treatment option for patients with trastuzumab-resistant advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, according to the results of an early study presented at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium...
Press briefing moderator Virginia Kaklamani, MD, Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, along with Harold Burstein, MD, PhD, FASCO, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, commented on the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel ...
For more than a decade, breast cancer experts have wondered whether women with low levels of HER2 might derive some benefit from trastuzumab (Herceptin), based on signals seen in earlier trastuzumab trials. Most notably, in the landmark National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) ...
The anti-CCR4 monoclonal antibody mogamulizumab may answer an unmet need in providing an effective treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In the phase III MAVORIC trial reported at the 2017 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, treatment with mogamulizumab was...
The oncology community mourns the sudden passing of Jimmie C. Holland, MD, who died on December 24, 2017, at the age of 89. Dr. Holland’s achievements over her 40-year career are legend. They include the founding of the subspecialty of psycho-oncology, the establishment of a full-time Psychiatry...
A pair of targeted therapies given before and after surgery for melanoma produced at least a sixfold increase in time to progression compared to standard-of-care surgery for patients with stage III disease, Amaria et al reported in The Lancet Oncology. Patients who had no sign of disease at surgery ...
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” —Albert Einstein The phase III international ECHELON-1 study, designed to evaluate brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) as part of a front-line chemotherapy regimen for previously untreated advanced classic...
In relapsed or refractory triple-negative breast cancer, the antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) demonstrated significant clinical activity in an open-label study presented at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 “Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer is an...
In an Italian phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Gianni et al found that neoadjuvant therapy with the RB1 inhibitor palbociclib (Ibrance), estrogen receptor (ER) inhibitor fulvestrant (Faslodex), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) inhibitors trastuzumab (Herceptin) and ...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Simpson et al found that each year of survival in patients with primary head and neck cancer was associated with a 26% increased risk of death from competing causes, and that competing causes predominated after 5 years postdiagnosis. Study Details The study...
The phase III KEYNOTE-189 trial—investigating pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin or carboplatin for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)—met its dual primary endpoints of...
A new study has found that a test that identifies circulating tumor cells (CTCs) present in the bloodstream can detect colorectal cancer at an early stage, with accuracy ranging from 84% to 88%. Most prior studies using CTCs have been able to detect late-stage colorectal cancer, and this study is...
On January 12, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to afatinib (Gilotrif) for a broadened indication in first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have nonresistant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Liao et al found that passive scattering proton radiotherapy (PSPT) improved heart—but not lung—radiation dose-volume indices vs intensity-modulated photon radiotherapy (IMRT) in patients with advanced non–small cell lung...
A phase I/II trial has shown that the addition of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) to bendamustine is active in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. Study findings were reported in The Lancet Oncology by O’Connor et al. Study Details In the study, 64 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and 1...
In a retrospective claims-based study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Doshi et al found that higher out-of-pocket costs were associated with increased rates of prescription abandonment for novel oral anticancer agents. Study Details The study involved data on 38,111 patients from...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Robert and colleagues, a high proportion of patients with metastatic melanoma achieving complete response on pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in the phase Ib KEYNOTE-001 trial maintained complete response for prolonged durations after treatment...
In an Indian phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Noronha and colleagues found that curative-intent adjuvant chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin at 100 mg/m2 every 3 weeks produced better locoregional control than cisplatin at 30 mg/m2 every week in patients with locally...
Increasing use of a potentially life-saving treatment for metastatic cancer is leaving too many vulnerable patients behind, according to a new study from Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital published by Kann et al in JNCCN – Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The...
On January 9, Eisai and Merck announced that they received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Eisai's multiple receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor lenvatinib (Lenvima) in combination with Merck's anti–programmed cell death protein 1...
In an Italian phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Zucali et al found that everolimus was active in cisplatin-pretreated thymoma and thymic carcinoma; however, a high rate of fatal pneumonitis was observed. Study Details In the study, 51 patients with advanced/recurrent...
In a single-center phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Teply et al found that bipolar androgen therapy can induce prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response and resensitization to enzalutamide (Xtandi) in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who progressed on...
In a prospective longitudinal study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sharafeldin et al found that cognitive function after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for hematologic malignancy was impaired among those receiving myeloablative allogeneic HCT, with a delayed effect being...
Final results of a phase III trial reported by Stupp and colleagues in JAMA indicate that adding antimitotic treatment with tumor-treating fields to maintenance temozolomide is associated with improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with previously treated glioblastoma. The...
The cancer death rate dropped 1.7% from 2014 to 2015, continuing a drop that began in 1991 and has reached 26%, resulting in nearly 2.4 million fewer cancer deaths during that time. The data is reported in “Cancer Statistics, 2018,” the American Cancer Society’s...
The phase III IMvigor211 trial showed no survival benefit for atezolizumab (Tecentriq) vs physician's choice of chemotherapy in platinum-treated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression ≥ 5%. Findings were reported in The Lancet by...
Despite decades of clinical research establishing chemotherapy with thoracic radiation as the standard of care for the initial management of nonmetastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a large percentage of U.S. patients do not receive these treatments, and in turn have lower overall survival,...
The proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib (Kyprolis) has taken on an increasing role in the treatment of multiple myeloma, but new research from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania shows the therapy may come with the risk of cardiovascular problems in a higher than expected...
In a Belgian phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ost et al found that androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)-free survival was prolonged with metastasis-directed therapy vs surveillance in recurrent oligometastatic prostate cancer. Study Details Sixty-two patients with...
On January 3, ribociclib (Kisqali) received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Breakthrough Therapy designation for initial endocrine-based treatment of pre- or perimenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with...
In a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Richardson et al found that the addition of pazopanib to paclitaxel did not improve progression-free survival among women with persistent or recurrent ovarian cancer. Study Details In the double-blind study, 106 women from 26 U.S. study sites with...
The phase III ALTERNATIVE trial has shown progression-free survival benefit with the addition of lapatinib (Tykerb) to trastuzumab (Herceptin) and an aromatase inhibitor among postmenopausal women with HER2-positive, hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer. These findings were...
In a phase I trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Courtney et al found that a first-in-class hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α) antagonist (PT2385) was active in patients with previously treated advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Study Details In the...
An interim analysis of a phase II trial reported by Jones et al in The Lancet Oncology indicates that venetoclax (Venclexta) produces a response in a high proportion of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia progressing on or after ibrutinib (Imbruvica) treatment. Study Details The study...
In a phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hingorani et al found that the addition of pegvorhyaluronidase alfa (PEGPH20) to nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane)/gemcitabine improved progression-free survival in patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic ductal...
On December 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the product label for nilotinib (Tasigna) to include information for providers about how to discontinue the drug in certain patients. Nilotinib, first approved by the FDA in 2007, is indicated for the treatment of patients with...
As reported by Scott J. Antonia, MD, PhD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, and colleagues in The New England Journal of Medicine, an interim analysis of the phase III -PACIFIC trial showed improved progression-free survival with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) ...
As reported by Scott J. Antonia, MD, PhD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, and colleagues in The New England Journal of Medicine, an interim analysis of the phase III -PACIFIC trial showed improved progression-free survival with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)...
On September 14, 2017, the microtubule inhibitor cabazitaxel (Jevtana) was approved at the lower dose of 20 mg/m2 every 3 weeks in combination with prednisone for treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen.1,2...
Howard A. “Skip” Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO, a long-time member and volunteer, has been elected to serve as the President of ASCO for the term beginning in June 2019. He will take office as President-Elect during the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago in June 2018. Additionally, five members were...
Results from the C SCANS (Colorectal Cancer: Sarcopenia, Cancer, and Near-Term Survival) study indicate that prediagnosis systemic inflammation and at-diagnosis sarcopenia are associated with an increased mortality risk in patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer. The findings were reported...
Yoga therapy delivered to patients with lung cancer and their caregivers together appears to be a feasible and beneficial supportive care strategy. According to data presented at the 2017 Palliative and Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium,1 the dyadic intervention resulted in a clinically and...
A meta-analysis of three randomized trials (FOXFIRE, SIRFLOX, and FOXFIRE-Global) indicates no overall survival benefit of adding first-line selective internal radiotherapy to chemotherapy in patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer. The findings were reported by Wasan and colleagues...
In a research letter to JAMA, Rebecca L. Siegel, MPH, of the American Cancer Society, and colleagues reported that overall colorectal cancer mortality rates have declined in the United States between 1970 and 2004 in patients aged 20 to 54 years. Between 2004 and 2014, colorectal cancer mortality...
As reported in The Lancet by Krishnansu S. Tewari, MD, of the University of California-Irvine Medical Center, and colleagues, the final overall survival results of the phase III Gynecologic Oncology Group 240 trial show continued benefit of the addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) to chemotherapy in...
ASCO and the oncology community mourn the loss of Patrick Gavin, RPh, who passed away on December 18, 2017, at age 68. A 10-year cancer survivor, Mr. Gavin was a dedicated advocate for patients with cancer and for cancer research. Mr. Gavin was a pharmacist by training and spent much of his career ...
The Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai has been honored with a 3-year accreditation with commendation from the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The accreditation is recognized by the National Cancer Institute, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Joint...
With headlines such as “Cutting back on alcohol can prevent cancers”1 and “Even light drinking may raise your cancer risk,”2 media reports may be generating questions from patients about the ASCO statement summarizing evidence linking alcohol to an increased risk of cancer.3 “What I personally...