As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Mariana Chavez-MacGregor, MD, MSc, FASCO, and colleagues, the phase III SWOG S1207 trial showed no significant benefit in invasive disease–free survival with adjuvant endocrine therapy plus 1 year of everolimus vs 1 year of placebo in patients with ...
On June 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by single-agent pembrolizumab for adult patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma; on June 14, the agency approved durvalumab...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Akihito Kawazoe, MD, and colleagues, the final analysis of the phase III LEAP-017 trial showed no significant overall survival benefit with lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab vs the standard of care in previously treated patients with mismatch...
As reported at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract LBA105) and in The New England Journal of Medicine by Meletios Dimopoulos, MD, and colleagues, an interim analysis from the phase III DREAMM-8 trial has shown significantly improved progression-free survival with belantamab mafodotin-blmf,...
As reported in The Lancet by Simron Singh, MD, MPH, FRCPC, and colleagues, primary results of the international, multicenter, randomized phase III NETTER-2 study have shown significantly improved progression-free survival with the addition of the radioligand lutetium-177 dotatate (Lu-177 dotatate)...
Over the past 20 years, Medicare reimbursements for 10 breast cancer surgical procedures rose by 22%, but inflation rose three times as much—by 69%. Compared with the financial picture had rates kept pace with inflation, the result is an estimated aggregate loss of more than $100 million for breast ...
On June 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to repotrectinib (Augtyro) for adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with solid tumors that have a neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusion, are locally advanced or metastatic or...
Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a rare and aggressive hematologic malignancy affecting young children predominately under the age of 4. The disease is caused by mutations that increase RAS signaling output. While about 50% of patients with JMML are cured after undergoing hematopoietic...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Luis G. Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III EVOKE-01 trial has shown a numeric but not statistically significant improvement in overall survival with sacituzumab govitecan-hziy vs docetaxel in patients with metastatic non–small cell...
Craig Jordan, CMG, OBE, PhD, DSc, FMedSci, a pioneering scientist whose innovative work in breast cancer research has saved countless lives and will continue to impact the field for generations to come, died on June 9, according to a news release from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer...
A novel positive psychology approach may help improve stress, fatigue, physical function, and quality of life in patients with hematologic malignancies who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, according to a new study published by Amonoo et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National...
On June 12, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted traditional approval to selpercatinib (Retevmo) for adult and pediatric patients aged 2 years and older with advanced or metastatic RET fusion–positive thyroid cancer who require systemic therapy and whose disease is radioactive...
Investigators have found that U.S. veterans who underwent lung cancer screening prior to diagnosis were potentially more likely to be diagnosed with earlier-stage disease and have a higher cure rate compared with those who did not undergo screening, according to a recent study published by Edwards...
As reported at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 7500) and in The New England Journal of Medicine by Thierry Facon, MD, and colleagues, interim analysis of the phase III IMROZ trial showed significantly improved progression-free survival with the addition of isatuximab to bortezomib,...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bostany et al found that the cumulative incidence of cardiac dysfunction reached 15.3% at 15 years from the start of cardiotoxic treatments in breast cancer survivors. Study Details The study involved patients at the Next Steps Breast Cancer...
In a study reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, Bandi et al found that only 18% of eligible individuals in the United States were considered up to date—defined as undergoing screening within the past year—for recommended annual lung cancer screening in 2022. As stated by the investigators, “The U.S. ...
The novel therapy INB-200 in combination with concomitant temozolomide may improve survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme, according to preliminary findings from a phase I clinical trial presented by Lobbous et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 2042). “For far too long, there...
An integrated palliative care rotation for hematology-oncology fellows may improve their palliative care knowledge and skill confidence, according to findings presented by Bauman et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 9007). “Despite national guidelines advocating that patients with...
An ASCO guideline update offers new recommendations on systemic treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), based on promising findings from several recent randomized controlled trials as well as the approval of new first- and second-line immunotherapy combinations.1 “This guideline...
OCE Insights is an occasional department developed for The ASCO Post by members of the Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this installment, the OCE’s Steven Cunningham, MD, MLA, FACS, Clinical Reviewer on the Gastrointestinal Cancers Team,...
Despite urgings from my primary care physician to get a colonoscopy screening after I turned 50, I resisted. As a health-care provider, and someone who is tuned into changes in my body, I thought I would instinctively know if I had a serious illness. I was wrong. Even after finally relenting to at...
When Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD, FASCO, graduated from high school in 1970 and enrolled at the University of Illinois in Champaign, she was determined to seek a career in special education, because she wanted to “help people through difficult situations.” Although Dr. Von Roenn ultimately decided to...
Facing mortality can be a paralyzing experience for some people, but for others, it may ignite a passion to accelerate life. One such person is Kathy Giusti, cofounder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), where she served as Chief Executive Officer and President for nearly 20 years....
The highly anticipated ENGOT-en9/LEAP-001 trial in endometrial cancer has missed both its primary endpoints. At the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2024 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, the study investigators reported no significant benefit in progression-free survival or overall survival...
Results of the phase III NADINA trial support a new standard of care for the treatment of resectable macroscopic stage III melanoma. Treatment with preoperative ipilimumab plus nivolumab followed by total lymph node dissection, with adjuvant therapy guided by depth of response, led to a highly...
“Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), once a rare entity, now comprises 20% to 30% of newly diagnosed breast cancers detected on mammography and is appreciated to be a widely heterogeneous disease,” said E. Shelley Hwang, MD, MPH, the Mary and Deryl Hart Distinguished Professor at Duke University, who ...
Osimertinib significantly improved progression-free survival compared with placebo in patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutated non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following definitive chemoradiotherapy. These findings of the phase III LAURA trial suggest that osimertinib may become a new...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Zanwar et al developed a prognostic model for overall survival in patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia based on age, albumin level, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level. Study Details In the study, data from 889 consecutive treatment-naive...
On June 6, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved imetelstat (Rytelo), an oligonucleotide telomerase inhibitor, for adults with low- to intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with transfusion-dependent anemia requiring four or more red blood cell units over 8 weeks...
The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab may offer benefit in patients with soft-tissue sarcoma, according to recent findings presented by Mowery et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 11504). Background Soft-tissue sarcoma is a rare type of cancer affecting muscles, fat, and other connective...
Researchers have examined whether adding chemoradiation to adjuvant systemic therapy may improve survival outcomes in patients with resected periampullary pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to recent findings presented by Abrams et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 4005). Study Methods ...
Researchers have found that about 6% of patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and KRAS, EGFR, or ALK gene mutations may also have HER2 alterations, according to recent findings presented by Dahake et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 8534). Background Lung adenocarcinoma is...
In an analysis from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (SJLIFE) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Hammoud et al found that survivors of childhood cancer had a greater risk of major adverse cardiovascular events vs matched community controls, and that an increasing burden of nonmajor events increased ...
Intensity-modulated proton therapy may achieve similar clinical outcomes and offer significant benefits compared with traditional intensity-modulated radiation therapy in patients with oropharyngeal cancer, according to preliminary data from a multi-institutional phase III trial presented by Frank...
The risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer may be increased in some women who experience early menopause, according to new findings presented by Welt et al at the Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting & Exposition 2024. Primary ovarian insufficiency is a condition that occurs when a woman’s...
Researchers examined whether the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab given neoadjuvantly may improve outcomes in certain patients with stage II or III mismatch repair–deficient/microsatellite instability–high colorectal cancer. Interim findings from the phase II NEOPRISM-CRC clinical trial were presented...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Canavan et al found no differences in overall survival between oncology practices that were more vs less likely to provide chemotherapy within the last 2 weeks of life to patients with very advanced solid tumors. As stated by the investigators, “ASCO and the...
Researchers have shown the effectiveness of more scalable ways of delivering palliative care in patients with advanced lung cancer, according to new findings published by Temel et al in JAMA and simultaneously presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 12000). Background More intensive...
Exposure to increased neighborhood violence may change the glucocorticoid receptor for the stress hormone cortisol and influence the aggressiveness of lung cancer, according to new findings presented by Heath et al at the Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting & Exposition 2024. Study Methods and...
In a component of the phase III RADICALS-HD trial reported in The Lancet, Parker et al found that metastasis-free survival was improved with the addition of 24 months vs 6 months of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) to adjuvant radiotherapy in prostate cancer. A second component of the trial, not...
A novel ultrasensitive liquid biopsy may be predictive of breast cancer recurrence up to years prior to relapse in high-risk patients with early breast cancer, according to recent findings presented by Garcia-Murillas et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1010). Background Circulating...
A novel “armored” type of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy called huCART19-IL18 may prove to be effective in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma who do not respond to standard CAR T-cell therapy, according to recent findings from a phase I clinical trial presented by Svoboda et al at...
In a Korean study reported in JAMA Network Open, Song et al identified risk factors for interval breast cancer vs screen-detected breast cancer and described mortality outcomes for women in the two categories. Study Details The retrospective cohort study used data from the Korean National Health...
Georgina V. Long, MD, PhD, of the Melanoma Institute Australia and The University of Sydney, discusses final results with up to 10 years’ follow-up data of the COMBI-AD study of patients with stage III BRAF-mutated melanoma who received adjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib (Abstract 9500).
Yukio Suzuki, MD, PhD, of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, discusses data showing that reproductive-age patients with early-stage endometrial cancer who use fertility-preserving hormonal therapy seemed to have good overall survival after a 10-year follow-up (Abstract 5508).
Omid Hamid, MD, of The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate, discusses updated data on IMC-F106C, a novel bispecific protein that, in a phase I safety and efficacy study, exhibited clinical activity in patients with unresectable or metastatic cutaneous melanoma who were...
Christos Kyriakopoulos, MD, of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, discusses data suggesting that adding cabazitaxel to abiraterone and prednisone improves progression-free survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who previously received chemohormonal ...
Tony S.K. Mok, MD, of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, discusses phase III findings from the KRYSTAL-12 study, which showed that adagrasib improved progression-free survival and overall response rate over docetaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer...
Telemedicine visits for cancer care are not only more convenient and possibly easier to schedule than in-person appointments—they may also be better for the planet. These findings were presented by Andrew Hantel, MD, and colleagues at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1522) and simultaneously...
New findings suggest that docetaxel may be considered the preferred treatment over paclitaxel for Black patients with early-stage breast cancer. While the EAZ171 trial focused specifically on Black people, the results highlight the need to personalize therapy to minimize toxicity. Importantly, this ...