On November 17, President Joe Biden announced the appointment of W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, Chair of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Physician-in-Chief for Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital and Clinics, as his choice for Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Dr. ...
Benjamin Besse, MD, PhD, of the Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre, discusses new findings on AZD7789, which targets PD-1 and TIM-3, in patients with stage IIIB–IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with previous anti–PD-L1 therapy. This bispecific antibody showed manageable safety and preliminary...
On November 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide (Xtandi) for patients with nonmetastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer with biochemical recurrence at high risk for metastasis. EMBARK Trial Efficacy was evaluated in EMBARK...
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued recommendations for patient-centered strategies for performing partial-breast irradiation in patients with early-stage invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The new clinical guidelines were published by Shaitelman et al ...
Researchers have uncovered an increased incidence of certain types of cancer in Sweden following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, according to a novel study published by Tondel et al in Environmental Epidemiology. Study Methods and Results The Chernobyl accident in 1986 led to the spread ...
On November 16, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved capivasertib (Truqap) with fulvestrant for adult patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer with one or more PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alterations, as detected by an...
On November 15, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor repotrectinib (Augtyro) for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic ROS1-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). According to the American Lung Association, the ROS1 ...
Individuals who experience occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation may have a high rate of nonmelanoma skin cancer incidence and mortality, according to a recent study published by Pega et al in Environment International. These findings highlighted the large and increasing burden...
Investigators have uncovered that fewer surgical, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments may have been performed in patients with cancer during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent study published by Nogueira et al in JAMA Oncology. The new findings may be attributable...
Benjamin Besse, MD, PhD, of the Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre, discusses phase II findings from the HERTHENA-Lung01 study, which showed patients with previously treated EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer may benefit from the antibody-drug conjugate patritumab deruxtecan after EGFR tyrosine...
A novel assay may be effective at detecting a unique molecular marker in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a recent study published by Young et al in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. The new findings may revolutionize the way AML is detected and treated. Background AML...
Researchers have compiled a comprehensive list of genetic variants that may be associated with the risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Wang et al in Nature Genetics. The new findings included major increases in representation among patients from racial and...
Investigators may have uncovered an association between exposure to computed tomography (CT) radiation in young patients and an increased risk of hematologic malignancies, according to a recent study published by Bosch de Basea Gomez et al in Nature Medicine. These recent findings highlighted the...
Bone scans may overstage prostate cancer at initial staging compared with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron-emission tomography (PET), according to a recent study published by Hope et al in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Background PSMA PET is known to be more accurate than...
Investigators have found that Black patients with early-onset colorectal cancer in the United States may receive worse and less timely, guideline-concordant care than White patients, according to a recent study published by Nogueira et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Background “Colorectal...
The risk of developing skin cancer may be twofold for patients with lymphedema, according to a recent study published by Anand et al in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The new findings may contribute to growing information linking lymphedema to localized changes in immunity and a predisposition for...
Investigators have found that patients with breast cancer who have insufficient levels of vitamin D prior to initiating treatment with paclitaxel may be more likely to experience peripheral neuropathy, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National...
On November 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ADAMTS13, recombinant-krhn (Adzynma), the first genetically engineered protein product indicated for prophylactic or on-demand enzyme replacement therapy in adult and pediatric patients with congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic...
On November 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revised the existing indication of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with trastuzumab, fluoropyrimidine, and platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic...
On November 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved fruquintinib (Fruzaqla) for adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received prior fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy; an anti-VEGF therapy; and—if their disease is RAS wild-type and it...
In December 2023, the British Pharmacological Society will present the Sir Henry Wellcome Gold Medal to Prof. V. Craig Jordan, CMG, OBE, DSc, PhD, FMedSci, FBPhS. This is the highest award for lifetime contributions to pharmacology by the British Pharmacological Society of Great Britain. Dr. Jordan ...
Genetic information collected from healthy tissue near lung tumors may be predictive of posttreatment cancer recurrence compared with analysis of the tumors themselves, according to a novel study published by Dolgalev et al in Nature Communications. Background Lung adenocarcinomas are tumors that...
Sophisticated computer models may help reduce health disparities in incidence and mortality for patients with major cancer types, according to a collection of new studies published in a special issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Background Given the high costs and long time...
On November 7, the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, by a vote of 62 to 36, as the 17th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Bertagnolli is currently Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She served as ASCO President from 2018 to ...
Nadia Harbeck, MD, PhD, of Munich’s LMU University Hospital and the Ludwig Maximilian University, discusses an interim analysis of the monarchE trial on adjuvant abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy for patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, high-risk early breast cancer. The data...
The BTK inhibitor nemtabrutinib may offer a new treatment option for patients with relapsed hematologic malignancies such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a recent study published by Woyach et al in Cancer Discovery. Background Hematologic malignancies are...
Diagnosing early-stage lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening may improve 20-year survival rates, according to a recent study published by Henschke et al in Radiology. The new findings demonstrated the significance of routine early screenings to detect tumors when they are...
Peter Schmid, MD, PhD, of Queen Mary University of London, discusses phase III findings from the KEYNOTE-522 study, which showed neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab continues to improve event-free survival compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone in...
Black men in the United States are more likely to develop prostate cancer than White men, and after diagnosis, they’re more likely to have advanced disease and to die of the disease than White men. Although it would seem that earlier prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) screening would reduce the risk...
Mark M. Awad, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses phase III findings from the CheckMate 816 trial, which showed a potential clinical benefit to neoadjuvant nivolumab plus ipilimumab vs chemotherapy in patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Abstract 1261O).
Men with overweight or obesity at age 18 years may have a higher risk of 17 different cancers later in life, according to recent research from the University of Gothenburg. The findings also describe how the youth obesity epidemic is expected to affect cancer incidence over the next 30 years. In...
Researchers have developed and trained a new machine learning model to calculate percent necrosis in patients with osteosarcoma, according to a novel study published by LiBrizzi et al in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research. Background A postchemotherapy percent necrosis calculation often helps...
Researchers have found that a DNA repair–facilitating mechanism may be responsible for a tumor’s treatment resistance and could be treated with a combination of chemotherapies, according to a recent study published by Marullo et al in Cancer Research. The mechanism involves the shuttling of...
Researchers have discovered that resistance to PI3K-alpha inhibitors and reduced drug binding in patients with breast cancer may be driven by secondary PIK3CA mutations and so may be effectively treated with a novel class of PI3K-alpha inhibitors designed to bind to different parts of the target,...
Researchers have found that presenting older patients with personalized information regarding the benefits and harms of colorectal cancer screenings may reduce unnecessary screenings, according to a recent study published by Saini et al in JAMA Internal Medicine. Background Colorectal cancer...
On November 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) on tobacco product use among U.S. youth. The findings—which were collected between March and June 2023 and were...
Researchers have developed a highly sensitive blood test capable of early detection by identifying a key protein produced by cancer cells, according to a novel study published by Taylor et al in Cancer Discovery. Background Many tumors become deadly by remaining asymptomatic until they’re too...
Researchers have explored the impact of immune checkpoint inhibition and single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery on radiation necrosis in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) brain metastases, according to a novel study published by Lehrer et al in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology. Study ...
Building upon recommendations from the 2015 Lancet Oncology Global Cancer Surgery Commission, a new Commission report aims to provide a pragmatic roadmap for decision-makers to reduce inequities and promote safe, timely, and affordable cancer surgery for every patient. The Commission report was...
On October 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to be used with gemcitabine and cisplatin for the treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer. KEYNOTE-966 Efficacy was evaluated in KEYNOTE-966...
Hossein Borghaei, DO, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses phase III findings from the SAPPHIRE study of sitravatinib plus nivolumab vs docetaxel in patients with previously treated, advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Abstract LBA63).
Investigators have found that U.S. adult patients with prior insurance coverage disruptions may be less likely to receive guideline-concordant and past-year cancer screenings compared with those with continuous coverage, according to new findings presented by Shi et al at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care ...
Researchers have reported that soy expansion and the subsequent increase of pesticide use in Brazil’s Cerrado and Amazon biomes may correlate with an increased risk of mortality among pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The study was published by Skidmore et al in...
Ze-rui Zhao, PhD, of China’s Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, discusses new phase II findings on stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with sequential immunochemotherapy as a neoadjuvant treatment of patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This therapy yielded a high...
Investigators have uncovered that only about 25% of patients newly diagnosed with advanced cancer have documented physician discussions about the costs of care, which may make it more difficult to identify patient needs and track the outcomes of referrals for assistance, according to new findings...
Investigators have discovered that cancer survivors in the United States may be increasingly utilizing crowdfunding campaigns like GoFundMe to help cover the costs of medical and other basic household expenses, according to new findings presented by Zheng et al and Yu et al at the 2023 ASCO Quality ...
Jonathan D. Spicer, MD, PhD, of McGill University, discusses findings from the KEYNOTE-671 study of perioperative pembrolizumab for patients with resectable early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy followed by resection and adjuvant pembrolizumab...
On October 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorz) with cisplatin and gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of adults with metastatic or recurrent locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The FDA also approved toripalimab-tpzi as a single agent for...
Two new studies—presented by Drumheller et al and Vento et al at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium—utilized data from ASCO’s CancerLinQ® database (Abstracts 418 and 532). One study revealed deficiencies in biomarker testing and tracking in electronic health records, and the other analyzed...
The TROP-2–directed antibody-drug conjugate datopotamab deruxtecan may significantly improve progression-free survival in patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially in patients with non–squamous cell tumors, according to new findings simultaneously published by Ahn et...