In a phase III clinical trial, the investigational PI3K inhibitor taselisib combined with standard hormone therapy fulvestrant (Faslodex) halted the growth of advanced breast cancer growth by 2 months longer than hormone therapy alone. In addition, the novel combination decreased the chance of...
An initial report from the large, ongoing Circulating Cell-Free Genome Atlas (CCGA) study provides preliminary evidence that a blood test may be able to detect early-stage lung cancer. This is one of the first studies to explore blood tests analyzing free-floating or cell-free DNA as a tool for the ...
Initial findings from a randomized phase III clinical trial showed that patients with advanced squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) benefit more from initial treatment with the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-targeted immunotherapy atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and chemotherapy than...
A genomic study of more than 15,000 tumor samples showed that people who have tumors with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H)—a genomic marker associated with a large number of genetic mutations in the tumor—are more likely to have Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that...
Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of consecutive, prospectively molecularly profiled patients with advanced cancer who participated in a large, personalized medicine trial. They found that using molecular tests of tumors to select targeted therapy resulted in slower cancer growth and...
Jed A. Katzel, MD, of Kaiser Permanente, discusses his team’s findings on the disparities in head and neck cancer treatment for women and the possible missed opportunities to take a more aggressive and beneficial approach (Abstract LBA6002).
Susan Halabi, PhD, of Duke University Medical Center, discusses an analysis that showed an increase in overall survival in African American men vs Caucasian men, all of whom had metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with docetaxel/prednisone or a regimen containing those agents...
Daniel J. George, MD, of Duke University, discusses findings from a multicenter study of black and white patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer treated with abiraterone acetate and prednisone (Abstract LBA5009).
An analysis of pooled data from 9 randomized phase III trials of more than 8,000 men with advanced prostate cancer who received chemotherapy shows chances of survival are as good for black men as white men. The median survival was the same in black men and white men overall (21 months), but black...
In a prospective clinical trial of 100 men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, the response to the hormone treatment abiraterone (Yonsa, Zytiga) was greater and longer-lasting in black men than in white men. Black men were more likely to have a decline in prostate-specific antigen ...
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...
A federally funded randomized study demonstrated that the use of geriatric assessment in routine care of older adults with advanced cancer significantly improved doctor-patient communication about age-related concerns as well as patient satisfaction with the communication. The study was featured in ...
An analysis of health claims data from two demographically similar regions on either side of the U.S./Canada border shows that a common treatment for advanced colorectal cancer costs twice as much in Western Washington State than in British Columbia—$12,345 vs $6,195 monthly per patient....
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, released the following statement today: For patients with serious or immediately life-threatening diseases, the FDA remains committed to enhancing access to promising investigational medicines for those unable to access...
An updated American Cancer Society guideline now says colorectal cancer screening should begin at age 45 for people at average risk, based in part on data showing rates of colorectal cancer are increasing in young and middle-aged populations. The updated recommendations were published by Wolf et al ...
On May 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted for filing the supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for cabozantinib (Cabometyx) tablets as a treatment for patients with previously treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The filing has been assigned a Prescription Drug...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a new drug application (NDA) and granted Priority Review for larotrectinib in the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors harboring a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase (NTRK) gene fusion. ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted, with Priority Review, a new drug application (NDA) for gilteritinib for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and a mutation in the FLT3 gene, as detected by an FDA-approved test....
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted Orphan Drug designation to galinpepimut-S for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The drug is licensed from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and targets the Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) protein, which is present in an array of tumor...
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the ASCO recently announced the recipients of its 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Awards, Medical Student Rotations for Underrepresented Populations (MSR), Resident Travel Awards for Underrepresented Populations (RTA), and Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe)....
ASCO and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) have announced that they are working to co-create a pathway to provide doctors with a flexible way to maintain board certification. The work with ASCO reflects real progress in ABIM’s efforts to collaborate with medical societies. Beginning in ...
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have completed a detailed genomic analysis, known as the PanCancer Atlas, on a data set of molecular and clinical information from over 10,000 tumors representing 33 types of cancer, according to a release issued by the NIH late last...
ASCO recently announced that Trevor Royce, MS, MD, MPH, and Sheetal Kircher, MD, have been selected for the ASCO Health Policy Fellowship Program. Now entering its third year, the fellowship program offers oncologists the opportunity to gain the knowledge-base, skills, and experience necessary to...
Over the past year (June 2017–May 2018), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to a number of new oncology drug products, including several biosimilar products. Here we provide the labeling approved for these novel drugs and new indications. EPOETIN ALFA-EPBX (RETACRIT)...
The remarkable careers of Jimmie C. Holland, MD, and James F. Holland, MD, spanned collectively for more than a century, leaving an indelible footprint in oncology clinical care and research. Synonymous with cancer care itself, the Hollands were a living documentary of the rich and dramatic history ...
New diagnostic tests for prostate cancer, as well as new information about the impact of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations on prostate cancer screening, were presented at the 113th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA). PSA Screening of African American...
A post-hoc analysis from the phase III SPARTAN study that showed treatment with apalutamide (Erleada) significantly reduced the risk of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression in patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who had a rapidly rising PSA while receiving ...
Use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of prostate cancer is increasing and brings added value to screening and surveillance, according to new studies presented this year during the 113th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA). Four studies highlighting the...
Researchers presented new findings on a Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA)-approved robotic system, safety of testosterone therapy after prostate cancer, and active surveillance protocol for low-risk prostate cancer patients at the 113th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association ...
A multicenter study that validated the clinical performance of IsoPSA—a new blood test that has proven to be more accurate in predicting overall risk of prostate cancer than standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA)—was presented at the 13th Annual Meeting of the American Urological...
THE AMERICAN SKIN ASSOCIATION (ASA) recently announced Roger Lo, MD, PhD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California (UCLA), as the recipient of the Abby S. and Howard P. Milstein Innovation Award for Melanoma/Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Research. The award is available...
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION for Cancer Research (AACR) honors the following cancer researchers and clinicians who were recognized for their scientific achievements during the AACR Annual Meeting 2018: Isaiah J. Fidler, DVM, PhD, FAACR, AACR President (1984-1985), Fellow of the AACR Academy and...
THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY (ACS) and the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) recently selected a group of scientists to receive newly established research grants to investigate the adverse effects associated with checkpoint inhibitor cancer treatments. The grants are funded by MRA and ACS under a...
THE AMERICAN CANCER Society has approved funding for 110 grants totaling $47,624,000 to researchers and health professionals across 72 institutions nationwide in the first of 2 grant cycles for 2018. Of these grants, 101 are new and 9 are renewals of previous grants. Two individuals have been...
A veteran mountain climber and skier, I’ve been healthy for most of my 61 years, so it was especially shocking to experience a bout of shortness of breath during a moderately intense mountain bike ride with my wife, Jan, in the spring of 2014. A never-smoker, I was used to climbing up high mountain ...
A new study by Rojewski et al in CHEST investigated the relationships between the degree of nicotine dependence and both the likelihood of successfully quitting smoking and clinical outcomes in a cohort of screened patients. The study found that patients with a higher nicotine dependence...
On May 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted health-care professionals, oncology clinical investigators, and the public about decreased survival associated with the use of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or atezolizumab (Tecentriq) as monotherapy in clinical trials to treat patients with ...
The Cancer Support Community recently announced the addition of Kevin Stein, PhD, FAPOS, as Executive Director of its Research and Training Institute. Dr. Stein is Associate Professor in the Behavioral Sciences and Health Education Department of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory...
Antoni Ribas, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the University of California Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been awarded the sixth American Association of Cancer Research–Cancer Research Institute Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology. The award...
On April 16, 2018, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York hosted the annual Visible Ink live performances at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. The evening marked the 10th anniversary of the ongoing one-on-one writing program for patients undergoing cancer treatment at MSK....
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) announced a $10 million award to a Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team focused on revolutionizing the treatment of multiple myeloma through the early detection of precursor conditions. In the hope of developing therapies to prevent myeloma in high-risk populations, the project...
The Tennessee Oncology Practice Society (TOPS) is among the oldest and one of many politically active ASCO State Affiliates. Founded in 1990, the organization has since been a voice for Tennessee’s diverse community of oncology professionals, advocating for patient access to the best available care ...
A Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute–supported randomized clinical trial of cancer survivors showed that 8 weeks of either acupuncture or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) decreased the severity of insomnia among cancer survivors, though improvements were greatest among...
The Florida Department of Health’s James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program has granted Moffitt Cancer Center, the University of Florida Health Cancer Center, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami, and numerous collaborating centers with $1.36 million to...
The American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP) recently published a Policy Statement reviewing ways in which clinical pharmacology can and should make an effort to include organ-impaired patients in oncology trials. The announcement identifies key discussions needed among industry,...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has published a newly translated Italian version of the NCCN Guidelines for Patients® for stomach cancer, funded by No Stomach for Cancer. Over the past year, the NCCN Foundation also worked with the Kidney Cancer Association to translate patient...
During her presentation “Adolescent and Young Adult Survivorship: What Do We Still Need to Know?” at the 2017 Cancer Survivorship Symposium: Advancing Care and Research, Emily S. Tonorezos, MD, MPH, a general internist in the Adult Long-Term Follow-Up Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer...
On April 12, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital launched the St. Jude Cloud, an online data-sharing and collaboration platform that provides researchers access to the world’s largest public repository of pediatric cancer genomics data. Developed as a partnership among St. Jude, DNAnexus, and...
Extended next-generation sequencing genomic profiling in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has revealed remarkable heterogeneity and molecular complexity of the disease and provided critical insights into the genetic mechanisms underpinning of preleukemic and leukemic pathogenesis.1,2 Despite...
A targeted therapy that has been effective in fighting ovarian cancer in women, including those with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, may also help patients with aggressive pancreatic cancer who harbor these mutations and have few or no other treatment options. An international team of researchers was...