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Showing 9301 - 9350I Reject the Notion I’m on a Cancer Journey
I was diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer in 2002. I had no idea the disease and its treatment would cause me to gain more than 50 pounds and nearly cripple me with pain. I had a transurethral resection of the prostate following my diagnosis and have had multiple testosterone-suppression...
Fat Grafting and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction
The use of fat grafting as a tool for breast reconstruction following a mastectomy may improve breast satisfaction, psychosocial well-being, and sexual well-being in patients, according to a study published by Bennett et al in JAMA Surgery. Fat grafting as an adjunct to breast reconstruction...
Annual Report to the Nation: Cancer Death Rates Continue to Decline
Overall cancer death rates continue to decrease in men, women, and children for all major racial and ethnic groups, according to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2014, published by Jemal et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.1 The report finds...
Ublituximab/Ibrutinib Beneficial in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
The addition of ublituximab (a glycoengineered anti-CD20 antibody) to ibrutinib (Imbruvica) improved response rates, depth of response, and led to quicker resolution of ibrutinib-associated lymphocytosis in patients with high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in the phase III GENUINE trial,...
Pediatric Cancer Pain May Be Misunderstood and Largely Undertreated
Cancer pain in children poses certain unique challenges. Over the past decade, insightful research into pediatric cancer pain has focused on pain management that incorporates nonopioid therapies into standard care. To shed light on this important issue, The ASCO Post spoke with Christine T....
CAR T-Cell Therapy in Multiple Myeloma Yields 100% Response Rate
Chinese investigators reported that 100% of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma responded to autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, and 14 of 19 (74%) who were followed for a median of 4 months achieved a stringent complete response and have not recurred.1...
Overcoming Sexism in Academic Medicine
The troubling results from a survey1 investigating the sexual harassment and discrimination experiences of academic medical faculty show that such incidents continue to happen with unexpected frequency despite increasing awareness of the problem. The study by Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, and...
The Emperor’s New Clothes: Biosimilars and Cost in Oncology
Biosimilars are biologic products similar to the parent (branded) molecule in structure and function—such as erythropoietin and filgrastim (Neupogen).1 To truly bend the cost curve, we want to see a dramatic economic savings achieved as oncology biosimilars for rituximab (Rituxan), trastuzumab...
High-Risk Mutations Predict Poor Outcomes for Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes Undergoing Transplantation
Although several treatment options are available for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the only curative therapy.1 The risks of complications and death from transplantation can be substantial. Determining which patients may...
Expert Point of View: Leisha A. Emens, MD, PhD
Leisha A. Emens, MD, PhD, of the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins University, commented on the promise of anti–programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) agents in triple-negative breast cancer. She noted that “an emerging theme...
Pembrolizumab Moving Forward in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
In the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer, checkpoint inhibition is making inroads in both early- and late-stage disease, and the line of treatment and expression of the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) could be important in determining outcomes, according to studies reported at the...
World Health Assembly’s New Cancer Resolution Reflects New Realities
The World Health Assembly (WHA)—the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO)—adopted a long-expected cancer resolution at its 2017 meeting, the body’s first resolution on cancer in 12 years and the first to emphasize, among other issues, the accessibility and affordability of...
Scalp Cooling to Prevent Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia: Is It Now Ready for Prime Time?
In oncology, sometimes we forget about the small, everyday things that can significantly impact a patient’s life. When patients are explained the side effects of chemotherapy and chemotherapy-induced alopecia, most women will cry or become visibly upset. When a woman loses her hair, it represents...
Understanding the Cultural Differences Among Ethnic Minorities in Palliative and End-of-Life Care
GUEST EDITOR Addressing the evolving needs of cancer survivors at various stages of their illness and care, Palliative Care in Oncology is guest edited by Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD. Dr. Von Roenn is ASCO’s Vice President of Education, Science, and Professional Development. Because cultural origins...
Phase III CASCADE Trial of Vadastuximab Talirine in Front-Line AML Discontinued
On June 22, 2017, Seattle Genetics confirmed it discontinued the phase III CASCADE clinical trial of vadastuximab talirine (SGN-CD33A) in front-line older acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Patient enrollment and treatment in all of its vadastuximab talirine clinical trials are suspended,...
Idelalisib in Resistant CLL: Benefit Shown, Questions Remain
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Dr. Andrew Zelenetz and colleagues and reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, an international phase III trial in 416 patients with refractory or recurrent chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) addressed the benefit of adding the first-in-class phosphoinositide...
ESMO World GI 2017: Right-Sided Colorectal Tumors: An Internal Radiation Advantage
For patients with colorectal cancer that has metastasized to the liver, having a primary tumor on the left side as opposed to the right side of the colon is known to be a significant advantage in terms of treatment response. But a new study, presented by van Hazel et al at the European Society for...
FDA Clears Expanded Use of Cooling Cap to Reduce Hair Loss During Chemotherapy
On July 3, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the expanded use of a cooling cap, DigniCap Cooling System, to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy. This is the first cooling cap cleared by the agency for use in cancer patients with solid tumors. “We are pleased to expand the...
ESMO World GI 2017: Study Explores Association of Mediterranean Diet Components With Advanced Colorectal Polyps
The benefits of a Mediterranean diet are well known when it comes to colorectal protection, but it’s hard to know specifically what elements of the diet are the healthiest. Now a new study, presented by Fliss Isakov et al at the ESMO 19th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer, suggests...
FDA Allows Marketing of Test to Aid in the Detection of Certain Leukemias and Lymphomas
On June 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed marketing of ClearLLab Reagents (T1, T2, B1, B2, M), the first agency-authorized test for use with flow cytometry to aid in the detection of several leukemias and lymphomas, including chronic leukemia, acute leukemia, non-Hodgkin...
ESMO World GI 2017: Phase I Data on Anti–PD-1 Antibody BGB-A317 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Preliminary results from patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma enrolled in a phase I study of the investigational anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody BGB-A317 in advanced solid tumors were presented by Yen et al at the ESMO 19th World Congress on Gastrointestinal...
FDA Unveils Plan to Eliminate Orphan Designation Backlog
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled a strategic plan to eliminate the agency’s existing Orphan Drug designation request backlog and ensure continued timely response to all new requests for designation with firm deadlines. The agency’s Orphan Drug Modernization...
Underused Blood Test Could Improve Treatment for Large Swath of Patients With Colon Cancer
A simple blood test could improve treatment for more than one in six patients with stage II colon cancer, suggests new research from the Mayo Clinic. Researchers also discovered that many patients who could benefit from the test likely aren’t receiving it. These findings were published by...
EHA 2017: Half of Chronic-Phase Philadelphia Chromosome–Positive CML Patients Stay in Treatment-Free Remission 2 Years After Stopping Nilotinib
New data from two clinical trials—ENESTfreedom and ENESTop—demonstrates that approximately half of adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase, were able to maintain treatment-free remission after stopping treatment with ...
Biden Cancer Initiative Launches
On June 26, at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden launched the Biden Cancer Initiative, their new venture to continue the fight to make progress in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care. Initiative Overview The Biden Cancer Initiative...
Study Finds Many Health Benefits Linked to Having Health Insurance
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 28 million people younger than age 65 are uninsured, compared with more than 48 million in 2010, before the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. A review of current evidence concerning the relationship between health insurance...
Promoting Physician Wellness: An Overview of ASCO Initiatives
Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Director of Medical Oncology, Assistant Dean for Cancer Research, Emory University School of Medicine; Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research, Deputy Director, Winship Cancer Institute ASCO Member since ...
ASCO University “Business of Health Care Fundamentals” Course: Education for the Complete Care Team
As the economics and management of health care change, it has become essential for the clinician to evolve as well in order to navigate these changing waters. Whether you are a medical student, a senior oncologist, or an advanced practice provider, the necessity is the same: understanding the...
Expert Point of View: Harold Burstein, MD, Carey Anders, MD, and William Sikov, MD
Several breast cancer experts weighed in on the findings of the APHINITY trial. At an ASCO press briefing, Harold Burstein, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and breast cancer specialist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, pointed out that investigators estimated a ...
Positive Results for APHINITY, but Value of Benefit of Dual HER2 Blockade Questioned
The results of the long-awaited APHINITY trial are in, and although the phase III study met its primary endpoint, it failed to establish dual HER2 blockade as the optimal adjuvant treatment for early HER2-positive breast cancer. After 3 years of follow-up, the addition of pertuzumab (Perjeta) to...
ASCP/CAP/AMP/ASCO Colorectal Cancer Biomarker Guideline: A Clinician's Perspective
The joint American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), College of American Pathologists (CAP), Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), and ASCO guideline reported by Sepulveda et al, and reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, represents a collaboration of three pathology societies and ASCO ...
Alectinib vs Crizotinib in First-Line Treatment of ALK-Positive NSCLC
In 2011, crizotinib (Xalkori) became the first effective targeted therapy for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Now data from a phase III trial show that alectinib (Alecensa), a second-generation ALK inhibitor, outperformed crizotinib, the current...
ASCP/CAP/AMP/ASCO Guideline on Molecular Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Antonia R. Sepulveda, MD, PhD, of Columbia University, and colleagues, a joint guideline on the use of molecular biomarkers for evaluation of colorectal cancer has been developed by an expert panel from the American Society for Clinical Pathology...
Strides Being Made in Advanced Urothelial Cancer
According to Srikala S. Sridhar, MD, MSc, FRCPC, of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada, “It’s an exciting time in the field of urothelial cancer,” thanks to the emergence of new therapies such as the immune checkpoint inhibitors and other approaches that aim to improve both...
Identifying Genetic Basis for Extraordinary Clinical Responses May Accelerate Development of New Therapies
Accelerating the discovery of targeted cancer therapies requires defining the targets present in individual tumors, and there are two main ways to do this, David B. Solit, MD, told participants at the inaugural OncoSET Symposium: Emerging Approaches to Precision Medicine in Chicago.1 The...
Jeffrey L. Molter Joins NYU Langone as Director of Cancer Center Communication
Jeffrey L. Molter has joined NYU Langone Medical Center in a newly created position of Director of Cancer Center Communications of its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center. Mr. Molter comes to Perlmutter Cancer Center after serving for the past 4 years as Director of Media and Public...
Expert Point of View: Susan O'Brien, MD
Commenting on the studies of CAR T cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) thus far, Susan O’Brien, MD, of the University of California at Irvine, said: “Some people are disappointed in the results, but the problem is there was too much hype to begin with. The first article on CAR T published...
Oncologist Barbara L. McAneny, MD, FASCO, MACP, Elected AMA President-Elect
Physicians gathered at the Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) elected Barbara L. McAneny, MD, FASCO, MACP, an oncologist from Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the new President-Elect of the physicians’ organization. Following a year-long term as President-Elect, Dr. McAneny will...
SWOG Clinical Trials Have Yielded Positive Return on Investment
The National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded SWOG clinical trials program has added 3.34 million years of life for patients with cancer in the United States because of successful therapies that were validated through its trials. When analyzed, the investment for each year of life gained since the...
Expert Point of View: Sumanta Kumar Pal, MD and John V. Heymach, MD, PhD
ASCO spokespersons at the press briefing lauded the results with larotrectinib and called for broader testing for tropomyosin receptor kinase fusions. The data for larotrectinib “bring us into a new era where treatment is truly based on mutation, not location,” said Sumanta Kumar Pal, MD, a...
Novel Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase Inhibitor Yields High Response Rates Across Tumor Types
Larotrectinib, an oral inhibitor of tropomyosin receptor kinase, showed “striking” activity in adult and pediatric patients with the genetic aberrations known as tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) fusion, researchers reported at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 Of 55 patients treated with...
Expert Point of View: Richard S. Finn, MD and Ingrid A. Mayer, MD
Richard S. Finn, MD, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, commented on MONARCH 2 and the field of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibition in general in an interview with The ASCO Post. “MONARCH 2 is confirmatory for the role of CDK4/6 inhibition in estrogen...
Abemaciclib Plus Fulvestrant Delays Breast Cancer Progression in MONARCH 2
In the treatment of metastatic estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer, a highly significant 45% reduction in progression was achieved with abemaciclib, combined with fulvestrant (Faslodex), in the global phase III MONARCH 2 trial, reported at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting by George W. Sledge, MD,...
Olaparib Improves Progression-Free Survival in BRCA-Associated Breast Cancer
The PARP INHIBITOR olaparib (Lynparza) improved progression-free survival in women with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer that was either hormone receptor–positive or triple-negative in patients who had a germline BRCA mutation.1,2 These results of the international, randomized, open-label,...
Expert Point of View: Sumanta Pal, MD
LATITUDE Trial ASCO expert Sumanta Pal, MD, of the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California, commented on the LATITUDE trial at a press conference. “In 2014, docetaxel added to hormonal therapy showed an improved survival benefit in two trials—CHAARTED and STAMPEDE. It was no ...
Two Studies Show Abiraterone Plus Prednisolone/Prednisone Added to Standard Hormone Therapy Improves Survival in Advanced Prostate Cancer
The addition of abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) plus prednisolone/prednisone to standard androgen-deprivation therapy improves survival in men starting treatment for locally advanced or metastatic, hormone--naive prostate cancer, according to the results of two potentially practice-changing studies...
Will the UK’s Departure From the EU Impact Oncology in Europe?
“No man is an island entire of itself; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” —John Donne (1624) This statement is almost certainly true—and sadly in a negative way not just for the UK but for...
Expert Point of View: Monika K. Krzyzanowska, MD, MPH
Formal discussant of the trial, Monika K. Krzyzanowska, MD, MPH, of the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto, Canada, commented on this trial assessing patient-reported outcomes for symptom monitoring. “This abstract is relevant to all of us, regardless of what cancers we treat or where we...
NCCN Guidelines® Compliance for Chest CT May Reduce False Positives and Decrease Health-Care Spending in Breast Cancer
According to Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data, more than 260,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States in 2016, most of whom were diagnosed with early-stage (stage I or II) disease. For this demographic, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network®...
Canadian Cancer Society Report: Nearly 1 in 2 Canadians Expected to Be Diagnosed With Cancer in Their Lifetime
Nearly 1 in 2 Canadians is expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, according to a new report—Canadian Cancer Statistics 2017—released by the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada. For males, the...
