The road to my breast cancer diagnosis in 2018 was long and tortuous. For 3 years leading up to the diagnosis, I had imaging scans and tissue biopsies every 3 months because of suspicious masses in my breasts. The uncertainty was so destabilizing that I was in a constant state of emotional unrest....
Late in 2023, Richardson et al shared the results of a phase I/II clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03374085). They concluded that the “all-oral combination of mezigdomide plus dexamethasone showed promising efficacy in patients with heavily pretreated multiple myeloma.”1 Mezigdomide ...
Ken Kato, MD, PhD, of Japan’s National Cancer Center Hospital, discusses the first comprehensive findings on biomarkers from the CheckMate 648 study. These results further corroborate the clinical efficacy of nivolumab plus chemotherapy and nivolumab plus ipilimumab in the first-line treatment of...
Long-term follow-up of the phase III KEYNOTE-590 trial has confirmed the benefit of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in advanced esophageal cancer. As compared with chemotherapy alone, after a median follow-up of almost 59 months, patients treated with the chemoimmunotherapy combination were three...
In the phase III CheckMate 8HW trial, previously untreated patients with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer derived significant benefit from an immunotherapy doublet of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in the first-line setting, which...
Rory M. Shallis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology) at Yale School of Medicine, shared his thoughts on the use of revumenib in histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 2A-rearranged (KMT2A-rearranged) leukemia, as reported in the phase II AUGMENT-101 trial. In an interview with The ASCO...
Michael K. Gibson, MD, PhD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses phase III findings on chemotherapy plus camrelizumab in the ESCORT-NEO trial of patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; and phase III SKYSCRAPER-08 results on first-line tiragolumab plus atezolizumab ...
In this installment of The ASCO Post ’s Living a Full Life series, guest editor Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, spoke with Naoto T. Ueno, MD, PhD, FACP, Director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Along with his duties leading the cancer center, Dr. Ueno leads translational breast cancer research...
The novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based Molecular Twin Precision Oncology Platform may be capable of identifying biomarkers that may outperform the standard test for predicting pancreatic cancer survival, according to a recent study published by Osipov et al in Nature Cancer. Background...
Investigators may have uncovered some of the factors associated with the selection of active surveillance over surgery or radiation therapy in patients with low-risk prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Xu et al in Cancer. Background Guidelines for low-risk prostate cancer that ...
In May 2023, The ASCO Post launched a new feature, View From the Top: The Future of Cancer Care Delivery, which explores how leaders in oncology are developing strategies to ensure continued innovative oncology care in an ever-changing health-care environment. In this installment, Guest Editor Jame ...
Results from the first phase III clinical trial evaluating radioligand therapy in the first-line setting demonstrated that treatment with lutetium Lu-177 dotatate significantly improved progression-free survival and objective response rates in patients with high-grade gastroenteropancreatic...
The addition of durvalumab and bevacizumab to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who were eligible for embolization. According to the study authors, this is the first trial to demonstrate...
On January 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the FGFR inhibitor erdafitinib (Balversa) for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with susceptible FGFR3 genetic alterations, as determined by an FDA-approved companion diagnostic test, whose...
A novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK)-cell therapy may be effective at treating patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies, according to a novel study published by Marin et al in Nature Medicine. Study Methods and Results In the new phase I/II trial, researchers...
Following surgery to remove a colorectal tumor, patients may have molecular measurable residual disease (MRD). Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), or liquid biopsy, may be used to detect molecular MRD in patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer and to determine whether they may benefit from...
The role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), or liquid biopsy, as a predictive tool to guide and monitor cancer treatment remains unclear, after the first prospective randomized phase II trial evaluating clearance of ctDNA in patients with stage II colon cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy did not ...
Results from the phase III SKYSCRAPER-08 study found that combining PD-L1 and T-cell immunoglobulin and ITM domain (TIGIT) inhibitors plus chemotherapy in the first-line setting extended survival in an Asian population of patients with metastatic or locally advanced esophageal squamous cell...
Investigators may have uncovered molecular evidence of racial disparities in the receipt of precision medicine, according to a recent study published by Yamada et al in npj Precision Oncology. Background Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer type diagnosed in both male and female...
Investigators have assessed whether specific tumor characteristics were associated with improved outcomes in patients with large B-cell lymphoma who received chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, according to a recent study published by Locke et al in Nature Medicine. The findings may...
A recent study underscored the need for integrating cost-of-care conversations in cancer treatment. Results of the population-based analysis, presented at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium,1 showed that only about 25% of patients with newly diagnosed advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...
Researchers may have identified an association between certain types of childhood cancers and cannabis use among pregnant patients, according to a recent study published by Wimberly et al in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The findings add specificity to the potential harms of...
Researchers may have identified a novel genetic mechanism capable of making small cell lung cancer tumors more susceptible to an attack by the immune system, according to a new study published by Murayama et al in Cancer Discovery. The findings could lead to the development of new therapeutics to...
Investigators have found that Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act may be associated with a reduced risk of early mortality following surgical resection in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a recent study published by Nogueira et al in JAMA Network Open. The ...
On January 12, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with chemoradiotherapy for patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2014 stage III–IVA cervical cancer. KEYNOTE-A18 Efficacy was evaluated in KEYNOTE-A18...
Patients with obesity may be more likely to have monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, according to a recent study published by Lee et al in Blood Advances. Background Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance—a benign hematologic condition characterized by an abnormal...
Investigators have uncovered substantial state variations in health insurance coverage among U.S. patients newly diagnosed with cancer, according to a recent study published by Hu et al in Health Affairs Scholar. Background Over the past decade, health insurance coverage—which has been found to be...
Hope S. Rugo, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses data from the phase II KEYLYNK-009 study, which compared pembrolizumab plus olaparib vs pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy after induction with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy...
Ibrahim Aldoss, MD, of City of Hope National Medical Center, discusses phase II safety and efficacy results from the Augment-101 study. This trial showed that patients with heavily pretreated, relapsed or refractory KMT2-rearranged acute leukemia benefited from monotherapy with the menin-KMT2A...
Harinder Gill, MD, MBBS, of The University of Hong Kong, discusses findings showing the use of an “AAA” regimen (pure oral arsenic trioxide combined with all-trans retinoic acid) in a risk-adapted strategy that minimized chemotherapy was highly effective and safe in patients with newly diagnosed...
Mazyar Shadman, MD, MPH, of the University of Washington, discusses new data suggesting that in patients with relapsed large B-cell lymphoma who achieve a complete response, treatment with autologous transplantation may be associated with a lower relapse rate and improved progression-free survival...
Jeffrey E. Rubnitz, MD, PhD, of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, discusses study findings suggesting that pharmacogenomic differences between Black and White patients should be considered when tailoring induction regimens to improve outcomes of all patients and bridge the racial disparity gap ...
Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, of Emory University Winship Cancer Institute, discusses the IDEA trial of endocrine therapy without radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery for postmenopausal patients between the ages of 50 and 69 with stage I breast cancer. The regimen demonstrated a low risk of...
Seema Khan, MD, of Northwestern University and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the 5-year clinical outcomes of ECOG-ACRIN 4112, a prospective trial that supports the omission of radiotherapy after surgery in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ who have a low DCIS score ...
In 2023, nearly 300,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in the United States, and approximately 56,000 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ were diagnosed. Although most of those cancers are diagnosed in older adults, about 9% of all new cases of breast cancer are found in women ...
Editor’s note: On publication of this news item reporting on a paper by Dr. Cullen Taniguchi and colleagues, The ASCO Post learned of Dr. Taniguchi’s untimely death on November 14, 2023. To read about the remarkable life and career of Dr. Taniguchi, please visit gsbs.uth.edu. In a phase Ib/II trial ...
Andrew Srisuwananukorn, MD, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses a novel artificial intelligence model that can distinguish between prefibrotic primary myelofibrosis and essential thrombocythemia. This proposed model may assist clinicians in identifying patients who...
A novel blood test may accurately detect neuroendocrine prostate cancer and differentiate it from castration-resistant prostate adenocarcinoma, according to a recent study published by Franceschini et al in Cancer Discovery. Background Approximately 10% to 15% of patients with metastatic prostate...
Researchers may have uncovered a novel strategy to predict whether synthetic chemicals may cause breast cancer by examining their specific traits, according to a recent study published by Kay et al in Environmental Health Perspectives. Background The incidence of breast cancer—the most common...
Researchers have developed a novel computational model for personalized prognosis prediction in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to a new study published by Maura et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Their model for individualized risk in multiple myeloma, or IRMMa,...
The American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and ASCO—some of the largest professional societies representing radiation oncology physicians in the United States—announced a new partnership to reform...
Sanjal H. Desai, MBBS, of the University of Minnesota, discusses results from a multicenter cohort, which shows that, for transplant-eligible patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma, PD-1–based salvage therapy at any point before transplantation is associated with improved...
Sara Khan, DO, of the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and HCA Healthcare, discusses her findings showing that women received only 33% of grants from the National Institutes of Health from 2012 to 2022 in nonmalignant hematologic research. Although some agencies have made...
A paper published by Harvey et al in the journal Cancer detailed three calls to action that the oncology research and clinical care communities should implement to expand access to clinical trials and improve inclusivity to enable more people with cancer to participate in trials closer to home. The ...
Researchers discovered that the blood vessel–relaxing agent carvedilol may be safe and effective at reducing the risk of heart failure in childhood cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Armenian et al in The Lancet Oncology. These findings indicate carvedilol may improve...
A novel vaccine may be effective at preventing relapse in patients with KRAS-mutated pancreatic and colorectal cancers, according to a recent study published by Pant et al in Nature Medicine. Background KRAS-mutated cancers make up about 25% of all solid tumors, including 90% of pancreatic cancer...
Investigators have discovered that individuals who view climate change as a health threat may be more likely to undergo cancer screening, according to a recent study published by Qian et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The recent findings supported the development of public...
Researchers have evaluated the efficacy of atezolizumab in combination with carboplatin in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Lehmann et al in JAMA Oncology. The new findings may help researchers better understand biomarkers of immunotherapy...
New research published by Lee et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found patients treated with first-line immunotherapy for advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) had similar results in terms of overall survival, progression-free survival, and treatment duration, ...
Although current ASCO guidelines recommend exercise for patients with breast cancer during adjuvant therapy with curative intent, the guidelines state that more study is needed regarding the effects of exercise for patients with metastatic breast cancer. The results of the PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial...