Researchers may have discovered a link between certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—also referred to as "forever chemicals"—and an increased risk of thyroid cancer, according to a recent study published by van Gerwen et al in eBioMedicine. Background PFAS are a large, complex group of ...
Researchers have found that a text message–based program in combination with routine laboratory testing could safely accelerate patients to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, eliminate the need for in-person assessments with their physicians, and save them about 1.5 hours in total wait...
Yoga-based supportive care may help alleviate the negative side effects of radiation treatment, decrease the use of feeding tube placements, and reduce emergency department visits in patients with head and neck cancer, especially when family caregivers participate, according to new findings...
Participation in virtual mind-body fitness classes may be effective at reducing hospitalizations, urgent care visits, and the length of hospital stays among patients with cancer by about 50%, according to new findings presented by Mao et al at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium (Abstract 473)....
On October 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ivosidenib (Tibsovo) for adult patients with relapsed or refractory myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with a susceptible isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test. The FDA also approved the...
It is widely acknowledged that patients with cancer living in rural areas of the United States face limited access to medical and oncology providers, often have to travel long distances to receive care, and experience obstacles in clinical trial participation—all of which affect quality of care and ...
The University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson Department of Surgery is pleased to welcome Praveen Sridhar, MD, as Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery’s Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Dr. Sridhar, who is particularly interested in thoracic oncology and minimally...
On September 14, 2023, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation announced the winners of the 2024 awards, honoring an esteemed group of the world’s researchers for their impactful scientific discoveries, including a subset responsible for substantial progress in the understanding and treatment of major...
Investigators have discovered that reliable educational materials about breast cancer surgery may be difficult to access and are often presented at much higher reading levels than recommended, according to the findings of two new studies presented by Brennan et al and Satarasinghe et al at the...
Researchers have developed a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based Cancer Survival Calculator for estimating long-term survival in patients with newly diagnosed cancer, according to new findings presented by Janczewski et al at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2023....
Researchers have discovered that it may be possible to detect and treat dormant tumor cells in breast cancer survivors, according to new findings presented by DeMichele et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract 244MO). The results may have offered a...
Data from the phase III PSMAfore trial were presented during a Presidential Symposium at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 (Abstract LBA13). Results showed that the trial of lutetium Lu-177 vipivotide tetraxetan met its primary endpoint, with a clinically meaningful and ...
In exploratory analyses of results from the SWOG S1801 trial in patients with stage III to IV resectable melanoma, researchers saw a major pathologic response in more than half of surgical specimens taken from patients who had been treated with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab. These and other results of...
Researchers have found that a short course of induction chemotherapy prior to chemoradiation may be effective at reducing the rate of relapse and mortality among patients with locally advanced cervical cancer, according to new preliminary findings presented by McCormack et al at the European...
Researchers have found that nivolumab in combination with a chemotherapy regimen may improve the rate of survival in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma, according to new findings simultaneously published by van der Heijden et al in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the ...
The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology announced detailed results from CABINET (Alliance A021602), a phase III pivotal trial evaluating cabozantinib compared with placebo in two cohorts of previously treated patients with neuroendocrine tumors. The data were presented by Chan et al at the...
Targeted treatment with the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor erdafitinib improved responses and overall survival compared to standard chemotherapy for patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with FGFR alterations. Results from the phase III THOR trial, led by...
Tina Cascone, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses new phase III findings from the CheckMate 77T trial of patients with previously untreated resectable stage II–IIIB non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The trial showed clinically meaningful improvement in...
At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023, new findings are being presented in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, late-stage melanoma, and refractory melanoma brain metastases. Presurgical Immunotherapy in Advanced Operable Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients with...
Immunotherapy with the anti–PD-L1 monoclonal antibody durvalumab improved progression-free survival in patients with newly diagnosed advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer compared with chemotherapy alone, with further benefits gained from the addition of the PARP inhibitor olaparib in the...
The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2α inhibitor belzutifan significantly reduced the risk of progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma in patients previously treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and antiangiogenic therapies compared with everolimus. The phase III LITESPARK-005 trial, led...
On October 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor entrectinib (Rozlytrek) for pediatric patients aged 1 month and older with solid tumors that have a neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusion...
Compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone, adding perioperative immunotherapy—given before and after surgery—significantly improved event-free survival in patients with resectable early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results from the phase III CheckMate 77T study were presented at the ...
The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy idecabtagene vicleucel may offer an overall survival benefit in patients with multiple myeloma, regardless of their race or ethnicity, according to a novel study published by Peres et al in Blood Advances. Background Multiple myeloma—a cancer of...
The drug shortage crisis in the United States may continue to impact the care of 10% of patients and survivors of cancer, according to a new survey from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Survey Findings In the new survey, researchers asked 1,222 patients and survivors of...
Among the 198 new oncology drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 1998 and 2022, approximately 43% of them were precision therapies, according to a recent study published by Suehnholz et al in Cancer Discovery. Background Precision oncology therapies often require...
Researchers have discovered that patients with longer prostatic urethras may have an increased risk of experiencing moderate and chronic urinary side effects after receiving radiation for prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Lee et al in Academic Radiology. The new findings...
Women living and working in places with higher levels of fine particle air pollution are more likely to get breast cancer than those living and working in less polluted areas. Results of a study looking at the effects of both residential and workplace exposure to air pollution on breast cancer risk ...
Researchers have identified significant variations in the gut microbiome of patients with precancerous colorectal lesions, suggesting a potential correlation between gut bacteria and the onset of precancerous lesions and colorectal cancer, according to new findings presented by Gacesa et al at...
New research has illustrated the strides being made to apply modern artificial intelligence (AI) computing methods to oncology, according to new findings to be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023. Background Researchers have long investigated the potential of ...
On October 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with platinum-containing chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, and with continuation of single-agent pembrolizumab as postsurgical adjuvant treatment, for resectable (tumors ≥ 4 cm or node-positive)...
Over the past year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to several novel drugs and expanded indications for older therapeutic agents used in breast cancer. Abemaciclib Plus Endocrine Therapy On March 3, 2023, the FDA expanded the indication for abemaciclib with endocrine...
Monitored by immune positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging, a novel therapeutic approach combining HER2-targeted therapies with the lipid-lowering drug lovastatin may reduce the number of cancer treatments required to prevent tumor growth, according to a recent study published by Brown et al in ...
Intensive local-regional tumor debulking in addition to standard palliative chemotherapy may not impact the overall quality of life of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, according to a novel study published by Bakkerus et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network....
On October 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab (Opdivo) for the adjuvant treatment of completely resected stage IIB or IIC melanoma in patients aged 12 years and older. CheckMate 76K Efficacy was evaluated in CheckMate 76K (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04099251),...
Researchers have found that patients and oncologists may be supportive of complementary therapies for cancer treatment, according to a new survey conducted on behalf of the Healing Works Foundation. However, the findings also indicated there may be a disconnect between the growing interest in...
A novel artificial intelligence (AI) software may be effective in detecting skin cancer and precancerous lesions, according to findings presented by Andrew et al at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress 2023. Background Skin cancer detection using AI software has rapidly...
Researchers have found that long-term use of chemical hair relaxers may be associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer in postmenopausal Black women, according to a recent study published by Bertrand et al in Environmental Research. Background Chemical hair relaxers are heavily marketed to...
Nonmelanoma skin cancer may be causing a greater number of global deaths than melanoma, according to findings presented by Salah et al at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology Congress 2023. Investigators also suggested that nonmelanoma skin cancer may be underreported and that the...
On October 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib (Braftovi) with the MEK inhibitor binimetinib (Mektovi) for adult patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a BRAF V600E mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test. The FDA...
On October 9, HistoSonics, the manufacturer of the Edison System and novel histotripsy therapy platforms, announced the marketing authorization of its platform via the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) De Novo Classification Request process, a rigorous premarket review pathway for medical...
Investigators have determined that knowing which patient populations are following cancer screening guidelines may be beneficial to public health officials, policymakers, and researchers developing strategies to improve screening adherence, according to a recent study published by Bhattacharyya et...
The children of adolescent and young adult female patients with a history of cancer may face a higher risk of birth defects, according to a recent study published by Murphy et al in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Background “Concerns like the health of future children are at the ...
A recent study published by Yong et al in Value in Health may help clarify the intricate interplay between the quality-of-life and survival preferences of patients with advanced cancer. Limited access to palliative care services may contribute to suffering, particularly among patients with cancer...
The Alliance Data and Safety Monitoring Board has determined that adjuvant pembrolizumab may improve disease-free survival in patients with localized muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma and locally advanced urothelial carcinoma, according to the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. ...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has released a follow-up survey on the ongoing chemotherapy shortages, refreshing findings they originally shared in June 2023. According to their results, 72% of the cancer centers surveyed continue to experience a shortage of carboplatin, and 59% ...
Residing in more walkable neighborhoods could protect against the risk of overall obesity-related cancers in female patients, according to a recent study published by India-Aldana et al in Environmental Health Perspectives. Background Obesity has previously been linked to an increased risk of...
The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) recognizes the enduring legacies of exceptional U.S. patent holders on an annual basis. On October 26, 2023, three female inductees will be recognized for their extraordinary contributions to cancer care and clinical research. Biochemist Jennifer...
Breast milk from women with breast cancer who were diagnosed during pregnancy or postpartum contains circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), according to researchers at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in Barcelona. The investigators noted that ctDNA can be detected through liquid biopsy in...
A majority of older adults may disagree with the idea of using life expectancy as part of cancer screening guidelines, according to a new University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. Background The response goes against a trend in guidelines aimed at helping health-care providers decide...