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,...
Guest Editor’s Note: Cannabis products are rising in popularity and increasingly used for medical purposes. For appropriate counseling and guidance in an oncology setting, clinicians must understand current cannabis use patterns among patients with cancer. In this article, Nirupa Raghunathan, MD,...
Although pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have seen a dramatic improvement in long-term survival rates over the past 40 years, from approximately 10% to over 95%, adults aged 29 and older have not experienced the same treatment benefits, with survival rates still below...
At a median follow-up of 8.4 years, adjuvant use of ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) continued to improve invasive disease–free survival and overall survival compared with trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer with residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant therapy. These ...
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, ...
Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, commented on the findings of the PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial: “This is a wonderful study about what has been obvious to all of us—exercise improves quality of life. Most oncologists probably recommend it, but not necessarily in the structured and rigorous way this study did. We...
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...
It may be possible for some patients with breast cancer to avoid adjuvant regional nodal irradiation safely, according to the results of the NRG Oncology/NSABP B-51/RTOG 1304 clinical trial presented at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 These findings particularly apply to patients...
Investigators analyzed cells within triple-negative breast cancers before and after radiation therapy combined with pembrolizumab and identified three patient groups with different responses to the treatment. Their study, published by Shiao et al in Cancer Cell, found that for some patients with...
Researchers may have uncovered a mechanism contributing to the development of colitis in patients with cancer receiving immunotherapy as well as a novel strategy to deliver immune-based therapy without causing the adverse side effect, according to a recent study published by Lo et al in Science....
Investigators have found that involving patients as partners in the treatment decision-making process may be a critical aspect of patient-centered care, according to a recent study published by Aggarwal et al in Cancer. Study Methods and Results In the study, the investigators used 2016 to 2018...
A recent study showed that the HER2-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib was associated with improved overall survival in patients with initially HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer and HER2-positive circulating tumor cells (CTCs). These findings were published by Fehm et al in Clinical...
Investigators have found that providing prophylactic treatment with the biological agent tocilizumab prior to immunotherapy may reduce the incidence of cytokine-release syndrome in patients with multiple myeloma, according to a study published by Kowalski et al in Blood Cancer Discovery. ...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Kohei Shitara, MD, and colleagues, interim analyses of the phase III KEYNOTE-585 trial have shown that the addition of perioperative pembrolizumab to chemotherapy improved pathologic complete response, but did not significantly improve event-free survival, in...
Treatment in community cancer centers may be associated with a lower rate of survival among patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, according to a recent study published by Trakimas et al in the Journal of the National Cancer...
A rare subset of T cells called V-delta 1 gamma-delta (Vd1-gd) T cells could help predict which patients with advanced skin cancer may be responsive to immunotherapy, according to a novel study published by Davies et al in Nature Cancer. The new findings may lead to the development of new and more...
Next-generation sequencing may help better identify patients with cancer and mismatch repair deficiency who may benefit from immunotherapy, according to a recent study published by Farhat et al in Cancer Cell. The new findings indicated that treating more patients with immunotherapy may require...
The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel may be a cost-effective second-line treatment option in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), according to a recent study published by Choe et al in Blood Advances. Background In cases...
This past year, President Joe Biden announced the appointment of six members to the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB; see related article). This board plays a crucial role in advising and assisting the director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in setting the activities of the national...
Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States, and the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2023, it is estimated that about 52,550 individuals died from the...
In a retrospective cohort study of 160 patients with cancer who were suspected of having immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced myocarditis, published in JACC: CardioOncology, Osnat Itzhaki Ben Zadok, MD, MSc, and colleagues found that severe ICI-induced myocarditis seemed to be linked to...
A first-in-class, claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2)-targeted antibody-drug conjugate may prove to be an effective treatment option for patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer, according to data presented during the ASCO Plenary Series: November 2023.1 (The ASCO Plenary Series is...
A newly published guideline update from ASCO and Ontario Health provides evidence-based recommendations on the use of systemic therapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC).1 Recommendations cover where novel agents fit in the treatment landscape, the management of disease in older patients with...
Invited discussant of the PSMAfore trial, Christopher J. Sweeney, MBBS, Director of the South Australian Immunogenics Cancer Institute, University of Adelaide, Australia, congratulated the authors for a well-powered, controlled phase III trial. “The study showed clear documentation of...
On October 16 and 17, 2023, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) welcomed more than 350 attendees from over 75 countries to its World Cancer Leaders’ Summit in Long Beach, California, to discuss some of the most challenging issues facing patients with cancer worldwide. The theme of...
The use of lutetium-177–labeled PSMA-617 (LuPSMA) improved radiographic progression–free survival by 57% in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who experienced disease progression on an androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitor compared with changing to a new AR pathway...
Immunotherapy pioneer Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD, has been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Biden. It is the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement. Dr. Rosenberg is Chief of the Surgery Branch at the Center for Cancer Research at the National...
On October 16, 2023, pembrolizumab was approved for use with platinum-containing chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment and as single-agent adjuvant treatment in patients with resectable (tumors ≥ 4 cm or node-positive) non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based ...
Except for a series of unexplained multiple broken bones and inexplicable excruciating pain in my right hip and leg, I had no other hallmarks of multiple myeloma when I was diagnosed with the disease at age 48 in 2014. My blood test values were all normal, and I didn’t have anemia or kidney damage. ...
Investigators have found that implementing the updated World Health Organization (WHO) screening guidelines may effectively reduce the cervical cancer mortality rate in patients residing in low- and middle-income countries, according to two recent studies published by Simms et al and Hall et al in...
Translational research is a key ingredient in guiding both genetic and pharmacologic cardioprotective approaches in patients being treated for cancer, according to international experts from the International Cardio-Oncology Society and the Global Cardio-Oncology Symposium (GCOS) committee. Fadi N. ...
This is Part 2 of Evolving Skin Cancer Management, a four-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable. In this video, Drs. Pauline Funchain, Alison Vidimos, and Lisa Zaba review how the multidisciplinary team comes together to treat cutaneous squamous...
Invited discussant Bonny Morris, PhD, RN, MSPH, of the American Cancer Society, underscored the significance of the study’s findings for the veteran community. “There are more than 50,000 veterans diagnosed with cancer each year, with the most common cancers being prostate, lung, and colorectal,”...
A decade-long journey toward improving end-of-life care for patients with advanced cancer has demonstrated positive effects on survival, health-care use, and cost of care, according to data presented at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium.1 Post hoc analysis of an advance care planning...
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can safely and effectively treat patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), especially during first remission, according to data presented at the 2023 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 4988). Results of the...
Age, race, and sex have significant implications for survival rates of patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), according to data presented at the 2023 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 5185). Findings from the largest U.S. population–based BPDCN study...
The data developed over the past few years have overwhelmingly favored geriatric assessment as part of the routine care for older patients with cancer. It has become the standard of care. ASCO has recently published a Practical Geriatric Assessment to aid in the implementation of this vital...
At the 2023 Global Cardio-Oncology Summit in Madrid, in a joint session with ASCO and the International Cardio-Oncology Society, Anita Arnold, DO, FACC, MBA, Director, Noninvasive Cardiology, and Director of Cardio-Oncology, Lee Memorial Health Systems, Fort Myers, Florida, discussed the...
Adding the antibody-drug conjugate ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) to the HER2-targeted agent tucatinib extended progression-free survival by about 2 months vs treatment with T-DM1 alone among patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, according to...
Researchers have uncovered that psilocybin-assisted therapy may be safe and effective in patients with cancer and comorbid major depressive disorder, according to two novel studies published by Agrawal et al and Beaussant et al in Cancer. Background Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic chemical found in...
In a French study of more than 7,000 childhood cancer survivors published by Charrier et al in JACC: CardioOncology, researchers reported that the occurrence of a second malignant neoplasm among these survivors seemed to be associated with an increased risk of cardiac disease occurrence and risk at ...
On December 18, W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, began her work as the 17th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Dr. Rathmell was selected by President Biden to succeed Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO, who left NCI to become the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on...
The phase II PrE0405 trial met its primary endpoint, achieving a complete response rate of 85% in 33 patients with mantle cell lymphoma over age 60 who received bendamustine and rituximab, a standard chemoimmunotherapy regimen, along with venetoclax, which is investigational in this setting. The...
Use of venetoclax may increase survival in non-Hispanic Black patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to recent findings presented by Wang et al at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 955). Background Although the standard treatment...
Elranatamab may be safe and effective in Black patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to new findings presented by Varshavsky-Yanovsky et al at the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 3333). Background Elranatamab—an...