Among postmenopausal women with normal body mass index (BMI), those with higher body fat levels had an increased risk for invasive breast cancer, according to data presented at an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Special Conference titled Obesity and Cancer: Mechanisms...
On January 30, Bellicum Pharmaceuticals announced it has received notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that U.S. studies of BPX-501—an agent being studied to improve outcomes for patients undergoing stem cell transplant who lack a matched donor—have been placed...
A new and unique new way to treat cancer—chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy—is poised to transform the outlook for children and adults with certain otherwise incurable cancers. ASCO named this type of adoptive-cell immunotherapy the Advance of the Year in its annual...
On January 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lutetium Lu-177 dotatate (Lutathera) for the treatment of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). This is the first time a radiopharmaceutical has been approved for the treatment of GEP-NETs. Lu-177 dotatate is...
Ann W. Silk, MD, of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and Katy K. Tsai, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, who are Co-Chairs of the Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium, discuss highlights of the meeting and progress in the field.
Sumanta K. Pal, MD, of the City of Hope, discusses immunotherapy as a front-line treatment for kidney cancer and the strategy of VEGF blockade with immunotherapy, which is emerging as a possible treatment modality.
Linda Mileshkin, MBBS, of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, discusses phase Ib trial findings on the anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody BGB-A317 in combination with the PARP inhibitor BGB-290 in advanced solid tumors.
Jeffrey M. Lemons, MD, of the University of Chicago, discusses early safety and efficacy findings from a small study on pembrolizumab and multiorgan-site ablative stereotactic body radiotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors (Abstract 20).
Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, of the Yale School of Medicine, summarizes a session that included discussion of the mechanisms of immunotherapies, biomarkers for activity of these agents, overcoming resistance, and using treatment combinations.
James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute, discusses combined treatment approaches showing early evidence of clinical activity: agents such as vaccines or PARP inhibitors that can initiate an immune response, paired with agents such as checkpoint inhibitors that can facilitate the...
Aaron Goodman, MD, of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, discusses an analysis of more than 100,000 patients with cancer for CD274 (PD-L1) amplification and the implications for treatment with immune checkpoint blockade (Abstract 47).
Kristen Fousek, PhD Candidate at Baylor College of Medicine, discusses her preclinical work on targeting CD19-negative relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, using CAR T cells that target three antigens simultaneously, a technique that addresses the growing problem of relapse (Abstract 121).
Mary L. Disis, MD, of the University of Washington, discusses innate and adaptive immune system cells, T cells as key to mediating antitumor immunity, and the mechanisms by which cancer evades the immune system.
Joaquim Bellmunt, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses refining treatment choices with new combinations and sequencing strategies.
Stephen M. Ansell, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, discusses integrating immune checkpoint inhibitors, improving efficacy, and reducing toxicity when treating blood cancers.
Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and GeneDx, a genetic testing company, have identified two new genetic mutations associated with breast cancer: MSH6 and PMS2. The researchers’ study—published by Roberts et al in Genetics in Medicine—suggests that...
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers developed a single blood test that screens for eight common cancer types and also helps identify the location of the cancer. The test, called CancerSEEK, is a unique noninvasive, multianalyte test that simultaneously evaluates levels of eight cancer...
On January 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the use of daratumumab (Darzalex) in combination with bortezomib (Velcade), melphalan, and prednisone for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed...
Fox Chase Cancer Center and the Lewis Katz School of Medicine are pleased to announce the winners of its American Cancer Society (ACS) Institutional Research Grant Pilot Project Competition for Junior Investigators. The competition was open to eligible junior faculty at Fox Chase Cancer Center and ...
Mark A. Israel, MD, a pediatric oncologist, translational scientist, and a recognized leader in cancer research has been appointed National Executive Director of the Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to funding cancer research in Israel. Dr. Israel joins ...
We don’t feel our liver or pancreas working, but we all feel our hearts beating—the drumbeat of our mortality since we all have a finite number of heartbeats from birth to death. And unlike with most other organs, we are painfully aware of how fragile this mighty muscle can be. About 610,000 people ...
FROM WILHELM RÖNTGEN’S groundbreaking discovery of x-rays in 1895, the history of radiotherapy has been rich with colorful paradigm-changing researchers and physicians who over the past century have transformed the field into one of the pillars of cancer treatment. One such trailblazer who...
Understanding what consciousness is, and why and how it evolved, is perhaps the greatest mystery known to science. With its 100 billion or so neurons and a processing rate of about 4 billion bits per second, the human brain is a miraculously complicated entity, much of which is still under...
THE COMMUNITY ONCOLOGY ALLIANCE (COA) is pleased to announce the election of new members to the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Additionally, the COA Board has launched and nominated participants for a dedicated standing committee on Government Affairs and Policy as well as Payment...
The days leading up to our daughter Emily’s diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on May 28, 2010, when she was just 5, offered few clues about the terrifying, life-and-death months and years we were about to experience. She was happy and seemingly healthy, literally until the day before...
While many patients with cancer can benefit from palliative care to ease symptoms from the disease or its treatment, for children with cancer, especially critically ill children, palliative care can provide an additional layer of medical and emotional support for both young patients and their...
ON JANUARY 15, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of arsenic trioxide (Trisenox) injection in combination with tretinoin for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed low-risk acute promyelocytic leukemia whose disease is characterized by the presence of the...
On January 12, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted regular approval to olaparib (Lynparza), a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who...
On January 12, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to afatinib (Gilotrif) for a broadened indication in first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have nonresistant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations ...
The results of an analysis of the phase III REFLECT trial of lenvatinib mesylate (Lenvima) vs sorafenib (Nexavar) as first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma based on independent imaging review were presented during the 2018 Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium (Abstract...
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have had a dramatic impact on survival for patients with stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with whispers that a cure might be achieved in a subset of patients. In typical fashion, active new agents are evaluated in earlier stages of disease. Stage III NSCLC...
Levine Cancer Institute (LCI) has announced a new Department of Supportive Oncology, helmed by palliative medicine pioneer Declan Walsh, MD. Under the leadership of Dr. Walsh, the new department will integrate its services throughout the Institute. The department includes cancer rehabilitation,...
Primary endpoint findings and updated results of secondary endpoints from the phase II LAPACT trial of nanoparticle albumin–bound (nab)-paclitaxel (Abraxane) plus gemcitabine in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer were presented by Hammel et al at the 2018 Gastrointestinal (GI)...
Updated results were recently reported from the 30 patient safety lead-in of the phase III BEACON CRC trial evaluating the triplet combination of encorafenib (a BRAF inhibitor), binimetinib (an MEK inhibitor), and cetuximab (Erbitux, an anti–EGFR antibody) in patients with BRAF-mutant...
Ursula Matulonis, MD, has been named the first incumbent of the Brock-Wilson Family Chair at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber). The newly established Chair was created to advance gynecologic oncology research and support a highly dedicated faculty member at Dana-Farber. Dr. Matulonis is...
Mary Beckerle, PhD, Chief Executive -Officer and Director of Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, is this year’s recipient of the Alfred G. Knudson Award in Cancer Genetics from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The prestigious award is named after Alfred G. Knudson, MD, PhD, a...
As reviewed in this issue of The ASCO Post, a recent ASCO panel, chaired by Bryan Schneider, MD, and Brendon Stiles, MD, has provided an endorsement of a recently published guideline on the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy for non–small cell lung cancer.1 The original guideline,2 developed and ...
Ramesh K. Ramanathan, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, discusses early-phase study findings on mFOLFIRINOX (mFFOX) plus pegylated recombinant human hyaluronidase vs mFFOX alone in patients with a good performance status (Abstract 208).
FOR DAYS BEFORE HURRICANE HARVEY was expected to move toward Houston, Texas, on Sunday, August 27, 2017, after pummeling other cities in Texas and Louisiana, the leadership team at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson) in Houston strategized on how to ensure the...
In the December 25 issue of The ASCO Post, a photo published for Eduardo Oliveira, PhD, was incorrect. The correct photo is printed here. Dr. Oliveira is Professor of Exercise Physiology and Exercise Cancer Specialist at Mama Help Breast Cancer Support Center at the University of Porto, in Lisbon, ...
AT THE START OF 2018, seven senior employees assumed new roles at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. Five of these program leaders were promoted or reappointed, and two have newly joined the Institute from other centers around the United States. Meet the Appointees Charles...
THE CANCER death rate dropped 1.7% from 2014 to 2015, continuing a drop that began in 1991 and has reached 26%, resulting in nearly 2.4 million fewer cancer deaths during that time. The data are reported in “Cancer Statistics, 2018,” the American Cancer Society’s comprehensive annual report on...
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH (AACR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD, as Editor-in-Chief of its Cancer Research journal. Published under different titles in its early years, Cancer Research was the first English-language journal to be published in the ...
FOX CHASE CANCER CENTER is pleased to welcome Board-certified radiologist Laura Levin, MD, as Assistant Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging. Dr. Levin assumed her new position on January 2, 2018. Dr. Levin comes to Fox Chase Cancer Center from a high-volume private practice in which ...
Mark Saunders, MD, PhD, of Christie Hospital, discusses study findings on tumor sidedness and the influence of chemotherapy duration on disease-free survival (Abstract 558).
Andrew X. Zhu, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses study findings on pembrolizumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma previously treated with sorafenib (Abstract 209).
Thierry André, MD, of Hôpital Saint-Antoine, and Michael J. Overman, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discuss findings from their respective CheckMate-142 studies on nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with DNA mismatch repair–deficient/microsatellite instability–high...
Abraham J. Wu, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses his findings that suggest efforts to reduce lung dose, such as shrinking the treatment volumes or using proton therapy, may improve outcomes in esophageal cancer (Abstract 3).
Maria Svensson, MD, PhD Candidate, of Lund University, discusses high expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 in chemotherapy-naive esophageal and gastric adenocarcinomas, the implications for survival, and the link to a deficiency in mismatched repair genes (Abstract 9).
Pieter van der Sluis, MD, PhD, of the University Medical Center Utrecht, discusses study findings that compared robot-assisted minimally invasive thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy vs open transthoracic esophagectomy for resectable esophageal cancer (Abstract 6).