The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has launched its historic $2.5 billion comprehensive philanthropic campaign, Only Possible Here, The Campaign to End Cancer. The campaign represents the largest fundraising effort in MD Anderson's 84-year history, bringing together philanthropic...
Mild dilation of the main pancreatic duct without an apparent obstructing mass may be an independent risk factor for neoplastic progression to pancreatic cancer in high-risk individuals, according to findings from an analysis published in Gastro Hep Advances. “We are identifying pancreas duct...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved pertuzumab-dpzb (Poherdy) as an interchangeable biosimilar to pertuzumab (Perjeta). This is the first approval of a biosimilar for pertuzumab. Pertuzumab-dpzb is a HER2/neu receptor antagonist indicated for the following: Use in combination...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Ratan et al, long-term follow-up in the phase III DeFi trial has shown maintained benefits with prolonged nirogacestat treatment in patients with desmoid tumors. Study Details In the double-blind trial, 142 patients with progressing desmoid tumors...
In an interim analysis of an Australian single-center phase I/II trial (AlphaBet) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kostos et al found that the combination of lutetium Lu-177–labeled PSMA–I&T (LuPSMA-I&T) and the bone-seeking alpha-emitter radium Ra-223 dichloride (Ra-223) was active in...
On November 13, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ziftomenib (Komzifti), a menin inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a susceptible NPM1 mutation who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options...
In a French phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Kim et al found that the combination of the PD-1 inhibitor ezabenlimab and induction chemotherapy with modified docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (mDCF) and adaptive chemoradiotherapy was active in patients with treatment-naive stage...
Based on the results of a multicenter cross-sectional survey study published in JAMA Network Open by Raman et al, patients with blood cancer who were potentially hospice-eligible placed the greatest importance on transfusion access compared with routine hospice services. “The high value placed on...
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Network Open found first-line PARP inhibitor maintenance after platinum-based chemotherapy was linked to improved progression-free survival across multiple patient populations with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. However, according...
Supervised aerobic and resistance exercise can improve the physical performance and strength of patients living with metastatic breast cancer, according to new data from the PREFERABLE-EFFECT study that was presented by Anne May, PhD, during the Advanced Breast Cancer Eighth International Consensus ...
Most cancer clinic staff prefer a team-based approach to supportive cancer care services over a technology-based approach, according to the results of a mixed-methods study of supportive care perceptions that was published in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The study...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Richard Pazdur, MD, has been appointed Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). Dr. Pazdur is a 26-year veteran of the FDA and the Founding Director of its...
In a phase III trial (TRYBECA-1) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hammel et al found that the addition of eryaspase (suspension of erythrocytes encapsulating L-asparaginase) to chemotherapy did not significantly improve outcomes in second-line treatment of patients with advanced...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Tolaney et al, interim analysis of the phase III DESTINY-Breast09 trial has shown significantly improved progression-free survival with fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) plus pertuzumab vs a taxane (paclitaxel or docetaxel), trastuzumab,...
Almost half of all women (48%) under the age of 40 who are living with advanced breast cancer have children under the age of 18, and 64% of these young patients also experience employment disruptions after they are diagnosed, according to findings from a survey conducted by the Young Survival...
ABC Global Alliance's landmark Advanced Breast Cancer Global Decade Report 2015–2025 was recently released and published in The Breast. The report highlights significant advancements made over the past decade that have transformed care for patients with advanced breast cancer, but also reveals gaps ...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Barac et al developed a risk prediction model for heart failure or cardiomyopathy (HF/CM) after breast cancer treatment. Study Details The aim of the study was to construct a model predicting the 10-year risk of developing HF/CM in women receiving systemic...
In the phase II TUXEDO-3 trial—reported in two articles in The Lancet Oncology—Fuereder et al and Bartsch et al found that the topoisomerase-1 HER3-targeting antibody-drug conjugate patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd) was active in cohorts of patients with active brain metastases from advanced...
In the United States, the incarcerated population is aging. About 15% of incarcerated adults, or approximately 175,000 people, are now 55 years or older. As the incarcerated population ages, cancer has become one of the greatest threats to their health. And despite the growing prevalence, cancer...
Armando E. Giuliano, MD, will receive the William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award during the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Dr. Giuliano is being recognized for his pioneering work on sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients with breast cancer, which has transformed the...
ASCO and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) have released their first joint guideline on managing extravasation, an uncommon but potentially life-threatening complication of intravenous antineoplastic therapy.1 Extravasation occurs when an agent with tissue-damaging properties leaks from the...
Clinical trials remain out of reach for many Americans, with only 7% of patients with cancer participating in clinical trials, according to a new report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) State of Cancer Care in America series. Experts agree that access to trials is a key...
In 2021, The ASCO Post had a wide-ranging discussion with Robert A. Hiatt, MD, PhD, Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Associate Director of Population Sciences at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer...
Although 2023 made headlines as the hottest year in human history,1 drawing the world closer to breaching the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels (and preferably to...
In a letter to the editor published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Markus F. Neurath, MD, of Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen–Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany, and colleagues described the course of treatment in a 21-year-old woman with severe multidrug-resistant ulcerative colitis who...
In the global phase III SUNMO trial, the combination of a bispecific antibody and an antibody-drug conjugate was compared with rituximab plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GemOx) in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who were ineligible for autologous...
The members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recently elected four new officers to ASTRO’s Board of Directors: Catheryn M. Yashar, MD, FASTRO, President-Elect; Jonathan Strauss, MD, MBA, Secretary/Treasurer-Elect; Anita Mahajan, MD, FASTRO, Health Policy Council Vice Chair;...
Following cystectomy, patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer at high risk for recurrence may safely be treated with radiotherapy and may achieve an improvement in locoregional control compared with observation. These findings, which come from the phase III BART trial presented in a plenary...
The phase III TORPEdO trial reported no meaningful differences between intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and proton beam therapy at 1 year in terms of patient-reported quality of life, swallowing function, or feeding tube dependence for individuals with locally advanced oropharyngeal...
An evaluation of noncancer medications used concomitantly with cancer therapies for patients with breast cancer showed that proton pump inhibitors specifically were associated with worse survival outcomes and with an increased risk of grade 3 or higher adverse events than other classes of therapy....
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has entered into a licensing agreement with OpenEvidence that would make the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology accessible through OpenEvidence's AI–powered medical platform. “This collaboration will help clinicians access trusted...
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most prevalent type of leukemia in the Western hemisphere, accounting for between 25% and 35% of all leukemias in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 24,000 new cases of CLL will be diagnosed in the United States this year,...
On November 6, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj (Darzalex Faspro) for adults with high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma. Efficacy of daratumumab and hyaluronidase as monotherapy vs active monitoring was evaluated in AQUILA, an open-label,...
In the spring of 2024, I was preparing to compete in a Half Ironman triathlon and was not surprised when I began experiencing tightness in my groin. I just figured it was the byproduct of specific endurance training I was doing in each discipline, including running, biking, and swimming, to get...
Use of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology is advancing rapidly. AI was first used for reading radiology images and analyzing pathology slides. More recently, use of AI has expanded to analyzing large clinical data sets (big data). The next envisioned role for AI in oncology encompasses many ...
In a Dutch phase II trial (PUMP-2) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Franssen et al found that use of hepatic arterial infusion pump (HAIP) chemotherapy with floxuridine, with or without concomitant gemcitabine, plus cisplatin showed good activity and improved overall survival in...
In an interim analysis of a Chinese phase III trial (HARMONi-6) reported in The Lancet, Chen et al found that the combination of ivonescimab—a bispecific antibody targeting PD-1 and VEGF—plus chemotherapy prolonged progression-free survival vs tislelizumab—an anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody—plus...
The Basser Center for BRCA at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, the world’s first comprehensive center aimed at advancing research, treatment, and prevention of BRCA-related cancers, is honoring Alan D. D'Andrea, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, with the 2025 BRCA...
In an updated analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine, Roobol et al reported long-term findings from the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) on the survival benefit of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. The study, which was initiated in 1993, ...
Researchers have found that firefighters who battled the massive urban fires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025 developed physiologic changes that may increase their risk of diseases, including cancer. The research, which was published by Furlong et al in the Journal of Occupational and...
The addition of the PD-L1–targeting monoclonal antibody durvalumab to conventional perioperative chemotherapy with fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel (FLOT) resulted in a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival, with benefit seen...
The American Lung Association has released its 2025 “State of Lung Cancer” report, which reveals great strides in efforts to end lung cancer—the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. This year, nearly 227,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer....
Based on the results of a cross-sectional epidemiologic analysis published in JAMA Network Open, the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has increased among older individuals in the United States. According to Cao et al, those with localized disease appeared to be undertreated, indicating the need...
Some common hormonal contraceptives are linked to a slightly higher risk of breast cancer than others. This is shown by a new study from Uppsala University, in which researchers followed more than 2 million women and teenage girls in Sweden to identify how different hormonal contraceptives affect...
In an effort to reduce the size of government, the current administration has proposed an across the board 37% reduction1 in funding for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This will result in approval of only 4% of applications2 from scientists at universities and cancer centers, with 96% of all ...
In a phase III trial (STELLAR-303) reported in The Lancet, Hecht et al found that the combination of the multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor zanzalintinib and atezolizumab improved overall survival vs regorafenib in patients with previously treated relapsed or refractory metastatic colorectal...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Neelapu et al, the 5-year follow-up of the phase II ZUMA-5 trial has shown sustained responses with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Study Details In the single-arm,...
A subcommittee of the RAPNO (Response Assessment in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology) consortium that is focused on artificial intelligence (AI-RAPNO) has released guidance on the responsible implementation of AI in pediatric neuro-oncology in the form of a two-part policy review published in The Lancet...
“Someday you will be a doctor, Fazlur, and help people,” were the prophetic words of a mother to her son and the driving force behind the early quest of Fazlur Rahman, MD, to become a physician. Born and raised in what is now Bangladesh, he experienced the death of his mother at the young age of ...
The addition of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab to weekly paclitaxel, with or without the VEGFA-targeted bevacizumab, significantly improved progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer, in the randomized, double-blind, phase III...