Investigators have found that residing in areas with high levels of particulate air pollution may be associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer, according to a recent study published by White et al in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Background Particulate matter...
The biomarker-driven Lung Cancer Master Protocol (Lung-MAP) may have enrolled a higher percentage of patients who are older, are from rural or socioeconomically deprived areas, and have Medicaid or no insurance compared with conventional, standalone clinical trials in advanced non–small cell lung...
Ajay K. Nooka, MBBS, of Winship Cancer Center of Emory University, discusses findings from a pooled analysis of MagnetisMM studies. The data showed that, in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have not yet been treated with B-cell maturation antigen–directed therapies,...
Ajay K. Nooka, MBBS, of Winship Cancer Center of Emory University, discusses phase II findings showing that, in patients with high-risk myeloma, maintenance therapy with carfilzomib, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone deepened responses. Measurable residual disease negativity was attained in 80% of...
The anti–PD-L1 monoclonal antibody durvalumab in combination with other immuno-oncology agents may outperform treatment with durvalumab alone in the neoadjuvant setting for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a recent study published by Cascone et al in Cancer ...
Researchers have uncovered the vital role that the immune system may play in determining the duration of remission and progression-free survival in patients with multiple myeloma, according to a recent study published by Coffey et al in Nature Communications. The new findings suggested that the...
Bipartisan legislation that may help to eliminate financial barriers to prostate cancer screening was introduced in the U.S. Senate. Sponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and John Boozman (R-AR), the Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening for High-Risk Insured Men (PSA Screening for HIM) Act would...
Investigators have discovered that women with certain reproductive factors may have an elevated risk of developing lung cancer, according to recent findings presented by Zhang et al at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Abstract...
The Lung Cancer Action Network (LungCAN) advocacy program may have helped increase funding for the U.S. Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program/Lung Cancer Research Program (LCRP) by 25%, according to recent findings presented by Donaldson et al at the International...
Investigators reported that the tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib, commonly used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), was associated with nephrotoxicity in 10% of 32 patients with CML being treated with dasatinib in a multicenter, retrospective clinical study conducted to determine the...
Breast milk from women with breast cancer who were diagnosed during pregnancy or postpartum may contain 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 ...
Researchers have revealed that non–English speakers who seek information from hospitals across the United States may face a concerning lack of access to cancer care services, according to a new study published by Chen et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Background...
On September 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved momelotinib (Ojjaara) for the treatment of intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis, including primary myelofibrosis or secondary myelofibrosis (post–polycythemia vera and post–essential thrombocythemia), in adults with anemia....
Researchers have validated the accuracy of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s (IASLC) 2009 pleural mesothelioma database, with these findings presented by Wolf et al at the IASLC 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Abstract MA17.04). Background Pleural mesothelioma often ...
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy may be the preferred treatment option for patients with locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings presented by Chun et al at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer ...
The combination of benmelstobart, anlotinib, and chemotherapy may be effective at improving median progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer compared with placebo and chemotherapy, according to findings presented by Cheng et al at the...
The stigma that patients face when diagnosed with lung cancer may be associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes, including distress and isolation, delayed help-seeking, and concerns about the quality of care, according to findings presented by Harrison et al at the International Association for...
The oral KRAS G12C inhibitor adagrasib may offer durable clinical activity, with a median overall survival of 14.1 months and a 2-year survival rate of about 33%, in patients with KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings presented by Gadgeel et al at the...
Researchers have discovered that therapy with first-line nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab may improve the 6-year survival and quality of life of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with standard chemotherapy, according to findings presented by Peters et al...
On September 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated labeling for temozolomide (Temodar) for the treatment of CNS cancers under Project Renewal, an Oncology Center of Excellence initiative aimed at updating labeling information for older oncology drugs to ensure information ...
Head and neck cancer specialist Priyanka Bhateja, MD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Medical Oncology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, was encouraged by the findings of the Quarterback trial. As she noted in her comments for The ASCO Post, human papillomavirus...
De-escalation of chemoradiotherapy after induction chemotherapy yields excellent oncologic outcomes in patients with high-risk oropharyngeal cancer associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Results of the nonrandomized phase II Quarterback trial suggest that this subset of patients may be...
Discussing this study in her Highlights of the Day at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting was Barbara Burtness, MD, the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine and Chief Translational Research Officer at Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut. She noted that the premise of the FRAIL-IMMUNE trial...
As a first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab plus weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel provided clinically significant efficacy in the phase II FRAIL-IMMUNE (GORTEC 2018-03) trial.1 This regimen may prove to be an effective...
In patients with N2 and N3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma, adjuvant treatment with concurrent gemcitabine and cisplatin significantly improved progression-free survival, with acceptable toxicity, over fluorouracil plus cisplatin, according to a phase III trial reported from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer...
Nabil F. Saba, MD, FACP, Professor and Vice Chair of Hematology and Medical Oncology, the Lynne and Howard Halpern Chair in Head and Neck Cancer Research, and Director of the HNCA Medical Oncology Program at the Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, was invited to discuss the...
Barbara Burtness, MD, the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine and Chief Translational Research Officer at Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, featured the CONTINUUM study at the head and neck cancer session on Highlights of the Day during the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting. She noted the study’s premise...
The addition of the PD-1 inhibitor sintilimab to standard induction chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy resulted in a significant improvement in 3-year event-free survival, a manageable safety profile, and comparable quality of life in high-risk, locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma vs standard ...
Head and neck cancers comprise approximately 4% of all new cancer diagnoses globally and represent approximately 110,000 new cancer diagnoses and 17,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States. Head and neck cancers are a heterogenous group of malignancies where prognosis and treatment varies...
The first-in-class agent xevinapant (also known as Debio 1143), given with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, significantly improved overall survival in a phase II study of 96 patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.1 “This is the first study in decades to improve...
The invited discussant of the VERSATILE-002 and CUE-101-01 trials, Erminia Massarelli, MD, PhD, MS, said both are examples of a growing interest in evaluating immunotherapeutic strategies and treatment sequences in early-stage head and neck squamous cell cancer as well as in metastatic disease. Dr. ...
Immunotherapeutics that target human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype 16 appear to boost the activity of pembrolizumab in advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Two examples were presented in posters at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.1,2 The phase II VERSATILE-002 trial evaluated PDS0101,...
The first-in-class bifunctional antibody BCA101—which inhibits both the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)—given with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, is showing activity and tolerability in recurrent or metastatic head and neck...
In patients with relapsed or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a regimen of the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab plus carboplatin and paclitaxel, evaluated in the phase IV KEYNOTE-B10 trial, demonstrated antitumor activity, with a good safety profile, investigators reported ...
Renata Ferrarotto, MD, Associate Professor, and Director of Head and Neck Clinical Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, called the efficacy results with cabozantinib plus atezolizumab in recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma “encouraging”...
A challenging patient population with advanced head and neck cancer may have a new treatment option, according to data presented during the 2022 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting.1 Results from Cohort 17 of the COSMIC-021 study showed that the combination of the kinase...
The ASCO Post asked for comment from Glenn J. Hanna, MD, Director of the Center for Salivary and Rare Head and Neck Cancers, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hanna said it is important to put the findings of KEYNOTE-4121 into context...
Pembrolizumab plus chemoradiation therapy failed to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in event-free survival vs chemoradiation therapy alone in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, but favorable numerical trends were demonstrated, according to...
The addition of perioperative durvalumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be associated with a tolerable surgical safety profile and may not adversely impact surgery in patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to new findings presented by Mitsudomi et al at the...
Researchers have found that the Taiwan National Lung Cancer Early Detection Program successfully detected 85% of stage 0 and stage I lung cancer cases. The findings by Yang et al were presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2023 World Conference on Lung...
A modified adenocarcinoma classification approach may enhance reproducibility and may be an improvement on the existing World Health Organization (WHO) classification system, according to findings presented by Thunnissen et al at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)...
Aki Morikawa, MD, PhD, of the University of Michigan, and her team explored the use of patient-derived organoids from breast cancer brain metastases to evaluate drug sensitivities in a clinically meaningful time frame. Along with molecular profiling, she says, this method may further personalize...
The newly renamed Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) has been awarded comprehensive designation by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health. As a result, MECCC was awarded a 5-year, $20 million Cancer Center Support Grant to advance the...
On September 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved motixafortide (Aphexda) in combination with filgrastim to mobilize hematopoietic stem cells to the peripheral blood for collection and subsequent autologous transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma. Motixafortide is...
Extended pleurectomy decortication combined with chemotherapy was associated with worse survival outcomes, a higher incidence of serious adverse events, and a diminished quality of life in patients with resectable mesothelioma compared with platinum and pemetrexed chemotherapy alone, according to...
Osimertinib plus chemotherapy may have demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival benefit in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with osimertinib alone, according to new findings presented by Jänne et al at the...
Researchers have discovered that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors may improve survival outcomes after treatment with chemoradiation in patients with stage III EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab, according to...
ASCO has updated a guideline on the practical assessment and management of age-associated vulnerabilities in older patients receiving systemic cancer therapy.1 Among the updates, the guideline adds more detail to domains that should be evaluated in geriatric assessments (GAs) and expands patient...
Lung cancer, both small cell and non–small cell, is the second most common cancer in both men and women in the United States, with about 238,340 new cases diagnosed each year, and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, accounting for more than 127,000 deaths annually.1 Lung cancer in...
Long ago, as an ethical alternative to military service, I joined the National Cancer Institute’s Yellow Beret Program, and was assigned to its Division of Cancer Treatment (Dr. Vince DeVita) Cancer Therapy Development Branch (Dr. Steve Carter). This program reviewed and rejected or approved all...