On February 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted traditional approval to the kinase inhibitor encorafenib (Braftovi) in combination with cetuximab and fluorouracil-based chemotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer with a BRAF V600E mutation, ...
A year ago, I was confronting a series of symptoms—including rapid weight loss, abdominal distress, fatigue, and heart issues—that I couldn’t explain. I was just 60 years old and had been in good health, but now I sensed that something was seriously wrong. I made appointments with my primary care...
The oncology community is mourning the loss of Paul E. Goss, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FRCP, who died on December 19, 2025, at his home in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, from multiple system atrophy—a rare, progressive neurologic disorder with symptoms resembling those of Parkinson’s disease. He was 70 years ...
In February, ASCO and Conexiant launched ASCO AI in Oncology (ascoai.org), a digital platform dedicated to understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting cancer care. “Our goal with this hub is to empower oncology professionals with knowledge and the tools to adapt to a rapidly...
ASCO has published an updated guideline on systemic therapy for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), representing ASCO’s first Living Guideline in the area of prostate cancer and the first in any genitourinary (GU) cancer.1 “Guidelines will become less useful if...
A computational histology–based artificial intelligence (AI) platform was able to identify a biomarker that could predict treatment benefit between two chemotherapy options for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, according to the results of a study presented in a poster at the 2026 ASCO...
Microplastics and nanoplastics were identified in samples from 9 out of 10 patients with prostate cancer, with greater levels of these small plastic fragments inside tumors than in nearby normal tissue, according to findings from a small pilot study that will be presented at the upcoming 2026 ASCO...
U.S. counties located closer to operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) have higher rates of cancer mortality than those located farther away, according to a new study published by Alwadi et al in Nature Communications. The study is the first of the 21st century to analyze proximity to NPPs and...
Researchers have reported findings that may help redefine treatment for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a potentially aggressive form of the disease that is traditionally treated with surgical removal of the bladder. The study, published by Matthew D. Galsky, MD, and colleagues in the ...
Researchers have developed a new computational approach designed to better account for changes in gene expression within tumors relative to their unique microenvironments. This approach outperformed current methods for predicting chemotherapy response in patients with triple-negative breast ...
The bispecific antibody odronextamab plus standard CHOP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, prednisone) chemotherapy yielded robust and durable responses in treatment-naive patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), based on the first results of the phase III OLYMPIA-3 study...
A genetic study of Mexican patients with acral melanoma revealed that the cancer subtype encompasses three groups that may each have distinct gene expressions associated with different survival outcomes, according to findings published in Nature. “We found that acral melanoma is not a single...
On February 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor acalabrutinib (Calquence) tablets and capsules in combination with the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax (Venclexta) for adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma...
Researchers developed a deep neural network, M-PACT, to identify and classify brain tumors in pediatric patients from the subnanogram-input cell-free DNA of methylomes, according to findings published in Nature Cancer. “This is a next-generation assay and computational framework that we’ve...
Treatment with the novel CD123-targeting antibody-drug conjugate pivekimab sunirine led to a high rate of complete and durable responses in patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), especially among patients being treated in the front-line setting. The antibody-drug...
New research highlighting the growing potential of radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPT) to improve outcomes for people with cancer was presented at the inaugural Multidisciplinary Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Symposium, which took place in Palm Desert, California, and online on February 17 and 18....
Zsofia K. Stadler, MD, has been appointed as the next Editor-in-Chief of JCO Precision Oncology (JCO PO), an ASCO journal. JCO PO is a peer-reviewed, online-only journal publishing original research, reports, opinions, and reviews that advance the science and practice of precision oncology and...
The addition of the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib and the EGFR antibody cetuximab to chemotherapy with FOLFIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and irinotecan) in the first-line treatment of BRAF V600E–mutated metastatic colorectal cancer led to a significant improvement in overall response rate—compared...
Pfizer has announced positive topline progression-free survival results from cohort 3, a separate randomized cohort of the pivotal BREAKWATER trial, evaluating encorafenib in combination with cetuximab and FOLFIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan) in patients with previously untreated...
Patients in rural areas who received surgery locally for their lung or colon cancer had comparable surgical outcomes and mortality rates to patients who underwent surgery in an urban facility, according to the results of an analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons....
In the phase III COMMIT trial, a regimen combining atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and standard chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival and response rates over atezolizumab monotherapy in patients with previously untreated mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite...
Today, Johnson & Johnson announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new, simplified monthly dosing schedule for amivantamab and hyaluronidase-lpuj (Rybrevant Faspro). When administered in combination with oral lazertinib for the first-line treatment EGFR-mutated...
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) released guidelines on front-line management of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adolescents and young adults (AYAs), as well as the management of relapsed or refractory disease in this population. Both guidelines, grounded in evidence-based practice,...
Aromatase inhibitors are a cornerstone of adjuvant therapy for hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, significantly reducing recurrence and mortality. However, by suppressing estrogen production, aromatase inhibitors can accelerate bone loss and increase fracture risk. To counter this,...
Treatment with a single injection of an oncolytic virus induces persistent T cell–mediated immunity in glioblastoma, according to findings from a trial published in Cell. “Patients with glioblastoma have not benefited from immunotherapies that have transformed patient care in other cancer types...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved drug labeling changes to six menopausal hormone therapy products, also known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), to clarify risk considerations for these drugs. Specifically, risk statements related to cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, ...
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has released clinical practice guidelines on the diagnosis of light chain (AL) amyloidosis, which were published in Blood Advances. Additionally, the expert panel behind the guidelines also published a scoping review about the clinical features of systemic...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a first-of-its-kind device for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Optune Pax, developed by Novocure, is a portable, noninvasive device that delivers alternating electrical fields, known as tumor treating...
A national survey of independent community oncology practices has found that utilization management tactics imposed by health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) delay cancer treatment, interfere with physician-directed care, and increase administrative and financial burdens on practices...
Earlier this week, 25 health-care organizations proposed that the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General adopt a new regulatory safe harbor from the Anti-Kickback Statute that would allow clinical trial sponsors to financially support patients to offset indirect or nonmedical costs...
New research published by Nikitas et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that incorporating information from prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans may be able to predict progression-free survival...
On February 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as well as pembrolizumab and the recombinant human enzyme,berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph (Keytruda Qlex) in combination with paclitaxel, with or without bevacizumab. [Pembrolizumab plus...
The first-in-human clinical trial of an in vivo CAR T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma has shown encouraging clinical outcomes at an early time point, with a safety profile and ease of administration that indicates the off-the-shelf KLN-1010 could be easily deployable, researchers from Australia...
For myelofibrosis, the treatment landscape is poised for change as new targets have emerged, and treatments are evolving beyond the standard Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. Novel therapies are being paired with the commonly used JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib, as reflected by a wealth of studies...
In patients with CALR exon 9–mutated myelofibrosis who were resistant or intolerant to prior Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor therapy or ineligible for such treatment, the first-in-class mutant calreticulin–specific monoclonal antibody INCA033989 as monotherapy or in combination with ruxolitinib...
In patients with follicular lymphoma who received at least one prior line of therapy, the combination of the bispecific antibody epcoritamab-bysp and rituximab–lenalidomide (R2) reduced the risk of disease progression or death by almost 80% over R2 alone, based on the primary analysis of the phase...
As front-line therapy, a chemotherapy-free regimen combining the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) ponatinib and the bispecific T-cell engager blinatumomab significantly outperformed standard treatment with imatinib plus chemotherapy in adults with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome–positive...
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO®) and Conexiant today announced the launch of ASCO AI in Oncology, a premier digital destination designed to help oncology professionals navigate the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer care. Launching this initiative marks...
A nationwide, real-world analysis using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD) from 2012 to 2023 evaluated over 16,000 adults who underwent esophagectomy for primary esophageal cancer to develop and validate a long-term all-cause mortality risk model. The...
In a phase III single-blind randomized clinical trial reported in JAMA Network Open, Zick et al found that self-acupressure—taught via a mobile app—provided a safe, low-cost approach for managing fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors. “In this randomized clinical trial, true self-acupressure and sham ...
For patients with previously treated multiple myeloma, the greatest risk reduction yet achieved in a phase III clinical trial was reported with the BCMA-directed CD3 T-cell engager teclistamab-cqyv plus daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj. Treatment with this combination resulted in an 83% reduction ...
Based on the phase III CLL17 trial, a fixed duration of targeted treatment demonstrated noninferiority to continuous treatment with respect to progression-free survival in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The findings were presented at the Plenary Session of...
Testing menstrual blood for human papillomavirus (HPV) could be a “robust alternative or replacement” for current cervical cancer screening by a clinician, according to findings from a Chinese study published by Tian et al in The BMJ. The researchers say using menstrual blood for HPV testing is...
The first unified, pan-tumor guideline framework has been released for how pathologists should evaluate and score response in the neoadjuvant setting. These consensus guidelines, which were a joint effort by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's (SITC) Pan-tumor Harmonization of Pathologic...
Consumption of higher quantities of ultraprocessed food was associated with increased all-cause and cancer mortality rates in cancer survivors, irrespective of the quality of their diet, according to findings published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. “These results suggest...
Breakthrough research presented at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Annual Meeting shows that additional lymph node evaluation is needed during surgery for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to accurately identify cancer spread (Abstract A-1588). Globally, surgical standards vary on the...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided communication to increase awareness of recent updates to the product labeling of capecitabine (Xeloda) and fluorouracil—indicated for colorectal, breast, gastric/esophageal/gastroesophageal, and pancreatic cancers—related to risks associated...
Exposure to Agent Orange in U.S. veterans was associated with an increased odds of developing acral melanoma compared with controls with and without cutaneous melanoma, according to findings published in JAMA Dermatology. The study authors suggested that there is a need for continued investigation ...
Colorectal metastases isolated to the liver no longer portend a universally fatal outcome. In 2024, the TransMet study1demonstrated that liver transplantation in select patients could be life-saving—thus changing the treatment paradigm—but so can surgical resection when appropriately applied....
A new European collaboration cluster, EARLYSCAN (Early Screening & Hereditary Cancer Awareness Network), has been launched to strengthen prevention and early detection strategies for heritable cancers. The cluster brings together three Horizon Europe–funded projects: SHIELD, DISARM, and...