Despite evidence that cervical cancer screening saves lives, about 8 million women aged 21 to 65 years have not been screened for cervical cancer in the past 5 years, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly ...
There has been a dramatic increase in the use of laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer. In a Medicare data study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Reames and colleagues found that use of laparoscopic colectomy varied from 0% to 66.8% across hospital referral regions in the United...
In an Italian study (Cancer-DACUS) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Napolitano et al found that patients with no residual vein thrombosis after 6 months of low–molecular weight heparin for a first episode of cancer-related deep-vein thrombosis of the lower limbs had low risk for...
In a study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Shaw et al found that crizotinib (Xalkori) produced a high response rate in patients with ROS1-rearranged non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Chromosomal rearrangements in ROS1, which encodes the proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine...
In a French analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bonastre and colleagues found that use of the 70-gene signature (MammaPrint) was unlikely to be cost-effective in deciding whether to administer adjuvant therapy in patients with node-negative breast cancer. Use of Adjuvant! Online...
Even before the next Congress is formally elected, a national group of health-care stakeholders called the Cancer Innovation Coalition (CIC) went to Capitol Hill today to call for early legislative and regulatory action in 2015 that will reinvigorate cancer innovation in the United States. The...
The Dutch and Belgian NELSON trial is assessing the effect of increasing interval low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer on lung cancer mortality. In an analysis among screened Dutch participants reported in Lancet Oncology, Horeweg and colleagues identified screen-detected...
The Dutch and Belgian NELSON trial is assessing the effect of increasing interval low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer on lung cancer mortality. In an analysis of screening test performance among Dutch participants reported in Lancet Oncology, Horeweg and colleagues found...
Biopsies were found to be the most costly tool prescribed in lung cancer diagnosis, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology (Abstract 103). The study examined the utilization rates and estimated the Medicare costs of the lung...
Patients at high-risk for developing lung cancer are more likely to receive low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening when their primary care provider is familiar with guideline recommendations for low-dose CT screening for lung cancer, according to research presented today at the 2014 Chicago...
Antibody-drug conjugates, checkpoint inhibitors, and single-dose intraoperative radiation therapy for breast cancer were included in the Cleveland Clinic's Ninth Annual Top 10 Medical Innovations List released earlier today. The list identifies those advances likely to have a major impact on...
In an analysis in the CLEOPATRA trial population reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Baselga et al found that HER2 was the only biomarker suitable for use in selecting patients for first-line pertuzumab (Perjeta)/trastuzumab (Herceptin)-based treatment in patients with HER2-positive...
Physician burnout in palliative care is higher—over 62%—than the burnout rate reported in medical oncology—45%—according to a large survey of over 1,200 hospice and palliative care clinicians. The factors contributing to professional burnout severity included younger age,...
Using genomic sequencing data on all currently known genetic alterations in breast cancer, it is possible to identify a woman’s genetic risk for the disease, and this approach can bring greater gains in disease prevention than previously estimated, according to a study reported by Sieh et al...
Age-related loss of the Y chromosome from blood cells, a frequent occurrence among elderly men, is associated with elevated risk of various cancers and earlier death, according to research presented at the American Society of Human Genetics 2014 Annual Meeting in San Diego (Abstract 295). This...
A new study shows that patients with stage I to III non–small cell lung cancer have different metabolite profiles in their blood than those of patients who are at risk but do not have lung cancer. The study abstract was released today in an online supplement to the journal CHESTand will be...
In smokers with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the relationship between KRAS mutations and NQO1 may be of future therapeutic value, according to the study findings presented by Yilmaz et al in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The researchers...
A large prospective, randomized, controlled trial investigating whether individualized genetic and environmental risk assessment of colorectal cancer susceptibility improves adherence to screening in average-risk persons, has found that the information was not enough to persuade nonadherent...
At least 14 million major medical conditions among U.S. adults aged 35 years and older were attributed to cigarette smoking by a study estimating the disease burden of cigarette smoking, which, according to the study’s authors, “remains immense.” Among current and former smokers,...
A new population-based study of close to 5,000 patients and 1,600 oncologists found that physician participation in weekly tumor board meetings was associated with improved survival for patients with stage IV colorectal cancer and stage IV/extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, but not other...
Findings from a study of more than 23,000 women suggest that the Medicare Part D Extra Help program, which provides low-income subsidies for medications, improves adherence to hormone therapy after breast cancer surgery in all racial/ethnic groups and reduces racial/ethnic disparities. The study,...
In a new study of more than 1.1 million patients who underwent surgery for the most common or fatal cancers, nearly 1 in 20 (4.8%) patients died within 1 month of the procedure. The risk of death was highest among patients who were not married, uninsured, non-white, male, older, less educated,...
Findings from a pilot study of 42 parents with advanced cancer indicate that parental status is an important factor in treatment decision-making. When asked how having children influences their treatment decisions, the majority of parents (64%) responded that being a parent motivates them to pursue ...
More women are undergoing salpingo-oophorectomy as a cancer prevention measure, but many are unaware of the potential sexual or psychological side effects of the procedure. A new study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute demonstrated that a half-day educational program can help ...
Known cancer-driving genomic aberrations in localized lung cancer appear to be so consistently present across tumors that a single biopsy of one region of the tumor is likely to identify most of them, according to a paper published by Zhang et al in Science. The study led by scientists at The...
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Schmitt et al found that adding aprepitant to granisetron and dexamethasone significantly reduced chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in myeloma patients undergoing high-dose melphalan conditioning and autologous stem cell...
In breast cancer patients under the age of 40, positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanning may provide accurate clinical staging for stage IIB and III disease, according to the study findings presented by Riedl et al in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. The utilization of...
The risk of developing cancer in a salivary gland might be higher in people with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, which are associated with breast and ovarian cancer, according to a new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital...
An investigative predictive model for lung cancer demonstrated more accuracy than the more commonly used Mayo Clinic model in prescreening lung nodules prior to resection, according to the results of a study reported by Deppen et al in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. The investigators suggested...
The molecule threonyl tRNA-synthetase may provide value as a serum diagnostic marker and a potential target of therapy for ovarian cancer, according to the results of a study reported by Wellman et al in BMC Cancer. In addition, the mortality risk was slightly reduced for patients with high...
The androgen receptor isoform encoded by splice variant 7 is constitutively active as a transcription factor, despite lacking the ligand-binding domain that is the target of enzalutamide (Xtandi) and abiraterone (Zytiga). In a study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Antonarakis et al ...
A retrospective study led by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital has found an overuse of colonoscopies for colorectal cancer screening and surveillance. The study demonstrated that endoscopists commonly recommended shorter follow-up intervals than established guidelines support, and these...
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified a biomarker adjacent to the KLK3 gene that can predict which prostate cancer patients with a Gleason score of 7 will have a more aggressive form of cancer. The findings by He et al, published in Clinical Cancer...
A new study found that the average cost to screen high-risk individuals for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT) plus the average cost of curative-intent treatment is lower than the average cost to treat advanced-stage lung cancer, which quite rarely results in a cure. The findings by ...
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Prat et al found that there was little difference in downstream gene or protein expression according to intrinsic breast cancer subtypes among clinical HER2-positive vs -negative breast cancers and that clinical HER2 status did...
Serum levels of VEGF-A and TGF-β1 may be helpful in tailoring neoadjuvant treatment regimens for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, according to research presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s (ASTRO) 56th Annual Meeting (Abstract 10). Results of...
A modeling study reported in JAMA Internal Medicine by van Hees and colleagues showed that colonoscopy screening at intervals shorter than 10 years or continuing past 75 years of age in the Medicare population is associated with a reduced net health benefit from a societal perspective. Study ...
Compared with mutations in EGFR, KRAS, or with patients with no known mutations, ALK rearrangements were independently associated with improved survival outcomes in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received radiotherapy for brain metastases, according to the results of a...
Findings from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) showed that screening high-risk individuals (smoking history of ≥ 30 pack-years) aged 55 to 74 with low-dose computed tomography (CT) vs chest radiography reduced lung cancer mortality. Following the study results, the U.S. Preventive...
Despite its acceptance as standard of care for early-stage breast cancer almost 25 years ago, barriers still exist that preclude patients from receiving breast-conserving therapy, with some still opting for a mastectomy, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center....
A large study conducted through the BC Cancer Agency in British Columbia, Canada, reports that adding family physician–signed reminder letters to the standard schedule of postcard reminders substantially improves return rates for screening among women who are overdue for such screening. In a...
A retrospective review of records at an academic cancer center in Ontario, Canada, found that referrals for genetic counseling and the rates of genetic testing performed almost doubled over the 6-month period after Angelina Jolie announced she underwent a preventive double mastectomy because she...
Although studies have shown that women with a false-positive result from mammography screening have an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life compared with women who only have negative results, a new Danish study examined how much of the excess risk was due to misclassification...
Sequencing RNA, not just DNA, could help doctors predict how prostate cancer tumors will respond to treatment, according to research published in the journal Genome Biology. Because a tumor’s RNA shows the real-time changes a treatment is causing, the authors believe that this could be a...
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations found in the circulating-free tumor DNA from the plasma of advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients correlates well with the EGFR mutations from patient-matched tumor tissue DNA, according to new data reported by Douillard et...
An international scientific collaboration led by Baylor College of Medicine as part of The Cancer Genome Atlas initiative has revealed clues about genetic alterations that may contribute to a rare form of kidney cancer. The study, which describes the landscape of somatic genomic alterations of...
Transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy is the standard for detecting prostate cancer, but international reports have suggested that the risks associated with the procedure are increasing. In a new nationwide population-based study reported in The Journal of Urology, Swedish researchers found that 6%...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, Tran et al found a low rate of colorectal cancer and a relatively high rate of postprocedure hospitalization in elderly patients undergoing surveillance colonoscopy. Study Details The study involved patients aged ≥ 50 years...
Despite advances in the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma), including the introduction of rituximab (Rituxan), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients living in low-socioeconomic-status neighborhoods have a 34% greater risk of dying from...
Despite updates on cancer screening guidelines from several medical societies—including ASCO, the American Cancer Society, the American Urological Association, the American College of Physicians, as well as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force—which use life expectancy and/or age as...