© 2023 HSP News Service, L.L.C.
In December 2019, Robert A. Winn, MD, became the second Black physician to lead a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center when he took the helm of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center. Dr. Winn’s basic science research, which has been...
Delays in cancer screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic may have resulted in lower reported incidences of colorectal, lung, and breast cancers, reflecting potentially high rates of undiagnosed cancer and later-stage diagnoses, according to a new study published by Romatoski et al in the Journal of ...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Shankar Siva, PhD, and colleagues, long-term outcomes of the Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) 13.01 SAFRON II phase II trial showed no difference in overall survival with single-fraction vs multifraction stereotactic ablative body...
The Appalachian Community Cancer Alliance (ACCA) has launched a lung cancer screening initiative to improve cancer care in rural Appalachia. Home to nearly 26 million people, the Appalachian region includes all of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states, and it has a 10% higher cancer mortality...
In a cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Wang et al found that overall survival in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who stopped smoking prior to their cancer diagnosis was better than overall survival among those who were current smokers at the time of their diagnosis. Study ...
Investigators have found that in the majority of countries studied, the recent mortality rates for all major cancer types have decreased except for lung cancer among female patients and hepatic cancer among male patients—where increasing rates were observed in most countries, according to a novel...
Except for a ganglion cyst that had mysteriously popped up on the palm of my right hand in the winter of 2016, I appeared to be in excellent health. I had never had any serious illnesses in my then 55 years and rarely even got colds. If the annoying cyst hadn’t interfered with my normal daily...
In an article in Annals of the American Thoracic Society, James L. Mulshine, MD, of the Center for Healthy Aging, Department of Medicine, Rush University, and colleagues maintained that the high frequency of emphysema newly identified during low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening...
ASCO has updated two living guidelines on the systemic treatment of stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with and without driver alterations with the inclusion of new evidence-based treatment recommendations.1,2 Among the updates, the guidelines add the recently approved RAS GTPase family...
Amivantamab-vmjw, an EGFR and MET bispecific monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated encouraging long-term benefits and consistent efficacy in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertions, according to data presented by Pilar Garrido, MD, PhD, Associate...
Using liquid biopsies to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may soon transform treatment strategies for patients with advanced EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data presented during the European Lung Cancer Congress 2023 by lead study author Jordi Remon, MD, PhD, of...
The combination of neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy continues to demonstrate potential as a standard treatment for patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data presented during the European Lung Cancer Congress 2023.1 The 3-year update from the phase III...
The latest research on sotorasib, a targeted therapy for KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), reveals that patients may experience better quality of life while benefiting from improved clinical outcomes. Analysis of patient-reported outcomes presented during the European Lung...
Screening that reduces cancer mortality serves as a foundational element of impactful care for certain cancers. That said, harms related to screening deserve our attention—overdiagnoses; diagnostic odysseys that may be invasive, expensive, or even unintentionally harmful; overtreatment of diagnosed ...
Patients with treatment-naive resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with neoadjuvant durvalumab plus chemotherapy and adjuvant durvalumab monotherapy had improved event-free survival and pathologic complete response rates compared with those who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy...
In an analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Grace K. Dy, MD, and colleagues report 2-year outcomes of the CodeBreaK100 phase I/II trial of sotorasib in previously treated patients with KRAS G12C–mutated locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). According...
A new artificial intelligence (AI) model could help physicians diagnose lung cancer earlier, according to a study published by Hunter et al in eBioMedicine. The findings suggested that the new model may yield a diagnosis more quickly and potentially more accurately than two existing risk assessment ...
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) provided advice on the use of definitive local therapy—including radiation and surgery—to treat patients with oligometastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to new...
An interim analysis of the Neotorch study highlighted the potential of immunotherapy for the treatment of early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to data presented by Lu et al during the ASCO Plenary Series: April 2023 Session (Abstract 425126). The findings showed a significant...
Researchers have discovered that co-occurring mutations in three tumor-suppressor genes—KEAP1, SMARCA4, and CDKN2A—may be linked with poor clinical outcomes in patients with KRAS G12C–mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with the KRAS G12C inhibitors adagrasib or sotorasib,...
The yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional enhancer activator domain (TEAD) inhibitor VT3989 may have been well tolerated with durable antitumor responses in patients with advanced malignant mesothelioma as well as other NF2-mutated solid tumors, according to new findings presented by Yap et...
An analysis of lung cancer incidence rates showed wide variations among the racial and ethnic subgroups in Florida’s Black and Hispanic population, according to data presented by Cranford et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023 (Abstract 1902/8). Study...
John V. Heymach, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses phase III results from the AEGEAN trial, which showed that patients with treatment-naive, resectable, non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received neoadjuvant durvalumab plus chemotherapy and adjuvant durvalumab monotherapy had improved event-free survival and pathologic complete response, compared with those who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone. (Abstract CT005)
Treatment-naive patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received neoadjuvant durvalumab plus chemotherapy and adjuvant durvalumab monotherapy had improved event-free survival and pathologic complete response compared with those who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone,...
In a trial (MEDIASTrial) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bousema et al found that immediate lung tumor resection after negative systematic endosonography was noninferior to confirmatory mediastinoscopy in the detection of unforeseen N2 disease in patients with non–small cell lung...
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced that it has helped launch the randomized phase III Pragmatica-Lung trial examining the efficacy of ramucirumab plus pembrolizumab in treating patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The new study is one of the first NCI-supported...
When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, in 2007, I asked the physician not to tell me the type, stage, or prognosis. I was about to start nursing school and was aware enough about the disease to know that not many people survived. I’ve since discovered that I had stage 3B small cell lung cancer,...
Ella A. Kazerooni, MD, of the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, discusses reducing cancer deaths in the United States by identifying patients at risk for lung cancer. Engaging with primary care physicians and facilitating referrals are keys to a successful lung cancer screening program, she says, as is working with a nurse care coordinator.
New long-term data from the CHRYSALIS study evaluating amivantamab-vmjw in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations whose disease progressed on prior platinum-based chemotherapy were presented by Lopez et al at the 2023 European Lung Cancer...
As reported in The Lancet by Adrianus Johannes de Langen, MD, PhD, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, and colleagues, the phase III CodeBreaK200 trial has shown a small but significant improvement in progression-free survival with sotorasib vs docetaxel in previously treated advanced...
In the phase II NEOSTAR trial, adding ipilimumab to a neoadjuvant combination of nivolumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy resulted in a major pathologic response in half of all treated patients with early-stage, resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). New findings from the NEOSTAR study,...
In an article published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society, James L. Mulshine, MD, and colleagues maintained that the high frequency of emphysema newly identified during low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening presents an important opportunity to engage individuals with such ...
Ironically, I received a diagnosis of lung cancer when I was feeling my healthiest. In December 2015, when I was just 51 years old, a routine chest x-ray found a small shadow on the lower lobe of my right lung. Despite being a never-smoker, a regular exerciser, and a healthy eater, my primary care...
Patients with lung cancer who have moderate to severe depression may be two to three times more likely to have inflammation levels that predict poor survival rates, according to a new study published by Andersen et al in PLOS One. The findings may help explain why a substantial portion of patients...
Investigators have demonstrated that, despite some commonly held misperceptions, hormone therapy doesn’t increase patients’ risk of developing lung cancer—and it could help reduce the risk, according to a 16-year population-based study published by Wu et al in Menopause. The findings may help...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Marina C. Garassino, MD, and colleagues, 5-year follow-up in the phase III KEYNOTE-189 trial has shown maintained progression-free and overall survival benefits with the addition of pembrolizumab to pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy in the...
In a pooled analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Mark A. Socinski, MD, and colleagues found that patients with nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving atezolizumab who had grade 1 or 2 immune-related adverse events in clinical trials had improved overall survival vs those with no...
ASCO has updated its living guidelines for therapy for stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with and without driver alterations based on newly available evidence in the field.1,2 “Living guidelines are becoming more important as the field of oncology expands and developments occur more...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, of Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues, updated findings in the phase III ADAURA trial showed continued disease-free survival benefit with adjuvant osimertinib vs placebo after complete resection...
The widespread use of immune checkpoint inhibitors has led to significant benefits in younger patients with advanced lung cancer; however, older patients have not experienced similar survival benefits, according to research from Yale Cancer Center. The study was published in JAMA Oncology.1 “There ...
Lung cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, causing nearly 2 million deaths a year. Although treatment advances in late-stage non–small lung cancer (NSCLC) are extending survival in some patients, breakthroughs for early-stage...
As reported in The Lancet by de Langen et al, the phase III CodeBreaK 200 trial has shown a significant improvement in progression-free survival with sotorasib vs docetaxel in previously treated patients with advanced KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Study Details In the...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Nasser Altorki, MD, and colleagues, the phase III CALGB/Alliance 140503 trial showed that in respect to disease-free survival, sublobar resection was noninferior to lobar resection for patients with peripheral stage IA non–small cell lung cancer ...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Silvia Novello, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the 5-year update of the phase III KEYNOTE-407 trial showed continued overall survival and progression-free survival benefit with the addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of...
Risk model–based lung cancer screening strategies may be more cost-effective than current recommendations that are based solely on the patient’s age and smoking history, according to a new study published by Toumazis et al in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The findings also suggested that...
Researchers have found that stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) may be an effective treatment for patients with early-stage lung neuroendocrine tumors, according to a new study published by Oliver et al in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics. Background Primary...
In a study reported in JAMA Surgery, Heiden et al developed a surgical quality metric scoring system—the Veterans Affairs Lung Cancer Operative quality (VALCAN-O) score—that was associated with overall survival in U.S. veterans undergoing curative-intent surgery for early-stage non–small cell lung...
The EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib may improve rates of disease-free survival and reduce the risk of recurrence in patients with resected, EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a new exploratory analysis of the ADAURA trial published by Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD,...
In a U.S. cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Voruganti et al found that the uptake of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been associated with “modest” improvements in overall survival, particularly among older patients. As...
On January 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for adjuvant treatment following resection and platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with stage IB (T2a, ≥ 4 cm), II, or IIIA non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). KEYNOTE-091 Efficacy was evaluated in...