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The soaring number of cancer survivors since the National Cancer Act of 1971 was enacted into law provides a snapshot of the profound progress made against cancer over the past half-century: 3 million survivors in the 1970s,1 compared to more than 18 million today, and that number is expected to...
On December 4, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to the HER2 × HER3 bispecific antibody zenocutuzumab-zbco (Bizengri) for adults with the following types of lung and pancreatic cancers: advanced, unresectable, or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...
New research may expand on existing evidence that a healthy diet may protect against gastrointestinal cancers and improve disease outcomes, according to a recent study published by Abebe et al in the European Journal of Nutrition. Background Gastrointestinal cancers including esophageal, gastric,...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) introduced expanded NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) to account for the advanced understanding of hereditary cancer risk in breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.1 “The recently updated NCCN Guidelines for ...
In a meta-analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, Mastrantoni et al identified first-line chemotherapy regimens associated with better outcomes in patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Study Details The Bayesian network analysis included 79 randomized controlled...
A recent analysis of pancreatic cancer data in young adults (aged 15–39) has found that although there is an increase in incidence, the mortality rate remains stable. According to Patel et al, who published their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the rise in incidence is primarily due to ...
The studies summarized below were reported online over the past month in The ASCO Post, generating a high number of visitors. For comprehensive news of these studies and more, visit ASCOPost.com. Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Phase III KEYNOTE-522 The phase III KEYNOTE-522 trial has...
A common mutation in the KRAS gene seems to be associated with improved overall survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma compared with other variants, in part because the mutation appears to lead to less invasiveness and weaker biological activity, according to a recent study published in...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Habib et al found that adjuvant chemotherapy benefited some groups of patients with resected intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN)-derived pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), but that overtreatment and...
Staging may be inaccurate in up to 80% of patients with early pancreatic cancer, according to a recent study published by Perrotta et al in JAMA. The findings underscored the need for advancements in diagnostic technology and staging, which may help to improve early pancreatic cancer treatment and...
Investigators have found that administering fluorouracil (5-FU) through continuous infusion and omitting the bolus component in patients undergoing commonly used treatment regimens targeting metastatic gastrointestinal cancers may improve tolerability without reducing treatment efficacy or...
Early-stage research demonstrated the synergistic effects of a novel nanoparticle drug–delivery system to activate an immune pathway in combination with tumor-targeting agents in mice with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, according to a preclinical study published by Chibaya et al in Science...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Philip et al found that the phase III AVENGER 500 study showed no overall survival benefit with devimistat plus modified fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, and leucovorin (mFFX) vs FFX in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. As...
Researchers have demonstrated that adding metastasis-directed radiation therapy to standard-of-care chemotherapy may improve progression-free survival in patients with oligometastatic pancreatic cancer, according to a recent study published by Ludmir et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and...
The results of routine blood tests could be used to speed up cancer diagnoses among patients with abdominal symptoms, according to a recent study published by Rafiq et al in PLOS Medicine. Background Most patients who report symptoms of abdominal pain or bloating to their physicians are referred...
In a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Lawrence et al found that celiac plexus radiosurgery showed promise in the alleviation of retroperitoneal pain syndrome in patients with pancreatic cancer or other tumors involving the celiac axis. Study Details Between January 2018 and December...
In a study reported in JAMA Oncology, Blackford et al found that surveillance of individuals at high risk for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma allowed for detection of earlier-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma—with improved survival—compared with matched pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma...
In a Dutch single-center phase I/II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, van ‘t Land et al found that adjuvant autologous dendritic cell vaccination was associated with promising recurrence-free survival in patients who had undergone resection and standard-of-care treatments for...
Administering chemotherapy prior to and following surgery may extend survival in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma compared with postoperative administration alone, according to a recent study published by Cecchini et al in JAMA Oncology. The findings may be encouraging for the 15% to...
In a European phase Ib/II study (OPTIMIZE-1) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Jean-Luc Van Laethem, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of the CD40 agonist antibody mitazalimab with mFOLFIRINOX (modified fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) showed activity in previously...
Researchers have examined whether adding chemoradiation to adjuvant systemic therapy may improve survival outcomes in patients with resected periampullary pancreatic adenocarcinoma, according to recent findings presented by Abrams et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 4005). Study Methods ...
Efrat Dotan, MD, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses results from the phase II EA2186 trial, the first prospective study aiming to define the optimal treatment approach for vulnerable older adults with newly diagnosed metastatic pancreatic cancer (Abstract 4003).
Belinda Lee, MBBS, of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Northern Health, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, discusses findings from the AGITG DYNAMIC-Pancreas trial on the potential role of serial circulating tumor DNA testing after upfront surgery to guide adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage disease (Abstract 107).
Investigators found that fragmented care may be more prevalent among patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who receive single-modality neoadjuvant therapy compared with those who receive total neoadjuvant therapy, according to findings presented by Taylor et al during Digestive Disease Week (DDW) ...
An investigational noninvasive exosome-based liquid biopsy shows potential for early detection of pancreatic cancer, an important unmet need, according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024.1 When combined with the biomarker CA 19-9, the...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) in 1996, covering eight tumor types. Currently, guidelines are available for more than 60 tumor types, subtypes, and related topics. The NCCN’s 29th Annual Conference...
Researchers have identified a novel strategy to screen for pancreatic cancer in high-risk patients, according to a recent study published by Zogopoulos et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The findings demonstrated the feasibility of improving the early detection and ...
An investigational exosome-based liquid biopsy accurately detected 97% of stage I to II pancreatic cancers when combined with the biomarker CA 19-9, according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 (Abstract 3899). “Pancreatic cancer is one...
An adjuvant treatment regimen that included autogene cevumeran, an investigational individualized neoantigen-specific mRNA vaccine, induced durable and functional T-cell responses that were associated with a reduced risk of disease recurrence in certain patients with resectable pancreatic cancer,...
In a single-center phase I/II study (LOKON001) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Musher et al found that treatment with an oncolytic virus–based immunostimulatory gene therapy (LOAd703) plus chemotherapy was feasible and safe in patients with unresectable or metastatic pancreatic ductal...
On February 13, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved liposomal irinotecan (Onivyde) for use with oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin in the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on the open-label NAPOLI 3...
Researchers have found that ablative stereotactic magnetic resonance (MR)-guided adaptive radiation therapy may improve local control and overall survival in patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, according to a recent study published by Chuong et ...
In a Trans-Atlantic Pancreatic Surgery Consortium study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dekker et al found that the “ABC” clinical staging system could be used to differentiate overall survival outcomes in patients with localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Study Details The...
On February 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved irinotecan liposome (Onivyde) with oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin for the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. NAPOLI-3 Efficacy was evaluated in NAPOLI-3 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
Jennifer Yon-Li Wo, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the local failure rate of non-ablative hypofractionated radiation therapy in combination with the immune checkpoint inhibitors ipilimumab and nivolumab compared to ablative SBRT to treat metastatic microsatellite-stable colorectal and pancreatic cancers as a secondary analysis of four prospective trials. Dr. Wo and her team found that, despite using nearly half the radiation dose in those who received immunotherapy, there was no significant difference in local failure rates (Abstract 752).
Frank Kullmann, MD, of Germany’s Klinikum Weiden, discusses results from the ALPACA trial, which suggest a dose-reduced regimen with alternating cycles of gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine monotherapy after three induction cycles of standard gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel is feasible and associated with an overall survival comparable to that with standard treatment, as well as improved tolerability (Abstract 605).
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by De La Fouchardière et al, the French phase III GEMPAX trial showed no overall survival benefit with second-line gemcitabine/paclitaxel vs gemcitabine alone after FOLFIRINOX (fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) in patients with metastatic...
The novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based Molecular Twin Precision Oncology Platform may be capable of identifying biomarkers that may outperform the standard test for predicting pancreatic cancer survival, according to a recent study published by Osipov et al in Nature Cancer. Background...
Editor’s note: On publication of this news item reporting on a paper by Dr. Cullen Taniguchi and colleagues, The ASCO Post learned of Dr. Taniguchi’s untimely death on November 14, 2023. To read about the remarkable life and career of Dr. Taniguchi, please visit gsbs.uth.edu. In a phase Ib/II trial ...
A novel vaccine may be effective at preventing relapse in patients with KRAS-mutated pancreatic and colorectal cancers, according to a recent study published by Pant et al in Nature Medicine. Background KRAS-mutated cancers make up about 25% of all solid tumors, including 90% of pancreatic cancer...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, de la Fuente et al found that the risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with Fukuoka criteria–negative intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (F-N IPMNs) did not differ from that in patients without IPMNs. In addition, the small...
Researchers have developed a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based Cancer Survival Calculator for estimating long-term survival in patients with newly diagnosed cancer, according to new findings presented by Janczewski et al at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2023....
As reported in The Lancet by Zev A. Wainberg, MD, and colleagues, the phase III NAPOLI-3 trial has shown a modest but significant improvement in overall survival with first-line NALIRIFOX (liposomal irinotecan, oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil) vs nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine in patients ...
In the Chinese phase III NOTABLE trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Shukui Qin, MD, and colleagues examined the addition of the EGFR inhibitor nimotuzumab to gemcitabine in patients with KRAS wild-type locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Study Details In the...
My intuition about my health has served me well over the past 10 years, possibly even saving my life from two serious cancers. In 2013, I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma. I believe that my awareness of changes in my body led to its early discovery. One evening, after exercising at the gym...
Improving hospital care pathways may help reduce inpatient opioid use by 50% and cut the median opioid prescription volumes at discharge to zero in patients undergoing pancreatic cancer surgery, according to a recent study published by Boyev et al in JAMA Surgery. The new findings could help reduce ...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Mandelker et al found that pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma was associated with a high prevalence of BRCA2 germline pathogenic variants and genomic features of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). The study involved somatic and germline ...
An interim analysis of the CABINET trial has shown that the phase III pivotal trial has met its primary endpoint, according to a press release from the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. Cabozantinib demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in...
Patients with pancreatic cancer who were treated with the benzodiazepine lorazepam had shorter progression-free survival periods than patients who were not, according to study results published by Cornwell et al in Clinical Cancer Research. In contrast, patients who were treated with the...
Pancreatic cancer has the poorest 5-year survival rate (12.5%) relative to all other cancers. In 2023, about 64,050 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and approximately 50,550 will die of the disease. A retrospective study investigating the impact of palliative care medicine on the...