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supportive care
symptom management
breast cancer
colorectal cancer

Lindsay L. Peterson, MD, on Exercise and Cancer Outcomes

Lindsay L. Peterson, MD, of the Washington University, St. Louis, discusses the value of physical activity in improving cancer prognosis, especially for patients with breast or colon cancer. Aerobic exercises and resistance training are recommended during and after treatment. Exercise may help inhibit tumor growth, improve quality of life by decreasing fatigue and anxiety, build muscle mass, increase physical function, and reduce surgical complications and treatment delays.

Symptom Management

Olanzapine to Prevent Chemotherapy-Related Anorexia in Newly Diagnosed Patients With Advanced Cancers

In an Indian single-center study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sandhya et al found that olanzapine was associated with weight gain and improved appetite vs placebo in patients receiving chemotherapy for newly diagnosed locally advanced or metastatic gastric,...

Symptom Management
Hematologic Malignancies
Immunotherapy

CAR T-Cell Therapy May Improve Quality of Life of Patients With Hematologic Malignancies

Patients with hematologic malignancies may experience a significant improvement in their reported quality of life 6 months after receiving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, according to a new study published by Johnson et al in Blood Advances. Background Although CAR T-cell therapy...

Symptom Management

Study Assesses Prevalence, Severity, and Co-occurrence of Common Symptoms That May Be Undertreated in Patients With Cancer

Investigators have revealed the findings from an examination of the prevalence, severity, and co-occurrence of sleep disturbance, pain, physical function impairment, anxiety, depression, and low energy/fatigue (SPPADE) symptoms, as well as their association with different cancer types and patient...

Symptom Management

New Study Demonstrates Inferior Vena Cava Filters May Be Safe and Effective Way to Prevent Venous Thromboembolism

Researchers have discovered that few adverse events may be associated with the use of inferior vena cava filters to help prevent deep vein thrombosis from developing into pulmonary embolisms, according to a new study jointly published by Johnson et al in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional...

Integrative Oncology
Symptom Management

Acupuncture for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes From a Randomized Clinical Trial

Guest Editor’s Note: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common and potentially debilitating side effect of neurotoxic chemotherapy. It worsens the quality of life for many cancer survivors, with limited treatment options. In this installment of The ASCO Post’s Integrative Oncology...

Issues in Oncology
Symptom Management

Common Immune-Related Adverse Events: Spotlight on Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Toxicities

At the inaugural MD Anderson Clinical Education Symposium on Immunotherapy Organ Toxicity Management (IOTOX), a panel of experts discussed common immune-related adverse events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, including gastrointestinal (GI), hepatic, dermatologic, pulmonary, and ...

Hematologic Malignancies
Symptom Management

Axatilimab for Refractory Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease

In a phase I/II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Carrie L. Kitko, MD, and colleagues found that axatilimab, an anti–colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF-1R) antibody, produced high response rates in patients who had undergone allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and ...

Integrative Oncology
Symptom Management

Massage Therapy May Improve Symptom Burden for Pediatric Patients With Hematologic and/or Oncologic Conditions

A new study from University Hospitals (UH) Connor Whole Health found children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer or sickle cell disease treated at a pediatric academic medical center reported clinically significant reductions in pain, stress, and anxiety in response to massage therapy....

Symptom Management
Cost of Care

Study Compares the Cost and Efficacy of Anticoagulant Therapies

Research conducted by UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of Cincinnati showed that direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are more effective—and more cost-effective—than low–molecular-weight heparin for treating cancer-associated thrombosis. A study published by Gulati et al in...

Symptom Management

Patient-Reported Outcomes Study Finds Severe Symptoms in Meaningful Minority of Patients With Cancer

Routine monitoring in the real world may help to identify patients with cancer who are experiencing challenging symptoms, without significantly disrupting clinical workload, according to data presented during the 2022 ASCO Quality Care Symposium.1,2 The analysis of nearly 40,000 patient-reported...

Supportive Care
Symptom Management
Palliative Care

Does CBD Oil Improve Symptom Distress in Patients With Advanced Cancer Receiving Palliative Care?

In an Australian phase IIb trial (MedCan1-CBD) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hardy et al found that use of cannabidiol (CBD) oil did not improve symptom distress vs placebo in adult patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care. Study Details The double-blind multicenter...

Colorectal Cancer
Symptom Management

Potential Factors in Oxaliplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer

In an analysis from the phase III CALGB (Alliance)/SWOG 80702 trial of adjuvant FOLFOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) for patients with stage III colon cancer reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lee et al found that longer duration of oxaliplatin treatment was associated with ...

Geriatric Oncology
Symptom Management

Effect of Geriatric Assessment Intervention on Patient-Reported Symptomatic Toxicity in Patients Aged 70 and Older Receiving Treatment for Advanced Cancer

In a secondary analysis of the Geriatric Assessment for Patients 70 Years and Older (GAP70+) trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Eva Culakova, PhD, MS, and colleagues found that providing geriatric assessment–based recommendations to community oncologists was associated with reduced ...

Supportive Care
Symptom Management

Managing Primary Prophylactic Colony-Stimulating Factor Use in Patients Receiving Regimens Associated With Intermediate Risk for Febrile Neutropenia

In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dawn L. Hershman, MD, MS, FASCO, and colleagues found that a standing order entry (SOE) for vs an alert against use of primary prophylactic colony-stimulating factor (PP-CSF) for patients receiving first-line regimens for cancer associated...

Hematologic Malignancies
Immunotherapy
Symptom Management

Incidence of Neurologic Side Effects From CAR-T Cell Therapy Is Higher in Patients With Hypophosphatemia, Study Finds

Patients with B-cell malignancies who had hypophosphatemia experienced a higher incidence and severity of neurologic side effects from chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, according to a study by Nowicki et al published in Cancer Immunology Research. The study results imply that...

symptom management
supportive care

Sandra L. Wong, MD, on Severe Symptom Reporting in Patients With Cancer Who Have Undergone Surgery

Sandra L. Wong, MD, of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, discusses her study findings showing that when patients with cancer who have had surgery reported severe symptoms via an electronic patient-reported outcomes questionnaire at six cancer centers, it appeared to be beneficial without overtaxing clinicians. There were few strong predictors of severe symptoms, which suggests population surveillance may be preferable to targeted surveillance (Abstract 243).

Symptom Management

Ibrutinib for Pediatric Patients With Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease

On August 24, 2022, ibrutinib was approved for pediatric patients 1 year of age or older with chronic graft-vs-host disease after failure of one or more lines of systemic therapy.1 A new oral suspension formulation is available. Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings from the...

Symptom Management

Toxicity Outcomes With Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Patients With Up to Five Oligometastases

As reported in JAMA Oncology by Olson et al, the primary toxicity results of the phase II SABR-5 trial have shown a low rate of toxic effects with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for patients with up to five oligometastases. As stated by the investigators: “After the publication of the...

symptom management
issues in oncology

Dawn L. Hershman, MD, on Prophylactic Colony Stimulating Factors for Neutropenia: Improving Clinicians’ Prescribing Practices

Dawn L. Hershman, MD, of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, discusses findings that showed substantial variability in clinicians’ adherence to prescribing primary prophylactic colony stimulating factors in a pragmatic trial. Although the ability to opt out of the intervention is a feature of pragmatic trials, careful prestudy planning to estimate nonadherence is critical to ensure adequate power to detect an effect. Understanding reasons for intervention opt-outs may also inform future pragmatic studies aimed at improving adherence to practice guidelines.

Supportive Care
Symptom Management

FDA Approves Sodium Thiosulfate to Reduce the Risk of Ototoxicity Associated With Cisplatin

On September 20, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sodium thiosulfate (Pedmark) to reduce the risk of ototoxicity associated with cisplatin in pediatric patients aged 1 month and older with localized (nonmetastatic) solid tumors. Efficacy was evaluated in two multicenter,...

Immunotherapy
Symptom Management

Association of Neurofilament Light Chain Levels With ICANS Risk After CAR T-Cell Therapy

In a retrospective study reported in JAMA Oncology, Butt et al found significantly higher pretreatment neurofilament light chain levels in patients who did vs did not develop immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) after CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy....

Symptom Management

FDA Approves Eflapegrastim-xnst Injection for Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia

On September 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved eflapegrastim-xnst injection (Rolvedon)—a long-acting granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) with a novel formulation—to decrease the incidence of infection, as manifested by febrile neutropenia, in adult patients with...

Breast Cancer
Symptom Management

Postmarketing Colitis Cases May Be Associated With Alpelisib Use

In a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Sullivan et al described details of postmarketing cases of noninfectious colitis in patients with breast cancer reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that were considered possibly or probably related to alpelisib treatment. Key Findings A total of...

Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Symptom Management

Luspatercept for Anemia in Patients With Lower-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Long-Term Follow-up

In a long-term follow-up of the German phase II PACE-MDS trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Uwe Platzbecker, MD, and colleagues described erythroid, neutrophil, and platelet hematologic improvement rates with luspatercept treatment for anemia in patients with lower-risk...

Symptom Management
Supportive Care

FDA Approves Ibrutinib for Pediatric Patients With Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease

On August 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ibrutinib (Imbruvica) for pediatric patients aged at least 1 year with chronic graft-vs-host disease after failure of one or more lines of systemic therapy. Formulations include capsules, tablets, and oral suspension. iMAGINE Trial...

Immunotherapy
Symptom Management
Multiple Myeloma

Postmarketing Ocular Toxicity in U.S. Adults Treated With Daratumumab

In an analysis reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Nguyen et al identified postmarketing cases of ocular toxicity in patients receiving daratumumab in the United States. Daratumumab is a CD38-directed monoclonal antibody that was initially approved in 2015 for the treatment of multiple...

Hematologic Malignancies
Symptom Management

Momelotinib for Symptomatic and Anemic Patients With Myelofibrosis

Once-daily treatment with the oral JAK1/2 and ACVR1/ALK2 inhibitor momelotinib significantly improved outcomes of patients treated for myelofibrosis. Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, and colleagues presented results of the MOMENTUM phase III randomized study, which evaluated momelotinib vs danazol in...

Immunotherapy
Symptom Management

Incidence of Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

In a study presented at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 2508) and simultaneously reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Naqash et al identified the incidence of major adverse cardiac events among patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer as captured in the serious...

Symptom Management

Weekly Electronic Reporting of Symptoms Improved Outcomes in Patients With Advanced Cancer

People with advanced cancer who communicated their symptoms weekly using an electronic survey had about one-third better physical function and over a 15% better control of their symptoms compared to those who were evaluated less frequently via in-person clinical visits, according to findings from a ...

supportive care
symptom management

Sriram Yennu, MD, on Cancer-Related Fatigue: Is Open-Labeled Placebo an Effective Treatment?

Sriram Yennu, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the placebo response in patients with advanced cancer and cancer-related fatigue. His latest findings show that open-labeled placebo was efficacious in reducing cancer-related fatigue and improving quality of life in fatigued patients with advanced cancer at the end of 1 week. The improvement in fatigue was maintained for 4 weeks (Abstract 12006).

Prostate Cancer
Symptom Management

Adverse Events Seen With Abiraterone or Enzalutamide Among Patients With Advanced Prostate Cancer

Men taking either of the two most common oral medications for advanced prostate cancer who had also undergone hormone therapy to treat their disease were at higher risk of serious metabolic or cardiovascular issues than patients who were receiving hormone therapy alone, according to findings...

Hematologic Malignancies
Symptom Management

Narsoplimab for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation–Associated Thrombotic Microangiopathy

In a pivotal phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Samer K. Khaled, MD, and colleagues found that narsoplimab, an inhibitor of mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2, showed efficacy in the treatment of adult patients with hematopoietic stem cell...

Symptom Management

AI Model May Help Predict Adverse Events From New Drug Combinations

Preliminary data from an artificial intelligence (AI) model could potentially predict side effects resulting from new combination therapies, according to results presented by Küçükosmanoğlu et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2022 (Abstract 6312). “Clinicians ...

Symptom Management

Concordance in Symptomatic Adverse Event Reporting by Children, Clinicians, and Caregivers

In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, David R. Freyer, DO, MS, and colleagues found that clinicians consistently undergraded—and caregivers frequently overgraded—the severity of adverse events experienced by children with cancer. Study Details The study included 438...

Lymphoma
Immunotherapy
Symptom Management

Early Intrathecal Therapy for High-Grade ICANS in Patients Receiving CAR T-Cell Therapy

In a single-institution retrospective review reported in JAMA Oncology, Zurko et al found that early intrathecal therapy with hydrocortisone with or without intrathecal chemotherapy was effective in treating grade ≥ 3 immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) in patients...

Gynecologic Cancers
Symptom Management

Web-Based Intervention to Manage Symptoms and Quality of Life in Women With Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

In an NRG Oncology/GOG study (GOG-0259) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Donovan et al found that both nurse-led (Nurse-WRITE) and self-directed (SD-WRITE) Web-based symptom self-management interventions (WRITE Symptoms) improved symptom control vs enhanced usual care alone in women...

Supportive Care
Symptom Management
Immunotherapy

Differences in Risk of Severe Adverse Events in Women vs Men Receiving Immunotherapy, Targeted Therapy, or Chemotherapy in Cancer Clinical Trials

In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Joseph M. Unger, PhD, and colleagues found that women in clinical trials of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy had a significantly greater risk for severe adverse events overall—and, particularly, with immunotherapy. As stated...

Supportive Care
Symptom Management

Study Finds Direct Oral Anticoagulants Significantly Decrease Recurrent Venous Thrombosis for Adult Patients With Cancer

Direct oral anticoagulants should be considered the standard of care to treat adult patients with cancer-associated thrombosis, according to a new, ongoing study by Mayo Clinic researchers published by Riaz et al in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The report examined the results of four randomized...

CNS Cancers
Supportive Care
Symptom Management

Does Armodafinil Improve Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With High-Grade Glioma?

In a phase III trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Porter et al found that armodafinil, a psychostimulant, did not improve cancer-related fatigue vs placebo in adult patients with high-grade glioma. As stated by the investigators, “Nearly 96% of patients with high-grade glioma report...

Breast Cancer
Supportive Care
Symptom Management

Study Examines Rates of Lymphedema in Black and White Patients With Breast Cancer

Black women had a 3.85-fold increased risk of developing lymphedema following treatment for breast cancer compared to White women, according to the results from a study by Barrio et al being presented at the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (Abstract GS4-01). In addition, the researchers...

Symptom Management
Supportive Care

Fosnetupitant vs Fosaprepitant for Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting

In a Japanese phase III noninferiority trial (CONSOLE) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hata et al found that fosnetupitant was noninferior to fosaprepitant in preventing nausea and vomiting in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (both in combination with palonosetron and ...

Symptom Management

Digital Symptom Monitoring System May Improve Patients’ Symptom Control and Physical Function During Cancer Therapy

A digital symptom monitoring system in which patients undergoing cancer treatment could report symptoms through weekly at-home surveys resulted in better symptom control and physical function, as well as improved communication with their medical team, according to results from a study by Basch et...

breast cancer
immunotherapy
symptom management

Youssef Zeidan, MD, PhD, on HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Treatment-Related Cardiotoxicity

Youssef Zeidan, MD, PhD, of Florida International University and the Lynn Cancer Institute, discusses the advances in radiotherapy planning and delivery that have reduced cardiac radiation exposure in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who are treated with radiotherapy and trastuzumab (Abstract 12).

Symptom Management

Ruxolitinib for Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease After Failure of Systemic Therapy

On September 22, 2021, ruxolitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of JAK1 and JAK2 was granted approval for treatment of chronic graft-vs-host disease after failure of one or two lines of systemic therapy in adult and pediatric patients aged ≥ 12 years.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was...

Issues in Oncology
Symptom Management

Pharmacovigilance Study of Pancytopenia in Patients Receiving PARP Inhibitors

In a study reported in a research letter in JAMA Oncology, Morice et al found that pancytopenia was associated with use of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors for cancer treatment, according to drug adverse event reports in the World Health Organization global pharmacovigilance database...

Geriatric Oncology
Symptom Management

Effect of Geriatric Assessment–Driven Intervention on Incidence of Severe Chemotherapy-Related Toxicity in Older Patients With Cancer

In a single-center study reported in JAMA Oncology, Daneng Li, MD, and colleagues found that a geriatric assessment–driven intervention (GAIN) was associated with a reduced incidence of grade ≥ 3 adverse events and a higher frequency of completion of advance directives vs standard of care among...

Hematologic Malignancies
Symptom Management

Ruxolitinib Granted FDA Approval for Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease

On September 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ruxolitinib (Jakafi), a JAK inhibitor, for the treatment of chronic graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) after failure of one or two lines of systemic therapy in adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older. REACH3 Efficacy was...

Immunotherapy
Symptom Management

Technology-Enabled Monitoring of Adverse Reactions to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

In an interim analysis of a single-institution study reported in JAMA Network Open, Pavlos Msaouel, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that the use of a mobile device application for patient reporting of adverse reactions to immune checkpoint inhibition was feasible. It permitted identification of...

Breast Cancer
Symptom Management

Pharmacologic Cardioprotection in Women With Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer Receiving Anthracycline-Based Chemotherapy

In an interim analysis of the Italian phase III SAFE trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Livi et al found that a cardioprotective strategy using ramipril and/or bisoprolol reduced the risk of myocardial dysfunction in women with nonmetastatic breast cancer receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy....

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