Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to zongertinib (Hernexeos), a kinase inhibitor, for adults with unresectable or metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have HER2 tyrosine kinase domain (TKD)–activating mutations, as...
A retrospective cohort study published in JAMA Network Open found glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists to be associated with lower all-cause mortality than dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, with no significant difference from sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, ...
Based on the results of a cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, smoking worsened both cancer symptom burden and severity. However, Rieth et al noted that oncologic surgery may present a unique teachable moment for smoking cessation, as patients appeared to be highly motivated to quit. The...
For patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, chemotherapy can sometimes cause severe, even life-threatening side effects in those who carry certain genetic variants that may impact how their bodies process the drugs used to treat their disease. Testing for variants in two genes before starting...
In a cross-sectional study reported in JAMA Network Open, Abel et al found that higher rates of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and a higher annual volume of cytoreductive surgery were associated with better survival outcomes in patients treated at Commission on Cancer–accredited cancer programs in ...
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have developed a blood test that may alter the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple myeloma and its precursor conditions. The new method, known as SWIFT-seq, uses single-cell sequencing to profile circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood, offering a...
Researchers have identified age-, sex-, and race-related disparities around treatment with hypomethylating agents for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes in the United States. The receipt of hypomethylating agents was found to favor younger, male, White patients, according to findings published ...
In an interim analysis of a Japanese phase II/III trial (GENERATE, JCOG1611) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ohba et al compared the survival benefit of mFOLFIRINOX (modified fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, oxaliplatin) or S-IROX (S-1, irinotecan, oxaliplatin) vs nab-paclitaxel...
In a phase III trial (EPIK-O/ENGOT-ov61) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Konstantinopoulos et al compared the survival outcomes of alpelisib plus olaparib vs single-agent chemotherapy in patients with platinum-resistant or -refractory high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) with no...
In patients with small cell lung cancer, second-line treatment with the bispecific T-cell engager tarlatamab-dlle (which targets the delta-like ligand 3 [DLL3]) vs standard-of-care chemotherapy appeared to significantly improve overall survival, progression-free survival, and patient-reported...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to dordaviprone (Modeyso) a protease activator, for adult and pediatric patients aged 1 year and older with diffuse midline glioma harboring an H3 K27M mutation who have progressive disease after prior therapy. This...
Genetic testing may be the only way to differentiate between common and more rare subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) to prevent misdiagnoses, according to the results of a study published in Human Pathology. Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma (MTSCC) was found to share many...
In an Australian–New Zealand phase II trial (MoST-CIRCUIT) reported in JAMA Oncology, Gao et al found that the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab showed “encouraging activity” in patients with advanced ovarian and endometrial clear cell cancers. Study Details Twenty-eight patients with...
It has been widely reported that colorectal cancer incidence has been increasing among younger adults under age 50 since the mid-1990s, with a consistent annual increase of 2% among adults aged 20 to 39. This increase prompted the American Cancer Society (ACS), in 2018, and the United States...
The aging population is rapidly growing, with the number of older adults rising steadily each year. In the 1980s, experts predicted a rise in the number of older patients with cancer, yet we were unprepared. The shortage of oncologists, along with many experienced clinicians retiring early, has...
ASCO has announced the launch of ASCO Edge, an online oncology practice and operations management educational series developed by oncology professionals for oncology professionals. ASCO Edge is a member-only benefit that will provide ASCO members with education and tools to effectively manage the...
Immunoglobulin replacement therapy did not lead to a reduction in the risk for serious infections leading to hospitalizations for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to the results of a real-world Australian cohort study published in Blood Advances. This finding is at odds...
A recent study published by Menta et al in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology found that many people misunderstand how common skin, hair, and nail side effects are during cancer treatment—and those fears may lead some to avoid or delay care. Conducted by researchers at the George Washington...
A collaborative study between Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute found that 8.9% of children with glioma, the most common type of pediatric brain tumor, have alterations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) family of proteins, and these gliomas may be sensitive to...
In a UK phase II trial (NEPTUNES) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Leone et al evaluated the efficacy of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in previously treated patients with immunogenic signature–positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Study Details The multicenter...
Guest Editor’s Note: Ayurveda, the traditional medical system that originated in India, focuses on improving overall well-being through self-care, diet, and herbal formulations. There is a growing patient interest in using Ayurveda for symptom control and to improve quality of life. In this...
Greater consumption of ultraprocessed food is associated with an increased risk of developing either small cell or non–small cell lung cancer, according to findings published in Thorax. "Over the past 2 decades, the consumption of ultraprocessed food has significantly increased worldwide,...
The true upside of the many advances in cancer treatment is clear. Approximately 18.6 million people in the United States have a history of cancer, and the number of cancer survivors is expected to exceed 22 million by the year 2035.1However, one downside affecting many of these individuals is the...
As reported in JAMA Oncology by Rini et al, the National Cancer Institute COVID-19 in Cancer Patients Study (NCCAPS) has identified outcomes associated with COVID-19 in patients with cancer. Study Details Between May 2020 and February 2022, the study enrolled adult patients from sites participating ...
Patients classified with "grade group 1" prostate cancer face a wide range of long-term outcomes, according to findings from a study published in JAMA Oncology. Investigators revealed that as many as one in six men with grade group 1 prostate cancers have intermediate- or high-risk disease when...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Hoogendijk et al, the EUROCARE-6 population-based study has provided long-term survival rates and cure fraction estimates for pediatric patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumors across 31 European countries. Study Details The study involved data from...
New research out of Spain has shown that patients with cancer who had lower levels of the biomarker CD69 (receptor on T cells) before starting treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) had a more negative immune response and were at higher risk of cardiovascular damage and myocarditis.1...
The randomized phase III C-POST trial attempted to learn whether the standard-of-care treatment in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma—cemiplimab-rwlc, which blocks the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway—could reduce recurrence after definitive local therapy for patients who had high-risk features....
Arvind N. Dasari, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses data presented at the ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress 2025, which showed that adding circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing to current standard of care surveillance for patients with colorectal cancer...
Circulating tumor DNA has many roles in cancer treatment: early diagnosis, tumor profiling, determining response to therapy, and tracking clinical dynamics. In this video, Arvind N. Dasari, MD, MS, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, focuses on it as a marker for measurable...
Based on the results of an analysis reported in JAMA Network Open by Zhang et al, preexisting depression is associated with an increased risk of mortality from prostate cancer. The investigators commented, “Approximately one in six patients with prostate cancer experience major depression, a...
In a phase II study (ENGOT-OV60/GOG-3052/RAMP 201) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Banerjee et al evaluated the efficacy and safety of the RAF/MEK clamp avutometinib in combination with the FAK inhibitor defactinib in patients with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer. Study...
Updated clinical guidelines for the management of patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) recommend use of more minimally invasive procedures and methods where possible. The guidelines, published in the journal CHEST,...
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the global nonprofit in funding blood cancer research, patient support, and advocacy, is becoming Blood Cancer United on August 28, in advance of Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September. For more than 75 years, LLS has been committed to reaching and...
Earlier this year, the first interim analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-689 trial showed that the use of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as part of a perioperative treatment regimen with standard-of-care surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy (with or without cisplatin alone) improved event-free...
Cannabis use disorder was associated with at least a threefold increase in the risk for developing oral cancer over 5 years compared with those without cannabis use disorder, according to findings from a multicenter clinical cohort analysis published in Preventive Medicine Reports. “Cannabis smoke ...
The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has released a best practice guideline addressing cancer in pregnancy, a condition with limited data and complex diagnostic challenges. This new guidance—published by Nanda et al in the International Journal of Gynecology &...
A cross-sectional study of cancer drug indications granted accelerated approval, which was published in JAMA Network Open, found that prescribing increased more after accelerated approval than after conversion to regular approval. Parikh et al also noted that off-label prescribing after accelerated ...
In an Australian phase II trial (De-Squamate) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ladwa et al found that the use of pembrolizumab produced a high rate of clinical or pathologic complete response in patients with resectable cutaneous squamous cell cancer (cSCC), suggesting the potential to ...
Large language models (LLMs) can be trained to understand how each patient’s somatic mutations impact their cancer prognosis and possible response to therapy, according to a presentation at the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. John-William...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. In this installment, Syed Ali Abutalib, MD, and L. Jeffrey Medeiros, MD, explore the impact of the prognostic marker RUNX1::RUX1T1 fusion on the diagnosis and treatment of...
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–cleared artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm was able to detect and correctly localize almost one-third of interval breast cancers in a retrospective evaluation of screening digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), findings published in Radiology showed. The...
Globally, three in five liver cancer cases may be due to preventable risk factors, and obesity-linked cases of the disease are on the rise, according to findings from The Lancet Commission on hepatocellular carcinoma. The majority of liver cancer cases could be prevented by reducing levels of viral ...
As reported in The Lancet by Fizazi et al, the final overall survival analysis in the homologous recombination repair (HRR)-deficient metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cohort of the phase III TALAPRO-2 trial showed a significant benefit with the addition of talazoparib to...
As reported in The Lancet by Agarwal et al, the final overall survival analysis of the phase III TALAPRO-2 trial showed that the addition of talazoparib to enzalutamide resulted in a significant benefit in a cohort of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) unselected...
The PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab in combination with an induction chemoradiotherapy regimen free of concurrent cisplatin demonstrated noninferior efficacy and superior safety compared with the same regimen plus concurrent cisplatin in patients with high-risk, locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal...
In an analysis from the German phase III ESOPEC trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hoeppner et al found that perioperative chemotherapy reduced distant recurrence vs preoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with nonmetastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma. The primary analysis of the ...