January 21, 2020

A retrospective analysis of 26,768 young adults age 40 and under found that those who live in areas with lower income (less than $38,000) and lower education (under 79% high school graduation rate), as well as those who live in urban areas, had worse outcomes and a higher risk of death.

January 21, 2020

Patient-reported outcomes from two large studies show that quality of life is maintained longer with newer drug combinations compared with standard of care for the treatment of patients with a specific type of colorectal cancer and unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

October 22, 2019

A new study from the Levine Cancer Institute finds that patients with cancer who report higher levels of anxiety and depression experience more intense pain associated with their diseases. Furthermore, patients with higher social support report lower levels of pain.

October 22, 2019

A new study finds that oncology massage therapy can provide symptomatic relief for a common and difficult-to-treat side effect of cancer treatment. Patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) experience a sustained reduction in lower extremity pain up to six weeks after completion of massage treatment when they received an intensive therapy schedule of three massages per week. These findings will be presented at the upcoming 2019 Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium in San Francisco, CA.

October 22, 2019

An analysis of Medicare claims data found that African American and Hispanic patients who underwent surgical removal of the pancreas for pancreatic cancer were less likely than white patients to use hospice services at the end of life, though all groups were just as likely to use hospice late, meaning initiation within 3 days of death.

October 10, 2019

Two blood tests show promise as screening tools to identify patients with cancer of different types and across different stages. Results from the two approaches will be presented at the ASCO Breakthrough meeting October 11-13, 2019 in Bangkok. While the technology and science behind the two tests to be presented are complex, the concept is simple. Collect a blood sample. Screen it for cancer. Detect and diagnose cancer at an earlier stage.

October 10, 2019

Genetic information could help identify patients likely to respond to radiation therapy and predict when disease recurrence following radiation is likely to occur.

September 3, 2019

Two studies examine different issues related to patient participation in clinical trials. One study investigates the relationship between participation in a clinical trial and overall survival in patients with advanced lung cancer. The second study discovers and explores a discrepancy between providers’ and patients’ perceived barriers to clinical trial participation. Authors will present their findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) upcoming Quality Care Symposium, taking place September 6–7, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego.

September 3, 2019

Drug costs and requirements for prior authorization of treatment plans pose barriers to cancer treatment and can potentially affect outcomes for many patients, according to two studies that will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) upcoming Quality Care Symposium, taking place September 6-7, 2019, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego.

June 3, 2019

CHICAGO – The randomized OSLO-COMET trial found that laparoscopic surgery did not change chances of survival, when compared to open surgery, to remove metastases that had spread to the liver in patients with colorectal cancer. Overall, patients lived more than 6.5 years after surgery, regardless of whether it was laparoscopic or open.

The study will be featured in a press briefing today and presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

June 3, 2019

CHICAGO – A study looking at 10,500 health records of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) patients from ASCO’s CancerLinQ database found that the use of expanded clinical trial inclusion criteria, as proposed by ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research in 2017, would nearly double the percentage of patients eligible to enroll in clinical trials – from 52.3% to 98.5%. The expanded clinical trial eligibility criteria would allow aNSCLC patients with brain metastases, previous or concurrent cancers, and limited kidney function to enroll in clinical trials.

The study will be featured in a press briefing today and presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

 

June 3, 2019

CHICAGO – A single arm, phase II clinical trial of 125 patients showed treatment with enfortumab vedotin (EV) – a new agent targeting Nectin-4, a protein found in 97% of urothelial cancers – produced responses in 44% of patients with locally advanced or metastatic forms of urothelial cancer. Patients had previously been treated with platinum chemotherapy and a PD-1 or PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, but the cancer had progressed despite these treatments.

The study will be featured in a press briefing today and presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

June 3, 2019

CHICAGO – A recent survey of U.S.-based physician members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology found that 64% of respondents experienced sexual harassment in training or practice; among women, the rate was 71% and among men it was 51%. Only 10% reported the incident(s) to officials. In addition, women were more likely than men to respond that gender affected career advancement (34% vs. 10%) and played a role in setting their salary (42% vs. 6%).

The study will be featured in a press briefing today and presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

June 2, 2019

A new study analyzing demographic statistics from the National Cancer Database identified multiple socio-economic factors, including private insurance, living in a regionally higher-income area, and receiving treatment in certain practice settings as being associated with longer survival for patients with multiple myeloma. Furthermore, researchers found that neither race (black or white) nor gender had a significant impact on survival.

June 2, 2019

CHICAGO – Previous racial disparities in timely cancer treatment between African American and white patients practically disappeared in states where Medicaid access was expanded under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a new analysis of electronic health records of over 30,000 patients. The study, based on data from Flatiron Health, also found that after Medicaid expansion African American patients had the greatest rate of improvement in receiving care within 30 days of diagnosis as compared with white patients.

These findings will be presented in ASCO’s Plenary Session, which features four studies of great importance to patient care, out of the 5,600 abstracts accepted to the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

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