Results from the randomized international phase III TOPAZ-1 trial showed that the checkpoint immunotherapy durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine and cisplatin significantly improved overall survival in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer compared to patients who received a placebo plus the chemotherapy drugs. Biliary tract cancer is classified as a rare disease comprised primarily of bile duct and gallbladder cancers.

In many areas of the United States, the healthcare system is facing critical workforce shortages. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) encourages public health officials and healthcare facilities to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for managing healthcare personnel with SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure to SARS-CoV-2. These guidelines allow for different levels of restrictions on staffing based on the level of shortages being experienced. However, in making these decisions, ASCO strongly encourages institutions and public health agencies to recognize the greater risk of infection and adverse outcomes that immune-suppressed individuals, including many patients with cancer, face from SARS-CoV-2 and to make decisions about staffing for the care of those individuals with thoughtful consideration of that greater risk. Unless no alternative exists, COVID-19 positive health workers, even if asymptomatic, should not be assigned to care for patients with cancer

Alexandria, VA -- ASCO has elected Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, FASCO, a long-time member and volunteer, to serve as its President beginning in June 2023. Dr. Schuchter will take office as President-Elect immediately after the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago in June 2022. Seven new members were also elected to the ASCO Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. This is the first ASCO election to take place under the recently amended Bylaws that were approved by the members last year. These amendments were designed to increase diversity and representation among ASCO elected leaders and have resulted in one of the most diverse groups of incoming Board and Nominating Committee members in ASCO history.

Building on its long history of advancing health equity in cancer care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today released, “The ASCO Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan: A Legacy of Commitment, A Future of Promise for Individuals with Cancer.” The plan, which was approved earlier this year by ASCO’s Board of Directors, aims to infuse equity into all of the organization’s activities, with the goal of making meaningful progress that improves the quality of cancer care.

The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) calls on Congress to pass legislation that will prevent devastating reimbursement cuts to Medicare services set to begin on January 1. Failure to do so will significantly compromise patient access to lifesaving cancer care during an ongoing and unprecedented pandemic. 

The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) congratulates Dr. Francis Collins on his long and impactful tenure as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).