ASCO Annual Meeting

Patients with the relatively rare brain tumor anaplastic oligodendroglioma who were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy after standard radiation therapy had improved survival compared with radiation alone, especially if they had codeletion of chromosomes 1p/19q, according to long-term follow-up of the EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) 2651 study reported at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Chicago, IL—Two agents are vying to be the preferred option for bone protection in patients with cancer—the blockbuster drug zoledronic acid (ZA; Zometa, Reclast) and the newer drug denosumab (Prolia), which was approved last year for the prevention of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with cancer.

Chicago, IL—Results from a phase 3 clinical trial presented at a plenary session at ASCO 2011 could lead to prolonged treatment with adjuvant imatinib for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

Studies presented at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) suggest that patients with metastatic mel anoma or with non– small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)—2 disease states with very high rates of mortality—may soon have new treatment options.

Chicago, IL—A series of studies presented at this year’s ASCO annual meeting suggest that the use of unwarranted high-cost imaging procedures, a surge in the use of innovative treatment technologies, and off-label use of supportive cancer agents are helping to escalate Medicare costs, leading researchers to suggest that further regulation may be needed to rein in unnecessary expenses.

Chicago, IL—The potential of 2 novel agents still in clinical trials, and 1 drug that was recently approved, offer new hope to patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), a disease with a dire prognosis and few good current treatment options.

Chicago, IL—The “big news” in metastatic ovarian cancer presented at ASCO 2011 involved the investigational poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib, which prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) by nearly 4 months versus placebo.

Chicago, IL—A cost analysis presented at ASCO 2011 and performed at the University of Toronto, Odette Cancer Center, Ontario, showed that the emerging combination regimen that includes oxaliplatin (Eloxatin), irino tecan (Camptosar), fluorouracil (Adrucil) and leucovorin (FOLFIRINOX) is not cost-effective when considered within the framework of a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY).

Chicago, IL—The use of high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) has demonstrated a significant improvement in event-free survival in patients with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at 5 years compared with the standard regimen.

Chicago, IL—Whole genome sequencing was the topic of a session at the 2011 ASCO annual meeting in which specialists discussed the implications of “genome-forward medicine” in lung cancer.