Journal Of Clinical Oncology (jco) Podcast

This is an oral commentary on patients with endometrial or rectal cancer, and their risk of developing second malignancies with or without radiation.

In a randomized RTOG study of chemotherapy concurrent with accelerated vs standard fractionated radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, it was found that patients treated in institutions who accrued a large number of patients had better outcomes compared with those treated at low-volume institutions, highlighting the importance of referring patients with advanced cancer to high-volume centers.

This four-arm randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in cancer patients confirmed its effectiveness but did not demonstrate benefit from the addition of a daytime wakefulness-promoting agent.

This podcast reviews the available data from clinical trials using cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition with chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer and provides a perspective on patient selection and future directions.

This podcast is a review of the submitted article by Dr. Wentzensen and colleagues regarding multiple cervical biopsies at the time of colposcopy and the implications for the management of cervical dysplasia.

A secondary analysis of a multicenter randomized trial suggests that the R-ACVBP regimen may improve outcomes in younger patients with the non-germinal center B-cell subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Modifying therapy based upon positive DTCs in breast cancer.

NCIC SC.20 demonstrates that a second course of radiation for painful osseous metastases significantly improves patients quality of life and function.

Long-term follow up from the landmark, NCI-sponsored adjuvant trastuzumab trials confirms the clinical benefits and clinical safety of this important therapy.

This podcast provides a commentary on the association of braf mutation and thyroid cancer showing an increase risk of recurrence in patients with thyroid cancer that harbor this mutation.

In this podcast, the results of the S0008 adjuvant intergroup trial are discussed and placed in the context of current advances in melanoma treatment.

This is a prospective study of proton radiotherapy for rhabdomyosarcoma showing equivalent efficacy with photon treatment.

Tailoring treatment in intermediate-risk pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma is feasible using an early response-based assessment for the omission of radiotherapy.

Given the high rate of unplanned hospitalizations in older cancer patients, multidisciplinary care is needed for outcomes improvement.

Minimal residual disease monitoring has been very helpful in early response evaluation and risk stratification of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This podcast discusses the pros and cons of extended MRD monitoring throughout the duration of therapy for childhood ALL.

This podcast describes the report of a cohort of Chinese patients with known prior hepatitis B exposure, receiving rituximab as part of their therapy for lymphoma. The podcast includes a summary of the trial and discussion of the finding that while reactivation of hepatitis B is common in this population, if treatment with antivirals is started soon after the detection of a positive viral load, then pathology related to hepatitis B can be avoided.

In this paper, the authors demonstrate that only a very small percentage of patients from 2 large, prospective cohorts developed recurrent diffuse large B-cell lymphoma detected solely on post remission imaging. In addition, the overall survival of these patients was not different from that of patients who presented with symptoms or findings on physical exam. I will review the data and discuss its possible implications for the clinical care of patients in remission at the completion of front-line chemotherapy.

A phase I/II study of the antibody-drug conjugate glembatumumab vedotin (CDX-011 or CR011-vcMMAE) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, reveals an acceptable safety profile and promising clinical activity in GPNMB expressing breast cancer.

Conventional GVHD prophylaxis with calcineurin inhibitors has a high incidence of chronic GVHD. Kanakri et al show that post-transplant administration of High dose cyclophosphamide is an effective way of reducing chronic GVHD. Limitations of this approach and alternative approaches are briefly discussed.

Many new oncology drugs are expensive. Drug prices may not reflect the whole cost of new agents, as increases or decreases in adverse effects compared to previously available therapies may influence cost comparisons. This podcast summarizes a meta-analysis of the economic consequences of adverse effects in 41 registration trials that led to approval of new oncology drugs between 2000 and 2011.