Christiane Kuhl

Julie Gralow

REFERENCE: 1504, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
CHRISTIANE KUHL, University of Bonn, Germany
COMMENT: JULIE GRALOW, University of Washington, Seattle
The ASCO meeting in Chicago heard findings from Germany that suggested MRI was better than mammography for the detection of ductal carcinoma in situ, or preinvasive breast cancer. Derek Thorne spoke to Christiane Kuhl, from the University of Bonn, about her team’s provocative data, while Julie Gralow of the University of Washington commented on how this study could affect clinical practice.

Priya Rastogi

REFERENCE: LBA 513, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
PRIYA RASTOGI, University of Pittsburgh
COMMENT: JULIE GRALOW, University of Washington, Seattle
The latest data from the large NSABP B-31 trial, which looked at trastuzumab in breast cancer, have provided some reassurance that the drug’s cardiac toxicity does not continue to grow over time. Priya Rastogi of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine told Derek Thorne about the findings, and she also explained her group’s new model, which could help doctors assess the risk to patients in this situation. Julie Gralow commented on her findings.

Aimery de Gramont

Robert Mayer

REFERENCE: 4007, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
AIMERY DE GRAMONT, St Antoine Hospital, Paris
COMMENT: ROBERT MAYER, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
After six years of study the MOSAIC study of adjuvant therapy in colorectal cancer has confirmed a survival advantage for patients with stage III disease given oxaliplatin in addition to standard 5 fluoruracyl/leucovorin when compared with those who received the standard regimen alone. Oxaliplatin also improved progression free survival in patients with Stage II disease. These results were presented to the ASCO meeting by Aimery de Gramont, who discussed them with Peter Goodwin.

Ronald Bukowski

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 5023, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
RONALD BUKOWSKI, Cleveland Clinic OH
Sorafenib has been used after the failure of first line treatment among patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Ronald Bukowski presented findings showing a doubling of progression free survival. He talked about the study in Chicago with Peter Goodwin.

Ezra Cohen

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 8011, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
EZRA COHEN, University of Chicago
A new drug which inhibits receptors of vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, has shown antitumor activity in patients with advanced thyroid cancer: possibly ending a 30-year wait for effective new therapies for this cancer. Derek Thorne heard about phase II study results from Ezra Cohen.

Josep Llovet

Robert Mayer

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 5 (Plenary Session), ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
JOSEP LLOVET, IDIBAPS Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
COMMENT: ROBERT MAYER, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston
Sorafenib could become the very first standard first-line systemic treatment to be recommended for patients with advanced liver cancer, according to conclusions from phase III study data unveiled at ASCO. Derek Thorne got more on this randomized trial from Josep Llovet, of the IDIBAPS Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, while Robert Mayer, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, provided comment.

Eric Van Cutsem

William Blackstock

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 4000, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
ERIC VAN CUTSEM, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium
COMMENT: WILLIAM BLACKSTOCK, Wake Forest University NC
A new first-line option for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer prolongs progression free survival. Phase III results from the CRYSTAL trial were presented to the ASCO meeting in Chicago and show that cetuximab in combination with FOLFIRI can reduce the risk of progression by 15 per cent. Eric Van Cutsem told Sarah Maxwell more. William Blackstock added his thoughts about the clinical implications.

Bernard Nordlinger

William Blackstock

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 5 (Plenary Session), ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
BERNARD NORDLINGER, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, Paris
COMMENT: WILLIAM BLACKSTOCK, Wake Forest University NC
Patients with colorectal cancer patients who have resectable liver metastases could benefit from chemotherapy before and after their surgery. That’s according to a study presented in Chicago by Bernard Nordlinger of the Hôpital Ambroise Paré in Paris. Derek Thorne talked to him about the trial’s results, and how these could affect clinical practice.

Vincent Rajkumar

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT LBA 8025, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
Vincent Rajkumar, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota
A study in newly diagnosed myeloma, which compared lenalidomide plus high- or low-dose dexamethasone, has shown that the lower dose gives a better outcome. Vincent Rajkumar of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota discussed his study with Sarah Maxwell.

Sandra Horning

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 8011, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
Sandra Horning, Stanford University, California
Maintenance rituximab after CHOP chemotherapy has been shown to extend time to treatment failure in older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. This finding is from an intergroup update that looked at 350 patients and compared maintenance rituximab to observation after R-CHOP or CHOP. Co-author Sandra Horning from Stanford University Medical Center spoke with Sarah Maxwell at the ASCO meeting in Chicago.

Bernard Escudier

Dean Bajorin

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 3, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
BERNARD ESCUDIER, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif
COMMENT: DEAN BAJORIN, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Doctors can now use bevacizumab for first line therapy in advanced kidney cancer. That’s according to Bernard Escudier of the Gustave Roussy Institute, who presented phase III data at ASCO. But since the drug was tested against interferon, how might it compare with sunitinib, another targeted therapy that received a ringing endorsement at last year’s annual meeting? Peter Goodwin found out more in Chicago.

Oyvind Bruland

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 5071, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
OYVIND BRULAND, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo
A novel treatment involving a bone-seeking radionuclide has shown promising results in a randomised phase II trial for men with hormone refractory prostate cancer and bone metastases. Sarah Maxwell found out more from Oyvind Bruland of the Norwegian Radium Hospital in Oslo.

Jan Vermorken

Roy Herbst

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT Head and Neck Cancer Session, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
JAN VERMORKEN, University Hospital Antwerp
COMMENT: ROY HERBST, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who receive cetuximab in addition to their platinum based chemotherapy have a clear survival advantage. This was the headline result coming out of the EXTREME trial announced to the ASCO meeting in Chicago. Sarah Maxwell heard more from chief author Jan Vermorken of the University of Antwerp.

Wendy Wahnefried

Bruce Cheson

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 1510, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
WENDY DENMARK-WAHNEFRIED, Duke University, Durham
COMMENT: BRUCE CHESON, Georgetown University, Washington DC
Flaxseed, a dietary supplement rich in lignan and omega-3 fatty acids, could help slow down the growth of prostate tumors. This came out of a phase II study presented at ASCO by Wendy Demark-Wahnefried of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Derek Thorne heard more details from her in Chicago.

Ben Slotman

Roy Herbst

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 4, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
BEN SLOTMAN, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam
COMMENT: ROY HERBST, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
Any patient with small cell lung cancer responding to chemotherapy should now be offered prophylactic cranial irradiation, according to the findings of a study from the Netherlands reported to the Plenary Session of the ASCO meeting. Ben Slotman told Peter Goodwin about the results showing a two-thirds reduction of brain metastases and a near doubling of the number of patients surviving one year.

Bayard Powell

Dean Bajorin

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 2, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
BAYARD POWELL, Wake Forest University, NC
COMMENT: DEAN BAJORIN, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Newly diagnosed patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia benefit from having arsenic trioxide added to their standard all-trans retinoic acid and chemotherapy. This is according to a 500-patient study from North Carolina presented at the ASCO meeting. Bayard Powell told Sarah Maxwell his group’s latest findings from the study.

Ehab Atallah

Dean Bajorin

REFERENCE: ABSTRACT 7005, ASCO Annual Meeting Chicago June 1-5, 2007
EHAB ATALLAH, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
COMMENT: DEAN BAJORIN, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Patients with chronic myeloid leukemia could soon have a new option for first line therapy. Dasatinib has outperformed imatinib in the laboratory, and is already approved for patients who fail imatinib. Now, it’s been tried in a phase II study involving 31 patients with chronic phase CML. Ehab Atallah of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston discussed the latest data with Derek Thorne.