While clinical trials are essential for advancing treatment options in oncology and making certain patients receive innovative care, too few cancer patients are referred to them, according to a new study.
Indeterminate Liver Nodules Have a High but Variable Risk of HCC
For more than a decade, the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) has been used to standardize the interpretation and reporting of liver lesions in patients at high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Understanding Bispecific Antibodies for B-Cell Lymphoma Treatment
Bispecific antibodies represent a new approach to cancer immunotherapy that offers a two-for-one mechanism of action to increase efficacy in treating several types of lymphoma and multiple myeloma and other hematologic malignancies.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening Associated With Improved Survival in Patients Cured of HCV Infection
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common blood-borne pathogen in the United States, with HCV-related cirrhosis being the leading cause of primary liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Agent Orange Exposure Not Linked to Hepatocellular Carcinoma
U.S. veterans are much more likely to be diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma, but at least one toxic exposure during military service doesn’t appear to have much to do with that.
Remote Consent, Testing Used to Identify and Treat Germline Pathogenic Alterations in VA Million Veteran Program Participants
About 10% of men with metastatic prostate cancer show germline pathogenic alterations which can inform precision therapy, surveillance, and cancer prevention for family members, according to a recent study.
Closing in on More Than a Half Century of Cancer Breakthroughs, VA Continues Pioneering Work in Oncology
The VA has been at the forefront of cancer research in the United States. Starting with the establishment of its first tumor research laboratory in 1932 and groundbreaking work in the 1950s on the association between smoking and respiratory tract cancers, the agency has repeatedly changed the course of oncology.
Military Study Finds That Pulmonary Hypertension Diagnosis Has Detrimental Effect on NSCLC Survival
A study from the VA and U.S. military research organizations addresses the question of how a diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH) affect survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Highlights of the VA’s Contributions to Cancer Research
In the more than 90 years since the VA established its first tumor research laboratory at the Hines, Ill., VA hospital, the agency has published some of the most instrumental studies in cancer in the U.S.
In Advanced NSCLC, Frail Patients Receive Less Intensive Treatment Even If Performance Status Isn’t Poor
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy is often preferred over intensive ICI treatment for frail patients and those with poor performance status (PS) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
KRAS G12C in Veterans with NSCLC Has Favorable Outcomes Compared to Non-G12C Variants; Availability of Sotorasib Treatment Credited
KRAS mutations have historically carried a poor prognosis in NSCLC, and the most common variant, G12C, had similar suboptimal survival compared to non-G12C variants. That has changed with the approval of new KRAS G12C inhibitors.
Real-World VA Study Shows Substantial Mortality Benefit From Lung Cancer Screening
Veterans who underwent VHA lung cancer screening were more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier stage and had higher cure rates than those who were not screened, according to a new observational study.
Exposure to Agent Orange Associated With Increased Prostate Cancer Risk
In veterans who were on active duty during the Vietnam War era, exposure to Agent Orange was associated with a small increase in the risk of developing prostate cancer, but not metastatic prostate cancer or fatal prostate cancer, according to a recent study.
Guideline Discordant Care Leads to Lower NSCLC Survival in AI/AN
American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients have lower overall survival rates from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and at least part of the reason is that they are less likely to receive guideline-concordant care, according to a new study.
Indeterminate Liver Nodules Have a High but Variable Risk of HCC
DALLAS – For more than a decade, the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) has been used to standardize the interpretation and reporting of liver lesions in patients at high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Yet, predicting what happens with...
Agent Orange Exposure Not Linked to Hepatocellular Carcinoma
LOS ANGELES -- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and related mortality are on the rise. A recent study sought to determine if Agent Orange exposure is one of the factors affecting veterans. “Viral hepatitis and alcohol are leading risk factors; however, other risk...
Surveys: Better HCC Surveillance Seen as Key to Improved Survival Rates
PALO ALTO, CA -- Even though hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance in associated with improved survival, screening of cirrhosis patients is suboptimal, especially in primary care settings, according to recent surveys. A recent study in JAMA Network Open argued...
Overall Survival Improves With Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in RCC
A third prespecified interim analysis of the KEYNOTE-564 trial has determined that adjuvant pembrolizumab after surgery was associated with a significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival, as compared with placebo, among participants with clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma at increased risk for recurrence after surgery.
Increased Molecular Identification Updates Renal Cell Carcinoma Classifications
Forty years ago, the only recognized form of kidney cancer was renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Today, RCC still accounts for more than 90% of malignancies in the kidney, but now the World Health Organization (WHO) delineates 21 subtypes, with significant differences in aggressiveness and treatment options.
Environmental Exposure Linked to Blood Cancer Risk in Veterans
Study Shows Link Between Agent Orange and MPNs A recent study has linked the development of polycythemia vera and other MPNs—essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (MF)—with exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange. Among patients with MPNs,...
Lung Cancer Survival Rates in Federal Medicine Compare Well to Community
Survival rates are rising for veterans diagnosed with lung cancer within the VHA and, unlike in the general population, Black veterans are benefiting as much or more than white ones.
Intensive Therapy Is Effective Treatment for Frail Multiple Myeloma Patients
For frail patients with multiple myeloma, receiving more intensive therapy, triplet bortezomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (VRd) rather than doublet lenalidomide-dexamethasone (Rd), is a more-effective treatment, according to a recent study of patients treated in VA facilities.
Targeted Therapies for CLL Widely Used at VA; Prolonged Survival
U.S. military veterans with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) routinely received therapies in line with current evidence-based treatment practices over the past two decades, and those who were treated with targeted therapies had longer overall survival, according to a national VA study with more than 20 years of clinical data.
Bladder, Kidney Cancer Rates Lower in Younger Servicemembers vs. Civilians
Younger military servicemembers have lower rates of bladder and kidney cancer than a similar civilian cohort, but that appears to change with age.
Guideline Discordant Care Leads to Lower NSCLC Survival in AI/AN
American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients have lower overall survival rates from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and at least part of the reason is that they are less likely to receive guideline-concordant care, according to a new study.
Lung Cancer Survival Rates Continue Improvement Within VHA
VA’s increasing usage of cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic treatments for lung cancer, as well as its equal access model to address healthcare disparities, could be a model for other medical systems, according to a new study.
Veterans Study Found Positive Sotorasib Results Similar to CodeBreak Trials
Three years ago, based on the CodeBreak100 trial, the Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to the KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib for treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the second line or later.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Improve Overall Survival for VA NSCLC Patients
DURHAM, NC -- Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients showed significant benefit from the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in a study looking at use of the therapy for five major cancer types in the VA healthcare system. The study from the VA’s National...
High Intensity of End-of-Life Care for Minority Patients With Lung Cancer
While disparities in lung cancer mortality among racial and ethnic minorities are well documented, not as much is understood about how racial and ethnic minority patients with lung cancer are treated at the end of life.
Risk Model Helps Predict Second Lung Cancer in Survivors of Initial Malignancy
Lung cancer survivors have a high risk of developing second primary lung cancer (SPLC); the risk is three to four times higher than the risk of someone in the general population developing initial primary lung cancer (IPLC).
