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Research Summaries
Using the drop-down menu below, read about highlighted scientific news from ASCO's Annual Meetings since 2002. You can select a specific year and/or a specific topic, such as a type of cancer. Selecting "All" will take you to a complete list of articles that appear under all categories.
The 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting is set for May 31-June 4, with research news beginning to be released on May 15 at 6pm Eastern. Additional research will be released each day of the meeting.
To read these summaries categorized into a yearly newsletter, you can also review Cancer Advances: News for Patients from the ASCO Annual Meeting.
Don’t forget to check out audio podcasts and videos about this news, as well. And, in addition to the highlighted studies below, thousands of scientific abstracts are released each year at the ASCO Annual Meeting. To search the entire collection of meeting abstracts, visit ASCO's website.
May 20, 2010
Cancer survivors who participated in a yoga program slept better, had less fatigue, and were less likely to need medication for sleeping problems and fatigue than survivors who did not participate in yoga. Sleeping problems and fatigue are the most common side effects of cancer treatment. In fact, most patients report that they have sleep problems during treatment, and more than half continue to have problems after treatment ends.
May 20, 2010
In an ongoing study, patients who did not receive the drug lenalidomide (Revlimid) were about twice as likely as the patients who received lenalidomide to have their myeloma return within three years (called a recurrence or relapse). Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside of bones. Plasma cells are a part of the body's immune system and produce antibodies that help the body fight infection.
May 20, 2010
In a recent study, researchers discovered that childhood cancer survivors who have one of two specific variations of a gene, called CBR1 and CBR3, were more likely to develop anthracycline-related heart problems than those without the gene. Anthracyclines are a type of drug used to treat many childhood cancers, but one long-term side effect can be future heart problems. The most common heart problem caused by anthracyclines is called cardiomyopathy, which is when the heart cannot easily pump blood.
May 20, 2010
Researchers have developed a way to screen women who don't have a high risk of ovarian cancer and who have been through menopause. There are currently no screening methods for women who don't have a high risk of ovarian cancer. Women at high risk for ovarian cancer may receive regular screening or reduce their risk of cancer in other ways, such as surgery to remove the ovaries. This new method estimates a woman's risk of ovarian cancer by using her age and the results of a yearly CA-125 blood test. CA-125 is a substance called a tumor marker that is found in higher levels in women with ovarian cancer. In this study, women who had increasing CA-125 levels received transvaginal sonography (TVS), an imaging test that uses sound waves to create a picture of the ovaries and look for any tumors, and were referred to a gynecologic oncologist to decide if surgery was needed. A gynecologic oncologist is a doctor who specializes in treating cancer in a woman's reproductive organs.
May 20, 2010
Recent research shows that some women age 70 or older with early-stage breast cancer may not need radiation therapy after lumpectomy if they receive tamoxifen (Nolvadex). A lumpectomy is the removal of the tumor and a small cancer-free margin of tissue around the tumor.
May 20, 2010
Recent research shows that patients with follicular lymphoma who received the drug rituximab (Rituxan) for two years as maintenance therapy were less likely to have a recurrence (return of cancer after treatment). Maintenance therapy is longer-term treatment given after initial treatment to keep the cancer from returning.
May 31, 2009
A new study showed that patients who received moisturizers, sunscreen, topical steroids, and antibiotics before treatment with panitumumab (Vectibix) were less likely to have a rash from treatment than patients who did not receive the skin treatments until the rash developed. About 90% of people taking panitumumab and 75% of those taking a related drug called cetuximab (Erbitux) develop this rash.
May 31, 2009
Researchers found that a vaccine called BiovaxID delayed the return of a type of B-cell lymphoma, called follicular lymphoma, by about 14 months for patients whose lymphoma was in remission (the temporary or permanent absence of disease) after treatment with prednisone (multiple brand names), doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Clafen, Neosar), and etoposide (VePesid, Toposar) - a combination called PACE. The BiovaxID vaccine is made for each patient using proteins that are found on the person's lymphoma cells. It is made from the cells collected during removal of the lymph nodes (tiny, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection). These cells are then processed to create antibodies, which are substances made by the body to help fight infection. These antibodies are designed to kill the patient's own lymphoma cells and are returned to the patient in the form of a vaccine.
May 31, 2009
New studies on breast cancer recurrence look at radiation therapy techniques, drugs that may interfere with tamoxifen (Nolvadex), and the removal of lymph nodes (tiny, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection).