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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 was held May 31-June 4, with research news released starting May 15. The 2014 event will be held May 30-June 3.
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 30, 2009
New research shows advances in the treatment of colorectal, anal, pancreatic, gastric, and rectal cancer.
May 30, 2009
Two studies showed that treatment with targeted therapy drugs (drugs that target the faulty genes and proteins that contribute to cancer growth) slowed the growth and spread of advanced NSCLC.
May 30, 2009
A new study shows that patients who received a specialized treatment vaccine with interleukin-2 (IL-2; a standard treatment for advanced melanoma) for melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body lived almost five months longer than patients who received only IL-2. The vaccine used in this study is made from part of a protein (substance in the body that helps it to function) found on melanoma cells that helps the cancer grow. This study also showed that treatment caused the melanoma to stop growing or shrink for more than twice as many patients who received the vaccine and IL-2 than those who received only IL-2.
May 30, 2009
Researchers found that most patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (cancer that has spread outside of the colon or rectum) do not need surgery to remove the primary tumor unless it is causing problems. Removing the primary tumor when a person is diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer was once the standard treatment and is still common. Surgery has been used to prevent the tumor from blocking the intestines, creating a hole in the wall of the intestine, or causing bleeding. Chemotherapy is an effective treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer because it can often shrink both the primary tumor and the cancer that has spread to other areas.
May 30, 2009
Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received the drug pemetrexed (Alimta) as maintenance therapy (treatment given after chemotherapy to keep the cancer from growing and spreading) lived three to five months longer than patients who did not receive the drug, according to a new study. This study also confirmed that the benefit of maintenance therapy is greater for patients with the nonsquamous type of NSCLC.
May 30, 2009
Patients screened for lung cancer recurrence (return of cancer after treatment) with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) showed more false-positive results (meaning that the test shows that cancer is present when follow-up testing finds no cancer) than a chest x-ray, according to a new study. LDCT scans and chest x-rays are procedures that create a picture of the inside of the body. After one scan, the false positive rate was 21% for LDCT and 9% for chest x-ray. After two scans, the rates of false-positive results increased to 33% with LDCT and 15% for a chest x-ray.
May 30, 2009
This study showed that women who received hormone therapy with estrogen and progestin to help cope with the symptoms of menopause have a higher risk of dying from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) if they develop the disease. They are not more likely to develop NSCLC than women who did not receive hormone therapy. The risk of dying from lung cancer was higher for women with NSCLC who received hormone therapy and smoke.
May 14, 2009
Adding a cancer treatment vaccine to the standard treatment improved survival for children with neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that starts in the nerve cells of infants and young children and is difficult to treat. This type of cancer vaccine is also called immunotherapy because it helps the body's immune system fight cancer.
May 14, 2009
People with cancer who received ginger supplements along with drugs that lower nausea and vomiting, called antiemetics, reported less nausea from chemotherapy than patients who did not receive a ginger supplement. Patients took the ginger supplements three days before starting chemotherapy. In this study, the 0.5 gram (g) and 1.0 g doses reduced nausea the most.
May 14, 2009
Researchers found that people with stage III or IV oropharyngeal cancer (cancer of the upper throat) who have tumors containing the human papillomavirus (HPV) live longer. This virus is most commonly passed from person to person during sexual activity. There are different types, or strains, of HPV, and some are strongly associated with certain types of cancer.