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Dr. Bhishamjit S. Chera, MD of the University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, North Carolina discusses his study at ASTRO Head and Neck Conference 2016 Purpose To perform a prospective, multi-institutional, phase 2 study of a substantial decrease in concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CRT) intensity as primary treatment for favorable-risk, human papillomavirusassociated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods and Materials The major inclusion criteria were: (1) T0 to T3, N0 to N2c, M0; (2) human papillomavirus or p16 positive; and (3) minimal/remote smoking history. Treatment was limited to 60 Gy intensity modulated radiation therapy with concurrent weekly intravenous cisplatinum (30 mg/m2).…

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At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia 2015 Congress, held in Singapore from 18 December to 21 December 2015, Makoto Tahara, MD, PhD, from National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan, discusses the progression-free survival and response rates in pre-defined subgroups and biomarker-defined populations in LUX-H&N1, a phase 3 clinical trial comparing second-line afatinib, an ErbB family blocker, with methotrexate for the treatment of patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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Researchers examined the molecular characteristics of OPSCC caused by HPV in an effort to determine which DNA mutations predict lower disease free and survival rates among HPV-positive throat cancer patients who smoke. Whereas most patients with OPSCC caused by HPV have an excellent prognosis for disease free survival, those who also smoke generally face more dire prognoses. The 66 cases of HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) in this study were split into heavy and light smoking behavior groups based on pack years. This metric of smoking frequency over long stretches of time is determined by multiplying the number of…

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4,042 patients were included: 2,538 (63%) received CRT. Median follow-up was 19 months. Unadjusted median OS was longer with the addition of CRT (p<0.001). OS was superior with CRT on MVA (HR, 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-0.68; p<0.001) and PSM analyses (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.66-0.80; p<0.001) compared to RT alone. Under RPA, CRT was associated with longer OS in patients < 81 years with low comorbidity scores and either T1- 2/N2-3 disease, or patients with T3-4/N0-3 disease. The survival benefit with CRT disappeared for two subgroups in the 71-80 age range: those with T1-2, N1, and CD0-1 and…

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The NCDB is a joint project of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and the American Cancer Society. It is a hospital-based registry that represents 70% of all cancer cases in the US, drawing data from more than 1,500 commission-accredited cancer programs. The NCDB contains detailed information on disease stage, risk-factors specific to HNSCC cancer, and receipt of treatment including radiation dose, treatment site, and chemotherapy delivered during the first course of treatment. The data used in the study are derived from a de-identified NCDB file. The American College of Surgeons and the Commission on Cancer…

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Approximately 45,000 new head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are diagnosed annually in the United States, with at least one-quarter occurring in patients >70 years of age.1,2 Tailoring cancer therapy for older patients with HNSCC can be challenging. Older patients (herein defined as ? 71 years) with HNSCC often have comorbidities that may hinder their ability to receive optimal multimodality therapy. While the addition of concurrent chemotherapy to radiotherapy (RT) is the standard organ preservation approach for locally advanced HNSCC based upon improved overall survival (OS) in multiple prospective randomized trials, it can be associated with increased short and…

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At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia 2015 Congress, held in Singapore from 18 December to 21 December 2015, Suresh Kumarasamy, MBBS(Mysore), MObGyn(Mal), FRCOG(Lond), FRCP(Ire), AM, from Gleneagles Penang, Penang, Malaysia, reviews advances in the development of new therapeutic approaches for the management of patients with ovarian cancer, including the available data and future directions of new agents, olaparib, a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, and bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF antibody. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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MPN expert Dr. Rami Komrokji of Moffitt Cancer Center discusses various genetic marker subsets of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and how these alterations affect what type of treatment a patient should receive. Dr. Komrokji points out that genetic testing allows doctors to make a firm diagnosis and choose different courses of treatment. Get email alerts | http://www.patientpower.info/alerts Subscribe on YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/patientpower Like on Facebook | http://www.fb.com/patientpower.info Follow on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/patientpower Follow on Google+ | http://www.google.com/+patientpowerinfo

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At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia 2015 Congress, held in Singapore from 18 December to 21 December 2015, Sibylle Loibl, MD, PhD, from the German Breast Group, Neu-Isenburg, Germany, discusses changes in tumour expression of HER2 and hormone receptor status and pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a Japanese breast cancer registry. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

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At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Anton Hagenbeek, MD, PhD, from the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, discusses immuno-oncology mechanisms and pathways that can be targeted by immunotherapies for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Highlighted approaches that are being explored include immune checkpoint inhibitors and brentuximab vedotin, an anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate.

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At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, John Gribben, MD, DSc, and Stephan Stilgenbauer, MD, discuss drug combination approaches in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) therapy. Targeting multiple molecules or pathways may have the potential to improve treatment response.

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At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, John Gribben, MD, DSc, and Stephan Stilgenbauer, MD, discuss a single-arm, multicenter phase 2 clinical trial of monotherapy with the selective BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (ABT-199/GDC-0199) in patients with ultra-high-risk relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with 17p deletion.

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Simon Rule, MD from Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK provides an overview of the side-effects of ibrutinib, based on data presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, on the RAY (MCL3001) study of ibrutinib vs temsirolimus in relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma. In mantle cell lymphoma, the side-effects that cause the most problems are bleeding and atrial fibrillation, for which the frequency was similar in both arms of the RAY study.

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Simon Rule, MD from Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK provides an overview of the RAY (MCL3001) study of ibrutinib vs temsirolimus in relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma, presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, FL. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), which was 14.8 months for the ibrutinib arm and 6.6 months for the temsirolimus arm.

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Simon Rule, MD from Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK provides an overview of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTK) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, FL. These include drugs such as BGB-3111, being developed in China; ONO-4059, being developed in Japan; acalabrutinib (ACP-196), being developed in the USA. Prof. Rule also discusses the side-effects of these novel BTK inhibitors and potential use of these drugs in combination with other therapies, such as venetoclax (ABT-199), a Bcl-2 inhibitor.

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There is an increasing spectrum of available therapies for patients with cancer, which has improved the outcomes of varied cancer types. At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Robin Foà, MD, from Sapienza University, Rome, Italy, explains some of the challenges with improving sustainability, access and quality of new treatments around the world.

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Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, from Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, summarises data on the management of patients with multiple myeloma that were presented at the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition. Highlights include IFM/DFCI 2009, a phase 3 trial of autologous transplantation for multiple myeloma; Tourmaline-MM1, a phase 3 trial of ixazomib in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma; an update on Eloquent-2, a phase 3 trial of elotuzumab in combination with lenalidomide/dexamethasone for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma; GEN505, a trial of daratumumab monotherapy in heavily pretreated relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma; subgroup…

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At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Robin Foà, MD, from Sapienza University, Rome, Italy, summarises major advances, including the development of immunotherapy and targeted therapies, in the treatment of patients with hematological malignancies. Discussed examples include the introduction of B-cell receptor (BCR) kinase inhibitors for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

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Paul Richardson, MD from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Medical Oncology, Boston, MA provides an overview of the Tourmaline-MM1 study of ixazomib in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Patients in the ixazomib, and oral proteosome inhibitor, plus lenalidomide and dexamethasone arm had a 6-month benefit on progression-free survival (PFS). Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, FL.

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Jean-Jacques Kiladjian, MD, PhD from the Saint-Louis Hospital & Paris Diderot University, Paris, France provides an overview of the COMFORT-II clinical trial, a Phase III study comparing ruxolitinib with best available therapy in patients with intermediate to high-risk myelofibrosis. Ruxolitinib improved the spleen response and reduced the symptoms of myelofibrosis, leading to an increase in quality of life that could be maintained over several years. Patients who received best available therapy and then switched to ruxolitinib after the primary end point was achieved, they were still able to experience the benefits of the drug.

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Paul Richardson, MD from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Medical Oncology, Boston, MA talks about the use of elotuzumab for the treatment of multiple myeloma, in the relapsed/refractory setting or in combination with other drugs, such as pomalidomide. Elotuzumab is an immunostimulatory monoclonal antibody targeting signaling lymphocytic activation molecule F7 (SLAMF7), a specific receptor in the natural-killer cell population.

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Andrew Zelenetz, MD, PhD from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY discusses common side-effects observed in the Phase III clinical trial of idelalisib plus bendamustine and rituximab in rlapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Idelalisib is associated with colitis, pneumonitis, elevated transaminases, increased risk of febrile neutropenia, but these did not affect overall survival (OS). Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando. FL.

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Paul Richardson, MD from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Medical Oncology, Boston, MA provides an overview of the 3-year update presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, on the ELOQUENT-2 clinical trial of elotuzumab in combination with lenalidomide and dex­a­meth­a­sone in multiple myeloma. The study demonstrated a sustained progression-free survival (PFS) benefit to patients in the elotuzumab arm, when compared to placebo in relapsed/refractory myeloma.

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At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Roy Denis-Claude, MD, from Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and Montreal University, Montreal, QC, Canada, discusses the results of an open-label, multi-center phase 2 clinical trial, which showed donor lymphocytes depleted of alloreactive T cells (ATIR101) reduced transplant-related mortality and improved overall survival in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), using an immunosuppressant-free transplant regimen.

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At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Keith Stewart, MB, ChB, from Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, discusses the upcoming Myeloma 2016 meeting, which will be held in Boston in April 2016. The meeting provides a platform for a high-level discussion for globally recognised clinicians and researchers in the field of multiple myeloma, and topics will include genomics, minimal residual disease, immuno-oncology and new therapeutic targets.

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At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Keith Stewart, MB, ChB, from Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, summarises recently approved treatment options for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma, including proteasome inhibitors, carfilzomib and ixazomib; histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, panobinostat; and monoclonal antibodies, CS1-targeting elotuzumab and CD38-targeting daratumumab.

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Rafael Fonseca, MD from the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ discusses the new methods used to measure treatment response in multiple myeloma (MM). Minimum residual disease (MRD) has been the main method in recent years, and it’s the next frontier in MM. The main tools used are multicolour flow cytometry and next-generation sequencing. Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, FL.

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Rafael Fonseca, MD from the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ provides an overview of a clinical trial (IFM 2013-04) of bortezomib plus lenalidomide and dexamethasone (LEN/DEX) as the primary treatment for multiple myeloma, compared to induction therapy followed by transplant consolidation. In summary, the transplant adds to the care of myeloma patients and Dr Fonseca believes it will continue to be the main treatment used for multiple myeloma until new agents come along. Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, FL.

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Andrew Zelenetz, MD, PhD from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY provides an overview of a clinicogenetic risk model risk model called m7-FLIPI for the identification of patients with early disease progression of follicular lymphoma after first-line immunotherapy. The m7-FLIPI identifies a series of genes associated with improved/reduced prognosis, information that can be added to the standard FLIPI model that identifies a group of high-risk follicular lymphoma patients. The results of a study to investigate the predictive utility of m7-FLIPI was presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, in Orlando. FL.

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Andrew Zelenetz, MD, PhD from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY provides an overview of a Phase III clinical trial of idelalisib plus bendamustine and rituximab in relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. The study included 416 patients, with 207 patients in the idelalisib plus bendamustine and rituximab arm and 209 in the bendamustine and rituximab plus placebo arm. The patients were treated with bendamustine and rituximab for 6 months, then idelalisib or placebo until progression. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), which was 11.1 months for the placebo arm and 23.1 months for the idelalisib arm,…

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At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD, FRACP, FRCPA, from Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, discusses the development of a protocol for the generation of single T-cell lines that simultaneously target a range of tumor-associated antigens that are frequently expressed in tumours of individuals with Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including PRAME, SSX2, MAGEA4, NY-ESO-1 and Survivin.

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At the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD, FRACP, FRCPA, from Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, discusses the initial analysis of a phase 1 dose escalation study of activated autologous CD30-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T cells infused in patients with relapsed or refractory CD30-positive Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

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Andrew Zelenetz, MD, PhD from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY provides an overview of a few new drugs presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, FL, in the fields of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and lymphoma. Dr Zelenetz talks about venetoclax (ABT-199), a BH3 mimetic used as front-line therapy of CLL. As for lymphoma, Dr Zelenetz draws attention to cell-free DNA studies that can provide additional information at diagnosis or help manage treatment and progression of the disease.

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Patient Power founder Andrew Schorr visits with Dr. Michael Keating of MD Anderson Cancer Center to ask audience questions about repeat genetic testing. Dr. Keating discusses which tests are essential, when to test again, and whether every CLL patient should receive the same standard of care from the start. Get email alerts | http://www.patientpower.info/alerts Subscribe on YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/patientpower Like on Facebook | http://www.fb.com/patientpower.info Follow on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/patientpower Follow on Google+ | http://www.google.com/+patientpowerinfo

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Multiple myeloma expert Dr. Robert Orlowski responds to a question from a Patient Power community member related to access to newly approved treatments for smoldering myeloma patients. Listen as Dr. Orlowski provides an explanation of smoldering myeloma, including the current standard of care, and goes on to discuss possible with new therapies as well as the ins and outs of participating in a clinical trial. Get email alerts | http://www.patientpower.info/alerts Subscribe on YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/patientpower Like on Facebook | http://www.fb.com/patientpower.info Follow on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/patientpower Follow on Google+ | http://www.google.com/+patientpowerinfo

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Can we interrupt the fibrotic process? MPN expert Dr. Srdan Verstovsek of MD Anderson Cancer Center explains PRM-151, and how this anti-fibrotic therapy is being used to improve the quality of life for patients living with a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN). Dr. Verstovsek ends this conversation with these words, With good control.it appears to be making people live longer. Get email alerts | http://www.patientpower.info/alerts Subscribe on YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/patientpower Like on Facebook | http://www.fb.com/patientpower.info Follow on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/patientpower Follow on Google+ | http://www.google.com/+patientpowerinfo

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Which CLL patients benefit most from chemotherapy? CLL expert Dr. Nicole Lamanna explains the various therapeutic agents currently in use, who they are for and why. Get email alerts | http://www.patientpower.info/alerts Subscribe on YouTube | http://www.youtube.com/patientpower Like on Facebook | http://www.fb.com/patientpower.info Follow on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/patientpower Follow on Google+ | http://www.google.com/+patientpowerinfo

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Francesco Annibale d’Amore, MD, PhD from Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark talks about the Nordic Lymphoma Group (NLG) study on the addition of etoposide to CHOP in adult anaplastic large cell lymphoma patients. Dr d’Amore discusses how the addition of etoposide improves the outcome of paients, as demonstrated by the Phase II clinical trial published in 2012 on the use of CHOEP bi-weekly followed by autologous transplant consolidation in young patients. Recorded at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2015 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.

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