ASCO

Chicago, IL—“Precision medicine” is the new catch phrase in oncology, and examples of it were evident across the vast halls of McCormick Place at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.

Patients with the relatively rare brain tumor anaplastic oligodendroglioma who were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy after standard radiation therapy had improved survival compared with radiation alone, especially if they had codeletion of chromosomes 1p/19q, according to long-term follow-up of the EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) 2651 study reported at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Chicago, IL—Oncologists do not engage in hyperbole. It is not in their nature. If the word “unprecedented” is used to describe a clinical outcome, it’s because something truly remarkable has occurred; such is the case in the reporting of 2 investigations of advanced melanoma at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for the drugs vemurafenib (PLX4032) and ipilimumab (Yervoy).

Chicago, IL—One of every 10 patients with cancer abandons new prescriptions for oral oncolytics, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2011 annual meeting and concurrently published in the Journal of Oncology Practice (Streeter SB, et al. 2011; 7:46-51).

Chicago, IL—Exemestane (Aromasin) appears to be a good alternative to tamoxifen (Nolvadex) for prevention of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to results of the randomized, placebo-controlled MAP.3 trial reported at ASCO 2011.

Although financial concerns are increasingly influencing choices in cancer therapy, barriers to cost discussions between physicians and patients often limit the scope of such discussions.