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Cancer Screenings Lag; New Rad-Onc Payment Model Delayed; Sex in Survivors

Preventive cancer screenings plummeted during the peak of the pandemic, with colon and breast cancer screenings down 75% and 85%, respectively, and remained depressed through the summer. (Community Oncology Alliance, JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics)

And delays in breast cancer surgery due to COVID-19 could lead to an additional 3,000 deaths in the U.S. over the next decade, an analysis of Kantar Health’s CancerMPact Patient Metrics database found.

CMS delayed the launch of an alternative payment model for radiation oncology, from January to July 2021, after concerns were raised by the American Society for Radiation Oncology and other stakeholders.

FDA granted regular approval for venetoclax (Venclexta) in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine for the treatment of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia in patients age 75 and over, and in those unlikely to tolerate intensive induction chemotherapy.

Little difference was seen in sexual quality-of-life outcomes among survivors of prostate, bladder, colorectal, and lung cancers treated for early-stage disease. (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Journal of Geriatric Oncology)

Genmab announced that part two of the phase III CASSIOPEIA study met its primary endpoint, with daratumumab (Darzalex) maintenance in transplant-eligible, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients reducing the risk of progression or death by a significant 47% compared to observation.

A study in Sweden found that women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer were at increased risk of hospitalization for both iatrogenic and non-iatrogenic injuries, including cases of self-harm. (American Association for Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention)

From 2003 to 2017, the proportion of men diagnosed with distant-stage prostate cancer doubled (4% to 8%), though 5-year survival for this group crept up from 28.7% in 2001-2005 to 32.3% in 2011-2016. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)

Nearly a third of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and early resistance to abiraterone (Zytiga) achieved disease control when treated with onvansertib in a phase II trial, Cardiff Oncology announced.

In a phase I study, an off-the-shelf cellular product targeting CD19 yielded complete responses in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma, said CRISPR Therapeutics.

A so-called “hood technique” for robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy could aid in the early return of continence without compromising surgical margins, reported researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. (European Urology)

Significant enrichment of pro-inflammatory immune pathways in the prostate tumors of African-American men may contribute to the poorer outcomes seen in this population. (Moffitt Cancer Center, Clinical Cancer Research)

Axitinib (Inlyta) in heavily pretreated head and neck cancer led to a median overall survival of nearly 10 months, with PI3K pathway alterations associated with high rates of response. (Cancer)

Older adults, with or without cancer, who were more physically active and spent less time looking at screens had better physical and mental health. (American Cancer Society)

  • Ian Ingram joined MedPage Today in 2018 as Deputy Managing Editor, and covers oncology for the site.

Source: MedicalNewsToday.com