Latest Conference Articles

ASCO Highlights Include Phase III Findings in Multiple Tumor Types

Findings from large, late-stage clinical trials in melanoma, non–small cell lung cancer, and several hematologic malignances are expected to rank among the most clinically significant research findings presented at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

Radium-223 Survival Benefit Unaffected by Prior Hormonal Therapy

Prior treatment with abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide did not alter the survival benefit seen with radium-223 in men with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Dr. Shore on the TERRAIN Trial for Prostate Cancer

Neal D. Shore, MD, FACS, medical director, Carolina Urologic Research Center, managing partner, Atlantic Urology Clinics, discusses the results of the TERRAIN trial.

Lower CV Event Rate With Degarelix Versus LHRH Agonist Irrespective of Baseline Risk

Prostate cancer patients with different baseline cardiovascular risk had similar reductions in cardiovascular event rates when treated with the LHRH antagonist degarelix versus an LHRH agonist.

Dr. Cooperberg on Using Antagonists for Hormonal Therapy in Prostate Cancer

Matthew Cooperberg, MD, genitourinary cancer specialist, University of California San Francisco, discusses the efficacy of using an antagonist with hormone therapy in prostate cancer.

Pembrolizumab Active in Advanced Urothelial Cancer

A fourth of patients with advanced urothelial cancer had objective responses to treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab.

Combined Imaging Approach Effectively Detects Aggressive Prostate Cancer

The combination of multiparametric MRI with a fusion-guided biopsy (MRI plus ultrasound) was more effective at detecting aggressive prostate cancer compared with either procedure alone.

Proteoglycan Assay Shows Potential as Adjunct to PSA Measurement

A cell-surface proteoglycan found on prostate cancer cells but not normal prostate tissue demonstrated good specificity as a blood test for prostate cancer.

Sexual Function Scores Are Better After Robotic Versus Open Surgery for Prostate Cancer

Sexual function scores were better for patients who had a robotic compared with open surgery for prostate cancer; however, comparative results for urinary function were not conclusive.

Dr. Moul on Impact of Obesity in Active Surveillance

Judd W. Moul, MD, urologic oncologist, Duke Medicine, discusses a recent study that demonstrated the impact of obesity on active surveillance.

Dr. O'Neil on Superior Quality of Life After Robotic Prostatectomy

Brock O'Neil, MD, physician, instructor in urologic surgery, Vanderbilt University, discusses a study that demonstrated evidence of superior quality of life after robotic assisted radical prostatectomy.

'Chilling Effect' Seen After USPSTF Recommends Against Routine PSA Testing

Since the USPSTF guideline on PSA screening the overall rate of PSA testing decreased by 50% among primary care physicians at Oregon Health & Science University.

Urine Assay Shows Promise as Test for High-Grade Prostate Cancer

A urine assay that targets expression of exosomal messenger RNA demonstrated high negative predictive value for high-grade prostate cancer in a study that validates the emerging test as a tool to help determine whether patients need initial biopsies.

Enzalutamide Bests Bicalutamide in Two CRPC Studies

Enzalutamide significantly improved progression-free survival, PSA kinetics, and quality of life compared with bicalutamide in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Dr. Richards on Urinary Tract Infections Associated With Worse Bladder Cancer Outcomes

Kyle A. Richards, MD, assistant professor, University of Wisconsin, discusses the association between urinary tract infections (UTI) and worse bladder cancer outcomes in the Medicare population.

Dr. Brawer on Clinical Utility of CCP Test in Prostate Cancer

Michael Brawer, MD, vice president of Medical Affairs, Myriad Genetic Laboratories, discusses the clinical utility of the cell cycle progression (CCP) test in personalizing prostate cancer treatment.

Active Surveillance Protocols Needed for Prostate Cancer

As the AS strategy gains a foothold among urologists both here in the US and around the world, a study presented at the 110th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association suggests that among men in the US, very few are following the stringent protocol for AS that is recommended by major academic institutions.

Multiparametric MRI Avoids Many Biopsies, Misses a Few Cancers Compared With TRUS

Use of multiparametric MRI as follow-up to a suggestive PSA test or digital rectal exam reduced prostate biopsies by 73% but identified fewer prostate cancers compared with upfront transrectal ultrasound–guided biopsy, a decision-tree analysis showed.

Presence of AR-V7 in Stromal, Epithelial Tissue Suggests Role in Carcinogenesis

The role of androgen receptor variant-7 in patients with early stage prostate cancer is not well characterized but data presented at the 2015 American Urological Association (AUA) Meeting is bringing the discussion into focus.

Dr. Kutikov on Tumor Pathology in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Alexander Kutikov, MD, FACS, attending surgeon, urologic oncology, associate professor, urologic oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses the understanding of tumor pathology in renal cell carcinoma.

Dr. Crawford on LHRH Agonists and GNRH Antagonists

E. David Crawford, MD, professor, urology, radiation oncology, University of Colorado Denver, discusses the differences between an LHRH agonist and a GNRH antagonist.

Elotuzumab Combo Delays Myeloma Progression in Phase III Trial

Adding elotuzumab to lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone reduced the risk of disease progression by 30% in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Large Study Adds Clarity to Use of Docetaxel With Standard Care in Advanced, Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer

The addition of docetaxel to standard hormonal therapy significantly improved survival among men with newly diagnosed, hormone-naïve advanced prostate cancer.

Nicotinamide Reduces New Skin Cancers in Those at High Risk

For those with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer, reducing their risk of recurrence can be as simple as taking the vitamin B3 pill nicotinamide.

Intensified Chemotherapy Extends EFS for Children With Wilms Tumor

Treatment with an intensified chemotherapy regimen was associated with improvements in event-free survival for children with favorable histology Wilms tumor with loss of heterozygosity in chromosomes 1p and 16q.

Dr. Garcia-Manero on Deferasirox in Iron Chelation Therapy for MDS

Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD, chief, Section of Myelodysplastic Syndromes, deputy chair, Translational Research, professor, Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses deferasirox (Exjade) in iron chelation therapy for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

Eltrombopag Effectively Treats Cytopenias in MDS

Treatment with the thrombopoietin receptor agonist eltrombopag significantly improved cytopenias and was well-tolerated in patients with low to intermediate-2 risk myelodysplastic syndromes.

Somatic Mutations Could Predict Response to Hypomethylating Agents in MDS

A biomarker model that incorporates the mutational status of multiple somatic genes could be used to predict response to hypomethylating agents for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

IPSS Risk and EPO Levels Predict Response to ESAs in MDS

Serum erythropoietin levels and risk by IPSS were predictive of response to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

Dr. Gail Roboz on Molecular Mutations in MDS

Gail J. Roboz, MD, associate professor of Medicine, director, Leukemia Program, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, discusses the growing field of molecular mutations in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).