Gastrointestinal Cancers 1, 3–5 | ASCO/CAP Guidelines on HER2 Testing
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| Pioneers in Oncology
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3
79
FEBRUARY 15, 2014
Editor-in-Chief, James O. Armitage, MD | ASCOPost.com
ASCO’s Education and Professional Development Services
Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium
Immunotherapy Duo Improves Survival in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer By Caroline Helwick
Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD, on Major Changes in Maintenance of Certification and More
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verall survival was improved in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients through an innovative immunotherapy strategy in a multicenter study reported at the 2014 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.1 “This is the first time a randomized study has shown that immunotherapy is effective in pancreatic cancer,” said Dung T. Le, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore. “This is just a first step, and we believe we’ll be able to take this approach further.”
How the Treatment Works The novel treatment, which may be better tolerated than standard chemotherapy, involves two different anticancer vaccines: GVAX Pancreas followed by CRS-207. GVAX is com-
posed of pancreatic cancer cells that have been genetically modified to secrete granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which stimulates the immune system. GVAX is given with lowdose cyclophosphamide to Dung T. Le, MD inhibit regulatory T cells and boost the vaccine’s efficacy. The second vaccine, CRS-207, is live-attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), which has been genetically modified to be safe for human use while retaining its ability to stimulate an immune response against the protein mesothelin on pancreatic tumor cells. The combination essentially trains the body to recognize and attack pancreatic tumors. In mouse tumor continued on page 4
Health-Care Policy
The Surgeon General’s Report on Tobacco Turns 50: Much Success, Much Work Ahead By Ronald Piana
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ast September, Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD, left her position as Professor of Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago to join ASCO as its Senior Director of Education, Science and Professional Development. In her new position, Dr. Von Roenn will provide strategic vision and operational leadership for the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of an array of innovative education programs that serve the needs of ASCO members, including the ASCO Annual Meeting, thematic meetings, workshops, and continuing medical education offerings. The ASCO Post talked with Dr. Von Roenn about her goals to expand ASCO’s education programs, the challenges facing oncology care, continued on page 81
Dr. Von Roenn is Senior Director of ASCO’s Education, Science and Professional Development Department.
MORE IN THIS ISSUE
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n January 11, 2014, the nation commemorated the 50th anniversary of a document that transformed our public health landscape and has saved millions of lives: Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service. This groundbreaking report, which definitively established smoking as the primary cause of lung cancer, became a key publication for those committed to eradi-
cating tobacco-related disease. Although challenged by Big Tobacco and social norms, the Surgeon General’s report fostered a tectonic shift in public health policy, resulting in a dramatic reduction in smoking. Despite considerable success, smoking remains America’s number-one cause of preventable death. In that regard, the Surgeon General’s report is a living document that is still critical to ongoing tobacco cessation initiatives.
The authors of the original Surgeon General’s report would not have foreseen the ability of tobacco companies to hinder efforts to eliminate tobacco smoking in the United States. —Paul Bunn, MD, see page 40
February Is National Cancer Prevention Month
A Time of Change Although the work of Ernst Wynder, MD, and others had brought public awareness to the negative health effects of smoking (see “Paving the Way for the Surgeon General’s Report,” on page 40), it
Oncology Meetings Coverage GI Cancers Symposium �������������������� 1, 3–5 SABCS ������������������������13, 15–16, 18–21 ASH Meeting ���� 23–24, 32–33, 36–37 Steven M. Horwitz, MD, on Breast-Implant Associated ALCL ���������47 Nancy E. Davidson, MD, on HER2 Testing ����������������������������������������50 Direct From ASCO �������������������������� 54–57 Inside the Black Box ���������������������������������69 In Memoriam: Donald L. Morton, MD ������������������������� 112 Geoffrey P. Herzig, MD ������������������������� 113
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