Major progress in treatment of stomach cancer
The preliminary findings of a study using multimodal therapy on patients with stomach cancer suggests a significant improvement in survival. Dr John S. Macdonald from St Vincent's Cancer Center in New York City, and lead author of the South West Oncology Group, presented the study at ASCO and said the trial was the first to offer progress "in a disease we didn't have good options for". The study found that a combination of radiation and chemotherapy following surgery improved relapse-free survival by 44% and median survival by 28% in patients with stomach cancer, compared with surgery alone.
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Quality of care initiative launched
ASCO President, J.S. Bailes, announced the launch of the National Initiative on Cancer Care Quality in response to a report published in April last year by the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) National Cancer Policy Board, Ensuring Quality Cancer Care. The report suggested that large numbers of cancer patients in the US were not receiving effective care, and called for improved information to enable quality of care to be monitored. The ASCO initiative aims to assess the feasibility of developing a national monitoring system for the quality of cancer care in the US and is the first large-scale study of its type.
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Trial recruitment problematic
Data presented at ASCO suggest that a significant number of patients are not being told about or were unaware of clinical trials. Dr Richard Comis, Director of the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hahnemann University Clinical Trials Research Center in Philadelphia, and Chairman of Eastern Oncology Cooperative Group, presented results of an online survey of 5377 cancer patients; a telephone survey of 1000 adults and 538 cancer patients; and postal surveys of 225 oncologists and 200 primary care physicians. Of the cancer patients, 84% were either unaware of trials or were not sure that taking part in a trial would be an option for them.
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ECOG study of NSCLC a 'photo-finish'
The eagerly awaited results of the Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group's (ECOG) phase III study of three platinum-based compounds in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were presented at ASCO. Expectations for this study were high after the publication of several phase II studies investigating new agents in stage IV NSCLC combined with either cisplatin or carboplatin. It was hoped that future studies would show a response rate of 40% or more, median survival exceeding 10 months and 1 year survival rates of 40%, but the results of this study were disappointing.
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Vaccine effectively targets melanoma
The largest trial to date using a cancer vaccine with interleukin 12 (IL-12) has shown that it is effective in stimulating the immune response of melanoma patients. Presenting the results at ASCO, Dr Jeffrey Weber said "The results so far are encouraging".
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