Issue 44 – The Cancer Letter

Conversation with The Cancer Letter
ASCO’s new CMO Julie R. Gralow will focus on equity, advocacy, and global health
Julie R. Gralow, an expert in breast cancer, clinical trials and global health, was named chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Cancer hospitals stay open as COVID-19 cases skyrocket
The United States faces the worst-yet surge of COVID-19, but cancer hospitals have learned to adapt to the pandemic, opting to continue cancer services at an unchanged pace.
News Analysis
Trump et al. are wrong: Biden Cancer Initiative is not to be confused with the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot
On Nov. 15, shortly after midnight, President Donald J. Trump tweeted a link to a New York Post headline:
“Tax filings reveal Biden cancer charity spent millions on salaries, zero on research”
Waking up later that morning, Fox News host Laura Ingraham and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, gleefully lent their voices to the now-familiar cacophony of disinformation. A day later, Fox News host Sean Hannity joined their chorus.
Letter to the Editor
AACI: President-elect Biden has proven his unyielding commitment to defeating cancer
In a year of monumental health care and operational challenges for cancer centers, the Association of American Cancer Institutes marks with enthusiasm the electoral victory of a presidential candidate who has proven his unyielding commitment to defeating cancer.
In Brief
- Hannah Hazard-Jenkins named director of WVU Cancer Institute
- Edward S. Kim named physician-in-chief of City of Hope Orange County
- Julia H. Rowland and Tom Smith receive NCCS Ellen L. Stovall Award
- Jedd Wolchok receives Hearst Foundation Grant
- CPRIT awards $26 million in new recruitment grants
- New AMA policy recognizes racism as a public health threat
- ASTRO: Radiation oncologists urge Congress to advance bills that protect patient access to cancer care during the pandemic
Clinical Roundup
- In vitro fertilization does not increase the risk of ovarian cancer
- UCLA researchers find patients with lung cancer most likely to respond to immunotherapy
- AI can pick the best candidates for skin cancer treatment
- Phase III trial shows decrease of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia
- Neratinib in HER2-positive HR-negative early stage breast cancer shows DFS benefit vs. placebo
Drugs & Targets
- Keytruda receives accelerated approval from FDA for locally recurrent, unresectable or metastatic TNBC
- FDA issues draft guidance to provide important considerations in cross labeling of oncology drugs
- CDER and CBER to increase Emergency Use Authorization transparency
- Agendia and Paige collaborate on breast cancer research