The annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology was held from May 30 to June 4 in Chicago and hosted more than 34,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in oncology. The conference featured the latest advances in clinical cancer research, including oral abstract presentations and poster presentations in disease-based and specialty tracks. Presentations focused on novel targeted therapies as well as improvements in chemotherapy and radiation therapy approaches.
In one study, Jefferson DeKloe, M.D., of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and colleagues found that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination reduces the risk for cervical cancer and precancerous dysplasia in female patients and may reduce the incidence of other HPV-associated cancers, including head and neck cancers in men.
The authors performed a retrospective cohort study using the data from the TriNetX U.S. Collaborative Network. Patients aged 9 to 39 years who received any vaccine between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2023, were included in the analysis. Patients were divided into two cohorts: those vaccinated for HPV at least five years prior and those with no history of HPV vaccination. The development of malignancies across various organ systems, including head and neck, cervix, anus and anal canal, penis, vulva, and vagina, was assessed.
The researchers observed lower rates of cervical cancer in female participants vaccinated for HPV compared with those not vaccinated. Furthermore, lower rates of head and neck cancer were observed in male patients vaccinated for HPV compared with those not vaccinated.
“There are still many variables that influence the risk of developing an HPV-associated cancer and future research may inform us what is causing the reduced incidence of head and neck cancers in HPV-vaccinated males,” DeKloe said. “This work shows that the HPV-vaccination efforts in the United States may already have some apparent benefit measured through the reduction of HPV-associated cancers. Given the rise in HPV-related cancers in the past few decades, HPV vaccination is an important means of cancer prevention that should be emphasized for male and female patients in clinical practice.”
One author disclosed a financial relationship with AstraZeneca.
In a large-scale comparative effectiveness trial across 22 cancer centers, Joseph Greer, M.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues demonstrated equivalence for the effect of delivering early palliative care via video versus in-person visits on quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer.
The authors focused on the use of video visits to deliver palliative care, as according to the authors, they require fewer clinical resources and may be a more efficient way for clinicians to provide care. The researchers also note that video visits save patients time and money compared with going to the hospital or clinic to meet with the clinician.
The trial included 1,250 patients, with 633 in the video-visit palliative care group and 617 in the in-person palliative care group. In addition, 548 caregivers (i.e., a family member or friend who was involved in the patient’s care) were enrolled in the study. All patients who participated in the study received early palliative care that began soon after their diagnosis and continued throughout the course of their disease. Patients in both study groups had contact with the palliative care clinician every four weeks, with the visits occurring predominantly in clinic for those randomly assigned to in-person palliative care and via video visits for those assigned to telehealth palliative care.
The researchers found that medical care, such as palliative care, can be delivered through video visits and patients and their family caregivers receive the same quality-of-life benefits as with in-person palliative care. The two study groups also did not differ in their reported satisfaction with care or with respect to patient- and caregiver-reported mood symptoms.
“The equivalence of these modalities in a population with serious illness underscores the urgent need for clinicians, health care systems, and policymakers to expand equitable access to evidence-based palliative care and develop guidelines for a new standard of care that includes the broad adoption of telehealth services,” Greer said.
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
In a prospective study, Kimia Sorouri, M.D., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues followed breast cancer survivors over 10 years to determine fertility outcomes in those attempting pregnancy, with the majority achieving pregnancy and most experiencing live births.
The authors evaluated women with stage 0 to III breast cancer included in the Young Women’s Breast Cancer Study who reported attempting pregnancy postdiagnosis (1,213 eligible female participants, including 197 reporting any attempt of pregnancy). The researchers found that 73 percent reported at least one pregnancy after diagnosis and 65 percent experienced at least one live birth after diagnosis.
“This is the first prospective study with greater than 10 years of follow-up to report fertility outcomes in young breast cancer survivors accounting for attempting pregnancy,” the authors write. “Our findings can be incorporated into the counseling of young breast cancer patients and survivors, and highlight the need for accessibility of fertility preservation services for this population.”
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical, medical device, and medical technology industries.
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THURSDAY, May 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Human papillomavirus vaccination is associated with reduced odds of several types of HPV-related cancers, not just cervical cancer, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from May 31 to June 4 in Chicago.
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