In patients with stage II colon cancer, for which cancer DNA was not present in the blood (circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA) post-surgical chemotherapy could be skipped without compromising recurrence-free survival. Conversely, for patients where ctDNA was present after surgery, the rate of recurrence among those who received chemotherapy was low, suggesting a survival benefit from post-surgical chemotherapy, according to new research to be presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

Ibrutinib (Imbruvica™) combined with bendamustine-rituximab improved progression-free survival by 50% for older patients with newly diagnosed mantle cell lymphoma compared to patients who received a placebo plus bendamustine-rituximab, according to new research that will be reported at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

With the rapid acceleration of the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the United States in March 2020, telemedicine visits became more common for cancer care. However, in an evaluation of telemedicine inequities in 21 common cancers, there were distinctly lower levels of telemedicine use by Black patients and those who were uninsured, lived in suburban or rural areas, and resided in a neighborhood with low socioeconomic status. The research will be presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

States that increased investments in social services spending by 10% compared to those that did not increase spending – including Medicaid and other social services for socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals – showed improved five-year overall survival for non-Hispanic Black adults with cancer, according to new research. There was also a decrease in racial disparities in survival between non-Hispanic Black and white patients for many different types of cancers. The study will be presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

Alexandria, Va — In an effort to highlight cancer care inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has launched the Interactive Map of Oncology, a data visualization tool that allows users to explore geographic distribution of systemic and socioeconomic factors that influence cancer care delivery in the United States. Users can filter data on population demographics and risk factors by location overlaid with COVID-specific data from the COVID-19 in Oncology Registry (also known as the ASCO Registry) and other authoritative sources. 

Today, JCO Oncology Practice, a journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), published a special series that examines the causes of disparities in cancer care and outcomes in the U.S. Hispanic/Latinx population and offers potential solutions to increase equity among this group. "Disparities in Cancer Care and Scientific Knowledge in Hispanic/Latinx People in the United States” features 18 articles and editorials that present new data and opportunities on a wide variety of topics, including prevention and screening, genetic testing, clinical trial enrollment and participation, access to affordable health care, and workforce representation, among others. 

Today the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) announced six additional medical schools will participate in the second year of the Oncology Summer Internship (OSI) program, an immersive, four-week summer internship for rising second-year medical students from groups underrepresented in medicine (UIM).