American Cancer Society Journals

The 2025 American Cancer Society Cancer Statistics report, published today in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, provides the latest insights into cancer incidence, mortality, and disparities in the United States. Key findings: 📌 A 34% decline in cancer mortality since 1991 has averted approximately 4.5 million deaths. 📌 Rising cancer incidence among women and younger adults is shifting the cancer burden. 📌 Stark disparities persist, with cancer mortality rates 2-3 times higher in some racial and ethnic groups. The authors emphasize the importance of sustained efforts in cancer prevention, research, and equitable access to care. Access the full report, available for free in CA: https://lnkd.in/e9hJbRyw Authored by Rebecca Siegel MPH, Tyler Kratzer MPH, Angela Giaquinto MSPH, Hyuna Sung PhD, and Ahmedin Jemal DVM, PhD OncoAlert William Dahut Arif Kamal MD, MBA Don S. Dizon Christina Annunziata Sumanta Pal, MD, FASCO

📗 A new open access commentary in CANCER outlines how the patient navigator job roles table can be used to create job descriptions for entry, intermediate, and advanced levels of oncology patient navigation. This resource helps administrators develop standard-aligned roles and provides a clear path for navigators to advance in their careers. Unlike other frameworks that separate patient navigators, nurse navigators, and social work navigators, this resource applies to all patient navigators across levels of expertise. Read the full commentary here: https://lnkd.in/ebBqqgRJ Authored by Arti Patel Varanasi PhD, MPH, CPH, Linda Burhansstipanov DrPH, MSPH, OPN-CG, Sharon Gentry MSN, RN, Michelle C. MS, Carrie Dorn MPA, LMSW, Julie McMahon MPH, Kimberly Bradsher BS, Elba L. Saavedra Ferrer PhD, MS, OPN-CG, LaSonia Barnett MA, Margo Leighliter MHA, BSN, RN, OCN, Donna Moore Wilson MSN, RN, CBCN, and Tracie Lewis MS American Cancer Society National Navigation Roundtable #PatientNavigation #Oncology #CancerCare

New in Cancer 📗 Does pain affect cancer survivors’ use of non-opioid substances? https://lnkd.in/euHq5_PY Experiencing pain may increase the odds that cancer survivors will use cigarettes and cannabis according to this recent study. The study also found that cigarette smoking and pain are linked to more treatment-related side effects and worse health among cancer survivors.  Pain and use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcohol, and cannabis commonly occur together in the general population. To characterize pain in relation to such non-opioid substance use specifically among cancer survivors (who often experience pain), investigators analyzed data from two national samples of individuals with a past diagnosis of cancer in the United States: 1,252 adults from Wave 6 (2021) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study and 4,130 adults from the 2020 National Health Interview Survey.  PATH data indicated that higher past-week pain intensity was associated with a greater likelihood that cancer survivors would use cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cannabis, and a lower likelihood that they would drink alcohol. National Health Interview Survey data indicated that chronic pain was associated with a greater likelihood of cigarette smoking and a lower likelihood of alcohol use. In both studies, cigarette smoking and pain were linked to fatigue, sleep difficulties, poorer mental/physical health, and lower quality of life. “These findings show that because pain and substance use are interconnected among cancer survivors, it’s important to focus on treating both together in cancer care. Pain can drive substance use, and substance use can worsen pain, creating a cycle that’s hard to break,” said lead author Jessica Powers PhD, of Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine. “While cancer survivors might smoke cigarettes or use substances to get immediate relief from their pain and cope with other symptoms, this can be incredibly harmful for their health by reducing the effectiveness of cancer treatments and increasing risk for cancer recurrence.” Lisa LaRowe Dana Rubenstein Judy Paice Christine Rini OncoAlert

Just published in Cancer Cytopathology 📘 Pericardial fluid evaluation: Diagnostic yield and cytology–histology correlation https://lnkd.in/eTG6FZEQ Authored by Elie Tannous MD, Sana Malik BASc, and Syed M. Gilani MD Abstract Background Pericardial effusion can be due to any etiology but may cause significant morbidity and mortality; however, malignant effusions are rare, and accurate and timely diagnosis is essential for appropriate further management. Data on the actual comparison of pericardial cytology and surgical specimens are limited, and this study was conducted to evaluate an institutional cohort and compare these two samples. Methods The institutional electronic database system was retrospectively searched between January 2019 and December 2023 for pericardial biopsies/surgical specimens (PSSs) and cytology. Results A total of 202 surgical specimens of the pericardium were identified from patients with a median age of 67 years and a range of 18–97 years. Of these 202 cases, 190 specimens also underwent cytological evaluation, which included 153 cases that were negative for malignancy, nine cases that were indeterminate/atypical, and 28 cases that were positive for malignancy. Agreement between cytology and PSSs was reached in 172 cases, with 153 being benign and 19 being malignant. However, a cytology–histology discrepancy was found in 18 cases. Of these 18 cases, nine showed positive cytology but all had negative concurrent PSSs except for one with focal atypia, and the remaining nine were indeterminate/atypical on cytology. Eight of these nine indeterminate cases were negative on the PSS, whereas one atypical cytology case with low cellularity showed a positive PSS. Conclusions If atypical cases are excluded, cytology demonstrates a better diagnostic yield for detecting malignancy compared to surgical specimens (n = 28 cases vs. n = 20 cases, respectively). #CytoPath

We are pleased to welcome Jennifer Knight, MD, MS as the new Psychosocial Oncology Section Editor for the journal Cancer! 📗 Dr. Knight is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin whose research focuses on the physiologic and immunologic mechanisms underlying the relationship between psychosocial factors and clinical outcomes in patients with cancer, particularly among transplantation and cellular therapy recipients. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Knight!👏

ICYMI: The American Cancer Society is launching an open access journal focusing on pediatric, adolescent, and young adult (AYA) oncology. We’re seeking a founding Editor-in-Chief to establish its mission, build the editorial board, and shape its vision for years to come. Learn more about this exciting opportunity to shape the future of pediatric oncology publishing! Apply by February 15, 2025: https://lnkd.in/e4dbUtxp

New in Cancer 📗 Practical management of adverse events in patients receiving tarlatamab, a delta-like ligand 3–targeted bispecific T-cell engager immunotherapy, for previously treated small cell lung cancer https://lnkd.in/e86mB3ND Tarlatamab, a DLL3-targeted bispecific T-cell engager, has shown durable responses in previously treated small cell lung cancer, but understanding its safety profile is essential. In this new #OpenAccess review, the authors describe the timing, occurrence, and duration of adverse events and review the management and risk-mitigation strategies used by clinical investigators during the DeLLphi-301 trial. Authored by Jacob Sands MD, Stéphane Champiat MD, PhD, @Horst-Dieter Hummel MD, Kelly G. Paulson MD, PhD, Hossein Borghaei DO, Jean Bustamante Alvarez MD, David Carbone MD, PhD, Jennifer Carlisle, MD, Noura J. Choudhury MD, Jeffrey M. Clarke MD, Shirish Gadgeel MD, Hiroki Izumi MD, PhD, Alejandro Navarro MD, Sally Lau MD, Philip E. Lammers MD, Shuang Huang PhD, Ali Hamidi MD, Sujoy Mukherjee MD, and Taofeek Owonikoko, MD, PhD OncoAlert

Just published today in Cancer 📗 Does historic redlining—a form of structural racism—affect survival in young people with cancer? Full study link: https://lnkd.in/eJ6vAXDh A recent study indicates that children and young adults with cancer face an elevated risk of dying if they live in previously redlined neighborhoods—residential areas marked in the 1920s–1930s by lenders as undesirable for mortgage loans due to their racial demographics. Historic redlining prevented Black households and other communities of color from accessing home mortgages for many years, leading to economic disadvantage and racial segregation. Although historic redlining has been linked to poor health outcomes, including mortality in people with adult-onset cancers, its relationship with survival in pediatric, adolescent, and young adult individuals with cancer is unknown.     To investigate, Kristine Karvonen, MD, MS, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Fred Hutch) in Seattle, and her colleagues analyzed a U.S. cancer registry to identify all new cancer diagnoses in people under age 40 living in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, between 2000 and 2019.    Among 4,355 young individuals diagnosed with cancer, the percentage of people alive at 5 years was lower among those residing in redlined neighborhoods compared with those in other neighborhoods (85.1% versus 90.3%). Survival differences persisted at 10 years (81.1% versus 88.1%). After adjusting for other influencing factors, people in redlined neighborhoods had a 32% higher risk of dying than those in other neighborhoods.    “This study agrees with previous research that living in an area that was previously redlined nearly a century ago is associated with poor outcomes for patients with cancer today and adds young patients with cancer as a population at risk. Therefore, our study names racism as a potential driver of outcomes for young patients with cancer,” said Dr. Karvonen. “In light of our findings of increased mortality experienced by redlined individuals, an important next question is how these disparities arise, as mechanisms will be key to informing future interventions. Additionally, further studies are needed to build upon this historical example and examine more proximal measures of structural racism relevant to patients today.”    Dwight Barry Kira Bona Lena Winestone, MD, MSHP Abby Rosenberg, MD, MS, MA, FAAP, FAAHPM Stephen M. Schwartz (he/him/his) Eric Chow, MD, MS, MPH OncoAlert

Just published in Cancer from American Cancer Society (ACS) investigators 📗 Association of mental health treatment receipt with cancer screening among US adults with a history of anxiety or depression https://lnkd.in/gNX--xGp New research led by ACS investigator Jordan Baeker Bispo PhD, MPH reveals that mental health treatment is associated with increased cancer screening among adults with a history of depression or anxiety. Enhancing mental health treatment receipt could reduce the cancer burden in the analyzed population. Ahmedin Jemal OncoAlert

Improving outcomes for advanced & metastatic cancers requires a radical change in paradigm. This new #OpenAccess review by Mina Nikanjam, Shumei Kato, Teresa Allen, Jason Sicklick, and Razelle Kurzrock discusses transitioning from drug-centered strategies to patient-centered N-of-1 focus precision in #PrecisionMedicine trials. With greater than 1 × 1012 potential patterns of genomic alterations and greater than 4.5 million possible three-drug combinations, the deployment of artificial intelligence/machine learning may be necessary for the optimization of individual therapy and, in the near future, also may permit the discovery of new treatments in real time. Read the full review, which includes a patient perspective, for free in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dvQzP7_V MCW Cancer Center UC San Diego Health - Moores Cancer Center