New cancer treatment and prevention studies signal major advances for children and adults

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today announced results from four major studies to be presented at ASCO's 51st Annual Meeting, May 29-June 2, in Chicago. Findings showed that use of a widely available vitamin pill reduces the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers; that early chemotherapy extends the lives of men with advanced prostate cancers; and that new therapies can improve outcomes for children with a rare form of kidney cancer and adults with relapsed multiple myeloma.

The studies are among the around 5,000 abstracts publicly released today in advance of the meeting on ASCO's website at abstracts.asco.org. Other major research, including studies selected for the meeting's Plenary Session, will be released as Late-Breaking Abstracts on-site at Chicago's McCormick Place and online on a rolling basis throughout the meeting. Around 25,000 oncology professionals are expected at the meeting, which focuses on the theme Illumination and Innovation.

"Trials like these are engines of progress for people with cancer of all ages," said ASCO President Peter Paul Yu, MD, FACP, FASCO. "In just four studies, we see the potential to spare thousands of people the stress and complications of a new cancer diagnosis, and to extend the lives of children and adults facing cancer in its most daunting forms. At ASCO's meeting in Chicago, we'll continue to see the transformative power of investments in cancer research and care."

"We're in an era of cutting-edge precision medicine, yet we can still achieve meaningful progress with conventional treatments," said Gregory A. Masters, MD, FACP, FASCO, Chair of ASCO's Cancer Communications Committee. "Thanks to a deeper understanding of cancer biology, we have a potential new targeted therapy for multiple myeloma, and can better tailor treatment for kids with Wilms tumor. At the same time, a simple vitamin pill and a long-available chemotherapy are being put to work in different ways to improve the lives of patients."

Studies highlighted in today's presscast include:

• A large Australian trial showing that daily use of nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, for 12 months reduced the incidence of new non-melanoma skin cancers by 23% in patients at high risk for skin cancer
• A randomized phase III trial finding that a new monoclonal antibody, elotuzumab, added to standard therapy, extended the duration of remission for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma by about five monthsFindings from two phase III studies showing that children with Wilms tumor who have a specific chromosomal abnormality do better with a more intensive, augmented chemotherapy regimen
• A large trial showing that men with newly diagnosed, advanced prostate cancer lived ten months longer, on average, when they received docetaxel chemotherapy along with standard hormone therapy

Provided by American Society of Clinical Oncology