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Background: Women with a history of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are at increased risk for developing a second breast cancer (SBC). A prior meta-analysis of randomized studies of radiotherapy (RT) for DCIS has shown a trend toward increased breast cancer–specific mortality after SBC, but it did not have the power needed to detect a significant difference, due to a limited number of recurrences. This study sought to evaluate the impact of RT for DCIS on mortality after SBC in a larger cohort. Patients and Methods: Using the SEER database, 3,407 patients were identified who received breast-conserving therapy with or without RT for primary DCIS in 2000 through 2013 and subsequently developed a stage I–III invasive SBC within the same time period. Fine-Gray competing risk models were used to study the association between receipt of RT and mortality after SBC. Results: Prior RT was found to be associated with higher rates of breast cancer–specific mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.70; 95% CI, 1.18–2.45; P=.005), even after controlling for cancer stage. Interaction analysis suggested that this risk trended higher in patients with ipsilateral versus contralateral SBC (HR, 2.07 vs 1.26; P=.16). Furthermore, compared with patients who developed contralateral SBC, those with ipsilateral SBC were younger (P<.001) and more often lacked estrogen receptor expression (P<.001). Conclusions: Patients who previously received RT for DCIS had higher mortality after developing an invasive SBC than those who did not receive RT. This finding may have implications for initial treatment decisions in the management of DCIS.

The NCCN Guidelines for Kidney Cancer provide multidisciplinary recommendations for the clinical management of patients with clear cell and non–clear cell renal cell carcinoma, and are intended to assist with clinical decision-making. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the NCCN Kidney Cancer Panel discussions for the 2020 update to the guidelines regarding initial management and first-line systemic therapy options for patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Over the past several decades, tremendous progress has been made in the treatment of follicular lymphoma. The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy led to significant improvements in survival in the 1990s. Current standard of care in advanced-stage, previously untreated follicular lymphoma is rituximab plus chemotherapy, sometimes followed by rituximab maintenance. Now, as more research is conducted in the field of chemotherapy-free treatment, Dr. Richard I. Fisher discussed the importance of carefully constructed phase II or III trials at the NCCN 2019 Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies. He maintained that a nonchemotherapy treatment regimen comprising rituximab + lenalidomide can be considered in carefully selected patients, and that it is currently the only chemotherapy-free treatment that should be recommended.

Rare and emerging subtypes of leukemia can be incredibly challenging to diagnose and even more challenging to treat. At the NCCN 2019 Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies, a panel of experts, moderated by Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, were presented with particularly challenging cases in these malignancies and asked to discuss best approaches to treatment.

A heterogeneous group of diseases, lymphomas encompass a range of diagnoses that call for varied treatment approaches. Although some lymphomas require minimal intervention for cure or remission, others can be very difficult to treat and are associated with poor outcomes. At the NCCN 2019 Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies, a panel of experts used 3 case studies to develop an evidence-based approach for the treatment of patients with lymphomas. Moderated by Ranjana H. Advani, MD, the session focused on peripheral T-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Managing patients with plasma cell neoplasms, diseases in which abnormal plasma cells or myeloma cells form tumors in the bones or soft tissues of the body, poses numerous challenges for clinicians. At the NCCN 2019 Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies, a panel of experts discussed evidenced-based approaches for the treatment of patients with these diseases. Moderated by Dr. Andrew D. Zelenetz, the session focused on patients with transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, active multiple myeloma, and light chain amyloidosis.

Background: Adjuvant therapy for resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma was given a category 1 NCCN recommendation in 2000, yet many patients do not receive chemotherapy after definitive surgery. Whether sociodemographic disparities exist for receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy is poorly understood. Methods: The National Cancer Database was used to identify patients diagnosed with nonmetastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who underwent definitive surgery from 2004 through 2015. Multivariable logistic regression defined the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and associated 95% CI of receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy. Among patients receiving chemotherapy, multivariable logistic regression assessed the odds of treatment with multiagent chemotherapy. Results: Among 18,463 patients, 11,288 (61.1%) received any adjuvant chemotherapy. Sociodemographic factors inversely associated with receipt of any adjuvant chemotherapy included uninsured status (aOR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.50–0.74), Medicaid insurance (aOR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.57–0.77), and lower income (P<.001 for all income levels compared with ≥$46,000). Black race (aOR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57–0.90) and female sex (aOR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.65–0.86) were associated with lower odds of receiving multiagent chemotherapy. There was a statistically significant interaction term between black race and age/comorbidity status (P=.03), such that 26.4% of black versus 35.8% of nonblack young (aged ≤65 years) and healthy (Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score 0) patients received multiagent adjuvant chemotherapy (P=.006), whereas multiagent adjuvant chemotherapy rates were similar among patients who were not young and healthy (P=.15). Conclusions: In this nationally representative study, receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy appeared to be associated with sociodemographic characteristics, independent of clinical factors. Sociodemographic differences in receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy may represent a missed opportunity for improving outcomes and a driver of oncologic disparities.