Anita T. Shaffer

Associate Director of Editorial, Print
Anita T. Shaffer is your lead editorial contact for OncologyLive®, a twice monthly clinical news publication. A 10-year veteran of MJH Life Sciences™, she has been at the helm of the publication since shortly after joining the company in 2010. Before becoming an oncology journalist, she held a variety of editorial positions at The Times of Trenton, including metro editor. Email: anitashaffer@onclive.com

Articles

Whole Brain Radiation More Harmful Than Beneficial for Small Brain Metastases

May 31st 2015

Patients with small brain metastases from other tumor types should not routinely receive adjuvant whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), according to a study that showed the treatment dramatically increases the incidence of cognitive decline without improving survival outcomes.

Study Disputes Lymph Node Removal Standard in Melanoma

May 31st 2015

Patients with melanoma who are found to have micrometastases after an initial positive sentinel node biopsy can safely forgo a complete lymph node dissection, thus avoiding the risk of debilitating adverse events from the surgery.

Novel JAK Inhibitor Alleviates Key Myelofibrosis Symptoms

May 30th 2015

Patients with myelofibrosis achieved significantly better outcomes in spleen volume reduction and symptom control with the novel JAK2 inhibitor pacritinib compared with best available therapy.

Study Opens Door for Nivolumab in HCC

May 29th 2015

Nivolumab generated antitumor responses in nearly 20% of patients with advanced HCC in a small study that suggests a promising role for the immunotherapy agent in a malignancy with dismal outcomes.

ASCO Highlights Include Phase III Findings in Multiple Tumor Types

May 27th 2015

Findings from large, late-stage clinical trials in melanoma, nonâ€“small cell lung cancer, and several hematologic malignances are expected to rank among the most clinically significant research findings presented at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

Distinct Strategies Needed for Treating Lobular Breast Cancer

April 29th 2015

Although patients with invasive lobular carcinoma are typically treated with the same therapeutic strategies as those with infiltrating ductal malignancies, ILC is emerging as a molecularly complex and distinct tumor type that suggests different approaches may be effective.

Olaparib Proves Versatile When Paired With AKT Inhibitor

April 22nd 2015

The combination of olaparib with the novel AKT-targeting agent AZD5363 generated responses in a variety of tumor types among patients with and without BRCA1/2 mutations, demonstrating that a simultaneous attack on the two pathways is a safe and potentially versatile strategy.

Olaparib Plus BKM120 Combo Gains Traction in Breast and Ovarian Cancers

April 21st 2015

A two-pronged strategy combining the PARP inhibitor olaparib and the PI3K inhibitor BKM120 proved to be a safe and clinically beneficial regimen for women with triple-negative breast cancer and for patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Ovarian Cancer Expert Says Olaparib Label Is Too Restrictive

April 15th 2015

Clinical trial evidence indicates that some women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer who do not test positive for a BRCA mutation also may respond to olaparib.

PD-1 Pathway Combos Lead the Way in RCC Immunotherapy

March 16th 2015

The prospects for combining antiâ€“PD-1 pathway agents with other checkpoint blockade inhibitors or with agents that target angiogenesis are among the most promising immunotherapy approaches under development for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Proceed With Caution Is the Message on Active Surveillance

March 14th 2015

Physicians should engage in careful patient selection before recommending active surveillance for prostate cancer, according to Mitchell C. Benson, MD.

Top Breast Cancer Research Findings for the Past Year

March 9th 2015

A new standard that recommends ovarian function suppression (OFS) therapy as a routine adjuvant treatment option for certain premenopausal women with higher risk, hormone receptor (HR)â€“positive breast cancer emerged as the most far-reaching medical oncology research finding in the field for 2014, according to Debu Tripathy, MD.

Top MBCC Abstracts Focus on Tumor Profiling and Radiotherapy Paradigms

March 2nd 2015

A detailed tumor profile of molecular and protein alterations in a rare breast cancer subtype and a retrospective analysis about the impact of radiation after breast conserving surgery took home top honors at the Miami Breast Cancer Conference this year.

US Lags in Adopting Hypofractionated Radiation Standard

March 2nd 2015

Compelling clinical trial evidence supports the use of hypofractionated radiation as the standard of care for postmenopausal women with luminal A tumors and node-negative disease.

Treatment Triplets Offer New Strategies in Relapsed Multiple Myeloma

February 20th 2015

The treatment options for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma are expanding rapidly, notably through clinical trial evidence supporting a number of three-drug combination regimens, according to Sundar Jagannath, MD.

17 Cancer Drugs on Breakthrough Therapy List

January 23rd 2015

The FDA is evaluating proposals for new indications for at least 17 oncology medicines, according to Friends of Cancer Research.

FOLFOXIRI Plus Bevacizumab Superior as Frontline mCRC Regimen

January 12th 2015

Intensifying the chemotherapy component of a standard first-line bevacizumab-containing regimen reduced the risk of death by about 20% and doubled the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Lackluster T-DM1 Results Surprise Perez

December 22nd 2014

Researchers will dissect topline results from the MARIANNE trial in the coming weeks in an effort to understand why T-DM1 (ado-trastuzumab emtansine; Kadcyla) failed to triumph as a first-line treatment in the metastatic setting for patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer despite the promise of earlier findings

Frontline T-DM1 Results Disappointing in Phase III MARIANNE Trial

December 19th 2014

Two HER2-targeting regimens anchored by T-DM1 (ado-trastuzumab emtansine; Kadcyla) failed to outperform the standard strategy in women with previously untreated advanced HER2-positive breast cancer in the MARIANNE trial, dealing a blow to efforts to move the drug into frontline settings.

Nab-Paclitaxel Wins Neoadjuvant Taxane Battle in Breast Cancer Trial

December 11th 2014

Nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) proved markedly more effective than conventional paclitaxel as part of a neoadjuvant regimen for patients with high-risk early breast cancer in a large German study presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.