Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Media Relations >
  • News Releases >
  • 060413 ASCO Meeting
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Pitt Researchers Present Latest Cancer Findings at American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting

Want to Make an Appointment or Need Patient Information?
Contact UPMC at

1-800-533-8762.

Go to Find a Doctor to search for a UPMC doctor.

University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Media Relations

6/4/2013

CHICAGO, IL., May 31 to June 4, 2013 – Depression in patients with advanced cancer, chemotherapy maintenance regimens in lung cancer and the progression of melanoma were among the topics presented by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), partner with the UPMC CancerCenter, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) this year.

The meeting, based on the theme “Building Bridges to Conquer Cancer,” was expected to draw approximately 30,000 cancer specialists from around the world when it convened in Chicago this week.

Pitt researchers Weijing Sun, M.D., professor, Pitt School of Medicine, and director, GI Cancers Section of Hematology-Oncology, and Priya Rastogi, M.D., associate professor of medicine, each served on panels to discuss new findings. Dr. Sun spoke about bevacizumab in colorectal cancer and early response as an indicator of overall survival, while Dr. Rastogi discussed the latest findings in the HER2-positive neoadjuvant trials in breast cancer.

Other highlights included the following oral presentations:

Drug Therapies for Metastatic Melanoma

John Kirkwood, M.D., director of UPMC CancerCenter’s melanoma program, and his colleagues were part of a multicenter, randomized phase II trial of GM-CSF plus ipilimumab versus Ipi alone in metastatic melanoma. The findings of the study were presented at an oral presentation at ASCO.

Depression Linked to Cancer Survival

Jennifer Steel, Ph.D., associate professor of surgery and psychiatry, and director of Pitt’s Center for Excellence in Behavioral Medicine, presented findings of a study examining the mechanisms associated with the link between depression and increased risk of mortality in patients with advanced cancer. In the study of 474 patients with advanced cancer, researchers found 47 percent of patients reporting depressive symptoms in the clinical range, and the course of the depression were linked to their survival after adjusting for demographic and disease-specific factors. The biological mechanisms believed to link depression and mortality included pro-inflammatory cytokines, which were elevated in those patients with clinical levels of depression. Depressive symptoms both increased and decreased in relationship to the levels of the cytokines over time. Preliminary evidence also suggested that depression was linked to an increase of a biomarker of inflammation near the tumor in a small sample of patients who underwent surgery. These biomarkers of inflammation in the serum and tumor microenvironment have been shown to be associated with tumor growth and development of metastases. Future research by this team will focus on whether treatment of depression will reduce tumor-associated inflammation and slow disease progression using an innovative, collaborative-care intervention.

Lung Cancer Treatments Compared

Mark Socinski, M.D., presented findings of a team led by UPCI researchers who found in a phase III study of more than 900 patients with late-stage nonsquamous, non-small cell lung cancer that a regimen of pemetrexed, carboplatin and bevacizumab followed by maintenance pemetrexed and bevacizumab (Pem arm) did not improve overall survival rates compared with a regimen of paclitaxel, carboplatin and bevacizumab followed by maintenance bevacizumab (Pac arm). Progression-free survival time, meaning the length of time that the disease did not get worse, was generally longer in the Pem arm, particularly for patients 70 and younger.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login