Oncology On The Go

In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Julian Hong, MD, MS, discussed considerations for optimizing care among patients with mental health disorders (MHDs) who are undergoing treatment for cancer. He spoke in the context of a study he and coauthors published in Cancer, which showed that patients with cancer and a mental health condition experience an increased risk of all-cause mortality.
Specifically, findings from the study demonstrated that early MHDs conferred a heightened all-cause mortality risk in the initial 12 to 35 months of cancer diagnosis (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.47-1.56). This trend diminished over time, with gradually reduced risks observed from 36 to 59 months (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11-1.24) and from 60 to 120 months after that initial period (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.89-1.01). Furthermore, the risk of all-cause mortality was even higher for patients with an early MHD and receipt of psychotropic medications at 12 to 36 months (HR, 2.67; 95% CI, 2.52-2.83), 36 to 60 months (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.07-1.46), and 60 to 120 months (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.82-1.25).
“We’re…trying to combine different types of data to identify earlier mental health diagnoses. Even what can feel like small amounts of time—weeks and months—can make a huge difference for people who are going through these conditions,” Hong stated regarding the next steps for research in the field. “It’s one thing to help identify some of these issues and some of these implications of different conditions, but at the end of the day, the goal is to intervene on these things and do a better job of taking care of patients.”
Hong is an associate professor of radiation oncology in the Baker Computational Health Sciences Institute at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and head of Artificial Intelligence at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Reference

Ganjouei AA, Zack T, Friesner I, et al. Association of mental health disorders and all-cause mortality for patients with cancer: large-scale analysis of University of California Health System data. Cancer. 2026;132(5):e70254. doi:10.1002/cncr.70254

In this episode of Oncology on The Go, created in collaboration with the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, Daniel C. McFarland, DO, and Ilana M. Braun, MD, dove into the complexities of cannabis use within the oncology landscape. They explored the tension between rising public popularity and the need for rigorous scientific scrutiny in symptom management.
Key Discussion Points:

The 2024 ASCO Guidelines: Braun highlighted the first-of-its-kind clinical guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which acknowledge medicinal utility for chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting (as an adjunct), and non-cancer pain.

Routes of Administration: McFarland and Braun compared oral, combusted, and vaporized methods, noting that while oncologists favor oral routes, they are subject to "first-pass metabolism," which can delay relief.

Safety and Clinical Concerns: There are potential negative impacts on outcomes for patients using immune checkpoint inhibitors.
 Risks may impact patients with a personal or family history of psychosis when using THC-predominant products.

 There are possible dangers linked to e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) from informally sourced products.

 

Addressing "Cancer-Directed" Claims: The pair addressed the misconception that cannabis treats the cancer itself, noting that ASCO explicitly discourages using it as a replacement for conventional treatments like chemotherapy or surgery.

The Future of Research: The discussion concluded with the potential impact of reclassifying cannabis to Schedule III, which could reduce red tape and enable high-quality comparative efficacy trials for sleep, anxiety, and depression.

The conversation emphasized a "harm reduction" approach, urging oncologists to provide stigma-free, evidence-based education while respecting patient autonomy.
McFarland is the director of the Psycho-Oncology Program at Wilmot Cancer Center and a medical oncologist who specializes in head, neck, and lung cancer, in addition to being the psycho-oncology editorial advisory board member for the journal ONCOLOGY. Braun is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and senior physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 
Reference
Braun IM, Bohlke K, Abrams DI, et al. Cannabis and cannabinoids in adults with cancer: ASCO guideline. J Clin Oncol. 2024;42(13):1575-1593. doi:10.1200/JCO.23.02596

During a visit to Columbia University Irving Cancer Research Center, experts across hematologic oncology shared their perspectives on key trends and developments in their respective fields. These conversations explored novel therapeutic approaches and translational research that may advance the paradigm across different leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma populations.
First, Nicole Lamanna, MD, an associate clinical professor of medicine in the Hematologic Malignancies Section of the Hematology/Oncology Division at Irving Medical Center, discussed relevant advancements in the management of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). She described how the FDA approval of fixed-duration acalabrutinib (Calquence) plus venetoclax (Venclexta) may affirm a shift away from standard chemoimmunotherapy in the field. Her discussion also emphasized evaluating the adverse effects and benefit/risk profiles of drug classes such as BTK inhibitors and BCL-2 inhibitors during the treatment decision-making process.
Next, Rajshekhar Chakraborty, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Irving Medical Center, touched upon critical themes related to the use of bispecific antibodies for patients with multiple myeloma and other plasma cell disorders. Educating providers on the utility of bispecific antibodies in earlier treatment settings, he noted, is one of the important challenges that the field must address to expand usage of these therapies in community practices. He also highlighted findings from the phase 3 MajesTEC-3 trial (NCT05083169) and how they support the clinical utility of teclistamab-cqyv (Tecvayli) plus daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj (Darzalex Faspro) for patients with relapsed/refractory disease.
Finally, Hua-Jay “Jeff” Cherng, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Lymphoma Program in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Irving Medical Center, detailed translational work that may shape clinical practice in the lymphoma space. He spoke about research aiming to move markers like ctDNA and minimal residual disease from “the bench to the bedside” as part of clinical decision-making for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Other future focuses, Cherng said, include leveraging molecular genotyping to improve outcomes for higher-risk subgroups or even replacing chemotherapy with less toxic targeted agents.
References

CALQUENCE® plus venetoclax approved in the US as first all-oral, fixed-duration combination for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the 1st-line setting. News release. AstraZeneca. February 20, 2026. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/38zbx96s

Mateos MV, Bahlis N, Perrot A, et al. Phase 3 randomized study of teclistamab plus daratumumab versus investigator’s choice of daratumumab and dexamethasone with either pomalidomide or bortezomib (DPd/DVd) in patients (pts) with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM): results of MajesTEC-3. Blood. 2025;146(suppl 2):LBA-6. doi:10.1182/blood-2025-LBA-6

In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Sagar Lonial, MD, FACP, FASCO, discussed the potential implications of the FDA approving iberdomide plus daratumumab (Darzalex) and dexamethasone for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. He spoke in context of the FDA accepting a new drug application for the iberdomide regimen based on data from the phase 3 EXCALIBER-RRMM trial (NCT04975997).
Lonial discussed the potential benefits that iberdomide could offer based on its properties as a CELMoD. He noted how the potency, safety profile, and targeting capabilities of this drug class may differentiate it from previous standards such as immunomodulatory drugs.
Regarding the supporting findings from the EXCALIBER-RRMM trial, Lonial stated that the study was the “first test case” for using minimal residual disease (MRD) as an early end point for approval. In September 2025, investigators announced that iberdomide-based therapy showed a significant improvement in MRD-negative status vs daratumumab, bortezomib (Velcade), and dexamethasone.
The potential approval of iberdomide in this multiple myeloma population, Lonial said, would open the door for using the agent in combination with other immunotherapies. Noting that T-cell engagers are “perfect partners” for the CELMoD class, Lonial emphasized the utility of combination regimens across the field.
“Recognizing that we have agents that can reset or augment immunity and partnering them [are important]. People always want to say it's a black and white world; you're either going to use this, or you're going to use this. To me, it's about combination therapy,” Lonial stated. “Having this tool belt with many drugs and putting them together in combinations is how we get to [a] cure.”
Lonial is a professor and chair of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology and the Anne and Bernard Gray Family Chair in Cancer at Emory University School of Medicine, and the chief medical officer at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. He is also a member of the International Myeloma Foundation scientific board.
References

U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepts Bristol Myers Squibb's new drug application for iberdomide in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. News release. Bristol Myers Squibb. February 17, 2026. Accessed March 5, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/4c8mb6ex

Bristol Myers Squibb announces phase 3 EXCALIBER-RRMM study evaluating iberdomide in combination with standard therapies demonstrated a significant improvement in minimal residual disease negativity rates in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. News release. Bristol Myers Squibb. September 23, 2025. Accessed March 5, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/5n9768k5

Daniel C. McFarland, DO, and Boris Kiselev, MD, highlighted the need for oncologists to recognize and address depression for patients with cancer. 
In a new episode of Oncology on the Go created in collaboration with the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, host Daniel C. McFarland, DO, spoke with Boris Kiselev, MD. Together, they explored the complex intersection of oncology and psychiatry. The conversation challenged the oversimplification of “cancer-related sadness” to provide clinicians with a framework for distinguishing between normative grief and clinical Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
The conversation focused on:

The Diagnostic Continuum: Depression exists on a spectrum ranging from normative sadness—encompassing a healthy, waxing-and-waning response to trauma—to pathological MDD.

Differentiating Grief vs Depression:
 
Grief/Normative Sadness: Often occurs in waves, improves over time, and does not typically affect a patient’s functional ability. It is often a response to the loss of one’s “pre-cancer self”.

 
Clinical Depression: Marked by anhedonia (loss of pleasure), persistent feelings of guilt or worthlessness, and a fundamental change in identity where the patient no longer “feels like themselves”.

 

The “Quantum” Observation Effect: Patients often present differently to oncologists than they do to mental health professionals. In the oncology clinic, patients may unconsciously “shield” their distress to ensure that their treatment plan remains unchanged.

The Power of the Story: The experts emphasized that the oncologist-patient relationship is therapeutic. Allowing patients to “tell their story” rather than jumping straight to clinical data builds trust with them and uncovers hidden psychological pressure points.

McFarland is the director of the Psycho-Oncology Program at Wilmot Cancer Center and a medical oncologist who specializes in head, neck, and lung cancer, in addition to being the psycho-oncology editorial advisory board member for the journal ONCOLOGY. Kiselev is a consult liaison psychiatrist at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, an assistant professor in the Psycho-oncology Program in the Department of Supportive Oncology at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute, and an assistant professor in Internal Medicine.