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

Prognostic Tool for Immuno Age Debuts

September 6th 2016

An assay that would evaluate the immune status of patients with colon cancer is poised to become the first of a series of Immunoscore tests for various tumor types.

Liquid Biopsies Likely to Fill Many Roles in NSCLC Treatment

August 9th 2016

The optimal use of emerging assays that characterize molecular abnormalities from plasma in late-stage non–small cell lung cancer will be to augment tissue biopsies at initial diagnosis and to evaluate patients for second- and third-line therapies.

A Changing Population and Radiology Advances Mark HCC Field

August 5th 2016

Although it has been nearly 10 years since a new systemic drug has been approved for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the field is changing rapidly due to new therapies for a prime underlying cause of the disease and advances in interventional radiology.

Novel Radionuclide Agent Delivers "Striking" Results in Neuroendocrine Tumors

August 2nd 2016

Lutathera (lutetium Lu 177 dotatate) has demonstrated "quite striking" results with a favorable safety profile as a therapy for patients with progressive midgut neuroendocrine tumors in the first randomized phase III study to evaluate a radiolabeled somatostatin analogue in this treatment setting.

Immunotherapy Perspective From a PD-1 Pioneer

July 5th 2016

Suzanne L. Topalian, MD, discusses progress in PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapies and the prospects for developing biomarkers to better identify patients who would benefit from the new agents.

First-in-Human CRISPR Immunotherapy Would Target PD-1

June 24th 2016

At a time when PD-1 inhibitors are dominating the immunotherapy field, a team of researchers is seeking to use groundbreaking CRISPR gene editing technology for the first time in human beings to create an engineered T-cell agent that would knock out the gene that controls the immune checkpoint’s activity.

Emerging Immunotherapy Target in Spotlight at Wistar

June 22nd 2016

Amid growing evidence of their importance in the immune system, myeloid-derived suppressor cells are gaining traction as a target for anticancer therapies.

Biosimilar Era Gets Rolling in Oncology

June 17th 2016

After years of anticipation, biosimilar versions of the most widely administered monoclonal antibodies in oncology care are moving closer to fruition for the US market, starting with a new form of trastuzumab (Herceptin).

Web App Boosts Survival for Lung Cancer Patients

June 6th 2016

Patients with lung cancer who participated in a web-based system for reporting and tracking their symptoms achieved dramatic gains in survival compared with individuals who were followed with typical protocols.

Novel Gastric Cancer Immunotherapy Scores Robust Phase II Results

June 6th 2016

IMAB362 reduced the risk of death or progression by approximately 50% when added to standard chemotherapy for patients with CLDN18.2-positive advanced gastric cancers.

Large Study Gives Boost to Liquid Biopsy Testing for Mutations

June 5th 2016

The liquid biopsy testing method correlated closely with mutations described in databases and in some cases from tumor biopsies.

Biosimilar Trastuzumab Matches Herceptin in Efficacy and Safety

June 4th 2016

A biosimilar version of trastuzumab demonstrated equivalent efficacy and safety to the FDA-approved branded drug in a randomized phase III study among patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

A Look at This Year's ASCO Pipeline

June 1st 2016

Immunotherapy agents targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway will be the most robust area for news at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting, but there will be much new data about recently approved and novel anticancer drugs for clinicians to digest.

6 Potential Practice-Changers Top Kantar's ASCO List

May 31st 2016

Research into 6 drugs scheduled to be presented during the upcoming 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting stand out as the most noteworthy abstracts on the docket this year because of their potential to influence clinical practice in the near future.

Pembrolizumab 3-Year Survival Rate Hits 40% in Melanoma

May 19th 2016

Forty percent of patients with advanced melanoma who started taking pembrolizumab during the clinical trial that led to its initial approval were still alive after 3 years, with many responders in remission even after stopping treatment.

Immunotherapy Doubts Fading in GI Cancers

April 26th 2016

Immunotherapy approaches are showing early signs of activity against a range of gastrointestinal cancers, defying the skeptical view that these tumors would not respond to the emerging agents succeeding in other malignancies.

Precision Medicine Vital to Value-Based GI Cancer Care

April 23rd 2016

Cancer care is shifting from a consumption to a value-based model, and precision oncology should play a vital role in that process by helping to deliver more effective therapies with more manageable pricing profiles.

Treating GI Cancers Is a “Team Sport,” Conference Leader Says

April 23rd 2016

John L. Marshall, MD, discusses how the management of patients with gastrointestinal cancers requires a multidisciplinary approach.

Study Moves T-VEC Into Neoadjuvant Melanoma Setting

April 11th 2016

Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC; Imlygic), an oncolytic viral immunotherapy approved for patients with melanoma, is being evaluated in a presurgical setting in a phase II clinical trial that may help set the stage for expanding the toolkit of neoadjuvant options for patients with the malignancy.

Killing Cancer: What Vincent DeVita Wants You to Know

March 30th 2016

Vincent T. DeVita Jr, MD, discusses his insights into the operations of the FDA and the National Cancer Institute will hold a special appeal for oncology specialists and healthcare providers in his book, "The Death of Cancer."