Tony Berberabe, MPH

As a greater understanding of triple-negative breast cancer heterogeneity develops over time, combinations of PD-1/PD-L1 plus PARP inhibitors, androgen receptor targeted agents, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors are undergoing evaluation by investigators in the field.

The bispecific T‐cell engager, AMG 160, demonstrated a manageable safety profile and preliminary evidence of efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in a 2-part, phase 1 open-label study.

The growing use of minimal residual disease as a prognostic marker of progression-free survival and overall survival suggests that it might aid in clinical decision-making.

Today’s patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia can look forward to a near-normal life expectancy, provided they have good access to treatment and monitoring and are properly managed, said Jorge Cortes, MD.

With the number of targets in gastrointestinal cancer growing, particularly KRAS in colorectal cancer and tumor mutational burden across all gastrointestinal tumors, Andrea Cercek, MD, sought to provide an overview of current and emerging targets during the 17th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology.

“We should look to reduce or limit radiation therapy or eliminate it if it’s not necessary. The major problem is the late toxicity associated with it."

Findings from the NASIR-HCC phase 2 clinical trial demonstrated the safety and tolerability of nivolumab administered with selective internal radiation therapy containing yttrium-90 resin in patients who were ineligible for transarterial chemoembolization.

The impetus for taking a closer look at cancer drug spending starts with their costs. But the other side of the equation, the revenue coming in, can also be a factor that requires adjusting.

Delivering evidence-based state-of-the art cancer care in the management of hematologic and solid malignancies is the mainstay of the 38th Annual CFS®: Innovative Cancer Therapy for Tomorrow conference taking place virtually November 4 through 6, 2020.

Osimertinib plus bevacizumab did not lead to a prolonged progression-free survival compared with osimertinib alone as treatment of patients with advanced adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR T790M.

Patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma who harbor EGFR T790M mutations did not experience significant progression-free survival improvement with osimertinib plus bevacizumab versus osimertinib alone, according to findings presented by Yukihiro Toi, MD, during the 2020 European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress.

The use of encorafenib and binimetinib followed by immunotherapy demonstrated a higher progression-free survival, as well as an objective response rate and median PFS at 1 and 2 years that were consistent with those reported in pivotal studies, according to a presentation by Paolo Ascierto, MD, at the 2020 ESMO Virtual Congress.

For patients with progressive pancreatic or midgut neuroendocrine tumors, improvements in disease-free survival and progression-free survival were seen when the dosing of lanreotide Autogel was increased from 120 mg every 28 days to every 14 days. Data from the phase 2 CLARINET FORTE study suggest that this treatment option can delay switching to a more toxic treatment, which was presented at the 2020 ESMO Virtual Congress.

As COVID-19 alters current approaches to caring for patients with cancer, early emerging research data reinforce what practicing oncologists have been observing in their patients are at increased risk of mortality.

Adding the anti-CD38 antibody, daratumumab, to the standard of care regimen of lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone, improved depth of response, stringent complete response , and minimal residual disease negativity, in a subgroup of Black patients who had newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to findings presented at the eighth annual Society of Hematologic Oncology meeting.

Using a modified pediatric regimen to treat adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia led to superior outcomes compared with historical adult ALL regimen results, according to a retrospective analysis that evaluated 95 AYAs aged 14 to 39 years. Findings were presented at the eighth annual Society of Hematologic Oncology virtual meeting.

As the new chair of the 17th Annual International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology meeting, Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, said that this year’s virtual conference will place particular emphasis on fellows’ education and involvement.

Telemedicine increases efficiencies, supports coordinated care, and promotes flexibility in follow-up by allowing patients to be seen at any time and from any location.

Multiple positive responses were observed in an exploratory efficacy analysis evaluating tucatinib in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine in patients with previously treated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer with brain metastases in the previously reported HER2CLIMB trial.

A pathogenic germline mutation rate of about 5% has been identified in women who had a family history of breast or ovarian cancer but no personal history of either disease.

A review of selected trials looking at frequencies of grade 3 irAEs suggests that renal and bone marrow toxicities occur more frequently with the use of PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors compared with agents blocking CTLA-4

Experts say the combining intralesional therapies with immunotherapy is a strategy that has potential to expand into medical practices outside of the oncology realm.

Stratified multivariate analysis as well as efficacy from multiple treatment time points confirmed the benefit of cabazitaxel over abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide as a standard treatment in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who were previously treated with docetaxel and either of those 2 androgen receptor-targeted agents, according to results presented during the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology Virtual Scientific Program.

Encorafenib plus binimetinib show sustained overall survival and progression-free survival benefit in patients with BRAF V600–mutant melanoma, according to updated findings from the COLUMBUS study.

According to the lead study author Jesus G. Berdeja, MD, the overall response rate was 100%, with a stringent complete response rate of 86%. Further, the progression-free survival rate was 86% at 9 months.

A manageable safety profile was demonstrated with the combination of atezolizumab plus an anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-Cell therapy in patients with refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the ZUMA-6 trial.

Deep and durable responses were observed in 97 patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer harboring a MET exon 14 mutation with treatment of capmatinib, according to GEOMETRY mono-1 study, presented at the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting.

Investigators found no difference in the primary end point of pathologic complete response between the 2 arms of a trial evaluating gemcitabine and cisplatin plus either nintedanib or placebo in muscle-invasive bladder cancer; however; secondary end points of progression-free survival and overall survival demonstrated  significant  benefit in patients who got nintedanib.

External Beam Radiation therapy with or without androgen deprivation therapy or surgery are the standards of care for men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer, but the adverse events associated with the treatments, delayed testosterone recovery and prolonged erectile dysfunction, are challenges.

The upcoming 4th Annual Medical Crossfire Hematologic Malignancies, hosted by Physicians’ Education Resource, LLC, promises a lively exchange between experts in multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma and physician attendees who are on the front lines of patient care. This educational format moves away from didactic lectures and instead focuses on discussions on scientific advances and their impact on real-world patient cases.