BRAIN CANCER

James L. Wade III, MD, FACP, FASCO, discusses the importance of clinical trials in the community.

I think one of the most important advancements in biomedical technology that has improved our understanding of the complexities of cancer is the ability to sequence the cancer genome for any individual patient, in a rapid and cost-effective manner, to help us make treatment decisions in the clinic.

Groundbreaking developments in cancer therapies can change lives, extending survival and sending patients who previously thought their chances were slim into remission. But these therapies come at a cost, and many patients reel at the prospect of heavy financial burdens. To help patients and programs meet the challenges of affording cancer treatments, community cancer centers are expanding the role of financial advocates in their organizations.

Thomas A. Gallo, MS, MDA, president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, discusses his mission as president to “reflect, renew, and reignite” in order to create a more resilient oncology team for the community.

Larotrectinib induced an objective response rate of 80% in patients with advanced solid tumors who harbored&nbsp;<em>NTRK&nbsp;</em>gene fusions, according to results pooled from 3 small trials of the TRK inhibitor. Results were presented during the 2018 ESMO Congress.

Rising prescription drug prices continue to add to the burden of paying for quality healthcare. In an effort to confront such costs, the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services has rescinded a prohibition on step therapy for Medicare Advantage plans. But some contend such a policy will reduce patient access to optimal medication.

General Cancer

The first patient has been dosed in a phase I/II open-label, multicenter trial investigating a novel immunotherapy combination in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Fifty patients have been accrued in the trial, as of May 31, 2018, which will be conducted at 25 sites across the nation.

W. K. Alfred Yung, MD, a professor of Neuro-oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the future of immuno-oncology in the treatment landscape of brain cancer.&nbsp;

Regorafenib (Stivarga) improved overall survival and progression-free survival compared with lomustine (Gleostine) for patients with glioblastoma that recurred following surgery and treatment with the Stupp regimen, according to updated results presented in a poster at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Daniela A. Bota, MD, medical director of Neuro-Oncology at University of California Irvine, discusses the findings from a dose-escalation trial of marizomib.

The anticancer immunotherapy vaccine SL-701, when used with immunostimulants, induced antitumor activity in patients with relapsed/refractory glioblastoma both alone and in combination with bevacizumab, according to updated phase II results from the 2-stage STML-701-0114 trial presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting.

According to phase I findings recently published in the<em> New England Journal of Medicine,&nbsp;</em>^&nbsp;the&nbsp;recombinant oncolytic poliovirus PVSRIPO demonstrated&nbsp;a 2- and 3-year overall survival (OS) rate of 21% (95% CI, 11%-33%) for patients with recurrent grade IV malignant glioblastoma.