Pembrolizumab/Ipilimumab Combo is Safe in Advanced Melanoma
June 15th 2016A phase Ib expansion cohort of the Keynote-029 trial found that a combined regimen of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) at the standard dose (2 mg/kg) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) at a reduced dose (1 mg/kg) was safe and effective for patients with advanced melanoma.
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Findings Support Use of Avelumab in Metastatic Merkel Cell Carcinoma
June 15th 2016Avelumab showed early positive survival data and lasting responses for patients with pretreated advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, according to findings from the phase II JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Studies Show Durable Activity of Pembrolizumab in Head and Neck Cancer
June 15th 2016Pembrolizumab (Keytruda), when studied in 2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with pretreated recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), showed an objective response rate (ORR) of 18%, according to findings presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Aromatase Inhibitor Extension to 10 Years Reduces HR-Positive Breast Cancer Recurrence
June 14th 2016Extending aromatase inhibitor (AI) treatment to 10 years post-treatment reduced the risk of recurrence in women with early-stage HR-positive breast cancer by more than a third. Findings of the MA.17R trial also showed that adjuvant therapy extension did not create any new toxicities or quality of life complications for patients.
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Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Combo More Effective than Monotherapy in mCRC
June 14th 2016Nivolumab (Opdivo) treatment provided antitumor responses in patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), whether given as a single agent or in combination with ipilimumab (Yervoy). Interim data from the phase II CheckMate-142 trial was presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Phase III COMBI-d Study of Dabrafenib and Trametinib in Patients With Melanoma
June 14th 2016Keith T. Flaherty, MD, provides an overview of the phase III COMBI-d study, which examined the combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) as a treatment of patients with BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma.
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3-Year Follow-Up Data for Dabrafenib/Trametinib Confirm Results of Combo in Melanoma
June 11th 2016Three-year follow-up data from the phase III COMBI-d study was presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting, revealing impressive overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) data for the dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) combination therapy for patients with BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma.
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Palbociclib Addition to Letrozole Improved PFS in ER+/HER2- Breast Cancer
June 11th 2016Palbociclib (Ibrance), when added to letrozole, increased the median progression-free survival (PFS) rate in patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer by >10 months, according to results from the phase III PALOMA-2 trial presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Nivolumab Monotherapy Shows Encouraging Efficacy in Glioblastoma Patients
June 11th 2016Patients with recurrent glioblastoma mutliforme reacted well to nivolumab (Opdivo) monotherapy, according to findings from the CheckMate-143 trial that were presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting. The single agent showed a manageable safety profile and promising efficacy signs during the course of the study.
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FGFR Pathway Genetic Aberrations May Be Key to Targeting Cholangiocarcinoma
June 11th 2016The advent of targeted inhibitors that work on the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) pathway may alter the disease course and outcomes in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, suggests data from a four-center retrospective study. Lead investigator Apurva Jain, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center presented the findings at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Novel Angiogenesis Inhibitor Shows Preliminary Evidence of Activity
June 10th 2016A novel dual-pathway inhibitor of tumor angiogenesis passed a preliminary clinical test, demonstrating manageable toxicity and biomarker evidence of engagement with the drug's targets, as reported at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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Plasma Tests Can Complement Tissue Assays in Screening for Drug Resistance Mutation
June 10th 2016Plasma and urine tests are often a reliable method for the detection of the T790M mutation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with acquired resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), according to an oral presentation given Monday at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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Comparing Combination Treatments in HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer
June 10th 2016In patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, data from a phase III trial has shown a significantly higher pathological complete response (pCR) rate with neoadjuvant docetaxel plus carboplatin plus trastuzumab plus pertuzumab versus trastuzumab emtansine plus pertuzumab.
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Benefits of Melanoma Combination Therapy Not Diminished by Stopping for Side Effects
June 10th 2016Discontinuing nivolumab-ipilimumab treatment because of adverse events did not have a detrimental effect on survival among patients with advanced melanoma, follow-up from a randomized trial showed.
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Obesity Associated with Improved Outcomes in Dabrafenib/Trametinib Combo in Melanoma
June 10th 2016Contrary to investigators' expectations, an observational study found that obesity is associated with increased progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated with a combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist). These results were presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Combining T-VEC with Pembrolizumab Promising in Late-Stage Melanoma
June 9th 2016In a phase Ib study, combining talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), an oncolytic virus, with pembrolizumab at full doses had an acceptable safety profile, with evidence of clinical benefit in patients with advanced melanoma.
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CAR Therapy Yields High Complete Response Rates in Adults with B-cell ALL in Phase I Trial
June 9th 2016Infusion with 19-28z chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T-cells led to complete response (CR) rates of 77% to 90% and minimal residual disease (MRD)-CR rates of 68% to 70% in adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (B-ALL).
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Pembrolizumab with Dabrafenib and Trametinib Manageable in BRAF-Mutant Melanoma
June 9th 2016The phase I KEYNOTE-022 study, which tested pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) for BRAF-mutant advanced melanoma, has shown a manageable toxicity profile in patients with BRAF V600-mutant melanoma.
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Large Database Study Finds 11 Genes Associated with Increased Ovarian Cancer Risk
June 9th 2016The largest-ever genetic analysis of ovarian cancer patients yielded a short list of 11 suspect germline genetic mutations that may be associated with an increased risk for developing ovarian cancer, according to an oral presentation at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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Nivolumab Monotherapy Improves Responses in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
June 9th 2016Nivolumab (Opdivo) monotherapy showed improved overall survival (OS) and objective response rates for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) compared with the investigator's choice of alternative therapy, according to data presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Niraparib/Bevacizumab Combo Meets Safety and Tolerability Objectives
June 9th 2016It is feasible to administer the PARP inhibitor niraparib in combination with bevacizumab to patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer with manageable toxicities. The results of a phase I study (NCT02354131) in 12 patients were presented during a poster session at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Largest-Ever Liquid Biopsy Study Increases Favor for Mutation Testing Method
June 9th 2016The liquid biopsy testing method from a large genomic analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in blood samples from more than 15,000 patients, was found to be closely correlated with mutations described in databases, and often from tumor biopsies as well, according to research presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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First-in-class "Stemness" Inhibitor Napabucasin Shows Promise in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
June 9th 2016Napabucasin (BBI-608, BB608) is a first-in-class cancer "stemness" inhibitor that targets the STAT3 pathway, has acceptable toxicity, and shows some antitumor activity in combination with paclitaxel in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Results of an early phase trial were presented at a poster session at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Heparan Sulfate-Like Drug Active in Pancreatic Cancer
June 9th 2016Half of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer had objective responses when treated with a novel inhibitor of heparin-binding growth factors in addition to conventional chemotherapy, a small preliminary clinical trial showed.
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