Latest Conference Articles

Head and neck squamous cell cancer is relatively uncommon in the United States compared to other malignancies like non-small–cell lung cancer and breast cancer. There are about 500,000 cases worldwide every year.

For patients with metastatic melanoma in particular, immune checkpoint inhibitors were a great advancement in therapeutics. Since then, investigators have focused on ways to improve on treatment with these agents, and one potential method is through manipulation of the gut microbiome.

The tumor microenvironment consists of malignant and nontransformed cells and the associations between them. Nonmalignant cells exhibit tumor-promoting functions during all stages of carcinogenesis. Targeting nonmalignant cells and/or communication mediators may have immunotherapeutic application across various tumor types and could complement other therapies as well.

Today, oncologists and their patients face disruptive changes in healthcare practice, medical research, governmental oversight and regulation, business practices, and physician –patient communication—changes brought on by the growth and merging of the fields of information technology, medical technology, medical practice, biology, and physics.

From the perspective of a patient and that patient’s family, it is completely understandable that the single most important goal of an antineoplastic strategy is to prolong survival and, if possible, produce a cure.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal of the gynecologic malignancies. Over 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States, resulting in more than 14,000 deaths per year.

John L. Marshall, MD, chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital director, Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancer, discusses the evolving paradigm of gastrointestinal cancers.

John O. Mascarenhas, MD, associate professor of medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, discusses the optimal use of ruxolitinib (Jakafi) and the improved understanding of JAK2 inhibition of polycythemia vera.

The goal of selecting optimal antiemetic therapy continues to be a moving target with the emergence of newer agents and patient-related risk factors, as well as the rapid evolution of guidelines for the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Over the past few years, remarkable advances have been achieved in the field of CLL by rationally targeting pathways overexpressed and used by the malignant clone for proliferation and survival. These developments have been achieved by a better understanding of the underlying biology and the disease process.

Checkpoint-based immune therapies have revolutionized the therapy of solid tumors by achieving breakthrough improvements in melanoma, lung cancer, renal cancer, bladder cancers, and head and neck tumors, among others.

Adjuvant treatment with a combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) continues to show a long-term survival benefit in patients with melanoma, even across subgroup populations, according to a presentation at the 2017 World Congress of Melanoma (WCM).

The treatment armamentarium of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is expanding to potentially include novel systemic therapies, a refined understanding of genetic changes in patients with pancreatic NETs, and improvements in surgical timing and quality of life (QoL), according to Diane Reidy Lagunes, MD.

Tumor response rates after initial treatment with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy have proven clinical benefit; however, complete response is uncommon.

Determining the true nature, causes, and optimal treatment of neuroendocrine tumors is incredibly important for patients, as even though diarrhea can be a symptom of the disease, it is not always the primary cause.

According to updated results from the phase II ABC trial presented at the 2017 World Congress of Melanoma, Nivolumab (Opdivo) combined with ipilimumab (Yervoy) showed activity in asymptomatic patients with melanoma brain metastases who had not received prior local therapy to the brain.

While immunotherapty has led a transformation for melanoma care, combinations of anti–PD-1 and CTLA-4 agents are toxic, and biomarkers are not yet available to help personalize treatment. Therefore, Carolina Robert, MD, PhD, says, further research is needed to explore less toxic, more effective options.

Jennifer Eads, MD, assistant professor of medicine, senior clinical instructor of medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, discusses the difficulties in diagnosing G3 neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs), and the varying treatment approaches for these subsets of patients.

Thomas Hope, MD, discusses personalizing therapy for patients with neuroendocrine tumors with Lutathera as well as the significance of somatostatin receptor PET to the treatment landscape.

In a small phase I study, engineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes demonstrated signs of antitumor activity in patients with metastatic melanoma following treatment with a prior checkpoint inhibitor. Results of the pilot study of TILs that were engineered to express transforming growth factor-β dominant negative receptor and nerve growth factor receptor were presented during the 2017 World Congress of Melanoma.

Triplet therapy with the combination of anti&ndash;PD-1/PD-L1 therapy, BRAF, and MEK inhibitors have already shown promise for patients with&nbsp;<em>BRAF</em>-positive advanced melanoma, and the potential for these combinations are increasing, according to Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD.&nbsp;

In a call to action to the neuroendocrine tumor clinical community during the 10th Annual NANETS Symposium, presenter Lesley Moody, MBA, addressed the importance of patient-reported outcomes and patient-reported outcome measurements in the everyday care of patients with NETs, beyond clinical trials.

Michael A. Postow, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses BRAF and MEK inhibitor combinations studies in melanoma.

Encouraging results are being seen following the administration of cabozantinib (Cabometyx) in patients with carcinoid and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Clinical benefit of the drug has been exhibited in patients enrolled in a prospective phase II trial, which was initiated in July 2012; however, a randomized phase III trial will be necessary for confirmation.

In patients with melanoma, the use of intralesional therapies in combination with checkpoint inhibitors has demonstrated to be an improvement to monotherapy and combinations with immunotherapy, according to a presentation by Robert Andtbacka, MD, at the 2017 World Congress of Melanoma.

Pamela L. Kunz, MD, assistant professor of medicine (oncology), Stanford University Medical Center, discusses managing the adverse event of diarrhea in patients with carcinoid syndrome, specifically with the use of telotristat ethyl (Xermelo) during the 10th Annual NANETS Symposium.

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, deputy director and co-director of the Melanoma Program at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center,

An Abramson Cancer Center expert explains how departments can leverage informatics during the 10th Annual NANETS Symposium.&nbsp;

Bringing coordinated multidisciplinary cancer treatment together into one place is ideal to improve care for patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), according to David C. Metz, MD, during the 10th Annual NANETS Symposium.&nbsp;

Andrew E. Hendifar, MD, discusses clinical experience with a 92-gene assay and the importance of molecular classification in the NETs landscape.