News

A significant proportion of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with DNA repair gene aberrations responded well to treatment with olaparib in a phase II TOPARP-B trial, making olaparib the first targeted therapy to show benefit in this patient population, the Institute of Cancer Research reported in a press release.

A phase II study of experimental anti-mitochondrial drug devimstat in patients with relapsed/refractory Burkitt’s lymphoma/leukemia has been expanded to include patients at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, according to a press release from Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Frédéric Lehmann, MD, discussed the results for the alloSHRINK trial that were presented at the SITC 34^thAnnual Meeting. The allogenic CAR T-cell therapy, CYAD-101, in association with FOLFOX chemotherapy showed promising antitumor activity in patients with refractory mCRC.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, discussed emerging treatment approaches for patients with ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer with an ESR1 mutation.

In November 2019, the FDA approved a number of treatments, including acalabrutinib for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic leukemia, as well as zanubrutinib for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma. A biosimilar for pegfilgrastim was also approved under indications.

The FDA has granted priority review to a new supplemental Biologics License Application for pembrolizumab, for which Merck is seeking approval for the treatment of patients with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin-unresponsive, high-risk, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma-in-situ with or without papillary tumors who are either ineligible for cystectomy or have chosen not to undergo the procedure, according to a press release from Merck.

A supplemental Biologics License Application for durvalumab has been accepted by the FDA, and the drug has been granted priority review for the treatment of previously untreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, according to a press release from AstraZeneca.

A plethora of new technology has been developed to assist in identifying targetable mutations, including next- generation sequencing. NGS assays that identify tumor genes can range in use from targeted to comprehensive panels, all of which have accelerated the advancement of personalized medicine.

Approximately 20% of cancers worldwide are linked to an infectious agent. Currently, there are seven known oncogenic viruses, which include Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis virus B and C, human papillomavirus, human T cell lymphoma virus 1, Kaposi sarcoma virus and Merkel cell polyomavirus. Among these agents, HBV, HCV and HPV each contribute to ap- proximately 5% of all cancer cases.

In a Targeted Oncology live case-based peer perspectives discussion, Mark Agulnik, MD, and Simon S. Yoo, MD, discussed with a group of physicians the staging criteria and the options for treatment for patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Precision and personalized medicine targeting driver mutations has revolutionized cancer care in the past decade. Targeted therapy has entered the world of colorectal cancer research with the identification of mutations in KRAS and BRAF genes.

GDC-0084, an investigational PI3K inhibitor, may delay the progression of disease in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma and unmethylated MGMT promotor status, based on results of a phase IIa study, Kazia Therapeutics reported in a press release.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Pavlos Msaouel, MD, PhD, discussed the findings from the trial evaluating sitravatinib plus nivolumab in patients with advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma. He also highlighted the next steps for this combination regimen.

The FDA has granted a priority review designation to a New Drug Application for pemigatinib, as a treatment for patients with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements, according to a press release from Incyte.

Triple-negative breast cancer — defined as tumors that lack expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 amplification— is a heterogenous disease and clinically represents a major unmet need in the field of oncology. TNBC is associated with aggressive tumor biology and higher risk of recurrence and visceral metastasis, including brain metastasis.

During a Targeted Oncology live case-based peer perspectives discussion, Matthew A. Gubens, MD, MS, reviewed with a group of physicians the localized and systemic treatment options available for the management of patients with non&ndash;small cell lung cancer.<br /> &nbsp;

Surufatinib has been granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, according to a press release from Hutchison China MediTech Limited.

Hodgkin lymphoma represents approximately 10% of all cases of malignant lymphoma. This group of diseases most commonly affects adolescent and young adults, although approximately 20% to 25% of patients are aged &ge;60 years at diagnosis. Advanced-stage disease is generally classified as Ann Arbor stage III to IV, but clinical trials often incorporate patients with high-risk stage II disease, such as those with B symptoms, multiple sites, or bulky disease

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, at the 2019 Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium, Marcia Brose, MD, PhD, discussed the cases of thyroid cancer in which molecular testing can be initiated upfront to aid in the treatment decisions of oncologists. She also advised physicians on how to decide when to test patients with the disease.

Cytotoxic chemotherapy has shown limited efficacy in metastatic RCC, but immunotherapeutic and antiangiogenic approaches have introduced promising treatment modalities. The use of immunotherapy has made a significant impact on the treatment of patients with RCC, first with single agents and then with combination regimens.

In an interview with&nbsp;Targeted Oncology during the 2019 Kidney Cancer Research Summit, Wayne A. Marasco, MD, PhD, discussed the intricacy of engineering CAR T cells and the early data he has observed with the approach in RCC.

The combination of onvansertib with abiraterone acetate decreased the prostate-specific antigen levels in most of the evaluable patients treated in a phase II study, which used the combination in adult patients with metastatic castration-resistance prostate cancer, according to a press release from onvansertib developer, Trovagene, Inc.

A new analysis of a multicenter, retrospective cohort study has found that first-line sorafenib improved overall survival in patients with progressive radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Additionally, salvage therapy with lenvatinib improved OS in patients with disease progression after first-line sorafenib.<br /> &nbsp;

Tumor mutational burden has generated interest as a potential biomarker of response to immunotherapy and has already been examined in the context of several lung cancer trials to gauge its utility.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Chul Kim, MD, MPH, discussed the results from the phase I/II trial evaluating the combination of an EGFR TKI and Src inhibitor in&nbsp;<em>EGFR</em>-mutant NSCLC. He also highlighted other important advances in the treatment of lung cancer, including the evolving role of circulating tumor DNA to detect disease progression.

Dacomitinib monotherapy significantly prolonged progression-free survival in Asian patients with locally advanced or metastatic non&ndash;small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor-activating mutations, according to results of a subgroup analysis from the phase III ARCHER 1050 study, Pfizer reported in a press release.

The frontline combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab statistically and clinically improved progression-free survival and overall survival compared with sorafenib in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the phase III IMbrave150 study, according to a press release from Roche.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Partow Kebriaei, MD, discussed the role of transplantation in patients with ALL following treatment with targeted cellular therapies, such as CAR T-cell therapy. She highlights the patient population that receives the most benefit from the use of CAR T-cell therapy and when transplant should be considered for these patients.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Lalit Sehgal, PhD, discussed the rationale for investigating how the tumor microenvironment impacts survival in patients with mantle cell lymphoma through various signaling pathways.&nbsp;

Overall survival was not improved with secondary cytoreduction followed by chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone in the phase III GOG-0213 trial, which missed its primary endpoint.