News

23andMe, Inc. has received authorization from the FDA for the first-ever direct-to-consumer genetic test for cancer risk.

Lenvatinib mesylate, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, will continue to be developed and commercialized worldwide by its creator, Japan’s Eisai Co. Ltd, in a strategic collaboration with Merck, which is better known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada. The partnership between the 2 companies was announced on March 7.

Stand Up to Cancer has awarded E. John Wherry, PhD, cancer and immunology researcher at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, with the “Convergence 2.0” research grant. Wherry will co-lead an 11-member team to investigate the immune system’s response to cancers.

In an interview with<em> Targeted Oncology</em>&nbsp;ahead of the 5th Annual Miami Lung Cancer Conference,&nbsp;Sarah B. Goldberg, MD, discusses&nbsp;the key points of her lecture on testing for and treating resistance to EGFR TKI therapy in NSCLC.

In an 8 to 4 vote, the FDA&#39;s&nbsp;Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval of blinatumomab for the treatment of minimal residual disease-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A supplemental new drug application for Blue Light Cytoscopy with Cysview, a procedure for detecting bladder cancer, was recently approved by the FDA.

According to findings published in<em> Nature Communications, </em>a&nbsp;blood test detecting early changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may provide earlier indication of whether patients with hormone receptor&ndash;positive, HER2-negative breast cancer are responding to the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib (Ibrance).

Frederick M. Schnell, MD, has been appointed to the newly created position of medical director at the Community Oncology Alliance. With over 30 years of experience as a physician and CEO of a community oncology practice, Schnell plans to reform the future of oncology payment.

One of the most exciting advancements in the lymphoma community has been the FDA approval of axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel; Yescarta) for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma&nbsp;in October 2017.

Based on data&nbsp;from the phase III S-TRAC trial,<span style="font-size:10.8333px"> </span>the&nbsp;European Medicines Agency&rsquo;s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recently recommended against approving&nbsp;sunitinib for use as an adjuvant therapy in patients with renal cell carcinoma who have received nephrectomy and are high risk for recurrence.

According to results from the CALGB 8903 study published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology, </em>there is an association between total nut intake and improved outcomes in patients with stage III colon cancer. Results of the study showed patients who ate at least 2 servings of nuts per week had superior disease-free survival and overall survival.

The FDA has approved a 4-week dosing schedule for the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) across several indications.

Robert A. Figlin, MD, Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, professor of medicine, and director, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, recently discussed the cases of 2 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Alan Klitzke, MD has been named the 2018 president of the American College of Nuclear Medicine.

A wave of novel treatments and FDA approvals have flooded the HER2-positive breast cancer space.

New indications were approved by the FDA within the last month, including abemaciclib for HER2-negative breast cancer, durvalumab for non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, and abiraterone acetate for castration-sensitive prostate cancer.

The FDA has granted a fast track designation to pamrevlumab for the treatment of patients with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer, according to FibroGen, the manufacturer of the first-in-class anti-CTGF antibody.

A novel regimen of immunotherapy, angiogenesis inhibition, and chemotherapy brings promising outcomes for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The synergic combination, notes Benjamin P. Levy, MD, would be exciting to have in the landscape.

Harry P. Erba, MD, PhD, recently shared the treatment considerations and decisions he makes when treating patients with polycythemia vera.

Several combinations are being investigated for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, said Ian W. Flinn, MD, citing numerous ongoing trials presented at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting.

Patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma with renal impairment who were treated with pomalidomide and&nbsp;low-dose dexamethasone had an overall response rate of up to 39%,&nbsp;according to findings of a phase II study published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology.</em> &nbsp;

According to results from a retrospective study published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology, </em>low-coverage genome-wide sequencing of cell-free DNA from plasma is capable of profiling cancer genomes from blood and predicting survival outcomes for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

Attila Seyhan, PhD, will serve as director of translational medicine operations at Fox Chase Cancer Center. Fox Chase recently added this position to create more support for multiple initiatives in the field.

Progression-free survival was successfully predicted by a 23-gene expression-based model for patients with follicular lymphoma enrolled in the phase III randomized PRIMA trial.

The treatment paradigm of acute myeloid leukemia has not changed much in the last several decades, but with 4 new drugs approved by the FDA within the span of a few months, 2017 easily became the most promising year yet for the treatment of AML.

Eric Whitman, MD, discusses data for pembrolizumab in the frontline treatment of advanced melanoma and ongoing research with the agent in other settings of the disease.

Denosumab was recently recommended for approval by the European Medicines Agency&rsquo;s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use for the&nbsp;prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with multiple myeloma, according to Amgen, the developer of the RANK ligand inhibitor.

Obese men treated with targeted or immune therapies for metastatic melanoma had a 47% reduced risk of death compared with men who had a normal BMI, according to results from a retrospective multicohort analysis published in <em>The Lancet Oncology.</em><br /> &nbsp;

The American Physical Therapy Association has selected Jean Kozempel, PT, DPT, MS, as the recipient of the 2017 Oncology Section President&rsquo;s Award. This award honors physical therapists who are proving themselves to be pioneers in the oncology field.

Based on data from the phase III MONARCH 3 trial, abemaciclib has been granted FDA approval for use in combination with an aromatase inhibitor for the frontline treatment of postmenopausal women with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer,&nbsp;according to Eli Lilly and Company, the manufacturer of the CDK4/6 inhibitor.