News

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–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.

According to findings from the phase III REFLECT trial now published online in the <em>Lancet,</em>^&nbsp;lenvatinib improved progression-free survival and was noninferior for overall survival compared with sorafenib for the frontline treatment of patients with&nbsp;unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Brad S. Kahl, MD,&nbsp;discusses the latest data for ibrutinib and highlighted emerging treatments in MCL.<br /> &nbsp;

Hackensack Meridian <em>Health</em> John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center has appointed Louis M. Weiner, MD, to its advisory board. Weiner is the director of the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center and director of the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute.

Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, discusses&nbsp;the available therapies for patients with <em>BRAF-</em>mutant and non-<em>BRAF</em>-mutant melanoma, as well as the current role of mutation status in treatment decision making.<br /> &nbsp;

Michael A. Morse, MD, discusses a number of key trials that have broadened the treatment landscape of mCRC, the importance of toxicity management in this setting, and other ongoing developments in GI cancers.

In a final analysis of the phase III CALOR trial, the survival benefit demonstrated with adjuvant chemotherapy&nbsp;was sustained in patients with ER-negative breast cancer with isolated locoregional recurrence.

Updates from the KEYNOTE-189 and IMpower150 trials demonstrated the significant impact of adding&nbsp;immunotherapy to treatment regimens for patients with non&ndash;small cell lung cancer.

Stand Up To Cancer has awarded 2 individuals with the 2018 Laura Ziskin Prize in Translational Research, Jos Jonkers, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and Helen Piwnica-Worms, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center. The 2 will share the $250,000 grant for a year-long project together.

According to phase I findings published in <em>The Lancet Oncology,</em>&nbsp;an&nbsp;objective response rate of 37% was induced in patients with&nbsp;relapsed/refractory lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with the&nbsp;PI3K-delta inhibitor umbralisib.

The primary endpoint of improving overall survival was not met in the phase III&nbsp;JAVELIN Lung 200 Trial of avelumab in patients with&nbsp;non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, according to&nbsp;Merck KGaA&nbsp;and Pfizer, the&nbsp;co-developers&nbsp;of avelumab.

Treatment with the&nbsp;CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel, formally known as JCAR017) demonstrated&nbsp;a complete response rate of 63% and an&nbsp;objective response rate of 81%&nbsp;in patients with&nbsp;relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Northwell Health Cancer Institute has appointed Richard R. Barakat, MD, to lead all cancer services and research. Barakat will serve as physician-in-chief and director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, senior vice president of the health system&rsquo;s Cancer Service Line, and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

Saad Z. Usmani, MD, Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders, Levine Cancer Institute/Carolinas HealthCare System, highlights some of the ongoing studies presented at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting.

Peter Martin, MD,&nbsp;reflects on the MCL data presented at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting, and shared his insight on the future of clinical trials in the disease.