News

The combinations of nivolumab (Opdivo) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus bevacizumab (Avastin ), both show promising efficacy in recent trials, possibly paving the way toward a new era of treatment for patients with glioblastoma.

The anti-CD22 antibody-drug conjugate inotuzumab ozogamicin demonstrated significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and complete remission (CR) rates compared with chemotherapy for patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Final 5-year efficacy and safety data from the phase III COMFORT-I trial confirm previous findings that ruxolitinib (Jakafi) confers a significant benefit in patients with intermediate-2 and high-risk myelofibrosis. The JAK-2 inhibitor resulted in durable reductions in splenomegaly and improved overall survival, with patients experiencing no new or unexpected adverse events as a result of the long-term treatment.

Ibrutinib (Imbruvica) continued to demonstrate impressive antitumor activity in a pooled analysis of 243 patients with deletion 17p chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Daratumumab (Darzalex), when added to the standard two-drug regimen of bortezomib and dexamethasone, reduced the risk of progression or death by 61% compared with the standard regimen alone for patients with recurrent or refractory multiple myeloma.

A regimen consisting of carfilzomib (Kyprolis), pomalidomide (Pomalyst), and dexamethasone (KPd) merits further investigation for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma whose disease progresses while on lenalidomide (Revlimid) in the earlier stages of disease.

The anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody isatuximab (SAR650984) showed promising signs of activity as a single-agent for patients with heavily pretreated relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, according to updated findings from a phase II study presented at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Gastric cancers with high-level clonal FGFR2 gene amplification responded to AZD4547, a selective FGFR inhibitor, in a phase II open label trial of previously treated, advanced FGFR amplified cancer. Yet tumors with multiple FGFR1 genes, low level or subclonal amplification of FGFR2 did not respond similarly to the drug.

The treatment paradigm for relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is slowly expanding, with clinical trials starting and a new generation of drugs being ushered in, says Susan M. O'Brien, MD.

Despite the RESONATE-2 trial having demonstrated the efficacy of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in treatment-naive elderly patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Jennifer Brown, MD, explains that oncologists should carefully select patients to receive the drug depending on their age, comorbidities, and risk.

Treatment options are limited for patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM), says Morie A. Gertz, MD. Combination therapies offer a potential solution, but the rarity of the disease is an obstacle.

The investigational cancer vaccine CRS-207 may improve response and survival when given with chemotherapy in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) according to results of a phase Ib trial.

In recent years, significant advancements have been made in the field of thyroid cancer.

Since its first FDA approval in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) in 2006, cetuximab (Erbitux) has helped oncologists make significant strides in treating patients with the disease.

Regorafenib (Stivarga) and TAS-102 have never been compared head-to-head, but the two agents are similar and a sequencing strategy incorporating both is effective, says Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD.

Survival outcomes in patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were significantly longer among those with tumors originating on the left versus the right side of the colon, according to a retrospective analysis of the phase III 80405 trial.

Precancerous colon polyps exhibit many of the same driver mutations that fuel the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), according to results of a study published in Cancer Prevention Research.

Barry Russo, CEO, The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, discusses ways to overcome financial toxicities associated with the cost of cancer care.

Patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who have progressed on cabozantinib (Cabometyx) and nivolumab (Opdivo), now have a promising new treatment option.

Using the Decipher Prostate Cancer Classifier assay to predict which patients might respond to hormonal therapy has resulted in the discovery and validation of an adjuvant androgen-deprivation therapy resistance signature.

An individualized, risk-based approach to screening current and former smokers for the early detection of lung cancer would dramatically expand the population that could benefit from the preventive strategy.

A new treatment consisting of genetically engineered CD4 T cells could have potential in all metastatic cancers, according to Yong-Chen William Lu, PhD.

Combination immunotherapy could easily be on the horizon for patients, but cost effectiveness plays a major role in its implementation, according to Samir Khleif, MD.

Advancements in sarcoma are both revolutionizing the treatment of this heterogeneous disease and influencing the research and treatment approach in other tumor types, according to George D. Demetri, MD.

Despite previous unclear data, recent research suggests that aspirin use is associated with a lower risk of glioma.

CPX-351 (Vyxeos) has been granted a breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA as a treatment for patients with therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes.

An upcoming study could uncover new uses for palbociclib in the post-neoadjuvant setting for hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer, according to Gunter von Minckwitz, MD.

Radiation therapy may not be the answer in patients with breast cancer over the age of 70, according to Kevin Hughes, MD.

The FDA has granted an accelerated approval to the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab as a treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma following a platinum-based chemotherapy.

A phase III study exploring the combination of olaparib and paclitaxel missed its primary endpoint of improvement in overall survival compared with paclitaxel and placebo for patients with advanced gastric cancer.