News

According to results from a phase Ib study, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was well tolerated and demonstrated promising antitumor activity in patients with PD-L1–positive advanced cervical squamous cell cancer.

Findings of a recent population-based, case-control study showed regular screening for cervical cancer was found to be associated with an overall mortality prevention rate of 83%.

According to findings from a randomized phase III trial, patients with endometrial and cervical cancer reported significantly less acute gastrointestinal toxicity (GI) when treated with pelvic intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) as opposed to standard pelvic radiation therapy.

Jennifer Woyach, MD, offers her expert insight into the practical clinical use of CLL treatments.

Focusing primarily on the therapeutic categories of PI3K and BTK inhibitors, O’Brien, associate director for clinical science at the Chao Comprehensive Cancer Center, acknowledged efforts to build on existing success but said the hoped-for progress and advances await definitive data.

In the past 12 months, two agents have been approved for soft tissue sarcoma, both of which have demonstrated impressive outcomes in patients with specific subtypes of the rare disease.

A comparison of anatomic and functional imaging in the assessment of clinical outcomes in patients with Ewing sarcoma has shown that FDG-PET, assessed by PERCIST criteria, was superior in predicting clinical benefits and identifying responses, according to a study published in the&nbsp;<em>Journal of Clinical Oncology</em>.<br /> &nbsp;

Newer agents, including immunotherapies and HER2 and VEGF-targeted therapies, are being investigated in gastric cancer, but the jury is still out on if these therapies will be beneficial, said David H. Ilson, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.<br /> &nbsp;

Immuno-oncology and the classification of subtypes of gastric cancer could greatly advance treatment efficacy and variation, according to Manish A. Shah, MD.

As gastric cancers continue to be classified into different subtypes, oncologists will now have the opportunity to improve treatment by determining which targeted agents are appropriate for which subtypes, said Howard S. Hochster, MD.<br /> &nbsp;

Part 1 of the phase III COLUMBUS trial has shown positive results for the combination of the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib (LGX818) and the MEK inhibitor binimetinib (MEK162) for patients with <em>BRAF</em>-mutant melanoma.

Findings from a recent phase II trial¹showed that combining&nbsp;the diabetes drug metformin with everolimus (Afinitor) and letrozole resulted in a clinical benefit rate (CBR) of 60% in women with advanced or recurrent endometrioid endometrial cancer.

According to results from the phase III ASCEND-4 trial, ceritinib (Zykadia) improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with standard chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients with <em>ALK</em>-positive non&ndash;small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Bruce Cheson, MD,&nbsp;outlines the treatment choices for each of the 3 patient categories of CLL, noting that, regardless of the treatment, &ldquo;a clinical trial is always the preferred option.&rdquo;

The PDGFR&alpha; antagonist olaratumab has been recommended approval by&nbsp;The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP)&nbsp;for use in combination with doxorubicin for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) who are not good candidates for radiotherapy or surgery.

According to findings of a recent study,&nbsp;Induction therapy with the combination of bendamustine, gemcitabine, and vinorelbine (BeGEV) effectively induced complete remissions (CRs) for nearly three-fourths of patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma prior to autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT)

Chau T. Dang, MD&nbsp;discusses several recent trials investigating novel treatment approaches for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

A new drug application (NDA) for neratinib as an extended adjuvant therapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer following prior treatment with postoperative trastuzumab (Herceptin) has been accepted by the FDA

Goals of &quot;Project Impact: A Campaign to Defeat Pediatric Brain Tumors&quot;&nbsp;include improving clinical outcomes for pediatric brain tumor patients and informing the development of the first-ever standard of care for treating pediatric high-grade gliomas.

As therapeutic approaches with more efficacy and less toxicity are still highly needed, researchers are currently working to identify new targets in the MB field.

Despite some surgical advancements in recurrent glioblastoma, significant progress and a move toward a more personalized approach is still needed, said Jennifer Moliterno Gunel, MD.

Based on findings from the phase III TOURMALINE-MM1 study, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended a conditional approval for ixazomib (Ninlaro) in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone as a treatment for patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least 1 prior therapy.

Niraparib has been granted a fast track designation by the FDA as a treatment for women with recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer, the company developing the PARP inhibitor, Tesaro, has announced.

The European Commission (EC) has granted its approval for lenvatinib (Kisplyx; EU) in combination with everolimus (Afinitor) for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following 1 prior VEGF-targeted therapy.

To more effectively treat patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), a greater understanding of the disease must first be obtained, said Angela DeMichele, MD, professor of medicine and epidemiology, breast cancer oncologist, University of Pennsylvania.

According to findings of a recent study, obesity is more prevalent in cancer survivors, specifically in those with a history of breast or colorectal cancer (CRC), compared with those without any history of disease.

According to an analysis published in Cancer1, vaginal brachytherapy (VB) has been linked to improved survival in women with stage I endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterus.

Results from the phase Ib M13-365 study showed&nbsp;combining the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (Venclexta) with the anti-CD20 agent rituximab (Rituxan) led to objective responses in 86% of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

About one quarter of patients (26%) with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) present without cirrhosis at diagnosis, suggesting a crucial subset of patients for future research with implications for HCC screening and surveillance, according to Ju Dong Yang, MD, MSc, at the 10th Annual Conference of the International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA).

Researchers are further exploring the possibility of using an immunotherapeutic vaccinia virus to treat advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), according to Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa, MD.