News

Leo I. Gordon, MD, discusses recent updates in Hodgkin lymphoma and NHL and pointed to research on the horizon.

Combining&nbsp;osimertinib with the MET inhibitor&nbsp;savolitinib demonstrated encouraging antitumor activity and an acceptable safety profile in&nbsp;patients with <em>EGFR</em>-mutant, <em>MET</em>-amplified non&ndash;small cell lung cancer who previously received EGFR TKIs, suggesting the regimen could be successful in overcoming <em>MET</em>-driven resistance.

Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD,&nbsp;discusses the use of interferon in MPNs, including&nbsp;essential thrombocythemia, polycythemia vera, and myelofibrosis.

Naval G. Daver, MD, discusses treatment options and the data these options are based off of for the management of acute myeloid leukemia, based on a case scenario of a patient with <em>FLT3 </em>internal tandem duplication &ndash;positive acute myeloid leukemia.

Although biomarker discovery has been a challenge in colorectal cancer, new findings suggest the presence of select polymorphisms may be promising in predicting treatment outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.

Matthew S. Davids, MD, MMSc, discusses methods for choosing between frontline therapies for patients with newly diagnosed CLL and highlighted anticipated research in the field.

In the absence of biological or molecular predictive markers, tumor volume doubling time is a good indicator for predicting the growth rate of papillary thyroid carcinomas during active surveillance, according to findings from a single-center cohort study recently published in <em>Thyroid</em>.

Analyses from the phase III ARIEL3 trial presented during the 2019 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting showed that rucaparib is safe and effective as a maintenance therapy across all subgroups of patients.

Before a community oncology practice considers getting involved in clinical trials research, there are many factorsto consider. Perhaps foremost is the fact that cancer clinical trials provide the evidence base for new advances in oncology.&nbsp;

Based on findings from 2 phase III studies, a&nbsp;supplemental biologics license application has been submitted to the FDA seeking the approval of&nbsp;luspatercept for the treatment of adult patients with anemias.

Artificial intelligence has made inroads in many industries&mdash;banking, finance, security&mdash;but its adoption in healthcare has been lagging and real-world clinical implementation has yet to become a reality. Nonetheless, proponents say it is only a matter of time and pilot programs are starting to yield some practical results.&nbsp;

The review period on the new drug application for quizartinib as a treatment for adult patients with&nbsp;relapsed/refractory <em>FLT3</em>-ITD&ndash;positive acute myeloid leukemia has been extended by the FDA by 3 months.&nbsp;This provides the FDA with additional time to review more data supplied by&nbsp;Daiichi Sankyo, the manufacturer of the FLT3 inhibitor.

In an interview with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology, </em>David O&rsquo;Malley, MD, discussed the updates with bevacizumab and PARP inhibitors as a treatment and maintenance therapy option for patients with ovarian cancer and recurrent disease. He also discussed considerations for selecting the right agent for the right patient.

The indication for&nbsp;palbociclib capsules in combination with endocrine therapy now includes the treatment of&nbsp;male patients with hormone receptor&ndash;positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer after being expanded by the FDA.

Entinostat in combination with pembrolizumab induced responses in patients with recurrent or metastatic melanoma who have progressed on or after prior anti&ndash;PD-1 therapy, according to results of a phase II trial.

During a <em>Targeted Oncology </em>live case-based peer perspectives program, Christopher Maisel, MD, recently discussed the treatment options and considerations he makes when treating patients with multiple myeloma.

A look back at all the&nbsp;FDA news&nbsp;that happened in March 2019, including several new approvals, a clinical hold, an orphan drug designation, and more.

Overall survival was significantly improved in&nbsp;patients with relapsed/refractory <em>FLT3</em> mutation&ndash;positive acute myeloid leukemia who were treated with the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib, according to&nbsp;updated findings presented during the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting.

The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to the investigational agent selumetinib for the treatment of pediatric patients &ge;3 years old with symptomatic and/or progressive, inoperable neurofibromatosis type 1

Five of 9 patients with large triple-negative breast tumors treated with the viral oncolytic talimogene laherparepvec plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy achieved&nbsp;pathologic complete response, according to findings from a preliminary trial.

In findings presented during the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting, safety and efficacy was seen with CAR T cells targeting&nbsp;mesothelin-expressing tumors&nbsp;in a preliminary clinical evaluation in patients with malignant pleural disease.

An immunotherapy combination led to a response rate of 44% in patients with high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma, according to the results of a phase II trial presented at the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting. Nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab was also well tolerated among patients, the results of the DART study showed.&nbsp;

In phase I findings presented during the 2019 AACR Annual Meeting, HER2-directed CAR T-cell therapy and lymphodepletion chemotherapy was found to be safe and effective as a treatment for&nbsp;pediatric and adult patients with advanced HER2-positive sarcoma.

Ahead of the 2019 Annual Meeting, the American Association for Cancer Research announced the recipients of a number of scientific awards and lectureships. Honorees will be recognized for their achievements during the AACR Annual Meeting, which is being held March 29&ndash;April 3 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Gynecologic oncology experts reflect on some of the most significant data presented during the 2019 SGO Annual Meeting, which underscored how the field is moving toward a precision medicine approach.

Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP, began his term as the 2019&ndash;2020 President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers on March 22, 2019, during the 45th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit. He succeeds Tom A. Gallo, MS, MDA, who served as president of ACCC for the 2018-2019 term.

Recently published data from a retrospective study suggest that patients with thyroid cancer who have T-cell lymphopenia are more likely to have aggressive tumors. Investigators believe this information can be used to identify potential therapeutic targets in these patients.

Investigational agent tinostamustine (EDO-S101), a first-in-class alkylating deacetylase inhibiting molecule, has been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of patients with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia.

Radiation oncologist Jimmy J. Caudell, MD, PhD,discusses the role of radioactive iodine therapy in patients with DTC. He also highlights areas of research that may help determine the best treatment regimens and doses for select patients.

An analysis of the genotyping of tumor tissue samples from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma identified frequent alterations and potentially actionable mutations in cases of HCC, and helped to confirm the clinical utility of next-generation sequencing testing for matching patients to targeted therapies and immunotherapies.