News

Precision medicine with TKIs and immunotherapies is revolutionizing the treatment of patients with NSCLC. Paul A. Bunn, Jr, MD, head of the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado, discussed the current translational advances with these agents in a discussion held at this year’s International Lung Cancer Congress.

Clinical trial designs are experiencing a huge transformation geared toward the discovery and confirmation of new predictive biomarkers for patients who have non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as other types of solid tumors.

There has been a preponderance in the healthcare industry to overtreat early-stage, slow-progressing prostate cancer, often subjecting patients to unwarranted, life-altering treatments.

A new drug application (NDA) was recently submitted for rociletinib (CO-1686) as a treatment for patients who have EGFR T790M-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following previous administration of an EGFR TKI.

Treatment decisions in prostate cancer are still largely guided by the classical diagnostic parameters, including Gleason scoring, TNM classification, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, despite growing evidence that molecular signatures may be useful for assessing risk.

Pertuzumab (Perjeta), in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy, was approved by the European Commission (EC) as a neoadjuvant therapy for adult patients who have HER2-positive, locally advanced, inflammatory, or early stage breast cancer and are at high risk of recurrence.

The biomarker E2F4 predicts survival in breast cancer, and an article recently published in the journal Molecular Cancer Research indicates that E2F4 may also predict progression and immunotherapy efficacy in bladder cancer.

Patients with bladder cancer who undergo robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) appear to have acceptable 5-year survival, according to the largest multi-institutional series to date to collect data on RARC outcomes in this population.

Predictive data from two major financial research and consulting firms, UBS and GlobalData, have supported atezolizumab [MPDL3280A] as a major player in the immunotherapy race for bladder cancer.

Lenvatinib (Lenvima) was recently granted a breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA as a potential treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have received a VEGF-targeted therapy.

Patients with prostate cancer are now more likely to receive appropriate medical care matched to their level of risk, as opposed to overly aggressive or inadequate treatments

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has been selected as the site for one of two new Genome Characterization Centers (GCCs) funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institute of Health (HHSN261200800001E).

Hedgehog inhibitor sonidegib (Odomzo) was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients who have locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (laBCC) that has recurred following surgery or radiation, or for those not eligible for these treatments.

The approval of carfilzomib (Kyprolis) was recently expanded by the FDA to include relapsed multiple myeloma patients who have received at least one to three previous lines of therapy.

A team of scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute recently discovered that ovarian cancer spheroids activate a stress metabolism molecule, LKB1, which is crucial for the survival of ovarian cancer cells.

A study including the largest reported US cohort of patients under age 35 with colorectal cancer (CRC) has discovered that one-third of these patients suffer from hereditary forms of the disease.

A supplemental new drug application (sNDA) was recently submitted for carfilzomib (Kyprolis) in combination with dexamethasone for patients who have relapsed multiple myeloma, following previous treatment with at least one therapy.

Breakthrough therapy designation has been granted by the US Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) to the combination of the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and the MEK inhibitor trametinib (Mekinist) as treatment for patients with BRAF V600E-mutant non–small cell lung cancer

The PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was recently approved by the European Commission for the treatment of adult patients who have unresectable or metastatic melanoma in the first-line and previously treated settings, based on data from three clinical trials that evaluated the medication in over 1500 patients.

A letter to the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine from notable researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering reported a case of complete remission of metastatic melanoma in a patient treated with single doses of ipiliumab and nivolumab.

The anti-PDL1 agent, atezolizumab (MPDL3280A) may effectively shrink tumors in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial bladder cancer in the second-line setting, according to a statement from the immunotherapy’s developer, Genentech.

Data from a phase I/II single-arm trial of the NY-ESO-1 T-Cell Receptor (TCR) therapy, recently published in Nature Medicine, is the first to show feasibility and antitumor responses in patients who have multiple myeloma.

Major disparities in compliance, follow-up, and access have been identified in the Appalachian region of the United States, according to researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Nivolumab (Opdivo) was recently approved by the European Commission as a treatment for patients who have locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), following prior chemotherapy, based on findings from the phase III Checkmate-017, as well as the phase II Checkmate-063 trials.

A recent combined analysis of the BOLERO-1 and -3 studies showed that PIK3CA mutations and low/no expression of PTEN linked to an extension in progression-free survival (PFS) for patients who have metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer and are treated with a combination of everolimus, trastuzumab, and paclitaxel.

An independent panel has halted the phase III CheckMate-025 trial after determining that nivolumab (Opdivo) improved overall survival versus everolimus (Afinitor) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Results from the phase III METEOR study showed that treatment with cabozantinib (Cometriq) improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with everolimus (Afinitor) in previously treated patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

According to findings from a phase II study released by Amgen, monotherapy with blinatumomab (Blincyto) showed promising complete remission (CR) or CR with partial hematological recovery (CRh) rates in adult patients with relapsed or refractory Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

The immunotherapy DPX-Survivac has been granted orphan drug designation as treatment ovarian cancer, based on early-phase research showing a robust immune response with the therapy in combination with low-dose cyclophosphamide.

Ginseng polysaccharides may affect the balance of T-helper cells in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.