News

The third-generation EGFR inhibitor rociletinib demonstrated promising responses in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer with or without the acquired resistance mutation T790M.

The FDA’s recent approval of olaparib for women with BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer marks a significant therapeutic advance for women with the malignancy, but the specific indication is far too restrictive and the drug should be offered to many more patients.

Treatment with the third-generation EGFR inhibitor AZD9291 was found to be highly active in patients with EGFR T790M-mutated NSCLC following progression on prior therapy with an EGFR TKI.

The PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) has been has been assigned priority review designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for previously untreated patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

Members of the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) and Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee (CTGTAC) voted 22-1 in a combined decision to recommend approval of the oncolytic immunotherapy talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) as a treatment for patients with advanced melanoma.

Topline findings from the phase III COMPLEMENT 2 study indicated that treatment with ofatumumab (Arzerra) plus fludarabine and cyclophosphamide significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide alone in patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Two different types of liquid biopsies—plasma and urine—can detect the number of copies of the KRAS mutation in circulating DNA in patients with colorectal cancer who have resectable liver metastases with near 100% concordance with tissue biopsies, according to a pilot study presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Following the FDA fast track designation in November 2014, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals and Baxter International have completed the submission of a new drug application for MM-398 in combination with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin, according to a statement from the drug's developers.

MedImmune Limited, a subsidiary of AstraZeneca PLC, and Celgene International II Sàrl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation, have formed a strategic collaboration for the development and commercialization of AstraZeneca’s anti-programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) agent MEDI4736.

The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy JCAR017 elicited a 91% complete remission rate in pediatric patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

The FDA has issued a label update for pomalidomide (Pomalyst) plus low-dose dexamethasone to include data from the phase III MM-003 study.

The FDA has approved second-line ramucirumab (Cyramza) in combination with FOLFIRI as a treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) following progression on a first-line bevacizumab-containing regimen.

Despite their promise, checkpoint inhibitors are not effective in every patient, and research suggests the STING (stimulator of interferon genes) pathway may hold important clues as to why some tumors fail to respond.

A new study has found that a psychosocial telephone counseling intervention helps improve mood and quality of life in cervical cancer survivors.

To gain insight into this novel approach and its potential benefit, Targeted Oncology interviewed Bradley J. Monk, MD, FACOG, FACS, who presented phase II results at the 2015 SGO's Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer.

The availability of mutation-specific treatments and an increasing understanding of potential resistance mechanisms have provided immense opportunities for research and development of new therapies in lung cancer.

The PALOMA-3 trial examining a palbociclib regimen in HR+/HER2- breast cancer was halted after an independent panel determined it met the primary endpoint of improving progression-free survival (PFS).

Almost half of patients with cancer who receive genetic testing may be given information that leads to unsuitable targeted treatments, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

The continuing contentious debate about screening for prostate cancer remains top of mind among the public and lay press, but, Leonard G. Gomella, MD, says the decision to screen or not to screen boils down to “using common sense.”

A research team led by investigators at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas has published a study in Nature Communications identifying several new genetic mutations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Updated data from a phase II trial of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia (WM) showed a 2-year overall survival (OS) rate of 95% with the BTK inhibitor.

Novel combinations and immunotherapies have significantly expanded treatment options for myeloma. Numerous studies, including the ASPIRE and ELOQUENT-2 trials, have shown positive results for triple drug combinations.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 3.5 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are treated in the United States annually, making it the most commonly encountered malignancy.

In a wide-ranging interview, Thomas Lynch, MD, provides expert insight across the spectrum of care, from screening to the challenges associated with resistance mutations.

A biomarker panel containing circulating tumor cell (CTC) number and LDH level was shown to be a surrogate for overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to the PARP1/2 inhibitor rucaparib for the treatment of women with BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer.

Treatment with enzalutamide reduced the risk of progression by 76% compared with bicalutamide in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), according to results from the STRIVE study.

Shabbir M.H. Alibhai, MD, et al from the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada, found that impact from ADT on physical function persisted over 36 months, indicating ADT has lasting effects, which need to be addressed.

Intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy offers a median 10-month survival advantage over IV chemotherapy for women with advanced ovarian cancer. Result from a retrospective analysis were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The FDA has granted an accelerated approval to an oral suspension formulation of deferasirox (Jadenu) for the treatment of patients aged 2 and older with chronic iron overload due to multiple blood transfusions.