News

The investigational anti-PD-1 immunotherapy MK-3475 has demonstrated an overall survival rate of 81% at one year in patients with advanced melanoma.

AGS-003, an investigational autologous dendritic cell vaccine, successfully activated a cytotoxic T cell response that correlates with a prolongation in survival for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), according to an analysis presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

The FDA has granted an accelerated approval to ibrutinib as a treatment for patients with mantle cell lymphoma who have received at least one prior therapy, based on a single-arm clinical trial demonstrating a durable improvement in ORR.

Obinutuzumab (Gazyva) plus chlorambucil has been approved by the FDA as a first-line treatment for patients with CLL, based on clinical trial data demonstrating that the combination more than doubled median PFS over the chemotherapy agent alone.

Marketing and commercial distribution of ponatinib (Iclusig) has been temporarily suspended, following an ongoing FDA investigation that revealed an increased frequency of severe arterial thrombosis and stenosis.

Hyperfractionated radiotherapy demonstrated a superior improvement in overall survival rates compared to standard and accelerated radiotherapy when administered without concomitant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced HNSCC.

The PD-1 blocking antibody nivolumab continues to demonstrate clinical activity in previously treated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to updated long-term survival data from a phase I trial.

The FDA has assigned a priority review designation to ramucirumab (IMC-1121B) as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced gastric cancer.

A phase III EPIC trial exploring ponatinib (Iclusig) in untreated patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has been discontinued. The decision comes following a high occurrence of arterial thrombotic events, according to a statement released by Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the company developing the drug.

Following a positive interim analysis, a phase III study of the PI3K-delta inhibitor idelalisib in combination with rituximab (Rituxan) has been stopped.

The FDA has placed a partial hold on the clinical development of the BCR-ABL inhibitor ponatinib (Iclusig), following the high occurrence of arterial thrombosis in patients treated with the drug.

Updated recommendations for HER2 testing in breast cancer have been released by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

Volasertib (BI 6727) is a potent and selective inhibitor of PLK1 in vitro that is currently being evaluated for its therapeutic potential to target the cell cycle.

MK-3475, an investigational immunotherapy, has demonstrated an objective response rate (ORR) of up to 24% in patients with previously treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to interim results from a phase Ib expansion study.

Results from a pooled analysis of survival data from 12 studies demonstrated long-term survival benefit in patients with metastatic or locally advanced or unresectable melanoma treated with ipilimumab (Yervoy).

The FDA has approved pertuzumab (Perjeta), the first neoadjuvant treatment for patients with breast cancer.

Advances in the understanding of oncogenic cellular pathways have uncovered new targets for therapeutic intervention. One such emerging target is peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) family.

Across several studies, the BRAFV600E mutation has been reported to be associated with several negative prognostic clinicopathologic features as well as an increase in overall mortality in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

It has long been recognized that many breast tumors in postmenopausal women are hormone-dependent and that hormonal manipulation can alter the natural history of the disease. Learn more about the mechanism of action of fulvestrant (Faslodex).

The FDA has granted a Breakthrough Therapy designation to the novel PLK1 inhibitor volasertib in combination with LDAC for its potential as a treatment for patients with untreated AML who are ineligible for intensive remission induction therapy.

The FDA has granted Priority Review designation to dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) as a combination treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with a BRAFV600E/K mutation.

The human epidermal growth factor receptors (known as the HER family) play a pivotal role in transmitting signals that regulate cell growth and survival.

The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 13-0 with one abstention in support of pertuzumab (Perjeta) in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer in the neoadjuvant setting.

Entinostat in combination with exemestane has been granted a Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA for its potential to reverse resistance to hormonal therapies used to treat patients with advanced ER-positive breast cancer.

Nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) plus gemcitabine received FDA approval today as a treatment for patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas

An investigational MAGE-A3 vaccine failed to significantly extend disease-free survival (DFS) in certain patients with postsurgical melanoma

A phase III clinical program to investigate olaparib as a treatment for patients with BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer marks a step forward in the revived development of an agent that was once left on the sidelines.

Despite recent oncology breakthroughs, conventional anticancer treatments may have limitations. Decades of research are resulting in the capacity to create a new generation of antibody drug conjugates.

Our weekly web roundup featuring articles and blog posts from MSKCC, UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

Sorafenib (Nexavar) has been granted a priority review designation by the FDA for locally advanced or metastatic radioactive iodine (RAI)-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.