July 2

Updated results of the phase III KEYNOTE-048 trial comparing pembrolizumab as monotherapy and in combination with platinum chemotherapy and fluorouracil with standard-of-care chemotherapy support the use of the PD-1 inhibitor in the frontline for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, according to Danny Rischin, MD, who presented the results of the final analysis at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

In a data set of 292 oncologists who responded to questions about current awareness and incorporation of molecular testing in the treatment of cancer, almost 69% incorrectly matched the molecular alteration with the appropriate targeted therapy.

Several presentations at the 2019&nbsp;American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting highlighted a hopeful new direction in the treatment of gliomas, demonstrating the relevance of <em>IDH1/2</em> mutational status and its feasibility as a target of therapy.

In his editorial note, Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, discussed how&nbsp;immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway have drastically changed treatment and improved outcomes across numerous solid tumors over the past 5 years. He discussed data from the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting surrounding treatment options for head and neck cancers.

Advances in targeted therapies show encouraging activity as treatment for tough-to-target driver alterations in non&ndash;small cell lung cancer emerge, according to data presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting. The discovery of additional oncogenic drivers and promising targeted therapies means that certain patients will receive treatments that produce favorable outcomes based on their disease characteristics.