Katie Kosko

Evolving research has now shown that immunotherapies can be combined with one another and used to specifically target the cancer cells.

In the past 3 years, the FDA has approved 7 novel drugs, either given alone or in combination, to help treat patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The biggest unanswered question in biomarker development for cancer is how to determine which patients will respond to targeted therapy or immunotherapy. Investigators around the world are trying to answer this through clinical trials and data mining, in addition to finding new tools to add to the mix.

Findings of a recent study suggest surgical choices in women with breast cancer may have long-term impacts on their quality of life. Investigators found that younger patients with breast cancer who underwent lumpectomy had better QOL outcomes than patients who had a mastectomy.

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved several maintenance therapies over the last few years for the management of platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer. Bevacizumab (Avastin), TKIs, or PARP inhibitors were among the treatments used in the clinical trials leading to these approvals.

In an analysis of the phase III ENGOT-OV16/NOVA study, baseline body weight and platelet counts served as early biomarkers for patients with platinum-sensitive, relapsed, high-grade serous epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who would require dose modifications to their treatment with niraparib (Zejula).

According to study findings presented during the 49th Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancers held in New Orleans March 24-27, clinical benefit has been found for women with recurrent ovarian cancer when using immune checkpoint inhibitors, but there was a higher rate of adverse events (AEs) than previously reported in other tumor types.

The addition of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) to doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A+AVD) reduced the risk of progression and death by 23% in patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) compared with standard ABVD (doxorubicin [Adriamycin], bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) chemotherapy, according to results of the phase III ECHELON-1 clinical trial. 

For patients with mantle cell lymphoma, initial and maintenance treatment with the combination of lenalidomide (Revlimid) and rituximab (Rituxan) were found to be feasible, safe, and elicit clinical activity.

A recent study is offering insight into the age at which BRCA1/2-positive women are most at risk for deveoping breast and ovarian cancer.

Psychological intervention can substantially lower fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) in survivors, improving their quality of life, anxiety, and cancer-specific distress.

During the Society for Gynecologic Oncology 48th Annual Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, Jubilee Brown, MD, offered advice on where to access this counseling and why it is so important for women with ovarian cancer to advocate for genetic testing. 

According to the results of a study recently published in <em>JAMA Oncology,</em>&nbsp;high breast density surpasses other known risk factors for developing breast cancer, including family history of the disease, personal history of benign lesions, and later-in-life childbirth.

President Barack Obama has signed the 21st Century Cures Act into law, earmarking $6.3 billion over 10 years to go toward advancements in precision medicine development, brain research, heroin and prescription drug abuse prevention, and mental health.

The antibody drug conjugate ABT-414 has shown promising results for the treatment of patients with EGFR-amplified, recurrent glioblastoma (GBM).

Researchers are hoping that a proposed phase II study exploring use of the Optune system in patients with recurrent grade III malignant glioma will expand the indications for the tumor treating fields device.