Tony Berberabe, MPH

Optimal therapy in the treatment of metastatic urothelial cancer has evolved over time with regulatory changes pulling back frontline indications.

The combination of axitinib and octreotide LAR demonstrated activity and a tolerable safety profile in patients with advanced G1-2 extra-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in a phase 2/3 study.

The early unblinding of results from the phase 3 ADAURA clinical trial evaluating osimertinib, a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was met with much fanfare in the oncology community as details of the interim results spread.

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors across tumor types in the Veterans Affairs health care system revealed lower real-world survival outcomes than those reported in pivotal clinical trials.

The use of whole breast irradiation can be omitted in patients 65 years and older with pT1-2 tumors on local control at 10 years after breast-conserving surgery and adjuvant endocrine therapy in low risk, older patients.

The emergence of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in early-stage disease is a late practice-changing development, said Roger C. Lilenbaum, MD.

The combination of pevonedistat and azacitidine demonstrated encouraging efficacy and longer event-free survival compared with azacitidine alone in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.

In a post hoc analysis of the DREAMM-2 trial, belantamab mafodotin achieved deep and durable responses with no notable alterations in its safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who had received ≥7 prior therapies.

Enriching the CAR molecule bb2121 with the PI3K inhibitor bb007 improved response and extended duration of response compared with non-enriched CAR T cells in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

The MET inhibitor TPX-0022 was safe and well tolerated in a phase 1 dose-escalation study, SHIELD-1, involving patients with advanced solid tumors harboring MET alterations, according to results presented during the 32nd Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics Symposium.

Patients who received palbociclib and fulvestrant before chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer had greater clinical benefit versus patients who received placebo and fulvestrant, according to an exploratory subgroup analysis of the phase 3 PALOMA-3 trial.

Findings from a phase 2 trial evaluating lenvatinib given at 2 different starting doses, 14 mg versus 18 mg, in combination with everolimus, suggest the lower dose is similar to the standard dose in terms of efficacy and safety with minimal differences observed between the 2 arms.

With immune checkpoint inhibitors gaining widespread adoption, their optimal use hinges on a greater understanding of biomarkers, practical applications, and their potential in combination with cellular therapies.

As a greater understanding of triple-negative breast cancer heterogeneity develops over time, combinations of PD-1/PD-L1 plus PARP inhibitors, androgen receptor targeted agents, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors are undergoing evaluation by investigators in the field.

The bispecific T‐cell engager, AMG 160, demonstrated a manageable safety profile and preliminary evidence of efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in a 2-part, phase 1 open-label study.

The growing use of minimal residual disease as a prognostic marker of progression-free survival and overall survival suggests that it might aid in clinical decision-making.

Today’s patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia can look forward to a near-normal life expectancy, provided they have good access to treatment and monitoring and are properly managed, said Jorge Cortes, MD.

With the number of targets in gastrointestinal cancer growing, particularly KRAS in colorectal cancer and tumor mutational burden across all gastrointestinal tumors, Andrea Cercek, MD, sought to provide an overview of current and emerging targets during the 17th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology.

“We should look to reduce or limit radiation therapy or eliminate it if it’s not necessary. The major problem is the late toxicity associated with it."

Findings from the NASIR-HCC phase 2 clinical trial demonstrated the safety and tolerability of nivolumab administered with selective internal radiation therapy containing yttrium-90 resin in patients who were ineligible for transarterial chemoembolization.

The impetus for taking a closer look at cancer drug spending starts with their costs. But the other side of the equation, the revenue coming in, can also be a factor that requires adjusting.

Delivering evidence-based state-of-the art cancer care in the management of hematologic and solid malignancies is the mainstay of the 38th Annual CFS®: Innovative Cancer Therapy for Tomorrow conference taking place virtually November 4 through 6, 2020.

Osimertinib plus bevacizumab did not lead to a prolonged progression-free survival compared with osimertinib alone as treatment of patients with advanced adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR T790M.

Patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma who harbor EGFR T790M mutations did not experience significant progression-free survival improvement with osimertinib plus bevacizumab versus osimertinib alone, according to findings presented by Yukihiro Toi, MD, during the 2020 European Society for Medical Oncology Virtual Congress.

The use of encorafenib and binimetinib followed by immunotherapy demonstrated a higher progression-free survival, as well as an objective response rate and median PFS at 1 and 2 years that were consistent with those reported in pivotal studies, according to a presentation by Paolo Ascierto, MD, at the 2020 ESMO Virtual Congress.

For patients with progressive pancreatic or midgut neuroendocrine tumors, improvements in disease-free survival and progression-free survival were seen when the dosing of lanreotide Autogel was increased from 120 mg every 28 days to every 14 days. Data from the phase 2 CLARINET FORTE study suggest that this treatment option can delay switching to a more toxic treatment, which was presented at the 2020 ESMO Virtual Congress.

As COVID-19 alters current approaches to caring for patients with cancer, early emerging research data reinforce what practicing oncologists have been observing in their patients are at increased risk of mortality.

Adding the anti-CD38 antibody, daratumumab, to the standard of care regimen of lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone, improved depth of response, stringent complete response , and minimal residual disease negativity, in a subgroup of Black patients who had newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to findings presented at the eighth annual Society of Hematologic Oncology meeting.

Using a modified pediatric regimen to treat adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia led to superior outcomes compared with historical adult ALL regimen results, according to a retrospective analysis that evaluated 95 AYAs aged 14 to 39 years. Findings were presented at the eighth annual Society of Hematologic Oncology virtual meeting.

As the new chair of the 17th Annual International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology meeting, Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, said that this year’s virtual conference will place particular emphasis on fellows’ education and involvement.