GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS

Richard T. Penson, MD, Bradley J. Monk, MD, and Krishnansu S. Tewari, MD, weigh in on the changing landscape of the treatment of cervical cancer.

The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor veliparib exhibits antitumor activity and is safe and tolerable on a continuous dosing schedule when used for the treatment of patients with BRCA-positive and BRCA-wild type tumors.

Patients with a rare but aggressive form of ovarian cancer had mutations in the chromatin regulator SMARCA4, suggesting a causative role of these mutations.

A study using next-generation sequencing showed that genetic testing limited to BRCA1/2 mutations would have missed 29% of mutations that carry hereditary risk of ovarian cancer.

A new study has recommended priority targets for immunotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) by profiling the expression of certain tumor-associated antigens (TAA), called MAGE cancer-testis antigens (CTA), in a large panel of tumor samples.

David Hyman, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the results of a phase I study of MEDI3617 for advanced solid tumors.

The FDA has approved bevacizumab in combination with paclitaxel and cisplatin or paclitaxel and topotecan as a treatment for patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer, based on the improvement in OS in the phase III GOG 240 study.

Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, Section Chief, Gastrointestinal Oncology, associate professor, Internal Medicine, Pharmacology, The Ohio State University, discusses an analysis of two targeted drugs for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Cervical cancer screening based on identification of human papillomavirus (HPV) outperformed primary liquid cytology for detection of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).

Bradley Monk, MD, gynecologic oncologist, University of Arizona Cancer Center Phoenix Branch, discusses the utility of bevacizumab for the treatment of cervical cancer.

The FDA has assigned a priority review designation to bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with chemotherapy for patients with recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Amy P. Abernethy, MD, PhD, associate professor, School of Nursing, director, Duke Center for Learning Health Care, Duke University School of Medicine, discusses the results of a multisite randomized trial that examined continuing versus discontinuing statins in the setting of life-limiting illness.

The FDA has assigned a priority review designation to bevacizumab (Avastin) plus chemotherapy as a treatment for patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer.

The investigational CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy CTL019 has received a breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA as a potential treatment for pediatric and adult patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

The FDA has granted a breakthrough therapy designation to blinatumomab for the treatment of adult patients with Philadelphia-negative relapsed/refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

The FDA’s ODAC voted 11-2 against the accelerated approval of the PARP inhibitor olaparib as a maintenance therapy for women with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer with germline BRCA mutations.

Major objective responses to treatment were demonstrated in one-fourth of patients with relapsed or refractory BRCA-mutant ovarian cancer with the investigational PARP inhibitor, veliparib, according to results from a phase II study.

Sean C. Dowdy, MD, professor, chair, Division of Gynecologic Surgery, co-leader, Women’s Cancer Program, Mayo Clinic, discusses bevacizumab and improvement of progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with the mesenchymal molecular subtype of ovarian cancer.

The FDA has approved the radioactive diagnostic imaging agent Lymphoseek injection to guide sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with cancer of the head and neck.

Two patients with metastatic cervical cancer achieved durable complete responses that have so far lasted from 15 to 22 months through an adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) targeting the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Combining the oral targeted agents olaparib and cediranib resulted in a near-doubling of median progression-free survival (PFS) among women with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Hassan Arshad, MD, assistant professor of oncology, head and neck surgeon, Department of Head and Neck Surgery/Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, discusses the future of treating head and neck cancer and the challenges behind treating the disease.

Eunice Wang, MD, discusses an ongoing phase III trial looking at vincristine sulfate liposomes injection (Marqibo) for the treatment of patients ≥ 60 years old with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Screening for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) significantly cuts the death rate from prostate cancer, but at the same time, America’s medical community should work harder to avoid the screen’s potential pitfalls.

A wide-ranging analysis of more than 5500 breast cancer tumors that combined genomic and protein expression testing has identified promising targets to explore for treating patients with poor prognoses, with particularly notable findings involving androgen receptor (AR) expression.