HCC

Three clinical trials presented at the 2019 ESMO Congress show that the tropomyosin receptor kinase inhibitor larotrectinib continues to show anti-tumor activity, including long-lasting objective responses and low toxicity, according to results from an integrated analysis.

Atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab induced objective responses in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, according to results presented at the 2019 ESMO Congress from 2 small clinical trials. 

David J. Pinato, MD, PhD, discusses the approach to selecting the appropriate frontline agent for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Sorafenib has been around for many years, but now that lenvatinib is FDA approved as well, physicians can now choose between the 2 agents.

Now in it 24th year, the annual International Congress on Hematologic Malignancies: Focus on Leukemias, Lymphomas, and Myeloma, hosted by Physicians’ Education Resource, LLC, continues to bring significant advances in hematology to the forefront.

Pathologic complete responses were seen in 29% of patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with a perioperative immunotherapy regimen in the first interim analysis of a phase II trial, reported Yehia I. Abugabal, MD, in his presentation at the 2019 ILCA Annual Conference.

Clinically meaningful and durable objective responses were observed in the phase Ib subgroup efficacy analysis of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab in patients with previously untreated, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Mar&iacute;a Varela, MD, PhD, discussed the rationale of the findings from the real-life analysis and their importance for patients with HCC being treated outside of a clinical trial.

The final analysis of KEYNOTE-240, a phase III study of pembrolizumab in advanced hepatocellular cancer, demonstrated favorable benefit in overall survival and progression-free survival, according to Richard S. Finn, MD, during his presentation at the 13th Annual Conference of the International Liver Cancer Association in Chicago.

Amit Singal, MD, discusses the current treatment landscape for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and how the treatments differ among patients caught in early-stage versus late-stage at the 2019 International Liver Cancer Association Annual Conference.

Treatment with regorafenib resulted in higher rates of alpha-fetoprotein level response compared with placebo in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who had progressed on prior sorafenib, according to an analysis from the phase III RESORCE trial.

Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with cabozantinib had higher alpha-fetoprotein response rates versus those treated with placebo, according to findings of a subanalysis of the phase III CELESTIAL trial.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Katherine A. McGlynn, PhD, MPH, discussed the population attributable fraction of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in developing hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as related disorders, in the United States that contribute to the risk of mortality.<br /> &nbsp;

For those with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, the CheckMate 040 study found that the combination can be effective. Information from that study found that the combination can also yield a favorable safety profile, said Anthony B. El-Khoueiry, MD, in his presentation at the 2019 ILCA Annual Conference.

Richard S. Finn, MD, discusses the considerations he makes when selecting frontline treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Michael A. Choti, MD, discussed what he&rsquo;s looking forward to at the 2019 ISGIO Annual Conference and why this meeting is so important to physicians in the field of GI oncology. He also highlighted the surgical approaches to treating patients with HCC from his own experiences as a surgical oncologist, as well as the challenges associated with these treatment options.

To improve the efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies, Nirali N. Shah, MD, MHSc, suggested including new constructs that target more than 1 antigen in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, during a presentation at the 2019 SOHO Annual Meeting.<br /> &nbsp;

Optimal Management of Relapsed/Refractory mHCC

An ongoing phase IIa clinical trial has demonstrated the safety and efficacy of milciclib maleate at 6 months in patients with unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma who were resistant or intolerant to sorafenib.

In an interview with&nbsp;Targeted Oncology, Sattva S. Neelapu, MD, discussed the evolving role for CAR T-cell therapy in patients with B-cell lymphomas. He also highlighted the toxicities commonly associated with these therapies and how physicians can treat these AEs as they arise.