This week, the FDA granted approval to a generic form of pemetrexed for the treatment of patients with locally advanced metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer who have not progressed after 4 cycles of frontline platinum-based chemotherapy. A comprehensive liquid biopsy assay, known as FoundationOne CDx, was also granted approval for all solid tumors with multiple companion diagnostic indications.

In addition, the FDA also granted a Priority Review to tepotinib for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who harbor a MET exon 14 skipping mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test. The FDA also granted FDA Grants Fast Track to Repotrectinib in NTRK-Positive Advanced Solid Tumors harboring an NTRK gene fusion who progressed on at least 1 prior chemotherapy and 1 to 2 prior TRK tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

These updates and others were trending this week:

FDA Approval Sought for Cabozantinib/Nivolumab in Advanced RCC

A supplemental New Drug Application was submitted to the FDA for cabozantinib plus nivolumab as treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Burger Reviews BTK Inhibitors and Beyond in Frontline CLL

During a virtual Case Based Peer Perspectives event, Jan A. Burger, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discussed testing and the treatment options for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, based on the case of a 71-year-old female patient.

Promising Phase 3 Study of CPI-613 in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Achieves Target Enrollment Early

Philip A. Philip, MD, PhD, discussed the current therapeutic options for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer and where CPI-613 may fit into this treatment landscape.

Clinical Characteristics of DLBCL May Predict Outcomes for Patients Receiving CAR T Cells

A single-center experience demonstrated that certain pre- and post-treatment characteristics may predict outcomes for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma following treatment with a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.

Selpercatinib May Be New Standard of Care for RET-Altered Thyroid Cancers, Study Shows

Selpercatinib demonstrated durable efficacy as treatment of patients with medullary thyroid cancer harboring the RET mutation whether or not they received prior vandetanib or cabozantinib in the phase 1/2 LIBRETTO-001 study.

Exploring Questions Remaining for BTK Inhibitors and B-Cell Malignancies

Kami J. Maddocks, MD, of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–James, discusses the use of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with B-cell malignancies and how that may change in the future to provide more treatment options for these patients.

Case-Based Peer Perspectives: A 64-Year-Old Man With Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Lori Leslie, MD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital, discussed the management of a 64-year-old male patient with differentiated thyroid cancer and considered the phase 3 SELECT clinical trial.

Special Feature: COVID-19 Update:

Closing Gaps in Care: COVID-19 in Patients With Cancer Bring Health Inequities to the Surface

According to the Centers for Disease Control, patients at any age who have cancer are at an increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, and this may be aggravated by aspects such as race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors.

As COVID-19 Stabilizes, Treatment of Patients With Cancer Continues With Caution

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Marco Mielcarek, MD, PhD, of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, discussed how COVID-19 has impacted the treatment of patients with blood cancers in Washington State.