Trending News on Targeted Oncology, Week of November 6, 2020

This week, the FDA lifted a partial clinical hold on the phase 1 P-PSMA-101-001 clinical trial (NCT04249947), which is exploring chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T product as a potential treatment for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

It is a busy time of year for medical conferences, and Targeted Oncology is covering the latest updates this week from the latest meetings, including 38th Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium on November 4-6, 2020, the 2020 International Kidney Cancer Symposium on November 6-7, and the 15th Annual New York Lung Cancers Symposium on November 7, 2020.

These updates and others were trending:

Phase 2 Study Examines Validity of Novel Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Strategy in Advanced RCC

Based on results from the phase 2 OMNIVORE study, the response-based strategy achieved no complete responses and a low partial response/complete response conversion in advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Heymach Discusses MET Exon 14 Skipping Mutations in NSCLC

During a Targeted Oncology Case Based Peer Perspective event, John V. Heymach, MD, PhD, of the The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discussed the testing methods for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with MET exon 14 skipping mutations. The discussion was based on the case of a 48-year-old woman.

Greater Diversity of Cancer Models May Help Combat “Imprecision” in Personalized Care

A greater understanding of genomic characteristics of racial and ethnic minority populations with cancer are necessary to further advance therapy development and lead to successful treatment for all patients.

HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treatment Landscape Expands With Promise of New Therapies

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, William J. Gradishar, MD, of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, discussed the current treatment options for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, including the recently approved therapies from the FDA.

Disease Progression More Likely in African American Men With Prostate Cancer, Study Shows

A statistically significant increase in the 10-year cumulative incidence of disease progression and definitive treatment among African American men compared with non-Hispanic Caucasian men with low-risk prostate cancer, according to findings from a retrospective cohort study.

Cabozantinib Plus Nivolumab Improves Efficacy Over Sunitinib in mRCC

Ulka Vaishampayan, MD, of Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, discusses the findings from the phase 3 CheckMate-9ER study, which demonstrated promising response and survival outcomes with the combination of cabozantinib (Cabometyx) plus nivolumab (Opdivo) as treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma compared with sunitinib.

The Ongoing Fight Against Acute GvHD​

John F. DiPersio, MD, PhD, of Washington University School of Medicine, provides insight into recent data updates from ongoing trials studying the management of graft-versus-host disease with promising regimens.

Special Feature: COVID-19

Leronlimab Appears to Prevent Progression to Severe or Critical COVID-19

Findings from the phase 2 CD10 study of leronlimab (PRO 140) as treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) suggest the agent can prevent progression to severe or critical disease.

As the COVID-19 Pandemic Continues, Fewer Patient-Physician Encounters Suggest Later-Stage Disease at Presentation

A report demonstrated the potential impact of COVID-19 on cancer-related patient encounters, which may result in an increase in the presentation of later-stage disease for newly diagnosed patients in future months.