ESMO 2018 Congress
New Data Reported From International Studies of Lung Cancer Treatment
At the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Congress, important studies were presented for every cancer type. Here, The ASCO Post offers some snapshots of lung cancer studies that may inf...
International Trials Present New Findings in Treatment of Breast Cancer
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Congress featured an assortment of study findings, many with far-reaching clinical implications for the treatment of patients with various cancers...
Optimal Duration of Checkpoint Inhibition in Melanoma Is No More Than 2 Years
For patients with advanced melanoma, the concept of treating to disease progression does not always apply. With many patients responding to checkpoint inhibition for years, when can treatment be safel...
Expert Point of View: Rebecca Dent, MD, and Suzette Delaloge, MD, MSc
FORMAL DISCUSSANT of the ACE trial, Rebecca Dent, MD, of the National Cancer Center in Singapore, commented that the phase II ENCORE 301 study provided proof of concept that a histone deacetylase (HD...
HDAC Inhibitor May Overcome Endocrine Resistance in Advanced Breast Cancer
EPIGENETIC CHANGES are associated with the development of cancer, and epigenetic therapy is an attractive strategy for targeting the tumor microenvironment. One approach targeted to epigenetic changes...
Expert Point of View: Julien Taieb, MD
JULIEN TAIEB, MD, Professor of Medicine at Paris Descartes University in France, said the MODUL cohort was based on a clear rationale for adding atezolizumab (Tecentriq) to bevacizumab (Avastin) in t...
No Benefit for Atezolizumab Plus Standard of Care for Maintenance in Colorectal Cancer Subset
ADDING ATEZOLIZUMAB (Tecentriq) to a fluoropyrimidine plus bevacizumab (Avastin) did not improve outcomes for patients with BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer enrolled in the umbrella MODUL t...
Expert Point of View: Reinhard Dummer, MD
KEYNOTE-022’S invited discussant, Reinhard Dummer, MD, Professor of Dermatologic Oncology at the University Hospital Zurich Skin Cancer Center in Switzerland, told attendees, “We’ve been waiting for ...
Pembrolizumab Triplet Shows Activity in BRAF-Mutant Melanoma
AS FIRST-LINE treatment of advanced BRAF-mutant melanoma, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) added to dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) produced a nonsignificant improvement in progression-free su...
Expert Point of View: Joaquin Mateo, MD, PhD
FORMAL DISCUSSANT Joaquin Mateo, MD, PhD, of the Prostate Cancer Translational Research Group, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, said that the TRITON2 findings were encouraging, althoug...
PARP Inhibitor Active in BRCA1/2-Mutated Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
THE SEARCH for biomarkers in prostate cancer has proved frustrating, partly due to the complexity of the disease and its heterogeneity. A preliminary analysis of a phase II (TRITON2) study suggests th...
Expert Point of View: Manuela Schmidinger, MD
“TARGETED AGENTS were a breakthrough in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma, and immunotherapy also works well, improving survival. In the past 2 years, combining a checkpoint inhibitor with target...
Progress Made in Identifying Gene-Signature Biomarkers in Renal Cell Carcinoma
A NEW ANALYSIS of the phase III IMmotion151 trial identified gene signatures in renal cell carcinoma that correlate with improved progression-free survival in patients treated with atezolizumab (Tecen...
Study Identifies Suitable Partner for Bevacizumab in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
For patients with recurrent ovarian cancer who receive platinum-based retreatment, the more suitable partner for bevacizumab (Avastin) may be carboplatin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, rather t...
Neoadjuvant Therapy With Reduced-Dose Immunotherapy for Stage III Melanoma
In patients with stage III melanoma, a reduced-dose neoadjuvant immunotherapy combination was well tolerated and led to high pathologic response rates, in the phase II OpACIN-neo trial presented at th...
Treatment With Radium-223 Plus Abiraterone Not Advisable in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
The combination of radium-223 plus AAP (abiraterone acetate [Zytiga] and prednisone) was not superior to placebo plus AAP in the phase III ERA 223 trial, which enrolled men with asymptomatic bone-pred...
Immunotherapy and Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Combination in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
In the JAVELIN Renal 101 phase III study, the combination of the immune checkpoint inhibitor avelumab (Bavencio), a programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) blocking antibody, plus the tyrosine kinase inhibi...
Phase III Study Supports Use of Cisplatin Over Cetuximab in HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer
In the United States and European countries, many oncologists are using cetuximab (Erbitux)/radiotherapy instead of cisplatin/radiotherapy in the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oroph...
Pembrolizumab Improves Survival in Advanced Head and Neck Cancer
An overall survival advantage has now been shown for first-line immunotherapy in recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer, researchers reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)...
First-Line Immunotherapy Shows Benefit in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Subset
In previously untreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and tumors demonstrating microsatellite instability–high (MSI-high) or mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR), immunotherapy with nivoluma...
Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Yields Major Response in Colon Cancer Subset
In a small study of patients with early-stage colon cancer, neoadjuvant ipilimumab (Yervoy) plus nivolumab (Opdivo) produced major pathologic responses in 100% of patients with mismatch repair (MMR)-d...
Impact of Palbociclib on Survival in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer
Much anticipated overall survival data for palbociclib (Ibrance) plus fulvestrant (Faslodex) in advanced breast cancer were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Congress....
Pembrolizumab Shows Antitumor Activity in Non–Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
THE ANTI–PROGRAMMED cell death protein 1 (anti–PD-1) checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was found to have antitumor activity in patients with high-risk non–muscle invasive bladder cancer wh...
Radiation to Primary Tumor Improves Survival in Subset of Men With Metastatic Prostate Cancer
MEN WITH newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer do not typically receive treatment to the primary tumor with radiation or surgery. A new analysis of the STAMPEDE trial found that radiation adminis...
Results Reported for Olaparib Maintenance in Ovarian Cancer
TWO-YEAR MAINTENANCE therapy with olaparib (Lynparza), a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, achieved a significant improvement in progression-free survival in patients with newly diagnosed advanc...
Immunotherapy Improves Survival in a Subset of Patients With Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
IMMUNOTHERAPY APPEARS to be the new upfront standard of care for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, based on a late-breaking presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncol...
ESMO 2018: CTONG 1103 Finds Benefit With Neoadjuvant Erlotinib in Some EGFR-Mutated NSCLCs
Neoadjuvant erlotinib (Tarceva) benefits selected patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who undergo complete resection of stage IIIA-N2...
ESMO 2018: CheckMate-142 Reports New Data on First-Line Nivolumab Plus Low-Dose Ipilimumab in MSI-H/dMMR Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
The combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and low-dose ipilimumab (Yervoy) could become a new first-line treatment in patients with microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H), mismatch repair–def...
ESMO 2018: Small Study of Preoperative Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in dMMR Colon Cancer
Neoadjuvant treatment with a combination of the immune checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) achieved major pathological responses in mismatch repair–deficient (d...
ESMO 2018: HOBOE-2: Zoledronic Acid in Premenopausal Hormone Receptor–Positive Early Breast Cancer
Adjuvant treatment with zoledronic acid, plus hormonal therapy with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, significantly increases disease-free survival compared to tamoxifen in premenopausal women with h...
ESMO 2018: CheckMate 067: 4-Year Follow-up of Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma
As reported in The Lancet Oncology and at the European Society for Medical Oncology 2018 Congress by Hodi et al, the 4-year follow-up of the phase III CheckMate 067 trial has shown a continued overall...
Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, on Immunotherapy Toxicities: Expert Perspective
Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre, discusses managing toxicities of immunotherapy, including neurotoxicity, and treating beyond acute adverse events.
Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, on Advanced Melanoma: Research Highlights
Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre, discusses two high-impact studies in stage III melanoma treatment: an update of the COMBI-AD trial examining dabrafenib and trametinib; and n...
ESMO 2018: First-Line Immunotherapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) improved survival in patients with head and neck cancer that has recurred or metastasized in the KEYNOTE-048 trial, according to late-breaking results from the study reported ...
ESMO 2018: Cetuximab vs Cisplatin in Patients With HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer Receiving Radiotherapy
Patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive throat cancer responded better to chemoradiotherapy than to cetuximab (Erbitux) with radiotherapy, according to late-breaking research reported by Meh...
Nicholas D. James, PhD, MBBS, on Prostate Cancer: Updates From the STAMPEDE Trial
Nicholas D. James, PhD, MBBS, of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, discusses study findings on treating metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer, including results on radiotherapy and ...
Tony Mok, MD, on NSCLC: Targeted Treatment Update
Tony Mok, MD, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, discusses two important studies in non–small cell lung cancer: FLAURA, which looked at the first-line activity of osimertinib and the mechanisms o...
Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, on Lung Cancer: Research Highlights
Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, of the Emory University School of Medicine, summarizes the top-line lung cancer results reported at this year’s ESMO Congress, including the role of targeted treatment for ea...
Laurence Albiges, MD, PhD, on RCC: Challenging Established Front-Line Treatment
Laurence Albiges, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy, discusses data from the global, phase III JAVELIN trial that compared axitinib plus avelumab vs sunitinib, which could lead to a new standard of care in r...
ESMO 2018: Survival Results From STAMPEDE: Local Radiotherapy in Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Prostate Cancer With Low Disease Burden
Radiotherapy to the prostate improved overall survival in men newly diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer who have a low metastatic disease burden, but not in those with higher burden of disease, ...
ESMO 2018: JAVELIN Renal 101: Avelumab Plus Axitinib in Previously Untreated Renal Cell Carcinoma
A combination of the immune checkpoint blocker avelumab (Bavencio) plus the tyrosine kinase inhibitor axitinib (Inlyta) improved progression-free survival (PFS) in previously untreated patients with a...
ESMO 2018: SOLO-1: Olaparib Maintenance Extends Progression-Free Survival in BRCA1/2-Mutated Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Two-year maintenance therapy with olaparib (Lynparza), a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, led to a substantial improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) in newly diagnosed patients wi...
Sibylle Loibl, MD, PhD, on Metastatic Breast Cancer: Research Highlights
Sibylle Lobil, MD, PhD, of the German Breast Group, discusses findings in metastatic breast cancer from the IMpassion130 trial in triple-negative disease and from the PALOMA3 and SOLAR-1 trials in hor...
Lisa A. Carey, MD, and Sherene Loi, MD, PhD, on TNBC: Combination Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy
Lisa A. Carey, MD, of the University of North Carolina, and Sherene Loi, MD, PhD, of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, discuss the phase III IMpassion 130 trial testing the first-line combination of ...
ESMO 2018: SOLAR-1: Alpelisib in Patients With PIK3CA-Mutated HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer
Targeting a common mutation in patients with hormone receptor (HR)–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced breast cancer with the alpha-specific phosphatidyli...
ESMO 2018: PALOMA-3: Palbociclib in Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer
Treatment with the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor palbociclib (Ibrance) achieved a clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, h...
ESMO 2018: IMpassion 130: Atezolizumab Plus Nab-Paclitaxel in Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
A combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy improves survival in some patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, according to late-breaking results from the IMpassion130 trial reporte...
ESMO 2018: HDAC Inhibitor Therapy in Advanced Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
A phase III trial presented by Jiang et al at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Congress showed activity of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor therapy in advanced hormone recepto...
Cora N. Sternberg, MD, on Renal and Bladder Cancers: Focus on Immunotherapy
Cora N. Sternberg, MD, of San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital and the Israel Englander Institute of Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell, discusses results from the phase III CheckMate-025 study on nivoluma...
Sibylle Loibl, MD, PhD, on Metastatic Breast Cancer: Research Highlights
Sibylle Lobil, MD, PhD, of the German Breast Group, discusses findings in metastatic breast cancer from the IMpower 130 trial in triple-negative disease and from the PALOMA3 and SOLAR-1 trials in horm...
