In a pooled analysis of the phase II TRUST-I and TRUST-II trials reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Pérol et al found that the oral, potent, CNS-active, selective, next-generation ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) taletrectinib was highly active in ROS1-positive advanced or metastatic ...
In a UK phase III trial (UKALL 2011) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kirkwood et al found that a shorter duration of induction dexamethasone did not reduce steroid-related toxicity and that high-dose methotrexate (HDM) did not reduce central nervous system (CNS) relapse among patients ...
Patients with melanoma and lung cancer who have brain metastases may experience severe inflammatory reactions after receipt of immunotherapy drugs combined with radiation therapy, according to a recent study published by Vaios et al in JAMA Network Open. Study Methods and Results In this study,...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved bevacizumab-nwgd (Jobevne), a biosimilar to bevacizumab (Avastin), for intravenous use. Bevacizumab-nwgd is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody and a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor that binds with VEGF and blocks...
Among patients with gliomas, gene mutations related to exposure to certain chemical compounds may be more common in firefighters than in those with other occupations, according to a recent study published by Cannataro et al in Cancer. Background Certain chemical compounds have been known to cause...
The investigational drug formulation rhenium (Re)-186 obisbemeda (RNL-186) may extend survival in patients with glioblastoma, according to a recent study published by Brenner et al in Nature Communications. Background Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumor in adult patients. The median ...
In a Children’s Oncology Group (COG) study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Berko et al identified the spectrum and clinical significance of clonal and subclonal pathogenic alterations in high-risk neuroblastoma. Study Details The study involved use of a focused high-risk neuroblastoma ...
Investigators may have uncovered how radiotherapy affects survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme and low-grade glioma, according to a recent study published by Veviorskiy et al in Aging. The findings highlighted key biological differences between these cancer types. Background...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Alexander Drilon, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, and colleagues, final results of the registrational phase I/II LIBRETTO-001 trial showed continued benefit of the RET receptor tyrosine...
In a retrospective cohort study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which was reported in JAMA Network Open, Ferraro et al found that patients with ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu)-positive breast cancer and central nervous system (CNS) metastases only vs concomitant extracranial...
A novel bicistronic CD19/CD22-directed CAR T-cell therapy (B019) has demonstrated high remission rates, durable responses, and a favorable safety profile among children with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), including those with isolated or combined extramedullary...
Researchers have found that asymptomatic brain metastases may be more common in patients with stage IV breast cancer than previously understood, according to a recent study published by Ahmed et al in Neuro-Oncology. The findings suggest that physicians may need to reconsider current screening...
Results of a phase III study suggest that the addition of the immunotherapy agent blinatumomab—a bispecific T-cell engager targeting CD19—to standard chemotherapy may help to prevent relapse in more children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the most common pediatric cancer,...
In a cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Negm et al found that primary mismatch repair deficiency (MMRD) was associated with poor outcomes in children, adolescents, and young adults with gliomas. Study Details In the study, clinical and molecular data were collected from children,...
Pediatric patients with cancer who have obesity at the time of diagnosis may face an elevated risk of mortality, according to a recent study published by Sassine et al in Cancer. Study Methods and Results In the retrospective study, investigators examined data from the Cancer in Young People in...
Researchers have discovered of a new type of stem cell in the brain that could lead to the development of more effective treatments in adult patients with glioblastoma, according to a recent study published by Wang et al in Nature. The finding could help explain how adult brain cells take advantage ...
This is Part 3 of Clinical Perspectives on KRAS-Mutant NSCLC, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Gregory Riely, Rebecca Heist, and Joshua Sabari discuss the management of a patient with unresectable locally...
Based on the phase III E3F05 trial, conducted by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN), the combination of radiation therapy and temozolomide appeared to be more effective than radiotherapy alone in the treatment of low-grade gliomas. The trial followed 172 patients for more than 10...
Investigators have assessed the potential role of mesenchymal stem cells in cancer treatment in a new review published by Minev et al in Oncotarget. Study Overview and Implications The investigators found that mesenchymal stem cells can naturally target tumors and deliver therapeutic agents...
In a phase IIb trial (ReNeu) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Moertel et al found that the CNS-penetrant small molecule MEK1/2 inhibitor mirdametinib showed activity in adults and children with symptomatic neurofibromatosis type 1-associated plexiform neurofibroma (NF1-PN). Study...
Both radiation and temozolomide may have meaningful single-modality antitumor activity against slow-growing, low-grade gliomas, according to recent findings presented by Schiff et al at the 2024 Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting (Abstract LTBK-07) and simultaneously published in...
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Vora et al found that short-course hypofractionated proton-beam therapy guided by 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[F-18]fluoro-L-phenylalanine (F-18–DOPA) positron-emission tomography (PET) and contrast-enhanced MRI produced good outcomes in patients aged ≥ 65...
Late-breaking findings from the phase IIIb/IV, open-label DESTINY-Breast12 trial support the use of the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and brain metastases who have experienced disease progression on at least...
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 in Barcelona featured several groundbreaking trials with the potential to significantly influence clinical practice. These studies highlighted the benefits of new combination immunotherapy strategies and innovative approaches in the...
The Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR) announced an agreement to evaluate AZD1390, an ataxia telangiectasia mutant (ATM) kinase inhibitor developed by AstraZeneca, in GCAR’s Glioblastoma Adaptive Global Innovative Learning Environment trial (GBM AGILE; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
Firmonertinib (AST2818; formerly furmonertinib), a novel EGFR inhibitor, has shown activity and tolerability in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR P loop and aC-helix compressing (PACC) mutations, according to data presented at the International Association for ...
An international, multidisciplinary team of neuro-oncology researchers and physicians has developed new clinical practice recommendations for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) methods to more accurately diagnose, monitor, and treat patients with brain cancer. The guidelines were described in...
In a phase II/III trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Sarkaria et al found that the addition of veliparib to temozolomide did not improve overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma with MGMT promoter hypermethylation. Study Details In the double-blind Alliance for Clinical Trials...
A small study investigating tumor treating fields—an antimitotic electric fields therapy—in combination with pembrolizumab and temozolomide for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma was found to be a promising strategy, especially in patients with substantial residual tumor, according to the...
Firmonertinib (AST2818; formerly furmonertinib), a novel EGFR inhibitor, has shown activity and tolerability in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR P loop and aC-helix compressing (PACC) mutations, according to data presented at the International Association for ...
At the 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), more than 7,000 clinicians and scientists gathered in San Diego in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). In this supplement to The ASCO Post, we review impactful abstracts from...
Aumolertinib, a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has shown efficacy as maintenance therapy for patients with unresectable stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR mutations, according to data presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer...
In the field of radiology, where a correct diagnosis is critical to ensure proper patient care, large language models such as ChatGPT may improve accuracy or offer a second opinion in assessing brain tumor magnetic response imaging (MRI) reports, according to a recent study published by Mitsuyama...
Late-breaking findings from the phase IIIb/IV, open-label DESTINY-Breast12 trial support the use of the antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and brain metastases who have experienced disease progression on at least...
A radiopharmaceutical therapy has demonstrated early efficacy in patients with difficult-to-treat meningioma, according to new findings presented by Merrell et al at the 2024 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting (Abstract 2) and simultaneously published in the...
A substantial number of patients with brain metastases who experience cognitive side effects after radiation therapy may fully regain cognitive function, according to recent findings presented by Cherng et al at the 2024 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting (Abstract 150). ...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Iliopoulos et al, updated findings from the phase II LITESPARK-004 trial support the efficacy of belzutifan in patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease–associated CNS hemangioblastomas. Study Details In the study, 50 patients with CNS hemangioblastomas...
Medical oncology had a turbulent beginning. No other specialty we know of struggled as much. But by 1980, it had become a stable specialty of internal medicine and was off and running—with the major problem of how to marshal available resources to freely test the myriad opportunities presented by ...
Investigators have found that there may not be an association between mobile phone use and an increased risk of brain cancer, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO)-commissioned review published by Karipidis et al in Environmental International. Background The WHO and other...
Investigators have found that providing early developmental resources may help reduce the adverse effects of brain tumors and cancer therapy on the academic achievement of young pediatric cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Somekh et al in the Journal of the National Cancer...
Despite advances in targeted therapies for hematologic malignancies, drug resistance and persistent side effects continue to challenge clinicians and limit patient outcomes, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches. At the 2024 Pan Pacific Lymphoma Conference, Marc S. Hoffmann, ...
The antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan-hziy may be effective in treating patients with breast cancer who have brain metastases or recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, according to a recent study published by Balinda et al in Nature Communications. Background About 50% of all female...
In a retrospective study (TURBO-NSCLC) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Pike et al found that the addition of upfront stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to central nervous system (CNS)-penetrant tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment prolonged time to CNS progression vs TKI treatment...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vorasidenib (Voranigo), an isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) and -2 (IDH2) inhibitor, for adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with grade 2 astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with a susceptible IDH1 or IDH2 mutation, following...
The advancement of retinoblastoma treatment over the past 15 years may have resulted in a higher likelihood of vision preservation without compromising survival, according to a recent study presented by Kocharian et al at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) Annual Meeting 2024 and...
This is Part 3 of ALK-Positive Metastatic NSCLC: Where Are We Now?, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Todd Bauer, Narjust Florez, and Sai-Hong Ignatius Ou discuss the second-line treatment of ALK-positive...
This is Part 2 of ALK-Positive Metastatic NSCLC: Where Are We Now?, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Todd Bauer, Narjust Florez, and Sai-Hong Ignatius Ou discuss the first-line management of ALK-positive...
This is Part 1 of ALK-Positive Metastatic NSCLC: Where Are We Now?, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Todd Bauer, Narjust Florez, and Sai-Hong Ignatius Ou discuss the first-line management of metastatic non–small...
On April 23, 2024, tovorafenib (Ojemda) was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients aged 6 months and older who have relapsed or refractory pediatric low-grade glioma harboring a BRAF fusion or rearrangement or BRAF V600 mutation.1 Tovorafenib is a...
On December 13, 2023, eflornithine (Iwilfin), an ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, was approved for adult and pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma with at least a partial response to prior multiagent, multimodality therapy including anti-GD2 immunotherapy.1 This represents the first...