Immune checkpoint inhibitors, including atezolizumab, have been evaluated in several phase II trials for neoadjuvant therapy in resectable lung cancer, both with and without chemotherapy, such as the LCMC3 trial and CheckMate 816. Ongoing studies, including the IMpower030 trial, are further...
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...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Marcin Dzienis, MD, and colleagues, the phase IV KEYNOTE-B10 trial of pembrolizumab plus carboplatin and paclitaxel in the first-line treatment of recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) showed that the regimen produced...
On July 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Guardant Health’s Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening in adults aged 45 years and older who are at average risk for the disease. It is the first blood test to be approved by the FDA as a primary screening option for...
In a Chinese phase II study (NEOCAP) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Yu et al found that neoadjuvant camrelizumab plus apatinib produced promising complete response rates in patients with locally advanced microsatellite instability–high or mismatch repair–deficient colorectal cancer. Study ...
Those living in disadvantaged neighborhoods have significantly higher activity of stress-related genes, new research suggests, which in turn may contribute to higher rates of aggressive prostate cancer in African American men. These findings were published by Boyle et al in JAMA Network Open....
As reported in The Lancet by Peter Borchmann, MD, and colleagues, the phase III HD21 trial showed that first-line positron-emission tomography (PET)-guided BrECADD (brentuximab vedotin, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, dacarbazine, and dexamethasone) exhibited greater efficacy and...
Based on the results of the Chinese multicenter phase III CONTINUUM trial, which were reported in The Lancet by Liu et al, the addition of the PD-1 inhibitor sintilimab to standard chemoradiotherapy seemed to improve event-free survival—albeit with more frequent but manageable adverse events—in...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Bumma et al, the phase II portion of a first-in-human phase I/II trial (LINKER-MM1) showed strong activity with the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) x CD3 bispecific antibody linvoseltamab in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma....
Second-line therapy with the KRAS inhibitor adagrasib modestly improved progression-free survival and objective response rate over docetaxel in previously treated patients with advanced KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the primary analysis of the phase III...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Yu et al, based on results from the ongoing phase II NEOCAP trial, neoadjuvant therapy with the PD-1 inhibitor camrelizumab plus the angiogenesis inhibitor apatinib appears to demonstrate “promising” antitumor activity and a manageable toxicity profile in...
In a single-center phase I/II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Douglas Adkins, MD, and colleagues found that the recommended phase II dose of ramucirumab combined with pembrolizumab was active in the first-line treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Javier Cortés, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III AMEERA-5 trial of first-line treatment with the selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) amcenestrant plus palbociclib vs letrozole plus palbociclib in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive,...
Recent phase III findings support the antibody-drug conjugate belantamab mafodotin-blmf as a treatment option for patients with multiple myeloma in early relapse. Belantamab mafodotin is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) expressed on multiple myeloma cells,...
On April 23, 2024, lutetium Lu-177 dotatate (Lutathera) was approved for pediatric patients 12 years and older with somatostatin receptor–positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, including foregut, midgut, and hindgut neuroendocrine tumors.1 Lu-177 dotatate is a radiolabeled...
On November 16, 2023, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was approved with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for first-line treatment of locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval ...
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) announced that following a nationwide search, Vivek S. Kavadi, MD, MBA, FASTRO, will become Chief Executive Officer of the Society, effective November 1, 2024. Dr. Kavadi will succeed Laura Thevenot, who had already announced her intent to retire...
As reported in The Lancet by Ken Kato, MD, and colleagues, the Japanese phase III JCOG1109 NExT trial showed that neoadjuvant triplet chemotherapy was associated with superior overall survival vs doublet chemotherapy among previously untreated patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell ...
On June 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by single-agent pembrolizumab for adult patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma; on June 14, the agency approved durvalumab...
The novel therapy INB-200 in combination with concomitant temozolomide may improve survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme, according to preliminary findings from a phase I clinical trial presented by Lobbous et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 2042). “For far too long, there...
The highly anticipated ENGOT-en9/LEAP-001 trial in endometrial cancer has missed both its primary endpoints. At the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2024 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, the study investigators reported no significant benefit in progression-free survival or overall survival...
Leukemia expert Eunice S. Wang, MD, is the daughter of first-generation immigrants, whose work ethos inspired in her a world without boundaries. “My parents were born in China during the communist era, and they immigrated to Taiwan when the communists took over in the 1940s and then subsequently...
Serving as ASCO’s 60th President over the past year has been an honor and a privilege, said Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, FASCO, who will end her Presidential term during ASCO’s Annual Meeting, being held from May 31 to June 4, 2024, in Chicago, and welcome incoming President Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO,...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Toni K. Choueiri, MD, FASCO, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, and colleagues, the third prespecified interim analysis of overall survival in the phase III KEYNOTE-564 trial has shown significant benefit with adjuvant...
When combined with high out-of-pocket costs for cancer care, nearly 60% of working-age cancer survivors report experiencing at least one type of financial hardship, including being unable to afford medical bills, distress and worry, or delaying or forgoing needed care because of cost, according to...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Andrea Necchi, MD, and colleagues, findings in cohort B of the phase II KEYNOTE-057 study indicated that pembrolizumab was active in patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive, high-risk non–muscle invasive bladder cancer. As noted by the...
The female partners of patients with prostate cancer may experience quality-of-life issues that impact their sexual well-being, according to a recent study published by Loeb et al in European Urology Oncology. Background Prostate cancer—one of the most common cancer types in U.S. men—and its...
The investigational bispecific antibody linvoseltamab (targeting B-cell maturation antigen [BCMA] and CD3) achieved high response rates with acceptable safety in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to results of the phase I/II LINKER-MM1 study...
In a phase Ib study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Van Tine et al established the recommended phase II dose of oral unesbulin in combination with dacarbazine for patients with locally recurrent, unresectable or metastatic, relapsed or refractory leiomyosarcoma. Unesbulin is a small...
Standard-of-care treatment comprising venetoclax plus hypomethylating agents was found to be safe and effective in some patients aged 80 years and older with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a recent study published by Madarang et al in Blood Neoplasia. Background Older adult patients...
On December 1, 2023, pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca), a selective, noncovalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor that inhibits both wild-type and C481-mutant BTK with equal low nanomolar potency and is designed to address several of the limitations of covalent BTK inhibitors, was granted...
On October 31, 2023, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was approved for use with gemcitabine/cisplatin in first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on the double-blind KEYNOTE-966 trial...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Thomas Powles, MD, Barts Cancer Institute Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues, the phase III EV-302 trial has shown that the combination of the antibody–drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin-ejfv, which is...
On April 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted traditional approval to tisotumab vedotin-tftv (Tivdak) for patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer whose disease progressed on or after chemotherapy. Tisotumab vedotin-tftv previously received accelerated approval for...
Research shows that the average cost of medical care and drugs can top $42,000 in the first year following a cancer diagnosis, with the cost of some treatments, including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies, exceeding $1 million. For many cancer survivors, these costs can have a lingering...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Toni K. Choueiri, MD, FASCO, and colleagues, the third prespecified interim analysis of overall survival in the phase III KEYNOTE-564 trial has shown a significant benefit with adjuvant pembrolizumab vs placebo in patients with clear cell renal...
The addition of a checkpoint inhibitor to standard chemotherapy as first-line treatment of advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer not only reduced the risk of disease progression but improved overall survival, particularly for the mismatch repair–deficient/microsatellite instability–high...
On April 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lutetium Lu-177 dotatate (Lutathera) for pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with somatostatin receptor (SSTR)-positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), including foregut, midgut, and hindgut...
Pain, a debilitating consequence of cancer and its treatments, is highly prevalent among patients with advanced cancer.1 Often persistent and undertreated, it is associated with poor functional and emotional well-being and typically occurs along with insomnia and fatigue.2 The use of opioids,...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Jean-Pascal Machiels, MD, and colleagues, the phase III KEYNOTE-412 trial showed no significant improvement in event-free survival with the addition of pembrolizumab to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in newly diagnosed patients with high-risk locally advanced...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has released Global Cancer Statistics 2022, an update of the organization’s report on global cancer facts and trends. According to the findings, an estimated 20 million cancer cases were newly diagnosed in 2022 and 9.7 million people died from the disease...
A study published by Brieghel et al in Blood Advances showed that among patients in Denmark who had slow-growing chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with no symptoms and a low risk for ever needing treatment, those who stopped seeing their doctors for specialized follow-up had fewer hospital visits, ...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Domenica Lorusso, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III ENGOT-cx11/GOG-3047/KEYNOTE-A18 trial has shown that the addition of pembrolizumab to chemoradiotherapy improved progression-free survival in patients with newly diagnosed, high-risk, locally advanced...
On January 12, 2024, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was approved for use with chemoradiotherapy for treatment of patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2014 stage III–IVA cervical cancer.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the double-blind...
Researchers have found that a specific subtype of Fusobacterium nucleatum may be capable of growing within colorectal cancer, driving cancer progression, and leading to poorer outcomes following colorectal cancer treatment, according to a recent study published by Zepeda-Rivera et al in Nature. The ...
On December 15, 2023, enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (Padcev) in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was approved for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer.1,2 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the open-label EV-302 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov...
The addition of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to chemotherapy prior to and following surgery may lead to improved outcomes in patients with breast cancer regardless of their age or menopausal status, according to new findings presented by Cardoso et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer...
The optimal management of high-risk prostate cancer remains a topic of ongoing investigation. The quest for therapy that maximizes cancer control while minimizing toxicity is constant. Over the past decade, there has been mounting evidence that the addition of a brachytherapy boost to external-beam ...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, and colleagues, the final prespecified analysis of distant metastasis–free survival in the phase III KEYNOTE-716 trial showed continued benefit with adjuvant pembrolizumab vs placebo in patients with resected stage IIB or...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Thomas Powles, MD, and colleagues, the phase III EV-302 trial has shown that the combination of the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin-ejfv and the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab improved progression-free and overall survival vs...