The addition of the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib and the EGFR antibody cetuximab to chemotherapy with FOLFIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and irinotecan) in the first-line treatment of BRAF V600E–mutated metastatic colorectal cancer led to a significant improvement in overall response rate—compared...
Pleurectomy/decortication can be completed safely in select patients with pleural mesothelioma with low postoperative mortality, according to findings from a study published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. “Our findings show that pleurectomy/decortication can be done safely when patients are...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Nilsson et al, the 10-year analysis of the phase III HYPO-RT-PC trial confirmed the noninferiority of ultra-hypofractionated vs conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (RT) in failure-free survival in patients with localized prostate cancer. The previously...
Patients in rural areas who received surgery locally for their lung or colon cancer had comparable surgical outcomes and mortality rates to patients who underwent surgery in an urban facility, according to the results of an analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons....
In the phase III COMMIT trial, a regimen combining atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and standard chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival and response rates over atezolizumab monotherapy in patients with previously untreated mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite...
In a Chinese phase III trial (neoCARHP) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gao et al found that neoadjuvant therapy with a taxane plus trastuzumab and pertuzumab (THP) was noninferior in pathologic complete response (pCR) compared with THP plus carboplatin (TCbHP) in patients with stage...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a first-of-its-kind device for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Optune Pax, developed by Novocure, is a portable, noninvasive device that delivers alternating electrical fields, known as tumor treating...
On February 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as well as pembrolizumab and the recombinant human enzyme,berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph (Keytruda Qlex) in combination with paclitaxel, with or without bevacizumab. [Pembrolizumab plus...
For myelofibrosis, the treatment landscape is poised for change as new targets have emerged, and treatments are evolving beyond the standard Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. Novel therapies are being paired with the commonly used JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib, as reflected by a wealth of studies...
In patients with follicular lymphoma who received at least one prior line of therapy, the combination of the bispecific antibody epcoritamab-bysp and rituximab–lenalidomide (R2) reduced the risk of disease progression or death by almost 80% over R2 alone, based on the primary analysis of the phase...
As front-line therapy, a chemotherapy-free regimen combining the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) ponatinib and the bispecific T-cell engager blinatumomab significantly outperformed standard treatment with imatinib plus chemotherapy in adults with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome–positive...
At this year’s American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Orlando, we had the opportunity to navigate both manned and unmanned traffic, contend with temperamental weather, and count our steps as we took in the most consequential developments in hematologic oncology....
A nationwide, real-world analysis using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD) from 2012 to 2023 evaluated over 16,000 adults who underwent esophagectomy for primary esophageal cancer to develop and validate a long-term all-cause mortality risk model. The...
In an Indian single-center phase III trial (DELII) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Noronha et al found that “ultra–low-dose” immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy with the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab was associated with improved overall survival vs standard chemotherapy among patients with ...
In a phase III single-blind randomized clinical trial reported in JAMA Network Open, Zick et al found that self-acupressure—taught via a mobile app—provided a safe, low-cost approach for managing fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors. “In this randomized clinical trial, true self-acupressure and sham ...
For patients with previously treated multiple myeloma, the greatest risk reduction yet achieved in a phase III clinical trial was reported with the BCMA-directed CD3 T-cell engager teclistamab-cqyv plus daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj. Treatment with this combination resulted in an 83% reduction ...
Based on the phase III CLL17 trial, a fixed duration of targeted treatment demonstrated noninferiority to continuous treatment with respect to progression-free survival in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The findings were presented at the Plenary Session of...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sinicrope et al found that a tissue-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assay had strong prognostic value in patients receiving FOLFOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin)-based adjuvant therapy for stage III colorectal cancer. Study...
The scientific revolution in determining the genetic basis of cancer is finally bearing fruit in hematologic neoplasms such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), where over the past decade a number of effective new drugs have expanded our armamentarium and provided effective—and in some cases...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Willems et al, venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurred in a high proportion of patients with resectable/borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma receiving neoadjuvant FOLFOXIRI (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin)...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Conca et al, the final results of the Italian phase III TRIPLETE trial showed that first-line mFOLFOXIRI (modified fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, irinotecan) plus panitumumab improved overall survival vs mFOLFOX (modified fluorouracil,...
Metastasis-directed therapy significantly improved progression-free survival, radiologic progression–free survival, and castration resistance–free survival in patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer, according to a new study published by Tang et al in The Lancet Oncology. The study is a...
“Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.” – Ovid The 2025 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition delivered multiple practice-changing data sets surrounding T-cell–redirecting therapies in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma....
In a phase III trial (PATINA) reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Metzger et al found that the addition of palbociclib to anti-HER2 and endocrine therapies significantly prolonged progression-free survival in patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast...
This is Part 1 of Personalizing Treatment Pathways in Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Jeremy Abramson, J. Erika Haydu, and Jacob Soumerai discuss the treatment of early relapsed...
When patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) progress, as is common with such an aggressive malignancy, brain metastasis is a known possibility. As such, guidelines have recommended prophylactic cranial irradiation for patients with SCLC who respond well to first-line therapy to decrease the...
The first prospective, randomized phase III trial of a noncovalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor exclusively in treatment-naive patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL)—BRUIN CLL-313—demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Iveson et al, final results of the UK-based noninferiority phase III SCOT trial have shown noninferiority of 3 vs 6 months of adjuvant oxaliplatin plus fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy in overall survival among patients with colorectal cancer....
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Zhang et al, the Chinese phase III ARTS trial showed superior disease-free survival with the third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor aumolertinib as adjuvant therapy vs placebo in patients with completely resected stage II to IIIB EGFR-mutated non–small ...
Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, discusses the global, randomized lidERA Breast Cancer trial. Results from lidERA position giredestrant as a potential new standard of care for patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative stage I to III early breast cancer, marking the first phase III trial...
A response-adapted approach to treatment decision-making for patients with resectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma demonstrated that with the use of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab, many patients could avoid surgery and/or radiotherapy. Findings from the De-Squamate study were published in the...
In patients with advanced HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, treatment with the bispecific antibody zanidatamab-hrii and chemotherapy, with or without the PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab-jsgr, reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 35% over trastuzumab plus chemotherapy in the...
In a phase III trial (Canadian Cancer Trials Group BR.31) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Goss et al found that adjuvant durvalumab did not improve disease-free survival vs placebo in patients with completely resected early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Study Details In...
A global meta-analysis combined detailed patient data from six major clinical trials to compare two types of immunotherapies for advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): dual immunotherapy (a combination of CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors) and single immunotherapy (PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Einsele et al, an updated analysis of the phase III CARTITUDE-4 trial has shown that a single infusion of ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel), a B-cell maturation antigen–directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, prolonged overall survival vs...
In an interim analysis of a Chinese phase III trial (SACHI) reported in The Lancet, Lu et al found that the combination of savolitinib and osimertinib prolonged progression-free survival vs chemotherapy in patients with advanced EGFR-mutated, MET-amplified non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Study...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Higgins et al, the phase III NRG Oncology/Alliance LU005 trial showed no overall survival benefit with the addition of atezolizumab to concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). Study Details In ...
In patients with advanced HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, treatment with the bispecific antibody zanidatamab-hrii and chemotherapy, with or without the PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab-jsgr, reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 35% over trastuzumab plus chemotherapy in the...
Stephen Lam Chan, MD, FRCP, MRCP, of the Hong Kong Cancer Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, discusses findings from the phase III KEYNOTE-937 trial, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab vs placebo as adjuvant therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)...
In a prespecified interim analysis of a phase III trial (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Clinical Trial Consortium trial) reported in The Lancet, Frank et al found that intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) was noninferior to standard intensity-modulated photon radiation therapy...
Data from a major clinical trial from the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology have uncovered a genetic factor that may inform how to optimize the dosing of abiraterone, a widely used hormonal treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Published by Norton et al in Clinical and Translational...
Giredestrant, a next-generation oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) and full antagonist, significantly improved invasive disease–free survival as adjuvant treatment for patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer compared with standard-of-care endocrine...
A combination of nivolumab with AVD chemotherapy (doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) demonstrated a significant reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared with brentuximab vedotin plus AVD in adolescent patients with newly diagnosed advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma,...
Rates of multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer in the United States, are increasing and are twice as high in men than in women. A new study published by Ong et al in the journal Cancer provides insights that may help to explain this disparity. To investigate the sex difference in...
In a phase III trial (BRUIN CLL-314) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Woyach et al found that pirtobrutinib was associated with a noninferior objective response rate vs ibrutinib in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, while also being associated with...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Fizazi et al, the phase III CheckMate 7DX trial showed no progression-free or overall survival benefit with the addition of nivolumab to docetaxel in patients with androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI)–pretreated and chemotherapy-naive metastatic...
In a phase III trial (GORTEC 2018-01, NIVOPOST-OP) reported in The Lancet, Bourhis et al found that the addition of adjuvant nivolumab to cisplatin and radiotherapy improved disease-free survival in patients with high-risk, resected, locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by van den Bent et al, the final analysis of the phase III CATNON trial has shown continued overall survival benefit with radiotherapy followed by 12 cycles of adjuvant temozolomide in patients with newly diagnosed 1p/19q non–co-deleted anaplastic gliomas;...
In a European phase III trial (PORTEC-4a) reported in The Lancet Oncology, van den Heerik et al found that molecular profile–based adjuvant treatment produced favorable results in women with high-intermediate risk endometrial cancer and allowed patients with favorable risk to be spared adjuvant...
For patients with previously treated multiple myeloma, the greatest risk reduction yet achieved in a phase III clinical trial was reported with the BCMA-directed CD3 T-cell engager teclistamab-cqyv plus daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj. Treatment with this combination resulted in an 83% reduction ...