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Showing 1901 - 1950Updated Results from T-DM1 and Regorafenib Trials, plus Other Highlights from ESMO 2012
The 35th European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Vienna broke all records for attendance, with about 16,000 attendees from all over the world. Some sessions were standing room only, including the Presidential Symposia, the ESMO-ASCO Joint Symposium on genomics in breast cancer, and ...
Expert Point of View: George Demetri, MD
Invited discussant of the abstract, George Demetri, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, noted that metastatic soft-tissue sarcomas present with variable clinical behaviors but are nearly always incurable with any approach. “Therefore, our intent is to palliate...
No Survival Advantage for Combination Chemotherapy in Advanced Soft-tissue Sarcoma
The addition of aggressively dosed ifosfamide to doxorubicin in the treatment of advanced soft-tissue sarcomas significantly delayed disease progression but did not improve survival in the randomized phase III EORTC 62012 trial conducted by the Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group of the European...
Surgical Resection for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases: Who, When, How?
Many patients with colorectal liver metastases can undergo surgical resection with curative intent. Who are these patients and how are they best managed? In an interview with The ASCO Post, Steven A. Curley, MD, Professor of Surgical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,...
Current Perspectives on Triple-negative Breast Cancers
Triple-negative breast cancer—which lacks expression of the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 oncogene—is a challenge for oncologists. The emergence of data showing strong heterogeneity for this subtype of breast cancer creates even more confusion regarding prognosis and...
French Investigators Prospectively Test Genomically Driven Treatment in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Whole-genome DNA analysis prospectively identified alterations in metastatic tumors that could be individually targeted with molecular agents, in a study presented at the 2012 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress by Fabrice André, MD, of Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif, France....
Expert Point of View: Ian Smith, MD
Invited discussant Ian Smith, MD, of The Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research in London, commented at the ESMO meeting that while all three arms of NeoALLTO, especially the arm with dual HER2 blockade, achieved good pathologic complete response rates, “the breast-conserving...
Lumpectomy Rates Inconsistent with Response Rates in Early Breast Cancer
Achieving a pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy does not always reduce the aggressiveness of breast cancer surgery, according to an analysis of the NeoALLTO trial presented at the 2012 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Vienna.1 Carmen Criscitiello, MD, of ...
Expert Point of View: Antonio Palumbo, MD
Antonio Palumbo, MD, Chief of the Myeloma Unit at the University of Torino in Italy, told The ASCO Post that the results with MLN9708 “look quite interesting,” and the drug could change the treatment of the disease. “This combination, with lenalidomide, accelerates response, and the ability to...
Oral Proteasome Inhibitor May Be a Game-changer in Myeloma
An investigational oral proteasome inhibitor currently known as MLN9708 could make the treatment of multiple myeloma much more convenient and possibly less neurotoxic, according to the results of a phase I/II study of treatment-naive multiple myeloma patients presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of ...
Expert Point of View: Shaji K. Kumar, MD
Shaji K. Kumar, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, commented on the findings. “Patients with myeloma are living longer, but the disease comes back in the majority. We really need new drugs, and I think the main message of this study is that clearly patients do live longer on this...
Overall Survival Benefit Achieved with Pomalidomide in Advanced Myeloma
Support for the oral immunomodulatory agent pomalidomide for multiple myeloma took a step forward when the phase III MM-003 trial showed a survival advantage in patients with advanced disease, in addition to a doubling in progression-free survival, when pomalidomide was given with low-dose...
SIDEBAR: Treating Earlier with Eribulin
Eribulin is also being evaluated for use earlier in patients with breast cancer, in both the metastatic and adjuvant settings, in three studies described at the San Antonio meeting. In a phase II study of eribulin as first-line treatment for locally recurrent or metastatic HER2-negative breast...
Expert Point of View: Lisa Carey, MD
Lisa Carey, MD, Preyer Distinguished Professor in Breast Cancer Research at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, said the study should not be interpreted as negative for eribulin. “Most of the patients in this study were being treated second-line. EMBRACE was a totally different...
Primary Endpoint Not Met for Eribulin vs Capecitabine in Breast Cancer
While a global phase III trial failed to meet its primary endpoint in showing an overall or progression-free survival benefit for eribulin (Halavan) in metastatic breast cancer, a trend toward greater efficacy than capecitabine (Xeloda) was observed, researchers reported at the 2012 San Antonio...
Expert Point of View: Martin Dreyling, MD
Martin Dreyling, MD, Professor of Medicine at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich and Coordinator of the European Mantle Cell Lymphoma Network, commented on the data emerging for ibrutinib in lymphoma. “Ibrutinib is the molecule of the year at ASH,” he told The ASCO Post. “With other molecular ...
SIDEBAR: Ibrutinib in Other Hematologic Tumors
At the 2012 ASH Annual Meeting, researchers also reported preliminary results for ibrutinib in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. A multicenter phase II study in 70 heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in two...
Ibrutinib in Mantle Cell Lymphoma Yields 'Unprecedented' Response Rates
The investigational agent ibrutinib demonstrated “unprecedented” single-agent activity in relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma, according to the lead author of an international phase II study reported at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).1 Durable Responses “The...
Expert Point of View: Sandra M. Swain, MD, FACP, and Lisa Carey, MD
Sandra M. Swain, MD, FACP, Medical Director, Washington Cancer Institute, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, who moderated the session, said these interesting observations must now be validated in preclinical models of triple-negative tumors, and then tested in patients. “Residual...
Key Pathways Identified in Triple-negative Breast Cancer
Five key biologic pathways have become evident in triple-negative breast cancer tumors, and these pathways may be targetable with agents that are currently available or in development, results from an international genetic analysis revealed at the 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Justin M. ...
Expert Point of View: Sagar Lonial, MD
Commenting on Dr. Palumbo’s presentation at the ASH meeting, Sagar Lonial, MD, Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Winship Cancer Center at Emory University, Atlanta, noted that while a survival benefit has been associated with maintenance lenalidomide (Revlimid) after transplant,...
Survival Benefit Achieved with Four Drugs plus Maintenance in Myeloma
An overall survival benefit in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma was attained with a four-drug induction regimen followed by a duet for maintenance in a study from the Italian GIMEMA network. Antonio Palumbo, MD, Chief of the Myeloma Unit at the University of Torino in Italy, reported the findings...
Treatment of HER2-positive Disease in 2013
From the initial discovery of the HER2 family of receptors in the mid-1980s to the present, a “wealth of riches” has been uncovered in terms of agents that can target pathways relevant to this aggressive breast cancer type, notes Hope S. Rugo, MD, Director of Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials...
Research Roundup from San Antonio: New Data on Triple-negative, HER2-positive, Local, and Advanced Breast Cancer
The 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium featured more than 2,500 abstracts and lectures, including timely research in the field and discussions for scientists and clinicians alike. In addition to nearly two dozen in-depth reports from the meeting, The ASCO Post brings readers the following...
ASH Highlights Included New Data in Myeloma, Lymphoma, and Leukemia, plus Studies of Mucositis and Graft-vs-Host Disease
The 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) featured about 5,000 abstracts, including oral sessions and posters, as well as named lectures and symposia. In addition to our regular news coverage from the meeting, below are capsule summaries of a few news highlights that we...
Expert Point of View: C. Kent Osborne, MD
C. Kent Osborne, MD, Professor of Medicine and Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine and Director of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor told The ASCO Post that this is “brand new” data that “looks very interesting.” He noted that groups for whom letrozole is the ...
For Lobular Carcinoma, Letrozole Works Better Than Tamoxifen
In the treatment of postmenopausal estrogen receptor–positive women with lobular carcinoma, letrozole appears to have a greater benefit than tamoxifen, according to an analysis of this subset of patients in the Breast International Group (BIG) 1-98 trial reported at the 35th Annual San Antonio...
Expert Point of View: Sandra M. Swain, MD, FACP and Eric P. Winer, MD
Commenting on the study presented by Dr. Wolff at the 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, ASCO President Sandra M. Swain, MD, FACP, Medical Director, Washington Cancer Institute, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, said she found it “disturbing” that about half the population...
Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Carries a Small, but Concerning, Risk for Leukemia
The risk for developing a secondary malignancy after chemotherapy for breast cancer is very small, but it is statistically significantly higher than for the general population, a review of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) database revealed in a study presented at the 2012 San...
Expert Point of View: Michel Ducreux, MD, PhD
Michel Ducreux, MD, PhD, of the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France, discussed the findings at the ESMO meeting. He said that TH-302 represents a “new drug and new concept, the microenvironment.” He noted, “Pancreatic cancers are frequently hypovascularized, at least the primary tumor, and ...
TH-302 plus Gemcitabine Delays Progression in Untreated Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
A novel drug that is activated under conditions of hypoxia significantly delayed progression in locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma when combined with gemcitabine in untreated patients. The findings of the randomized phase II TH-CR-04 trial were presented at the 2012 ESMO...
Expert Point of View: Philip Agop Philip, MD and Alan P. Venook, MD
Philip Agop Philip, MD, Head of the Multidisciplinary Team for Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Oncology and Neuroendocrine at Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University, Detroit, was the formal discussant of the paper at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. He said the positive...
Nab-paclitaxel/Gemcitabine Combination Improves Overall Survival in Pancreatic Cancer
In patients with treatment-naive metastatic pancreatic cancer, the addition of nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel (Abraxane) to gemcitabine improved overall survival vs gemcitabine alone, in an international study presented at the 2013 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.1 New Standard “We...
Expert Point of View: David J. Kuter, MD, PhD
David J. Kuter, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Center for Hematology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, commented on the findings for The ASCO Post. “TOPPS is a good attempt to address whether transfusions are helpful as prophylaxis in patients...
No Rationale for Eliminating Prophylactic Platelet Transfusions in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies
Prophylactic platelet transfusions should remain the standard of care for many patients with hematologic malignancies who are thrombocytopenic during intensive treatment or stem cell transplant, investigators of the TOPPS trial (noninferiority Trial Of Prophylactic Platelet transfusionS)...
Expert Point of View: Laura van't Veer, PhD
Laura van’t Veer, PhD, Director of the Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) of the University of California, San Francisco, commented on the meta-analysis. She said the study confirms that a pathologic complete response in the neoadjuvant setting is generally meaningful as it clearly ...
Pathologic Complete Response Yields Long-term Benefits in Meta-analysis
Breast cancer patients who achieve a pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant therapy have more favorable outcomes than those who do not, according to a meta-analysis of neoadjuvant trials presented at the 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 Patients who achieved a pathologic complete...
Expert Point of View: Sandra Swain, MD, FACP
Sandra Swain, MD, FACP, Medical Director of the Washington Cancer Institute, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, moderated the San Antonio session where the dose-dense chemotherapy studies were presented, and commented on the findings of the two studies. iddETC Trial With regard...
Dose-dense Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: Epirubicin-based Regimens Studied in German and UK Trials
In the treatment of early breast cancer, dose-dense regimens (given every 2 weeks) have proven superior to conventionally dosed chemotherapy (given every 3 weeks), but data on long-term survival are lacking. Two studies presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium evaluated the benefit of...
Final 'Joint Analysis' Confirms Life-saving Benefit of Trastuzumab in Patients with HER2-positive Early Breast Cancer
In the final planned joint analysis of overall survival from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-31 and North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) N9831 trials, the addition of trastuzumab (Herceptin) to paclitaxel following doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) reduced...
Expert Point of View: Axel Grothey, MD and Eric Van Cutsem, MD, PhD
Two gastrointestinal cancer experts commented on the findings in interviews with The ASCO Post. Axel Grothey, MD, Professor of Oncology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, noted, “The PEAK and SPIRITT trial were decently designed, decently powered randomized phase II trials, and the results...
Outcomes Comparable for Panitumumab and Bevacizumab in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer, outcomes were comparable whether patients received the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor panitumumab (Vectibix) or the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor bevacizumab (Avastin). This was shown both in the...
Expert Point of View: Jordan D. Berlin, MD
Jordan D. Berlin, MD, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and Clinical Director of the GI Oncology Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, commented on the findings of TRIBE. “This study is outstanding, and while we don’t have overall survival data yet the findings suggest that we...
FOLFOXIRI Plus Bevacizumab Is Superior to FOLFIRI Plus Bevacizumab in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
For the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, better outcomes were achieved when bevacizumab (Avastin) was added to FOLFOXIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil [5-FU], oxaliplatin, irinotecan), rather than FOLFIRI (leucovorin, 5-FU, irinotecan), in the phase III TRIBE trial conducted at 35 Italian...
Expert Point of View: Seema A. Khan, MD
Responding to the results of the ACOSOG Z1071 study, Seema A. Khan, MD, Professor of Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, urged caution in adopting the practice of sentinel lymph node surgery after chemotherapy for some patients with breast cancer at this time....
Role of Sentinel Node Surgery Explored in Node-positive Breast Cancer
Sentinel lymph node surgery performed after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women presenting with node-positive disease could spare many patients with breast cancer needless axillary lymph node dissection, according to a study of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group presented at the 2012 San ...
Expert Point of View: Clifford A. Hudis, MD and Daniel F. Hayes, MD
Clifford A. Hudis, MD, Chief of the Breast Cancer Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, commented after the presentation, “It strikes me that these findings are parallel to those shown with PAM50 by Liu et al at this meeting.” In that study,1 based on the Cancer and...
21-gene Recurrence Score Does Not Predict Paclitaxel Benefit
The 21-gene recurrence score significantly predicted the risk of recurrence and death in node-positive, estrogen receptor–positive patients treated with adjuvant chemoendocrine therapy, but it did not predict benefit from the addition of paclitaxel to the regimen in a subset of patients from the...
Expert Point of View: Laura J. van ’t Veer, PhD and Andrew Seidman, MD
Laura J. van ’t Veer, PhD, Leader of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of California, San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, commented on the findings. “These investigators confirm in a robust meta-analysis that neoadjuvant chemotherapy response is different...
Subsets of Young Patients Have Higher Pathologic Complete Response Rates
In achieving a pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it seems that age matters, according to a study reported at the 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.1 Patients with breast cancer aged 35 and younger were more likely to achieve a pathologic complete response than their...
