With the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has become a chronic disease for most patients. Furthermore, we now know that some patients can successfully stop treatment and remain in remission. “Stopping tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy is something we get a...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Kanwal Raghav, MD, and colleagues, the phase II DESTINY-CRC02 trial has identified the preferred dosage of single-agent fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in patients with HER2-positive advanced colorectal cancer. Study Details In the international study, ...
An activity pattern in certain genes responsible for building proteins known as spleen tyrosine kinases may predict the occurrence of severe side effects from immunotherapy in patients with melanoma, according to a recent study published by Monson et al in Clinical Cancer Research. Background...
Adding a Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) inhibitor to standard immunosuppressive drugs may not improve prevention of acute graft-vs-host disease in patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing treatment with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, according to a recent study published by Pidala...
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, accounting for the highest mortality rates among both men and women. Most lung cancers—between 80% and 85%—are non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and between 1% and 2% of patients are diagnosed with RET-altered NSCLC. The results...
The results of routine blood tests could be used to speed up cancer diagnoses among patients with abdominal symptoms, according to a recent study published by Rafiq et al in PLOS Medicine. Background Most patients who report symptoms of abdominal pain or bloating to their physicians are referred...
On August 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to afamitresgene autoleucel (Tecelra), a melanoma-associated antigen A4 (MAGE-A4)-directed genetically modified autologous T-cell immunotherapy, for adults with unresectable or metastatic synovial sarcoma who have ...
On August 1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) with carboplatin and paclitaxel, followed by single-agent dostarlimab, for adults with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. Dostarlimab was previously approved in July 2023 with carboplatin...
Most patients with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) are overtreated, according to Emanuele Zucca, MD, of the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland and Institute of Oncology Research in Bellinzona and the Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. “Aggressive therapy is not needed in...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Rowan T. Chlebowski, MD, PhD, and colleagues, long-term follow-up of the Women’s Health Initiative trial showed no benefit of treatment with estrogen plus progestin in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women. Study Details...
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...
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Shaffer et al found that use of post–allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) cyclophosphamide (PTCy)-based graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis resulted in comparable overall survival and GVHD-free, relapse-free survival...
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...
As reported in The Lancet by Martin Dreyling, MD, PhD, of Ludwig Maximilian University Hospital Munich, and colleagues, results in the European Mantle Cell Lymphoma Network phase III TRIANGLE trial indicate that the addition of ibrutinib to immunochemotherapy and autologous stem cell...
The oral KRAS G12C inhibitor glecirasib has emerged as a therapeutic option for previously treated KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It may potentially improve efficacy and tolerability compared with current U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved agents, according to data...
On March 1, 2024, amivantamab-vmjw (Rybrevant) was approved for use with carboplatin and pemetrexed for first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, as detected by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
A simple blood test that measures lymphocyte counts may predict whether patients with relapsed multiple myeloma are going to respond well to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy, according to research published by Saldarriaga et al in Blood Advances. The study found that patients...
Two hallmark toxicities of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may be rare after 2 weeks following infusion in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), supporting a shorter, more flexible toxicity monitoring period., according to a recent study published by Ahmed et al in...
Blocking the tyrosine kinase KDR could lead to cell death caused by the degradation of the TAX viral protein, thereby treating diseases associated with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), according to a recent study published by Mohanty et al in Nature Communications. Background HTLV-1 is...
DNA/RNA material contained in circulating extracellular vesicles secreted into the blood stream by tumor cells may capture cancer genomics and transcriptomic evolution in patients with metastatic prostate cancer, according to a recent study published by Casanova et al in Cancer Cell. Background...
In a single-center phase I trial reported in The Lancet, Frank et al found that CD22-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (CAR22) showed activity in patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) whose disease progressed on CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy (CAR19). CD22 is a nearly...
In selected patients with unresectable colorectal liver metastases, liver transplantation plus chemotherapy significantly boosted overall survival as compared with chemotherapy alone in the multicenter, European TRANSMET trial, presented at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.1 The combined approach led...
Female patients may become pregnant and give birth to healthy children despite treatment-related fertility challenges following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), according to a recent study published by Sockel et al in Blood. The findings highlighted the need for increased...
In an Australian single-center trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ramchand et al found that denosumab prevented bone loss vs placebo in premenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer receiving estradiol suppression therapy. Study Details In the double-blind...
A novel personalized cellular immunotherapy approach may be effective at treating certain patients with metastatic solid tumors, according to early findings from a recent study published by Parkhurst et al in Nature Medicine. Background Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has already...
On May 30, 2017, 9 days before I turned 19 and soon after I had completed my sophomore year at college, I was diagnosed with aggressive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. But getting to the diagnosis was a tortuous process. I had been feeling fatigued and losing weight for several weeks prior to the...
Chronic graft-vs-host disease, an immune-mediated disorder that follows allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), is characterized by debilitating tissue injury with inflammatory and fibrotic pathology leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Historically, the treatment of...
A novel algorithm may help physicians to identify which patients have a highly aggressive subtype of facial basal cell carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Ceder et al in Dermatology Practical & Conceptual. Background Basal cell carcinoma—the most common type of skin...
Researchers have uncovered the long-term effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy on the hearing of cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Sanchez et al in JAMA Oncology. Background Cisplatin is commonly used in chemotherapy to treat a variety of cancer types, including...
Both tai chi and cognitive behavioral therapy may reduce insomnia and inflammation and bolster antiviral defenses in breast cancer survivors, according to a recent study published by Irwin et al in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Background Chronic insomnia—one of the most prominent symptoms...
On June 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to epcoritamab-bysp (Epkinly), a bispecific CD20-directed CD3 T-cell engager, for adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma who have received two or more lines of systemic therapy. EPCORE ...
Researchers have uncovered the impact of chemotherapy on the gut microbiome in patients with breast cancer, according to a recent study published by Otto-Dobos et al in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Background Chemotherapy is known to cause behavioral side effects, including cognitive decline....
Adding retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy to cytoreductive surgery during primary debulking surgery or interval cytoreductive surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy failed to improve progression-free or overall survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer who have no suspicious nodes, according...
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who undergo frequent immunoglobulin G testing may be less likely to experience severe infections than those who don’t undergo frequent testing, according to a recent study published by Soumerai et al in Blood Advances....
On June 14, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved blinatumomab (Blincyto) for adult and pediatric patients aged 1 month and older with CD19-positive, Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in the consolidation phase of...
In a UK trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Stone et al found that the stimulant methylphenidate did not significantly improve fatigue vs placebo in patients with advanced cancers receiving palliative care. Study Details In the double-blind multicenter study, 159 patients with...
A little more than 12 months ago, the first major cardio-oncology guidelines were published by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 The extensive document embodied the immense progress of this subspecialty over its short existence. In reaching this milestone, it is worth considering what...
On June 6, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved imetelstat (Rytelo), an oligonucleotide telomerase inhibitor, for adults with low- to intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with transfusion-dependent anemia requiring four or more red blood cell units over 8 weeks...
High blood insulin levels may contribute to worse outcomes in Black women with triple-negative breast cancer compared with White women with the disease, according to new findings presented by Engel et al at the Endocrine Society’s Annual Meeting & Exposition 2024. Background Triple-negative...
A novel ultrasensitive liquid biopsy may be predictive of breast cancer recurrence up to years prior to relapse in high-risk patients with early breast cancer, according to recent findings presented by Garcia-Murillas et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (Abstract 1010). Background Circulating...
Alicia Morgans, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Samuel R. Denmeade, MD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, discuss a study showing that patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate whose disease is progressing on abiraterone with androgen-receptor alterations...
Allison M. Winter, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, discusses real-world outcomes with lisocabtagene maraleucel in patients with Richter transformation, a difficult-to-treat population with a poor prognosis. Data from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant...
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy given for stage III melanoma—followed by adjuvant therapy only if there is not a deep response to treatment—may produce better outcomes for patients than the current standard of care, which is adjuvant immunotherapy alone. These results from the NADINA trial were presented ...
On May 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi) for adult patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma who have received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy, including a...
A novel treatment strategy using cyclophosphamide-based graft-vs-host disease prophylaxis may enable more patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies to receive stem cell transplantation from mismatched unrelated donors. These findings were presented by Al Malki et al at the 2024 ASCO Annual...
Like many young boys, David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc, loved sports and dreamed about playing college football. He attained that dream, but along the way, family tragedy and a personal battle with a life-threatening disease reshaped his worldview and accelerated his ambitions as a...
Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, was born and reared in Kerala, a tropical state in southwestern India. Situated on the Malabar Coast, Kerala was named as one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler. “Along with its natural beauty, Kerala is a true melting pot. Over centuries,...
Lymphoma expert Jane N. Winter, MD, grew up on the south shore of Long Island in New York. “My dad sold cars in my great uncle’s dealership after a failed foray into business after World War II. My mom graduated high school at 16 to go to work to help support her family. When my younger brother...
I’m not prepared. It could be a few months, a few years, maybe longer. I don’t know how bad the verdict will be, but whatever it is, I’m not prepared. They always told us to be prepared. That was our motto. At age 7, I joined the Brownies, the beginning of 12 years of being molded by Girl Scout...
Sessions of moderate-to-vigorous exercise may improve the efficacy of antibody therapies, such as rituximab, used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to a recent study published by Collier-Bain et al in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. The findings may demonstrate the potential of...