On August 9, 2023, the bispecific GPRC5D (G protein–coupled receptor, class C, group 5)-directed CD3 T-cell engager talquetamab-tgvs was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at...
Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia is a rare and incurable low-grade B-cell lymphoproliferative disease defined by specific genotypic subtypes that have implications for treatment response and long-term outcomes. Treatment—and there is no established standard—is mainly focused on controlling symptoms...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical specialties became familiar with supply chain interruptions resulting in drug, equipment, and personnel scarcity. Intensive care unit beds, staff, and essential medicines were at times in short supply. The federal government, individual states, and...
Researchers have uncovered the vital role that the immune system may play in determining the duration of remission and progression-free survival in patients with multiple myeloma, according to a recent study published by Coffey et al in Nature Communications. The new findings suggested that the...
Researchers have validated the accuracy of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s (IASLC) 2009 pleural mesothelioma database, with these findings presented by Wolf et al at the IASLC 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Abstract MA17.04). Background Pleural mesothelioma often ...
As a first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab plus weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel provided clinically significant efficacy in the phase II FRAIL-IMMUNE (GORTEC 2018-03) trial.1 This regimen may prove to be an effective...
Head and neck cancers comprise approximately 4% of all new cancer diagnoses globally and represent approximately 110,000 new cancer diagnoses and 17,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States. Head and neck cancers are a heterogenous group of malignancies where prognosis and treatment varies...
The first-in-class agent xevinapant (also known as Debio 1143), given with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, significantly improved overall survival in a phase II study of 96 patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.1 “This is the first study in decades to improve...
In an analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Knikman et al found that reduced doses of fluoropyrimidine therapy in patients with cancer with DPYD variant alleles did not result in poorer outcomes vs DPYD wild-type controls receiving full fluoropyrimidine doses. Study Details The...
Lung cancer, both small cell and non–small cell, is the second most common cancer in both men and women in the United States, with about 238,340 new cases diagnosed each year, and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, accounting for more than 127,000 deaths annually.1 Lung cancer in...
Novel treatments beyond the current chemoimmunotherapies are offering more treatment options in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), though real breakthroughs remain elusive, according to Ticiana Leal, MD, Associate Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School...
Two new bispecific antibodies—teclistamab and talquetamab—have been shown to be active in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma when used in combination, including in patients with extramedullary disease, without compounding toxicity. Results of two clinical trials with these two agents were...
In patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gut microbiome characteristics differed between those who had durable responses to immunotherapy and those who did not, according to a retrospective study presented at the 2023 ASCO Breakthrough meeting.1 The presence of Clostridium...
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)—a not-for-profit alliance of leading academic cancer centers—announced Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, FACP, as incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Denlinger—who is currently NCCN’s Senior Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer—will lead the ...
Cathy Eng, MD, FACP, FASCO, the David H. Johnson Chair in Surgical and Medical Oncology, Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, Co-Director of GI Oncology and Co-Leader of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, commented that the...
Discussant of the ENGOT-EN5/GOG-305/SIENDO trial, Martina C. Murphy, MD, Associate Professor of the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of Florida, shared insights on the topic of maintenance therapy, its effects on quality of life, and toxicity management. Dr. Murphy...
Pediatric patients with Down syndrome may undergo almost 10 times as many medical imaging examinations as other pediatric patients, potentially exposing them to more ionizing radiation, according to a recent study published by Marlow et al in PLOS ONE. Background Ionizing radiation is present in...
Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who received vitamin C and D supplements during intensive chemotherapy had lower rates of complications such as infections, bleeding, and inflammation compared with patients who did not receive the supplements, according to a recent study published by...
Aaron C. Tan, PhD, MBBS, of the National Cancer Centre Singapore, discusses new findings on early evaluation of circulating tumor DNA via low-pass whole-genome sequencing. The results of his study suggest this method may represent an early pharmacodynamic biomarker of therapeutic response...
Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma who were treated with a chemoimmunotherapy regimen containing the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab experienced significantly improved overall survival compared with those treated with chemotherapy alone, with acceptable tolerability, according...
23andMe has announced that the company has received a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to expand its existing BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) Genetic Health Risk Report. The clearance allows 23andMe to report an additional 41 variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes known to be ...
A new report published by Knudsen et al in PLOS ONE focused on the clinical validation of a drug response predictor (DRP) biomarker algorithm for dovitinib, a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor of VEGFR1–3, PDGFR, FGFR1/3, c-KIT, FLT3, and topoisomerase 1 and 2. Data showed that the DRP-dovitinib...
Presented here are some brief summaries of novel therapies under study from the 2023 ASCO Breakthrough meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The subjects range from new observations about a HER2-directed bispecific antibody and systemic treatment of gastric cancer to an option for treating hand-foot syndrome ...
This is Part 3 of Novel Therapies for Advanced Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable. In this video, Drs. Aditya Bardia, Sara Tolaney, and Antonio C. Wolff discuss the treatment of relapsed/refractory triple-negative breast ...
This is Part 2 of Novel Therapies for Advanced Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable. In this video, Drs. Aditya Bardia, Sara Tolaney, and Antonio C. Wolff discuss the role of HER2 expression in hormone receptor–positive...
This is Part 1 of Novel Therapies for Advanced Breast Cancer, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this Roundtable. In this video, Drs. Aditya Bardia, Sara Tolaney, and Antonio C. Wolff discuss the treatment of hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative...
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Goodman et al found that patients receiving adjuvant PD-1 inhibitor therapy for high-risk resected melanoma often had chronic immune-related adverse events, with some persisting over long-term follow-up. Study Details The study included ...
In a study from the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program reported in JAMA Network Open, Shi et al found that alcohol consumption and risky drinking behaviors were common among patients with a cancer diagnosis, including patients currently receiving treatment for their cancer....
On August 23, 2023, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN) announced Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, FACP, as incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Denlinger, who is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of NCCN, will lead the global guidelines organization...
Researchers have developed a personalized calculator that may be capable of predicting the reduced risk of early recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a recent study published by Chen et al in eGastroenterology. Background Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common...
Grim, grimmer, and grinding are among the terms reported in the press to describe the current chemotherapy shortage.1,2 And, “it is not going away,” Mark J. Ratain, MD, FASCO, Chief Hospital Pharmacologist, University of Chicago Medicine, told The ASCO Post. “This is a progressive problem like...
The results of recent trials of PARP (poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase) inhibitor plus second-generation androgen receptor inhibitor combinations have had varying results in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Some trials suggest the benefit is confined to those with BRCA mutations and/or...
At extended follow-up, lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab showed sustained superiority over sunitinib for overall and progression-free survival as first-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma.1 The majority of the benefit was observed in intermediate- and poor-risk subgroups, according to the...
It is an exciting time in the development of new treatments for urologic cancers. There have been a number of major changes both in advanced disease and in the perioperative setting over the past year. Urothelial and Bladder Cancers In urothelial cancer, at last, we have randomized data supporting...
Insights on findings from the phase II MonumenTAL-1 trial1 were offered by Ajay K. Nooka, MD, MPH, Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Medical Director of the Winship Data and Technology Applications Shared Resource, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School ...
In the phase I/II MonumenTAL-1 trial, the novel bispecific antibody talquetamab produced responses in more than 70% of heavily pretreated patients with multiple myeloma.1 Of note, the safety profile confirmed results of the phase I portion of the study (recently published in TheNew England Journal...
Urvi A. Shah, MD, Assistant Attending at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, moderated the session where the MagnetisMM trial updates1,2 were reported and was interviewed by The ASCO Post. Elranatamab vs Teclistamab Dr. Shah noted...
The promise of bispecific monoclonal antibodies in multiple myeloma continues to heighten as yet another one appears to be active. In a study reported at the 2022 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition,1 almost two-thirds of patients with triple-refractory disease who...
“Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the paradigmatic success story in hematology,” said Joseph C. Alvarnas, MD, Professor in the Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplant, Vice President of Government Affairs, and Chief Clinical Advisor for AccessHope at City of Hope...
The past several months have brought significant advances within the field of hematologic oncology. Here we will review some key updates focusing on pivotal clinical trials and new drug approvals. Advances in Lymphoma Presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting, SWOG S1826 compared nivolumab plus...
Researchers have identified a novel parameter of T cells that may help oncologists anticipate which patients are most likely to develop immunotherapy toxicity. The findings, published by Ostmeyer in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, could lead to improved treatments for a variety of ...
On August 9, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the bispecific antibody talquetamab-tgvs (Talvey) for adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least four prior lines of therapy (including a proteasome inhibitor, an...
The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. With this installment, we launch a new series of articles on commercially available chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies. Syed Ali Abutalib, MD, and Jennifer N. ...
Two studies presented at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting challenge the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors as part of upfront treatment of advanced hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. The first, the SONIA trial, found that first-line treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors led to greater toxicity...
As we detailed in our Special Report “Surviving, but Not Always Thriving, After Cancer,” in the May 25, 2023, issue of The ASCO Post, the combination of advances in more effective therapies to treat cancer, gains in early detection, and sharp declines in tobacco use have led to a staggering 33%...
As a first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab plus weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel provided clinically significant efficacy in the phase II FRAIL-IMMUNE (GORTEC 2018-03) trial.1 This regimen may prove to be an effective...
In a phase I study from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), New York, the combination of cabozantinib and cetuximab showed antitumor efficacy in heavily pretreated patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer.1 Antoine Desilets, MD, an advanced oncology fellow ...
In partnership with the College of American Pathologists (CAP), ASCO has affirmed findings from its 2018 practice guideline on the use of HER2 testing in breast cancer. Notably, the ASCO/CAP expert panel found there is currently no justification for a new designation of HER2 test results for...
The 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting featured thousands of abstracts. In addition to our in-depth coverage of pivotal research from the meeting, The ASCO Post highlights the following studies of novel therapies for gastrointestinal cancers. Addition of Anti-TIGIT Agent in Unresectable Liver Cancer In the...
The 6-year follow-up of a landmark study has revealed significant treatment-free remissions and safety findings in elderly patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and coexisting medical conditions.1 Long-term results of the CLL14 trial, presented during the European Hematology Association...