Checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but evidence of their benefit was restricted to the second-line setting. However, early-phase trials with both pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo) demonstrated favorable results in...
The release of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 14th Report on Carcinogens on November 3, 2016, included 7 newly reviewed substances, bringing the cumulative total to 248 listings. The chemical trichloroethylene (TCE), the metallic element cobalt, and cobalt compounds...
As expensive cancer biologics move off patent, biosimilar products are coming on board. These are highly similar versions of licensed biologics that demonstrate near-fingerprint identity to their reference products in terms of structure and potency. Biosimilars represent a major opportunity for...
Formal discussant Jean-Charles Soria, MD, PhD, of Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, and Editor-in-Chief of Annals of Oncology (the official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology [ESMO]), tried to put these findings into perspective. He pointed out that when applying the...
Combining immunotherapy with a standard chemotherapy doublet appears to be an attractive option for the front-line treatment of advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the results of a phase II study presented at the 2016 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)...
The formal discussant of this trial, Axel Bex, MD, PhD, of The Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, was cautious in interpreting these results to be practice-changing. “I congratulate the investigators for the first-ever positive trial for adjuvant treatment of renal cell carcinoma,” he...
Corey J. Langer, MD, Director of Thoracic Oncology and Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, discussed the OAK study with The ASCO Post. Robust Data “In some ways, the OAK data are some of the most robust we have seen in the second-line setting. For ...
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a new personalized assessment tool that could better predict lung cancer risk in never, light, and heavy smokers using a large Taiwanese prospective cohort study. By incorporating risk factor—in addition to...
The programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) significantly improved overall survival, compared to docetaxel, in previously treated, advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to preliminary results of the phase III OAK study. The findings are the first...
Patients with double-hit and double-expressor relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphomas have poorer outcomes after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), according to the findings of a retrospective analysis reported by Herrera et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Double-hit...
Mir et al found that regorafenib (Stivarga) was active in patients with advanced nonadipocytic soft-tissue sarcoma previously treated with an anthracycline, according to a French-Austrian phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology. Regorafenib should be evaluated further in this setting, the...
On October 24, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) as determined by an FDA-approved test. This is the...
In a phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Goss et al found that osimertinib produced a high response rate in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor–pretreated EGFR Thr790Met (T790M)–positive advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Osimertinib is an EGFR tyrosine kinase...
Could the quality of life of patients with advanced-stage cancer be improved by personal delivery of nutritious, medically tailored meals? Researchers at the New York University School of Medicine Perlmutter Cancer Center think so, and they have set out to prove it in a randomized clinical trial....
Question 1: Which statement about donor selection for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant is correct? Correct Answer: C. If a donor is available, the genotypic identity between the patient and his brother should be established by typing the patient’s parents; if this is not possible, the...
Case Study A 33-year-old white male is diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with complex cytogenetics. A decision is made in favor of performing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in first complete remission. The patient has a 35-year-old brother who is healthy and motivated to...
Scientific Names: Sulfydryl proteolytic enzyme, cysteine proteinase Common Names: Ananase, Dayto Anase, Traumanase Overview Derived from the fruits and stems of pineapples, bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme that is used to treat burns and skin conditions, and as an anti-inflammatory agent....
The rise in the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2011 was not solely attributable to a rise in the incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive disease, according to a study published in Cancer Research,1 which reported that the proportion of ...
Findings from a phase II trial of vemurafenib in previously treated patients with advanced disease and BRAF-mutated tumors indicate that the drug is effective in patients with diverse BRAF V600–mutated tumors but not in patients with BRAF non-V600 mutations. After a mean treatment...
Ever since the landmark studies of Griffiths and colleagues in the 1970s,1 primary cytoreductive surgery followed by chemotherapy with the objective of achieving minimal residual disease has been the standard approach for women with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. However, what is...
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. On September 13, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
Stereotactic body radiation therapy is becoming more widely adopted for the treatment of early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Along with its increasing uptake, survival has significantly increased over the past decade, according to two large retrospective studies presented at the 58th...
On October 18, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq) for the treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease progressed during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic...
On October 18, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) modified the indication for erlotinib (Tarceva) in the treatment of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to limit its use to patients whose tumors have specific epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. The labeling...
As reported by Langer et al in The Lancet Oncology, findings in a phase II cohort of the multicohort KEYNOTE-021 study showed that the addition of first-line pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to carboplatin/pemetrexed (Alimta) significantly increased the response rate in patients with advanced nonsquamous...
Martin Reck, MD, PhD, of the LungenClinic, discusses in German study findings on pembrolizumab vs platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score ≥50%. (Abstract LBA8)
The addition of the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to standard first-line chemotherapy for treatment-naive advanced non–small cell lung cancer significantly improves response rates and progression-free survival, Langer et al reported at the 2016...
In a secondary analysis from the NRG Oncology RTOG 0617 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Chun et al found that use of intensity-modulated vs three-dimensional (3D) conformal external-beam radiation therapy was associated with a reduced risk for severe pneumonitis and reduced the...
In the HIV-negative population, there is growing evidence suggesting that chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are both associated with the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), although the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. The incidence rate of NHL ...
Luis G. Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, of the Hospital Universitario 12 De Octubre, discusses in Spanish overall survival data on afatinib vs gefitinib in patients with EGFR mutation–positive non–small cell lung cancer. (Abstract LBA43)
Giorgio V. Scagliotti, MD, PhD, of the University of Torino, discusses in Italian study findings on ceritinib vs chemotherapy in patients with advanced ALK-rearranged non–small cell lung cancer previously treated with chemotherapy and crizotinib.
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) significantly improved progression-free and overall survival vs platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ≥ 50% PD-L1 (programmed cell death ligand 1) expression and no sensitizing EGFR...
In a phase III trial reported at the recent European Society for Medical Oncology Congress and in The New England Journal of Medicine by Mirza et al, maintenance therapy with the PARP (poly ADP ribose polymerase) 1/2 inhibitor niraparib significantly prolonged progression-free survival vs placebo...
Ceritinib (Zykadia) provides longer progression-free survival than chemotherapy in crizotinib–pretreated patients with non–small cell lung cancer harboring an ALK rearrangement, according to results of the phase III ASCEND-5 study presented by Scagliotti et al at the European Society...
The first phase III study of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in previously treated non–small cell lung cancer has seen significant improvements in survival compared to standard chemotherapy, reported Barlesi et al at the European Society for Medical...
Fabrice Barlesi, MD, PhD, of Aix Marseille University and Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Marseille, discusses in French phase III findings on a comparison of atezolizumab with docetaxel in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. (Abstract LBA44)
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is set to become a new option for first-line treatment of patients with advanced lung cancer and high programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, according to the results of the phase III KEYNOTE-024 trial presented by Reck et al at the 2016 European Society for ...
Fabrice Barlesi, MD, PhD, of Aix Marseille University and Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Marseille, discusses phase III findings on a comparison of atezolizumab with docetaxel in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. (Abstract LBA44)
Martin Reck, MD, PhD, of the LungenClinic, discusses study findings on pembrolizumab vs platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score ≥50%. (Abstract LBA8)
Giorgio V. Scagliotti, MD, PhD, of the University of Torino, discusses study findings on ceritinib vs chemotherapy in patients with advanced ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer previously treated with chemotherapy and crizotinib. (Abstract LBA42)
Luis G. Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, of the Hospital Universitario 12 De Octubre, discusses overall survival data on afatinib vs gefitinib in patients with EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer. (Abstract LBA43)
Tony Mok, MD, of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, discusses the final overall survival analysis from this trial on gefitinib/chemotherapy vs chemotherapy in EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer after progression on first-line gefitinib. (Abstr 1201O)
In a pooled analysis reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gadgeel et al found that alectinib (Alecensa) was associated with good central nervous system (CNS) response in patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with crizotinib (Xalkori). Study ...
When it comes to cancer-causing viruses like human papillomavirus (HPV), researchers are continuing to find that infection with one strain may be better than another. In an analysis of survival data for patients with oropharyngeal cancer, researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC)...
Pang et al found that the enrollment disparity in clinical trials in lung cancer has been reduced in recent years for older patients and women overall, according to a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. However, disparities persist for elderly women, blacks, Asian/Pacific Islanders, ...
With impeccable timing, as well as considerable forethought and planning, Dr. Paice and colleagues have produced a superb evidence-based guideline on “Management of Chronic Pain in Survivors of Adult Cancers.”1 (See this issue of The ASCO Post.) This summary of well-informed and thoroughly...
Ever since the immune checkpoint agents arrived, the pace of clinical investigation in oncology has continued to accelerate with an ever-increasing number of trials of single-agent and combination therapies with novel designs that are transforming our drug-development process. However, even in...
The advent of more effective systemic therapies, which extend patients’ lives, has also resulted in an increasing incidence of brain metastases, for which clinicians must determine appropriate treatment. Whole-brain radiotherapy has been the traditional treatment modality, but stereotactic...
A session at the 2016 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium focused on the special needs of cancer caregivers. In a large survey, caregivers of persons with cancer reported higher levels of stress and significantly more duties than caregivers of other patients. But, according to research from...
With checkpoint inhibitors in frequent use, clinicians strive daily to balance the efficacy and toxicity of these treatments. At the 2016 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium, Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, FASCO, the C. Willard Professor of Hematology-Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania,...