On April 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvykti) for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent, and...
In 1992, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instituted its Accelerated Approval regulations, which allow drugs that treat serious conditions and fill an unmet need to be approved early based on a surrogate endpoint. However, any drug approved under this pathway is still required to undergo ...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has released Global Cancer Statistics 2022, an update of the organization’s report on global cancer facts and trends. According to the findings, an estimated 20 million cancer cases were newly diagnosed in 2022 and 9.7 million people died from the disease...
In a single-center phase I/II study (LOKON001) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Musher et al found that treatment with an oncolytic virus–based immunostimulatory gene therapy (LOAd703) plus chemotherapy was feasible and safe in patients with unresectable or metastatic pancreatic ductal...
A study published by Brieghel et al in Blood Advances showed that among patients in Denmark who had slow-growing chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with no symptoms and a low risk for ever needing treatment, those who stopped seeing their doctors for specialized follow-up had fewer hospital visits, ...
A Medicare policy requiring shared decision-making between primary care physicians and patients regarding whether to proceed with lung cancer screening may require further examination, according to a recent study published by Kale et al in the Annals of Family Medicine. The findings indicated that...
In the phase II PACE trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Erica L. Mayer, MD, MPH, and colleagues found no improvement in progression-free survival with the addition of palbociclib to fulvestrant—but a numeric improvement with the further addition of avelumab—in patients with hormone ...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Egbert F. Smit, MD, and colleagues, primary analysis in the HER2-overexpressing unresectable or metastatic non–small cell cancer (NSCLC) cohorts of the phase II DESTINY-Lung01 trial show activity of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) in this setting. Prior ...
In a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Sorin et al found that neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy was associated with better outcomes than neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Study Details A search of published studies reported...
Investigators have assessed medical malpractice trends related to active surveillance as a treatment strategy across different types of cancers, according to a recent study published by Chang et al in the Annals of Surgery. Background Active surveillance is a less invasive approach that reserves...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Domenica Lorusso, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the phase III ENGOT-cx11/GOG-3047/KEYNOTE-A18 trial has shown that the addition of pembrolizumab to chemoradiotherapy improved progression-free survival in patients with newly diagnosed, high-risk, locally advanced...
On March 6, 2024, inotuzumab ozogamicin (Besponsa) was approved for pediatric patients aged 1 year or older with relapsed or refractory CD22-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the ITCC-059 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov...
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 (FDA)-approved...
On December 13, 2023, eflornithine (Iwilfin), an ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, was approved for adult and pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma with at least a partial response to prior multiagent, multimodality therapy including anti-GD2 immunotherapy. This represents the first U.S. ...
On December 14, 2023, the hypoxia-inducible factor inhibitor belzutifan (Welireg) was approved for patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma with disease progression on previous treatment with a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor and a vascular endothelial...
On January 12, 2024, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was approved for use with chemoradiotherapy for treatment of patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2014 stage III–IVA cervical cancer.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the double-blind...
In a phase III trial reported in The Lancet, Jennifer Steel, PhD, and colleagues found that an integrated screening and stepped collaborative care intervention (CARES) improved health-related quality of life vs standard of care in patients with cancer. Study Details In the study, 459 patients from ...
Extensive removal of the lymph nodes may be safely avoided in patients with breast cancer that has metastasized to the axillary nodes if treatment is tailored to their response to therapies such as chemotherapy prior to surgery, according to new findings presented by van Hemert et al at the 2024...
About 8 years ago, I was just a few years into menopause when I noticed blood in my urine. It wasn’t accompanied by pain, frequent urination, or any other troubling symptoms, so initially I wasn’t too concerned. But when I started passing pieces of tissue, I became alarmed and made an appointment...
On October 13, 2023, nivolumab was approved for adjuvant treatment of completely resected stage IIB/C melanoma in patients aged 12 years and older.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the double-blind CheckMate 76K trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04099251), in which...
On February 16, 2024, lifileucel (Amtagvi), a tumor-derived autologous T-cell immunotherapy, was granted accelerated approval for adults with unresectable or metastatic melanoma previously treated with a PD-1–blocking antibody, and if BRAF V600 mutation–positive, a BRAF inhibitor with or without a...
On December 15, 2023, enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (Padcev) in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was approved for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer.1,2 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on findings in the open-label EV-302 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov...
On January 19, 2024, erdafitinib (Balversa) was approved for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with susceptible FGFR3 genetic alterations, as determined by a U.S. Food & Drug Administration–approved companion diagnostic test, whose disease has progressed on or...
In Kathy Giusti’s empowering and deeply personal book Fatal to Fearless: 12 Steps to Beating Cancer in a Broken Medical System (HarperCollins, 2024), she details the shock of being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, in 1996, at the age of 37. Told she had 3 years to live, the book recounts how Ms....
In patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), perioperative treatment involving the checkpoint inhibitor tislelizumab led to a statistically significant benefit in event-free survival and a favorable trend for overall survival, investigators for the phase III RATIONALE-315 trial...
Taking part in an exercise program may improve pain, fatigue, and quality of life in patients with metastatic breast cancer, according to recent findings presented by Hiensch et al at the 2024 European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC; Abstract 1). Background “Although there’s been quite a lot of...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Rodriguez et al identified racial/ethnic differences in intensity of end-of-life care among patients in California who died from lung cancer between 2005 and 2018. Study Details The study used data from the California Cancer Registry linked...
On February 13, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved liposomal irinotecan (Onivyde) for use with oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin in the first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.1 Supporting Efficacy Data Approval was based on the open-label NAPOLI 3...
Combination immunotherapy with the anti–PD-L1 monoclonal antibody durvalumab and other novel agents seemed to outperform durvalumab alone in the neoadjuvant setting for early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,...
The combination of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib (multiple targets, including MET, AXL, VEGFR2, RET, and FLT ) plus the monoclonal antibody atezolizumab achieved statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival compared with second-line novel hormonal therapy in...
On November 15, 2023, repotrectinib (Augtyro) was approved for locally advanced or metastatic ROS1 fusion–positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).1 This is the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval that includes patients with ROS1-positive NSCLC who have previously received a ROS1...
On February 16, 2024, osimertinib (Tagrisso) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administraton (FDA) with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with tumors having EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R...
Managing patients with lung cancer in the current era of an increasing array of systemic treatments has become a complex balancing act of trying to improve outcomes and survival from a cancer perspective while taking the necessary treatment and monitoring steps for cardioprotection. With few...
The artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbot ChatGPT version 3.4 may correctly answer a majority of the common genetic counseling questions related to gynecologic oncology, according to new findings presented by Patel et al at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s (SGO) 2024 Annual Meeting on...
On March 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi), a CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small...
In a retrospective review reported in The Lancet Oncology, Gharzai et al identified intermediate clinical endpoints that may serve as surrogates for overall survival in trials assessing definitive treatment of patients with p16-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Study Details The...
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Thomas Powles, MD, and colleagues, the phase III EV-302 trial has shown that the combination of the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin-ejfv and the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab improved progression-free and overall survival vs...
Philip A. Salem, MD, Director Emeritus of Cancer Research at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Houston, was born and reared in Bterram, a village that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. “I had the most beautiful and blessed childhood, as I lived in a household dominated by a father who believed in the...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Wagner et al, final analysis of the phase II AMPECT trial has shown a median duration of response of more than 3 years in patients with advanced malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumors treated with nab-sirolimus. The primary analysis of the...
A novel tool may help predict the risk of complications following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and guide the pretransplant process, according to new Scientific Statement published by Hayek et al in Circulation. The findings may also illuminate the contemporary prevalence of...
The use of imaging midtreatment for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma may guide the use of deintensified chemoradiotherapy, according to a phase II study from the University of Michigan presented by Regan et al at the 2024 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck...
Investigators may have identified a heightened risk of various types of cancers among patients with persistent and worsening metabolic syndrome, according to a recent study published by Deng et al in Cancer. Background Metabolic syndrome encompasses conditions such as high blood pressure, elevated...
Patients with a higher body mass index (BMI) may have a greater risk of overall and specific complications following autologous breast reconstruction, according to a recent study published by Barnes et al in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Background Autologous breast reconstruction—an...
Once again, geriatric oncology will take the forefront at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). On April 23, 2024, the Division of Advanced Practice Providers and the Geriatric Medicine Service at MSK will host the 3rd annual Geriatric Oncology Symposium for Advanced Practice Providers. The target...
Except for my right thigh being bigger than my left thigh, there was no hint that I was harboring advanced alveolar soft-part sarcoma when I was diagnosed with the cancer in 2019. I initially chocked up the discrepancy in my legs to the vigorous workouts I had received during my cheerleading days,...
On November 8, 2023, fruquintinib (Fruzaqla) was approved for adults with metastatic colorectal cancer who received prior fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy; an anti-VEGF therapy; and—if RAS wild-type and medically appropriate—an anti-EGFR therapy.1 Supporting...
When Pat Garcia-Gonzalez’ stepson, Max, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in 1988 at the age of 14, the Internet was still in its infancy and decades away from the networking resource it has become today. Told that Max would need an allogeneic stem cell transplant to survive, the...
“Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’” —Marcus Aurelius To complement The ASCO Post’s extensive coverage of the 2023 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, here are two important abstracts selected from the meeting proceedings focusing on induction and...
he latest findings for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in colorectal cancer were discussed at the 2024 ASCO Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium by Aparna R. Parikh, MD, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard...
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has become an established biomarker of measurable or molecular residual disease (MRD) after curative-intent surgery in patients with colorectal cancer. The research focus is now on linking ctDNA to long-term outcomes and using it to guide treatment decisions—which was...