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Multiple Myeloma
Immunotherapy

ASH 2019: Phase Ib/II Study of BCMA-Directed CAR T-Cell Therapy for Pretreated Multiple Myeloma

Patients with multiple myeloma who had received a median of five prior therapies with refractory disease had a high response rate when treated with the investigational chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy JNJ-4528, which targets B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a protein commonly found...

Hematologic Malignancies
Immunotherapy

ASH 2019: CAR-NK Therapy for B-Cell Malignancies Shows Activity in Preclinical Studies

Preclinical studies have provided the first evidence that cellular immunotherapy for B-cell cancers could ultimately become an off-the-shelf product, capable of being uniformly manufactured in large quantities. The product—FT596—is among the first cellular immunotherapies to be based on...

Immunotherapy
Lymphoma

ASH 2019: Early Data Signal Potential for Bispecific Antibody in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

The investigational bispecific antibody mosunetuzumab is showing activity in preliminary studies of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), including those who are refractory to or relapsed after third-line chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. If preliminary findings are validated by...

Breast Cancer
Immunotherapy

Promising New Treatments for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Immunotherapy and Other Targeted Therapies

Clinical trials continue to demonstrate that combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy and other targeted therapies can improve survival for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, according to results presented at the 21st Annual Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium in Chicago. Nearly 700...

Solid Tumors
Lymphoma
Immunotherapy

Atezolizumab for Pediatric and Young Adult Patients With Previously Treated Solid Tumors or Lymphomas

In a phase I/II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Geoerger et al found little activity of atezolizumab alone in pediatric and young adult patients with relapsed or refractory malignancies (including solid tumors, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma) with known or expected programmed...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

FDA Approves Atezolizumab in Combination With Chemotherapy for First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Nonsquamous NSCLC

On December 4, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in combination with chemotherapy (nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin) for the first-line treatment of adults with metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

Does Adding Pembrolizumab or Placebo to Chemotherapy for Patients With Metastatic Squamous NSCLC Improve Quality of Life?

In a health-related quality of life analysis from the phase III KEYNOTE-407 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Mazières et al found that the patients with metastatic squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received pembrolizumab in addition to chemotherapy had better...

Kidney Cancer
Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy Strategies in Renal Cell Carcinoma: Present and Future

Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors is now considered a standard of care for the front-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. Despite better outcomes with these agents, there is still room for improvement. At the 2019 Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium, Robert J. Motzer, MD, of...

Colorectal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Pembrolizumab in Previously Treated Metastatic MSI-H/dMMR Colorectal Cancer

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Dung T. Le, MD, and colleagues, the phase II KEYNOTE-164 trial demonstrated activity of pembrolizumab in previously treated metastatic microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer. Findings from the...

Solid Tumors
Immunotherapy

Activity of Glucocorticoid-Induced TNF Receptor–Related Protein Agonist Alone or With Nivolumab in Advanced Solid Tumors

In a phase I/IIa study reported in JAMA Oncology, Lillian L. Siu, MD, FRCPC, FASCO, and colleagues found no evidence of activity of the glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor–related protein (GITR) agonist antibody BMS-986156 alone or in combination with nivolumab in patients...

Multiple Myeloma
Immunotherapy

ICARIA-MM: Addition of Isatuximab to Pomalidomide/Dexamethasone in Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma

As reported in The Lancet by Michel Attal, MD, and colleagues, the phase III ICARIA-MM trial has shown that the addition of the CD38-targeted antibody isatuximab to pomalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with relapsed and refractory...

Hepatobiliary Cancer
Immunotherapy

ESMO Asia 2019: Combination of Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Combination therapy with the programmed cell death ligand 1 inhibitor atezolizumab and the VEGF inhibitor bevacizumab significantly improved overall and progression-free survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to sorafenib, according to findings from the phase ...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Updated Data From Clinical Trials on Nivolumab/Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma

More than one out of two patients with metastatic melanoma treated with the combination of nivolumab plus ipilimu-mab is still alive after 5 years, according to the longest follow-up of patients receiving this combination. In two additional studies, the immunotherapy duet also proved to be active...

Immunotherapy
Lung Cancer

Analysis of 4-Year Survival With Nivolumab in Patients Previously Treated for Advanced NSCLC

In an analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, Scott J. Antonia, MD, PhD, of Duke Cancer Institute, and colleagues identified long-term survival rates with nivolumab therapy in patients with previously treated advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including comparative outcomes vs...

Immunotherapy
Solid Tumors

Study Finds Durvalumab Retreatment Active in Some Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors offers a proportion of patients a chance at long-term disease control, resembling cure in some patients. Among the many questions about immunotherapy that remain to be resolved is whether patients who discontinue therapy and develop progressive disease can...

Immunotherapy
Hepatobiliary Cancer

‘Clinically Meaningful’ Outcomes Seen in Two Studies of First-Line Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

In the first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, checkpoint inhibitors led to favorable outcomes in studies reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019—though one study was technically negative. The current first-line standard of care for unresectable ...

Immunotherapy
Symptom Management

Maximizing Benefit in the Treatment of Immune-Mediated Colitis

Immune-related colitis is the second most common toxicity associated with checkpoint inhibitors, affecting up to 40% of patients. The ASCO Post interviewed Yinghong Wang, MD, PhD, Director of Medication-Induced Colitis and Enteritis, Director of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation, and Associate...

Hematologic Malignancies
Immunotherapy

Answers to Hematology Expert Review Questions

Question 1 Which of the following statements about cytokine-release syndrome and neurotoxicity after tisagenlecleucel infusion is correct? Correct answer: B. The median time to onset of cytokine-release syndrome is 3 days. Expert Perspective Following tisagenlecleucel infusion, cytokine-release...

Hematologic Malignancies
Immunotherapy

CAR T-Cell Gene Therapy: Toxicities and Management Principles

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”                                                                                                                  —Marie Curie The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology ...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

Nivolumab/Ipilimumab: Another First-Line Option for Advanced NSCLC

The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab improved overall survival compared with chemotherapy as first-line therapy for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression of at least 1%, according to the results of CheckMate 227....

Immunotherapy

Characteristics of Metastatic Lesion Responses to PD-1 Inhibition

In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Osorio et al found that responses to programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor therapy tended to be consistent across metastases and occur simultaneously in metastatic lesions of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mismatch...

Head and Neck Cancer
Immunotherapy

Pembrolizumab With or Without Chemotherapy vs Cetuximab Plus Chemotherapy in Recurrent or Metastatic HNSCC

As reported in The Lancet by Barbara Burtness, MD, and colleagues, the phase III KEYNOTE-048 trial has shown improved overall survival with first-line pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy vs cetuximab plus chemotherapy among patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and...

Kidney Cancer
Immunotherapy

Atezolizumab/Bevacizumab in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma With Variant Histology or Sarcomatoid Features

In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Toni K. Choueiri, MD, and colleagues found that the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab was active in metastatic renal cell carcinoma with variant histology and clear cell renal cell carcinoma with ≥ 20% sarcomatoid...

Solid Tumors
Immunotherapy

Pembrolizumab in Noncolorectal MSI-H/dMMR Solid Tumors

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Marabelle et al, the phase II KEYNOTE-158 trial has shown robust activity of pembrolizumab in patients with noncolorectal microsatellite instability­–high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) solid tumors. Findings in the study supported the...

Lymphoma
Immunotherapy

Polatuzumab Vedotin Plus Bendamustine/Rituximab for Transplantation-Ineligible Relapsed or Refractory DLBCL

In a phase Ib/II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Laurie H. Sehn, MD, MPH, and colleagues found that the addition of polatuzumab vedotin to bendamustine/rituximab improved response rate and progression-free and overall survival among transplantation-ineligible patients with...

Gynecologic Cancers
Immunotherapy

Nivolumab Plus Bevacizumab in Relapsed Ovarian Cancer

In a phase II trial reported in JAMA Oncology, Liu et al found evidence of the activity of combined nivolumab and bevacizumab in relapsed ovarian cancer, with activity appearing to be greater in platinum-sensitive disease. Study Details In the trial, 38 women with relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer ...

Prostate Cancer
Breast Cancer
Bladder Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Kidney Cancer
Thyroid Cancer
Gynecologic Cancers
Immunotherapy

ESMO Congress 2019: Quick Takes From Key Clinical Trials

The ESMO Congress continues to grow as a pivotal platform for research in clinical oncology. At the ESMO Congress 2019, important findings were showcased in more than 2,200 studies, including 93 late-breaking abstracts. The ASCO Post summarized much of that news in separate articles over several...

Lung Cancer
Neuroendocrine Tumors
Immunotherapy

Novel Therapies for Small Cell Lung Cancer and Neuroendocrine Tumors

Here is a glimpse at updated clinical trial data on newer therapies under study for the small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and advanced extrapancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. IMpower133 and ALTER: Novel Therapies for SCLC The treatment of small cell lung cancer has seen little progress in recent years, ...

Immunotherapy
Gynecologic Cancers

Expert Point of View: Nicoletta Colombo, MD

The invited discussant of the two trials in cervical and endometrial cancers presented at the ESMO Congress 2019 was Nicoletta Colombo, MD, of the University of Milan-Bicocca in Italy, who commented on what she called “exciting results in cancers with unmet needs.” Dr. Colombo noted: “The studies...

Immunotherapy
Gynecologic Cancers

Immunotherapy Shows Strong Benefit in Two Gynecologic Cancers

In studies reported at the ESMO Congress 2019, immunotherapy yielded encouraging outcomes in two gynecologic cancer populations in need of new treatments, including patients with advanced cervical cancer that is microsatellite-stable and patients previously treated for advanced endometrial cancer.  ...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

CheckMate 227: Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab Presents Another Option in First-Line Treatment of Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab improved overall survival compared with chemotherapy as first-line therapy for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression of at least 1%, according to the results of CheckMate 227....

Gynecologic Cancers
Immunotherapy

Checkpoint Inhibitors Benefit Women With Advanced Stages of Cervical, Endometrial Cancers

Immunotherapy studies reported at the ESMO Congress 2019 yielded encouraging outcomes in patients with advanced cervical cancer that is microsatellite-stable and patients previously treated for advanced endometrial cancer. The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab, with two different dosing...

Breast Cancer
Immunotherapy

Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Plus Chemotherapy Active in Women With Early Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Immunotherapy has changed the treatment paradigms for melanoma, lung cancer, bladder cancer, and renal cancer. Now, checkpoint inhibitor therapy is making inroads in triple-negative breast cancer—one of the most difficult-to-treat aggressive types of breast cancer. Late-breaking results of the...

Lymphoma
Immunotherapy

Bendamustine/Rituximab Followed by Yttrium Y-90 Ibritumomab Tiuxetan in Previously Untreated Follicular Lymphoma

In the phase II Fol-BRITe study reported in Clinical Cancer Research, Lansigan et al found that a short course of bendamustine/rituximab followed by consolidation with yttrium Y-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan (Y-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan) was associated with a high response rate and a high rate of...

Kidney Cancer
Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy Combinations Redefine Outcomes for Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

The treatment landscape for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma has changed drastically over the past several years with the introduction of many new therapeutic options for patients. The revolution began with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of nivolumab and ipilimumab...

Solid Tumors
Immunotherapy

High-Dose Bevacizumab for Patients With Neurofibromatosis Type 2 and Progressive Vestibular Schwannomas

In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Plotkin et al found that high-dose bevacizumab induction therapy did not appear to produce better outcomes compared with lower-dose treatment in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and progressive vestibular schwannomas. As...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

Patient-Reported Outcomes Observed With Durvalumab Treatment After Chemoradiotherapy for Stage III Unresectable NSCLC

As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Hui et al, no clinically important differences in patient-reported outcomes were observed among patients receiving durvalumab vs placebo after chemoradiation for stage III unresectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the phase III PACIFIC trial. The...

Immunotherapy

Association Between Prior Antibiotic Treatment and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Outcomes

In a study presented in a brief report in JAMA Oncology, David J. Pinato, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that past but not concurrent use of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy was associated with poorer treatment outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for various cancers in...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

CASPIAN Trial: Addition of Durvalumab to Platinum/Etoposide for First-Line Treatment of Extensive-Stage SCLC

As reported in The Lancet by Luis Paz-Ares, MD, and colleagues, an interim analysis of the phase III CASPIAN trial has shown an overall survival benefit with the addition of durvalumab to platinum (either cisplatin or carboplatin)/etoposide chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of...

Immunotherapy
Solid Tumors

Pembrolizumab for Patients With Advanced Adrenocortical Carcinoma

In a single-center phase II study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Raj et al found that pembrolizumab showed activity in advanced adrenocortical carcinoma. Study Details Thirty-nine patients with advanced adrenocortical carcinoma were enrolled in the study between February 2016 and...

Immunotherapy

Prior Antibiotic Treatment and Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Patients With Cancer

In a study presented in a brief report in JAMA Oncology, David J. Pinato, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that past—but not concurrent—use of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy was associated with poorer treatment outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for various cancers in...

Immunotherapy

POLE/POLD1 Mutations and Outcomes With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy

In a research letter published in JAMA Oncology, Feng Wang, MD, PhD, and colleagues identified the frequency of mutations in DNA polymerase epsilon (POLE) and delta 1 (POLD1) genes across cancer types and found that these mutations were associated with better survival outcomes among patients...

Gynecologic Cancers
Immunotherapy

Pembrolizumab/Lenvatinib in Advanced Endometrial Carcinoma Without Microsatellite Instability–High or Mismatch Repair–Deficient Disease

On September 17, 2019, the combination of pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib was granted accelerated approval for the treatment of patients with advanced endometrial carcinoma that is not microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) and who have disease progression...

Leukemia
Genomics/Genetics
Immunotherapy

Gene Signature to Identify Benefit of Front-Line Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide, and Rituximab in IGHV-Unmutated CLL

In a retrospective cohort study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Herling et al identified a 17-gene signature that distinguished patients with IGHV-unmutated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) more likely to achieve long-term remission after front-line chemoimmunotherapy with fludarabine,...

Immunotherapy
Lymphoma

Immunotherapy in Relapsed or Refractory Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Findings from the phase Ib KEYNOTE-013 and phase II KEYNOTE-170 trials reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Armand et al indicated that pembrolizumab is highly active in relapsed or refractory primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). The KEYNOTE-170 trial supported the 2018...

Immunotherapy
Skin Cancer

5-Year Follow-up of KEYNOTE-006 Trial of Pembrolizumab vs Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma

In a post hoc 5-year follow-up of the KEYNOTE-006 trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Caroline Robert, MD, of Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Sud, and colleagues found that pembrolizumab maintained overall and progression-free survival benefits over ipilimumab in advanced melanoma.1 In ...

Immunotherapy
Leukemia

Debating the Role of Chemoimmunotherapy in the First-Line Setting of CLL

The advent of new targeted agents for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has ushered in a golden age of treatment, leading to longer, more durable periods of disease control. Not all oncologists are convinced, however, that improvements in progression-free survival alone warrant dispensing with...

Lymphoma
Immunotherapy

Role of Radiotherapy for Patients With Refractory Lymphoma Receiving CAR T-Cell Therapy

Although the role of radiotherapy in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for lymphoma is still evolving, radiotherapy “would be an ideal bridging therapy” for patients with chemorefractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, stated George Mikhaeel, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology and...

Breast Cancer
Immunotherapy

Phase III Evidence Supports Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Plus Chemotherapy for Early Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Immunotherapy has changed the treatment paradigms for melanoma, lung cancer, bladder cancer, and renal cancer. Now, checkpoint inhibitor therapy is making inroads in triple-negative breast cancer—one of the most difficult-to-treat aggressive types of breast cancer. The addition of the checkpoint...

Immunotherapy

Algorithm for Identifying Genetic Mutations Likely to Respond to Immunotherapy

A new model works to determine which genetic mutations may respond best to treatment with immunotherapy. Richman et al published the data on the model’s development in Cell Systems, and the algorithm, antigen.garnish, is already available online as an open source technology to serve as a resource. ...

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