In a single-institution analysis reported in the journal Pancreas, Khetan et al found that age at diagnosis, perineural invasion, and elevated preoperative chromogranin levels may be associated with an increased risk of disease progression in patients with advanced grade 1 or 2 small-bowel...
In a study reported in the Journal of Surgical Oncology, Timothy M. Pawlik, MD, MPH, PhD, and colleagues found that approximately half of patients undergoing resection of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) had a “textbook outcome”—a result associated with significantly improved disease-free...
As reported in the British Journal of Cancer by Namrata Vijayvergia, MD, and colleagues, a pooled analysis of two phase II studies found that pembrolizumab monotherapy showed little activity in patients with previously treated metastatic high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms. Study Details In the...
Over the past week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to a bispecific antibody for the treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations; granted approval to a test for human...
In a single-center Dutch phase II trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Braat et al found that holmium Ho-166 radioembolization produced responses in patients with neuroendocrine tumor liver metastases who had received peptide receptor radionuclide therapy with lutetium Lu-177 dotatate. Study...
Over the past few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted reviews or designations to treatments for gastrointestinal cancers and lymphoma, and also provided authorizations for products designed to screen for malignancies and tumor mutational burden. Priority Review for Nivolumab...
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,...
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, ...
In the GETNE-TRASGU study (Spanish Group of Neuroendocrine and Endocrine Tumors Treated With Analog of Somatostatin in Gastroenteropancreatic and Unknown Primary NETs) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Carmona-Bayonas et al developed a predictive model for progression-free survival in...
NAMRATA VIJAYVERGIA, MD, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, commented on this study. “This is an important study because it is done in a rare tumor type; not a lot of clinical trials are conducted in this disease. Recently, three other studies of single-agent therapy with checkpoint...
COMBINING TWO established immunotherapy agents achieved tumor shrinkage in rare, aggressive, extrapancreatic high-grade neuroendocrine tumors, according to the results of SWOG S1609, a phase II clinical basket trial also known as DART (Dual Anti– CLTA-4 and Anti–PD-1 Blockade in Rare Tumors). The...
THE ANNUAL GASTROINTESTINAL CANCERS SYMPOSIUM took place earlier this year in San Francisco. In addition to important studies captured in our past few issues, The ASCO Post here briefly summarizes additional interesting studies. Adjuvant Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Colon Cancer...
Aaron S. Mansfield, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, summarizes a session he moderated on rare thoracic cancers such as mesothelioma and thymic epithelial tumors, as well as novel imaging and treatments in neuroendocrine tumors.
Jonathan R. Strosberg, MD, of the Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses phase II study findings on pembrolizumab as a treatment for advanced neuroendocrine tumors (Abstract 190).
This issue of The ASCO Post discusses a recent trial reported by Strosberg et al in The New England Journal of Medicine that is the first phase III randomized international multicenter clinical trial evaluating lutetium Lu-177 dotatate as a peptide receptor radionuclide therapy in midgut...
In the phase III NETTER-1 trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Jonathan R. Strosberg, MD, of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues found that the addition of the targeted radiotherapeutic agent lutetium Lu-177 dotatate to the long-acting repeatable (LAR)...
Greta Stifel recounts her story about a misdiagnosed tumor and urges physicians to raise awareness of neuroendocrine disease.
Vincent J. Picozzi, MD, a pancreatic cancer specialist at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, commented on the findings by Chan et al presented at the 2017 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Dr. Picozzi first acknowledged that there is a strong biologic rationale for evaluating cabozantinib...
In a phase II study reported at the 2017 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib (Cometriq) was evaluated in advanced carcinoid and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Radiographic responses to therapy were observed in both tumor subtypes, and compared to other ...
The multihumoral manifestations of neuroendocrine tumors include diarrhea, cutaneous flushing, wheezing, and right-sided valvular heart disease.1 Serotonin, a biogenic amine and product of tryptophan metabolism,2 mediates several of these symptoms.3,4 Diarrhea is a cardinal and often disabling...
In the phase III TELESTAR trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Matthew H. Kulke, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and colleagues, telotristat ethyl, an investigational tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor, significantly reduced the frequency of bowel movements in patients with...
Researchers at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) presented a molecular imaging methodology that allows the increase of the radiotherapy dose to the tumor while protecting vulnerable vital organs.1 The delicate balance of administering the...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Netspot, the first kit for the preparation of Ga-68 dotatate injection, a radioactive diagnostic agent for positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging. This radioactive probe will help locate tumors in adult and pediatric patients with...
Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, of the University of Southern California, and Jonathan R. Strosberg, MD, of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, discuss efficacy and safety results in patients with midgut neuroendocrine tumors treated with lutetium Lu-177 dotatate (Abstract 4005).
In a phase III trial (RADIANT-4) reported in The Lancet, James C. Yao, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues found that everolimus (Afinitor) and supportive care significantly prolonged progression-free survival vs placebo and supportive care in patients with...
In a subgroup analysis of the phase III RADIANT-4 trial, focusing on neuroendocrine tumors of gastrointestinal origin, the mTOR inhibitor everolimus (Afinitor) essentially doubled the median progression-free survival time, compared with placebo, researchers reported at the 2016 Gastrointestinal...
A strong antiproliferative response was shown for the somatostatin analog lanreotide (subcutaneous, extended-release formulation, Somatuline Autogel [Somatuline Depot in the United States]) in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, in the large multinational prospective phase...
The radiopharmaceutical gallium-68 dotatate has been given orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for use as a diagnostic agent for the management of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). Gallium-68 dotatate is owned by...
In an interim analysis of a phase II trial, 97% of patients with progressive metastatic neuroendocrine tumors achieved clinical benefit with the combination of capecitabine and temozolomide (CAPTEM). The results were reported at the 2014 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium by Robert L. Fine, MD,...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted priority review to Ipsen’s supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the somatostatin analog lanreotide (Somatuline Depot) 120 mg injection in the treatment of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The FDA designates...
Final results from the RADIANT-3 trial showed a 6-month difference in overall survival favoring everolimus (Afinitor) plus best supportive care over placebo plus best supportive care in patients with well-differentiated advanced and progressive pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.1 Although the...
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 December 16, 2014, lanreotide (Somatuline depot injection) was ...
The somatostatin analog lanreotide (Somatuline) depot extended the time to disease progression in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, in a planned subgroup analysis of the CLARINET trial, Alexandria T. Phan, MD, of The Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, reported at the 2015...
Patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors have two promising new treatment options, according to studies that earned spots in the Presidential Session of the 2015 European Cancer Congress, held recently in Vienna, Austria. The phase III studies evaluated the mTOR inhibitor everolimus (Afinitor)...
The investigational drug telotristat etiprate was shown to have clinical benefit when added to somatostatin analog therapy for carcinoid syndrome not adequately controlled by long-acting somatostatin analog therapy, the current standard of care, in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors....