Eric Jonasch, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses phase II study findings on the oral HIF-2α inhibitor known as MK-6482, which showed efficacy and tolerability in patients with Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)–associated clear cell renal cell carcinoma as well as responses in other VHL-related lesions (Abstract 5003).
Lakshmi Nayak, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, reviews two key abstracts on newly diagnosed primary central nervous system lymphoma and treatment with whole-brain radiotherapy, methotrexate, temozolomide, rituximab, procarbazine, vincristine, and cytarabine (Abstracts 2500 and 2501).
Meletios A. Dimopoulos, MD, of the University of Athens, discusses phase III results from the BOSTON trial, which showed that once-weekly selinexor, bortezomib, and dexamethasone significantly improved progression-free survival and overall response rates compared with twice-weekly bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients previously treated for multiple myeloma (Abstract 8501).
Neal D. Shore, MD, of the Carolina Urologic Research Center, discusses phase III results of the HERO study, which showed relugolix achieved castration as early as day 4 and was superior to leuprolide in sustained testosterone suppression, testosterone recovery after discontinuation, and reduction in cardiovascular side effects (Abstract 5602).
Douglas B. Johnson, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses three important melanoma abstracts: the need for more than two doses of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in combination immunotherapy; antitumor activity for low-dose ipilimumab with pembrolizumab after disease progression on PD-1 antibodies; and ipilimumab alone or in combination with anti–PD-1 therapy for metastatic disease resistant to PD-1 monotherapy (Abstracts 10003, 10004, and 10005).
David C. Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, of the University of Pennsylvania, who trained as an oncologist, summarizes his opening lecture, a dramatic story of his battle against Castleman, a disease of the lymph nodes, his multiple near-death experiences, and the path that led him to develop a cooperative research effort making a difference for him and other patients with this idiopathic orphan illness.
