Ezra E.W. Cohen, MD, on Head and Neck Cancer: Avelumab and Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Disease
ESMO Virtual Congress 2020
Ezra E.W. Cohen, MD, of the University of California, San Diego, discusses primary results of the phase III JAVELIN trial of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, in which the immune checkpoint inhibitor avelumab was combined with chemoradiotherapy followed by avelumab maintenance. Although the study results were negative, Dr. Cohen suggests other regimens that may prove to be effective (Abstract 910O).
The ASCO Post Staff
Thierry Andre, MD, of Hôpital Saint-Antoine, discusses phase III KEYNOTE-177 findings on the reduced risk of disease progression or death in patients receiving pembrolizumab monotherapy as a first-line treatment of microsatellite instability–high and/or mismatch repair–deficient metastatic colorectal cancer (Abstract 396O).
The ASCO Post Staff
Andreas Schneeweiss, MD, of the Heidelberg University Hospital and German Cancer Research Center, discusses phase III survival data from the GeparOcto trial, which compared the neoadjuvant chemotherapy intense dose-dense EPC (epirubicin, paclitaxel, and cyclophosphamide) with weekly paclitaxel and liposomal doxorubicin (with or without carboplatin in triple-negative breast cancer) for patients with high-risk early breast cancer (Abstract 160O).
The ASCO Post Staff
Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori, discusses phase II results on progression-free survival for patients with advanced melanoma in the SECOMBIT study, whose aim is to evaluate the different sequencing of a BRAF inhibitor (encorafenib) plus a MEK inhibitor (binimetinib) with ipilimumab plus nivolumab (Abstract LBA45).
The ASCO Post Staff
Mansoor Raza Mirza, MD, of Copenhagen University Hospital, discusses phase II study results that showed the combination of palbociclib and letrozole, compared with placebo plus letrozole, improved progression-free survival in patients with estrogen receptor–positive advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer (Abstract LBA28).
The ASCO Post Staff
Monika K. Krzyzanowska, MD, MPH, of the Princess Margaret University Health Network, discusses study findings on remote proactive telephone-based toxicity management for patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy. Although the telehealth program was associated with fewer grade 3 toxicities and a slight decline in quality of life, it did not lead to fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations (Abstract LBA87).
