PER® Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium (CFS)

Alexander E. Perl, MD, MS, associate professor, medicine, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses why genetic testing is important for determining targeted therapies for patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Mark G. Kris, MD, discusses the role of atezolizumab in patients with non–small cell lung cancer.

The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab have shown overall survival benefit in patients with metastatic melanoma, according to long-term follow-up data, and other studies’ results highlight the efficacy and toxicity benefits of different sequences of the combination.

Research in breast cancer has led to remarkable progress in the understanding and management of the disease, but the oncology community can always do more to optimize treatment outcomes for patients.

The benefit of PARP maintenance therapy for patients with advanced ovarian cancer differs depending on a number of factors, including the homologous recombination and BRCA mutation status of the tumor.

Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD, discussed the role of next-generation sequencing paired with systemic therapies and the option of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy in neuroendocrine malignancies.

Emerging novel therapies, new stratification factors, and sequencing challenges because of the new classifications for patients with breast cancer will be topics of discussion at the 40th Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium® during the breast cancer sessions.

New treatments are emerging for patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in addition to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, which has moved up into the second line.

The development of agents to address intolerance and acquired resistance to BTK inhibitors addresses 2 of the major unmet needs for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Clinicians treating patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphocytic leukemia now have multiple options at their disposal, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, blinatumomab, and multiagent chemotherapy-based regimens, with more options aiming to enter the treatment paradigm.

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, highlights the use of checkpoint inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates, and FGFR inhibitors in urothelial cancer and the current sequencing hurdles in the paradigm.

The Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium® returns to New York City for its 40th annual meeting with a 3-day program that will deliver the latest updates across the gamut of oncology care.

The treatment algorithm in metastatic colorectal cancer has gone from accounting only for the sidedness of the primary tumor, performance status, volume of disease, and potential resectability to also include the genetics of the tumor, particularly for patients in need of second-line therapy.

Lori J. Wirth, MD, discusses the phase 3 LIBRETTO-531 trial of selpercatinib in patients with RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer. 

Patrick Boland, MD, discusses the utility of circulating tumor DNA in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Nancy E. Davidson, MD, shares how to leverage imaging technologies to inform treatment decisions in patients with breast cancer.

Expanding the definition of personalized medicine to include social determinants of health disparities is needed to ensure patients with cancer receive optimal care, said Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, who added that lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic have sparked a new wave of enthusiasm to advocate for change and bridge existing gaps in oncology.

Increases investigative efforts into bispecific monoclonal antibodies could lead to their availability to treat a broad range of hematologic and solid cancers. Their current use in practice is limited to non–small cell lung cancer, leukemia, and hemophilia.

The management of endometrial cancer, a molecularly driven malignancy with 4 distinct subtypes, has witnessed significant progress with recent regulatory approvals of checkpoint blockade alone and in combination, said Bhavana Pothuri, MD, MS.

Ajai Chari, MD, discusses recommendations for minimal residual disease testing in patients with multiple myeloma.

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, patients with cancer should receive the full vaccination with 1 of the 3 approved COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they are able, according to Steven Ludlow, PharmD, BCOP, BCPS.

Francine Foss, MD, discusses pursing new therapeutic options for the treatment of patients with T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The identification of prognostic markers at diagnosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia is critical, says Deborah M. Stephens, DO, who explains that the results of testing for these markers can be used to educate patients on their prognosis, tailor therapy accordingly, and enroll eligible patients on clinical trials.

Newer modalities are exploring ways to provide more specificity on the value of minimal residual disease negativity in acute myeloid leukemia, since currently there is little definitive action that can be taken with the marker in clinical practice, according to Naval Daver, MD.

Marina Kremyanskaya, MD, PhD, discusses the need for disease-modifying treatment approaches for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.

The treatment landscape of relapsed/ refractory multiple myeloma has undergone rapid changes over the past 2 decades, with over a dozen drug approvals by the FDA.

Mark E. Robson, MD, discusses how a strong cognizance of germline testing is becoming increasingly important in the field of oncology, across an array of tumor types.

Maurie Markman, MD, discusses the utility of PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer.

James B. Yu, MD, MHS, discusses the utility of radiation in men with prostate cancer.

Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, MD, discusses the efforts that The National Cancer Institute has made to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.