Latest Conference Articles

Novel ALK Inhibitor Shows Promise Against Brain Metastasis in NSCLC

The first-in-human phase I/II dose-finding study of a novel ALK/EGFR inhibitor called AP26113 demonstrated promising results in both crizotinib-resistant and crizotinib-naïve patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Survival Benefit Observed With Cetuximab in RAS Wild-Type Colorectal Cancer

Cetuximab plus FOLFIRI may offer a survival advantage over FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab in the first-line treatment of patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer who do not have RAS mutations.

Dr. George on Critical Clinical Trials in Kidney Cancer

Daniel J. George, MD, Director, GU Oncology, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses critical phase III clinical trials in metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

BOLERO-3 Biomarker Study Provides Clues for Response to Everolimus

Exploratory analysis of biomarkers in the BOLERO-3 trial suggests that the addition of everolimus to trastuzumab plus vinorelbine for HER2-positive advanced breast cancer may be most beneficial in patients with low PTEN or high pS6 levels.

OS Comparable for Panitumumab and Cetuximab in KRAS Wild-Type mCRC

Panitumumab proved noninferior to cetuximab in extending overall survival in patients with chemorefractory KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer.

PD-L1 Inhibitor Delivers Rapid, Durable Responses in Advanced NSCLC

A phase I study has shown remarkable and durable responses with the engineered monoclonal antibody MPDL3280A in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, including tumors with squamous and adenocarcinoma histology.

T-DM1 Extends PFS in Heavily Pretreated Advanced Breast Cancer

T-DM1 extended progression-free survival compared with "physician's choice of treatment" in women with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Dr. Marc Peeters on the Aflibercept Toxicity Profile

Marc Peeters, MD, PhD, from the Antwerp University Hospital, discusses the importance of properly managing the toxicities associated with aflibercept when treating patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

IV Calcium/Magnesium Has No Effect on Oxaliplatin-Induced Neuropathy

Intravenous calcium plus magnesium given before or after adjuvant FOLFOX chemotherapy has absolutely no effect on the development of sensory neurotoxicity induced by oxaliplatin.

Dr. Lenz Explores KRAS/NRAS Mutations in Colorectal Cancer

Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, from the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the potential predictive impact of KRAS and NRAS mutations in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Simple, Inexpensive Blood Test Poised to Be a Real "Game Changer" in CRC Screening

A simple and inexpensive blood test is being developed that can be used to screen patients for premalignant colorectal cancer lesions which, once perfected, will be a real game changer.

Better Responders in VELOUR Derive Enhanced Benefit From Aflibercept

Better responders within a cohort of patients from the VELOUR study derive enhanced benefit from aflibercept when combined with FOLFIRI, a post-hoc analysis of the study shows.

Novel VEGFR-2 Inhibitor Prolongs Survival in Advanced Gastric/GEJ Adenocarcinoma

Ramucirumab significantly prolongs survival in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma following progression on first-line therapy.

Dr. Ruff on Selecting Anti- Angiogenic Agents in mCRC

Paul Ruff, MD, from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, elaborates on factors that can be utilized to select an appropriate antiangiogenic therapy as a second-line treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Nab-paclitaxel Plus Gemcitabine a Strong Predictor of Survival in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Treatment with weekly nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine remains a strong independent predictor of both OS and PFS in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer compared with gemcitabine alone.

Gemcitabine Response Depends on Gene Expression in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer

Patients who express low levels of a critical gene involved in transporting gemcitabine into pancreatic tumor cells have virtually no overall survival advantage from treatment with the drug in the adjuvant setting.

Dr. Venook on Geographic Variations in Treatments

Alan P. Venook, MD, from the University of California, San Francisco, describes factors that contribute to the geographic variations seen in therapies utilized to treat cancer in the United States and Europe.

Novel Hsp Inhibitor May Offer NSCLC Salvage Option

Salvage therapy combining the novel heat shock protein 90 inhibitor ganetespib with docetaxel significantly improved overall survival in some patients with non–small cell lung cancer.

Axillary Radiotherapy Equal to Surgery in Early Breast Cancer

Women with early sentinel lymph node-positive breast cancer achieve as much of a disease-free and survival benefit from axillary radiotherapy as they do from axillary lymph node dissection with significantly less risk of lymphedema.

Optimal Paclitaxel Schedule Identified for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Low-dose weekly paclitaxel is as effective and has fewer side effects than the standard biweekly schedule for patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Dr. Hudis Highlights Two Abstracts From ASCO 2013

Clifford A. Hudis, MD, ASCO President-Elect, describes the focus on global medicine at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

Vinegar Proves to Be Effective, Widely Implementable Cervical Cancer Screening Tool

A simple visual screening test using vinegar has the potential to dramatically reduce the number of deaths from cervical cancer in the developing world, according to findings from a large study in India, where use of the screening tool yielded a 31% reduction in cervical cancer mortality.

Drug Shortages Adversely Affect Treatment Decisions

Shortages of cancer drugs caused many oncologists and hematologists to choose suboptimal treatment plans for their patients last year, and government efforts have done little to boost the availability of the hard-to-find medications.

More Evidence for 10-Years of Tamoxifen in ER+ Breast Cancer

A British study has confirmed that 10 years of adjuvant tamoxifen substantially reduces late breast cancer recurrence and mortality among women with estrogen receptor-positive disease.

Dr. Gilbert Describes Ongoing RTOG 0825 Trial Analyses

Mark R. Gilbert, MD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, discusses findings from the RTOG 0825 phase III trial evaluating bevacizumab in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Bevacizumab Improves Survival in Advanced Cervical Cancer

Bevacizumab combined with either of two chemotherapy backbones improved overall survival by 3.7 months versus chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced cervical cancer.

Dr. Ribas on Anti-PD-1 Agent Lambrolizumab in Melanoma

Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses preliminary results of an ongoing trial investigating the anti-PD-1 antibody lambrolizumab in patients with advanced melanoma.

Dr. Ramalingam Reviews the GALAXY-1 Trial Results

Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, from the Winship Cancer Institute, describes results from the phase II GALAXY-1 trial that explored the Hsp90 inhibitor ganetespib as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.

Sorafenib Doubles PFS in Rare Thyroid Cancer

Interim findings from a randomized, global, phase III study indicate that the multi-targeted drug sorafenib nearly doubled PFS for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer resistant to radioactive iodine therapy.

First-Line Bevacizumab Does Not Improve Survival in Glioblastoma

Adding bevacizumab to a standard treatment regimen for glioblastoma consisting of chemoradiation with temozolomide in newly diagnosed patients does not improve OS and did not significantly improve PFS.