All Oncology News

From optimal therapies for patients with non-driver adenocarcinoma, to studying the biology of squamous cell non–small cell lung cancer, to exploring novel combination regimens, to predicting the risk of mortality, the field of lung cancer is undergoing tremendous changes, explained Corey J. Langer, MD.

Patients with low-risk meningioma had a 3-year progression-free survival that modestly exceeded expectations after gross total resection followed by observation.

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was well tolerated and demonstrated promising antitumor activity in patients with PD-L1–positive advanced cervical squamous cell cancer.

Joshua Bauml, MD, discusses the evolution of EGFR-targeted therapies, resistance mutations in patients with non–small cell lung cancer, the evolution of next-generation sequencing, and ongoing trials that could have an impact in this space.

Katherine Thornton, MD, discusses the potential that immunotherapy agents could have in the field of sarcoma, as well as the role of genomic profiling in understanding the patients who may benefit from select treatments.

Regular screening for cervical cancer was found to be associated with an overall mortality prevention rate of 83%.

Patients with endometrial and cervical cancer reported significantly less acute gastrointestinal toxicity when treated with pelvic intensity-modulated radiation therapy as opposed to standard pelvic radiation therapy.

Chemoradiation for early-stage, low-grade follicular lymphoma led to significant improvement in progression-free survival compared with involved-field radiotherapy alone.

The c-MET inhibitor capmatinib (INC280) demonstrated early signals of efficacy with an overall response rate of 20% when administered to patients with advanced c-MET–dysregulated non–small cell lung cancer.

Stephen K. Chia, MD, highlights the key findings from the KRISTINE and NSABP B-41 trials and their implications for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer.

Treatment with KTE-C19 demonstrated an objective response rate of 79% and a complete remission rate of 52% for patients with aggressive, chemorefractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Michael F. Press, MD, PhD, discusses a retrospective study comparing the original FDA-approved criteria for HER2 gene amplification in breast cancer with the current ASCO-CAP guidelines, and exactly how the 2 sets of guidelines differ from one another.

Carfilzomib did not improve progression-free survival compared with bortezomib when used in combination with melphalan and prednisone as a treatment for transplant ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

A supplemental new drug application has been submitted to the FDA for the use of ibrutinib as a treatment for patients with marginal zone lymphoma.

A comparison of anatomic and functional imaging in the assessment of clinical outcomes in patients with Ewing sarcoma has shown that FDG-PET, assessed by PERCIST criteria, was superior in predicting clinical benefits and identifying responses.

The combination of the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib and the MEK inhibitor binimetinib improved progression-free survival compared with single-agent vemurafenib for patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma.

For patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy, olanzapine (Zyprexa) was found to demonstrate a significant improvement in the prevention of nausea when it was added to a standard antiemetic regimen.

Katherine Thornton, MD, discusses the use of trabectedin and eribulin both within and outside of their approved indications for soft tissue sarcoma.

Ceritinib improved progression-free survival compared with standard chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer.

Combining the diabetes drug metformin with everolimus and letrozole resulted in a clinical benefit rate of 60% in women with advanced or recurrent endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Researchers have created a new classification system for oropharyngeal cancer that is adjusted for the improved prognosis of patients with HPV-positive disease.

The FDA-approved fixed dose of 200 mg of pembrolizumab administered once every 3 weeks yielded durable responses in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Barbara A. Burtness, MD, discussed the potential role for immunotherapy in frontline head and neck cancer, as well as the possible benefit of using it in combination with standard treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy.

Elizabeth Plimack, MD, discusses some of the most impressive advancements with immunotherapy agents in the fields of renal cell carcinoma and bladder cancer, as well as remaining questions with the use of these treatments.

The moonshot was one of many topics discussed at a September 14 policy briefing held by the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Participants also discussed the growing cost of cancer research and the implications for policy makers, health care professionals, patients and society.

The FDA has accepted a new drug application for neratinib as an extended adjuvant therapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer following prior treatment with postoperative trastuzumab.

The European Medicines Agency has validated a type II variation application for use of nivolumab (Opdivo) as a treatment for patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have progressed following platinum-based chemotherapy.

Naiyer Rizvi, MD, discusses pivotal clinical trials of immunotherapy agents for patients with lung cancer and expresses his optimism regarding the treatment for the field.

A treatment recommendation based on reduced prostate-specific antigen failure observed from early results of randomized controlled trials is not likely to prolong survival in men with moderate-to-severe comorbidities.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy targeting CD19 demonstrated a nearly 80% complete remission rate across relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with multiple levels of disease burden.