All Oncology News

Two phase III trials examining afatinib (Gilotrif) in head and neck cancer have been stopped after an independent panel determined the pan-HER inhibitor was unlikely to demonstrate an efficacy benefit over placebo.

The pivotal phase III trial ARMOR 3-SV will be discontinued based on recommendations made by the trial's independent data monitoring committee.

The FDA granted daratumumab (Darzalex) a breakthrough therapy designation for use in combination with lenalidomide/dexamethasone or bortezomib/dexamethasone as a treatment for patients with multiple myeloma following at least 1 prior therapy.

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, professor of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, discusses his vision for radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and how it integrates with chemotherapy and other agents for treatment of this patient population.

Treatment with vemurafenib (Zelboraf) demonstrated an objective response rate of up to 38.5% for patients with radioactive iodine-refractory BRAF V600E-mutant papillary thyroid cancer who were multikinase inhibitor-naive.

A phase I/II study will explore the delta-like protein 3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T) with the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) alone or in combination with the CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab (Yervoy) for patients with relapsed extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

Recent findings from clinical trials exploring neoadjuvant treatment in patients with triple-negative breast cancer may provide answers to several questions surrounding early-stage disease.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended the approval of pegylated liposomal irinotecan (Onivyde) in combination with fluorouracil and leucovorin for patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma following progression on a gemcitabine-based therapy.

Robert Dreicer, MD, discusses the key questions that surround the optimal use and sequencing of radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and how the treatment has altered the field of radiopharmaceuticals.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has adopted a positive option for crizotinib (Xalkori) as a treatment for adults with ROS1-positive advanced non–small cell lung cancer, suggesting an approval may be imminent.

Cabozantinib (Cabometyx) has received a positive recommendation from the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use for use as treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma after the failure of VEGF-targeted therapy.

The CHMP has recommended the approval of lenvatinib in combination with everolimus for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma following one prior VEGF-targeted therapy.

The CD19-targeting CAR T-cell therapy CTL019 induced responses in 53% of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, including complete remissions in 35% of patients.

A 5-year assessment showed that neratinib reduced the risk of invasive disease recurrence or death by 26% compared with placebo as extended adjuvant therapy for patients with HER2-positive early stage breast cancer following 12 months of trastuzumab.

The biosimilar ABP 980 demonstrated similar pathologic complete response rates as the reference product trastuzumab (Herceptin) in a phase III study for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer.

Nathan Pennell, MD, PhD, discusses 3 available—and competing—agents in EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer, as well as ongoing clinical trials at Cleveland Clinic exploring other regimens for this patient population.

Scott Eggener, MD, discusses the implications of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovary trial update, and shares his views on PSA-based screening and how to appropriately use it for patients with early-stage prostate cancer.

A study of women treated with the mTOR inhibitor everolimus (Afinitor) plus exemestane for their advanced breast cancer found that daily use of a steroid-based mouthwash markedly decreased the incidence and severity of stomatitis.

Denise A. Yardley, MD, discusses two novel agents on the horizon for HER2-positive breast cancer.

The treatment landscape for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia continues to evolve, as long-term data become available from pivotal studies that led to the FDA approvals for the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and the PI3K inhibitor idelalisib (Zydelig).

The hedgehog inhibitor sonidegib (Odomzo) showed continued antitumor activity with no new safety concerns in patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma.

Mark W. Kris, MD, discusses immunotherapy, frontline therapies for nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer, and advancements in squamous cell carcinoma.

Shirish Gadgeel, MD, discusses the KEYNOTE-021 and KEYNOTE-189 studies, which are both examining pembrolizumab with chemotherapy in patients with non–small cell lung cancer.

The hedgehog inhibitor vismodegib (Erivedge) had an estimated disease control rate of 92.9% in the STEVIE trial, the largest ever study conducted in advanced basal cell carcinoma.

Robert Coleman, MD, and Leslie Randall, MD, provide further insight on the importance of BRCA testing.

Brentuximab vedotin showed a 5-year overall survival rate of 41% for patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma, suggesting a cure for some patients.

Avelumab, a fully human anti–PD-L1 IgG1 antibody, showed activity in patients with heavily pretreated recurrent or refractory ovarian cancer with an acceptable toxicity profile.

The phase III AURA3 study has confirmed the benefits of osimertinib seen in earlier phase II studies for patients with EGFR T790M-mutant locally-advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer following progression on a frontline EGFR TKI.

Adding the anti-CD20 agent obinutuzumab (Gazyva) to CHOP chemotherapy in the frontline setting did not improve progression-free survival compared with the standard regimen of rituximab (Rituxan) plus CHOP in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Raffaele Califano, MD, discusses the KEYNOTE-028 and CheckMate-032 trials, the role of PD-L1 as a biomarker in small cell lung cancer, and what is on the horizon for immunotherapies in the landscape of SCLC.