All Oncology News

Several studies presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting helped further refine and inform treatment strategies for the budding class of CAR T-cell therapies, with a focus on predicting adverse events and optimizing efficacy.

The combination of nivolumab and low-dose ipilimumab reduced the risk of progression or death by 52% compared with standard platinum doublet chemotherapy for patients with metastatic PD-L1–negative, tumor mutation burden-high non–small cell lung cancer.

Second-line ramucirumab (Cyramza) reduced the risk of death by 29% versus placebo in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and elevated alpha-fetoprotein.

The combination of bevacizumab (Avastin) and erlotinib (Tarceva) is superior to erlotinib alone as upfront treatment for non–small cell lung cancer harboring EGFR mutations.

Combining olaparib (Lynparza) with abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 35% compared with abiraterone alone in pretreated patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

The investigational second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor dacomitinib improved overall survival compared with gefitinib as first-line treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer harboring activating EGFR mutations.

Half of patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer achieved disease control when treated with the combination of niraparib (Zejula) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda).

The pathologic complete response rate associated with the trastuzumab biosimilar ABP 980 was equivalent to that of reference trastuzumab based on central laboratory evaluation in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer enrolled in the phase III LILAC study.

Ivosidenib induced an overall response rate of 41.6% (95% CI, 32.9-50.8) in patients with IDH1-positive relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

MYL-1401O (Ogivri; trastuzumab-dkst) added to a taxane as initial therapy followed by MYL-1401O monotherapy as maintenance resulted in a nearly identical rate of progression-free survival compared with trastuzumab (Herceptin) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

The bevacizumab biosimilar PF-06439535 demonstrated similarity to the European Union bevacizumab reference product for overall response rate, with similar pharmacokinetic and immunogenicity profiles for patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

All 3 patients with targeted gene fusions responded to the multikinase inhibitor entrectinib, according to a phase I study in children and young adults with advanced, previously treated central nervous system tumors.

James Urbanic, MD, discusses the evolving role of radiotherapy in patients with oligometastatic and metastatic non–small cell lung cancer.

The FDA has granted a priority review to a supplemental new drug application for eltrombopag (Promacta) for use in combination with standard immunosuppressive therapy as a frontline treatment for patients with severe aplastic anemia.

David M. Nanus, MD, discusses the promise of immunotherapy and the continued role of surgery in the treatment in renal cell carcinoma.

Susan N. Chi, MD, discusses the rationale for using tazemetostat in pediatric patients with INI1-negative rhabdoid tumors, as well as the future steps being taken with this treatment.

The FDA has accepted a supplemental new drug application for cabozantinib as a treatment for patients with previously-treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

The FDA has granted crizotinib a breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer with MET exon 14 alterations, and for use in patients with relapsed/refractory ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Two separate early-phase clinical trials exploring daratumumab in combination with either a PD-1 inhibitor for multiple myeloma or a PD-L1 inhibitor for non–small cell lung cancer were terminated following a planned interim analysis.

Adding atezolizumab (Tecentriq) to nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) and carboplatin in the frontline setting significantly improved overall survival in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer.

The FDA has granted a priority review to a new drug application for gilteritinib for the treatment of adult patients with FLT3 mutation–positive relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

The FDA has granted a priority review to a new drug application for larotrectinib for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors with an NTRK gene fusion.

Sandip P. Patel, MD, discusses existing and emerging immunotherapy approaches for patients with locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC.

Birte Wistinghausen, MD, shares her insight on the potential for targeted therapies in the treatment of pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and the steps that the Children’s Oncology Group is taking to cure all patients with this disease.

The FDA has extended the review period for lenvatinib as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. The new action date for the supplemental new drug application is August 24, 2018.

Durvalumab significantly improved overall survival versus placebo when used as a sequential treatment in patients with locally-advanced, unresectable non–small cell lung cancer who had not progressed following standard chemoradiotherapy, according to updated findings from the phase III PACIFIC trial.

Adding ofatumumab (Arzerra) to bendamustine (Treanda) failed to improve progression-free survival in patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma who did not respond to rituximab (Rituxan) monotherapy.

Haythem Y. Ali, MD, discusses adjuvant advances in HER2-postitive breast cancer and emerging agents in the field.

Frontline treatment with the combination of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and obinutuzumab (Gazyva) improved progression-free survival compared with chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab in patients with CLL or SLL.

Jing Ai, MD, discusses the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome.