August 2015

Experts review ongoing clinical research with JAK inhibitors in advanced pancreatic cancer as well as some strategies for preclinical testing of vertical inhibition of the JAK pathway.

The characterization of molecular abnormalities implicated in the tumorigenesis of sarcomas is being increasingly applied to the classification, prognostication and, in particular situations, management of these diseases.

Germline mutations in PALB2 have recently been shown to increase lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, among other types.

Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is a novel and attractive treatment approach to many cancers, including malignant glioma, because of its potential to restore anti-tumor immunity.

At the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting, we witnessed an extraordinary explosion into the general oncology consciousness of the Programmed Death-1: Programmed Death Ligand-1 axis and drugs that target that interaction.