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Asher A. Chanan-Khan, MD, chair, Hematology/Oncology, Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, discusses ibrutinib (Imbruvica) combined with rituximab and bendamustine (BR) as treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) from a mechanism of action point of view.

Lead PERSIST-1 author Ruben A. Mesa, MD, deputy director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, discussed the trial's results and pacritinib's potential to change the treatment paradigm for patients with myelofibrosis.

Immunotherapies and targeted therapies have led to significant strides in the treatment of patients with melanoma. However, determining which therapies are best for which patients and how to treat patients who don't respond or stop responding to these new therapies is still a challenge. For further insight on optimizing the recent treatment breakthroughs in melanoma, OncLive spoke with Alan Bryce, MD, medical director of the Genomic Oncology Clinic at Mayo Clinic.

By targeting the HER2 protein's ability to transform cells, therapies such as trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta) have significantly extended the survival of women with HER2-positive breast cancer. However, major treatment challenges still remain for this breast cancer subtype, according to Ruth Lupu, PhD, professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic.

Alan H. Bryce, MD, medical oncologist, Mayo Clinic, discusses the need for molecular testing in patients with metastatic or high-risk stage III melanoma.

Richard W. Joseph, MD, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses some improvements needed in the field of immunotherapy as a treatment for melanoma.

Eligibility criteria set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for coverage of low-dose computed tomography for individuals deemed at high risk for lung cancer may actually exclude many potential lung cancer patients who would benefit from screening.

Edith Perez, MD, the deputy director at large for the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, compares the results of the BOLERO-1 and BOLERO-3 trials.

Adverse events among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who responded best to regorafenib in the phase III CORRECT trial were "broadly similar" to the overall study population.

Coping with challenges is part of the human condition, but self-awareness can have far-reaching results. Just ask Edith A. Perez, MD, about her experience attending medical school.

Edith A. Perez, MD, the deputy director at large for the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, discusses the BEACON trial.

Sean C. Dowdy, MD, discusses the association of molecular subtypes and responses to bevacizumab in ovarian cancer.

Sean Dowdy, MD, a Mayo Clinic gynecologic oncologist discusses a study showing molecular sequencing could identify ovarian cancer patients who are most likely to benefit from treatment with bevacizumab (Avastin), a Mayo Clinic-led study has found.

Mark R. Litzow, MD, a professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, discusses novel immunologic therapies for the treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Judy C. Boughey, MD, associate professor of surgery, director, Breast Surgical Oncology Training Program, Mayo Clinic, discusses implications for axillary radiation following review of the ACOSOG Z11 trial.

The role of allogeneic transplant in the treatment of adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is evolving as a result of new studies providing evidence of the efficacy of an improved chemotherapy regimen

Mark R. Litzow, MD, chair, ECOG-ACRIN Leukemia Committee, professor of medicine, Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the role of transplant in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

As advances in systemic therapy improve our ability to individualize breast cancer treatment, and improve response rates and outcomes, it is important to reevaluate the most appropriate form of local-regional management.

Some patients with micropapillary urothelial carcinoma face a three-fold risk of cancer death because their disease amplifies HER2 and overexpresses its protein product, and there may be a role for treatment of the condition with HER2- targeted agent trastuzumab, which has vastly increased the odds of survival for eligible patients with breast cancer.

Ayalew Tefferi, MD, hematologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, discusses the toxicity of imetelstat in patients with myelofibrosis.

Shaji K. Kumar, MD, professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic, describes the design of a phase II trial looking at the single-agent activity of the proteasome inhibitor MLN9708 for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma.

Minetta Liu, MD, Breast Cancer Specialist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, describes the CellSearch CTC Test in breast cancer.

A meta-analysis of nearly 2000 patients has shown that physical activity may substantially reduce the risk of developing esophageal cancer, especially esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Multiple new proteasome inhibitors currently in clinical or preclinical development bode well for potential future therapies for multiple myeloma, both in frontline and relapsed or refractory settings.

Minetta Liu, MD, breast cancer specialist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, discusses the limitations of radiology in metastatic breast cancer treatment.

A multisite, randomized, double-blind trial evaluating the fatigue-ameliorating properties of American ginseng in cancer patients and recent survivors has found the herb to be helpful in reducing some aspects of CRF, with the benefit strongest among patients currently in treatment.

Current T staging for renal cell carcinoma does not capture the full picture of tumor volume, which data have shown to be more predictive of survival and recurrence in certain types of cancer.

The results of the first prospective multicenter trial of cryoablation in lung cancer show that this emerging treatment may be a safe, effective, and minimally invasive method of helping a specific group of patients with advanced disease.

Minetta Liu, MD, Breast Cancer Specialist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, discusses the use of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for prognosis and prediction in patients with breast cancer.

Ruben A. Mesa, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the mechanism of action of ruxolitinib in chronic myeloid leukemia.