Revisit Every OncLive On Air Episode From November 2024

November Recap

In case you missed any, below is a recap of every episode of OncLive On Air® that aired in November 2024. Check out our podcast page for a full episode lineup and to stay up to date with all the latest releases!

How to Use Toripalimab Plus Chemotherapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: With Tarek Mekhail, MD, MSC, FRCSI, FRCSEd

In this episode, Tarek Mekhail, MD, MSC, FRCSI, FRCSEd, of the AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, Florida, highlighted the rationale for investigating the PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorzi) in combination with chemotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the efficacy of toripalimab in the first- and second-line nasopharyngeal carcinoma settings, and where the future is headed regarding the use of immunotherapy in this disease.

“Be on the cutting edge of new findings and new approvals, [such as those] combining chemotherapy and immunotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma,” Mekhail emphasized in the interview. “Toripalimab is the drug that is the standard of care, and [any patient] who does not have a contraindication should be getting it as a frontline [therapy] or as a single agent for recurrent disease.”

Explore Emerging Breast Cancer Treatment Trends With Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS

In this exclusive interview, Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS, of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, discussed top breast cancer data from the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting and 2024 ESMO Congress, as well as his forecast for the field of breast cancer management in the future.

“What we have now is a good bedrock and foundation, but we always want to have better-tolerated and more effective medicines,” Kalinsky emphasized in the interview. “There are a number of agents that are in development, both on the endocrine therapy side as well as on the targeted therapy side.”

Relacorilant Plus Nab-Paclitaxel Carves New Avenues of Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Care: With Premal Thaker, MD, MS

In this episode, Premal Thaker, MD, MS, of the Washington University in St. Louis and the Siteman Cancer Center in Missouri, talked through the reasons for investigating the combination of relacorilant (CORT125134)and nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, data from a phase 2 trial (NCT03776812) examining this combination in this patient population, and how the phase 3 ROSELLA trial (NCT05257408) may shape the future of this combination.

“We have always addressed…distinct pathways in cancer biology, and this has more of a global effect,” Thaker noted. “That synergy between chemotherapy and this glucocorticoid receptor modulator has great potential.” 

FDA Approval Insights: Zolbetuximab for CLDN18.2+ HER2-Negative Gastric and GEJ Adenocarcinoma

On October 18, 2024, the FDA granted approval to zolbetuximab-clzb (Vyloy) in combination with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic, HER2-negative, Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2)–positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. This regulatory decision was supported by data from the phase 3 SPOTLIGHT (NCT03504397) and GLOW (NCT03653507) trials. 

In this exclusive interview, Jaffer A. Ajani, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, discussed the significance of this approval, as well as considerations for the clinical use of zolbetuximab and the importance of testing for CLDN18.2 prior to treatment initiation in patients with gastric or GEJ cancer.

“CLDN18.2 is a target in gastric and GEJ adenocarcinoma, but we have never exploited it,” Ajani explained. “This is the first time in the entire oncology [arena] that we can exploit this target.”

HPV16-Targeted Immunotherapy Is Set to Personalize HNSCC Management: With Kevin Harrington, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCR, FRSB

In this interview, Kevin Harrington, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCR, FRSB, of The Institute of Cancer Research in London, United Kingdom, spotlighted unmet needs for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the rationale for the investigation of PDS0101 (Versamune HPV) in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with HPV16-positive HNSCC, and his hopes for the future implications of the ongoing phase 3 VERSATILE-003 trial.

“[PDS0101 plus pembrolizumab] is potentially a highly efficacious and well-tolerated treatment approach that offers patients a realistic chance of benefit and improved outcomes for HPV-related head and neck cancer,” Harrington said.

Trastuzumab Deruxtecan Advances HER2+ Gynecologic Cancer Care: With Susana M. Campos, MD, MPH

In this exclusive conversation, Susana M. Campos, MD, MPH, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, explained the clinical implications of data from the gynecologic cancer cohorts of the phase 2 DESTINY-PanTumor02 trial (NCT04482309), considerations for adverse effect management in patients receiving fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd; Enhertu), and her top takeaways from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for gynecologic cancer management.

“[T-DXd] is a viable agent, [and] we should be testing our patients for HER2/neu expression,” Campos emphasized. “We should be mindful of what this drug is in terms of the vehicle, the antibody, [and] potential toxicity, and we remain hopeful that this drug continues to produce the results it did initially in the DESTINY-PanTumor02 trial.”

Long-Term Data Solidify the Role of Zanubrutinib in R/R CLL: With Alexey Danilov, MD, PhD; and Nicole Lamanna, MD

In this exclusive episode, Alexey Danilov, MD, PhD, of City of Hope in Duarte, California, hosted a discussion with Nicole Lamanna, MD, of the Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York, New York, about notable findings from the final comparative analysis of the phase 3 ALPINE trial (NCT03734016) in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). They also discussed toxicities associated with zanubrutinib (Brukinsa) to consider when using this agent and potential future directions for the use of BTK inhibitors in CLL.

“I stopped using ibrutinib [(Imbruvica) for patients with CLL] a couple of years ago, and this update reinforced my opinion on that, although I am interested to see the updates from the phase 2 TAILOR study [NCT05963074], which investigates lower doses [of ibrutinib in patients with previously untreated CLL],” Danilov explained.

“[In ALPINE], there was a difference in overall response rate and progression-free survival [between the zanubrutinib and ibrutinib arms],” Lamanna added. “Even in patients with high-risk disease…there were decreased cardiac events… For my patients [with CLL] who are going to start a covalent BTK inhibitor, I’m not going to be using ibrutinib because of these data.”

FDA Approval Insights: Obe-Cel in B-Cell Precursor ALL

On November 8, 2024, the FDA granted approval to obecabtagene autoleucel (Aucatzyl; obe-cel) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This regulatory decision was supported by data from the phase 1/2 FELIX trial (NCT04404660).

In this exclusive interview, Paul J. Shaughnessy, MD, of Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, highlighted the significance of this approval, efficacy and safety data from FELIX, and where obe-cel fits into the ALL treatment armamentarium.

“This FDA approval adds another line of therapy for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory ALL,” Shaughnessy said. “This is a difficult patient population to treat, so to have a CAR T-cell therapy with excellent efficacy and also decreased toxicity…makes [obe-cel] a viable option for adult patients with relapsed/refractory ALL.”