COVID-19 Decreased, Delayed Cancer Identification and Treatment Delivery, Study Shows
November 7th 2020Significant short-term disruptions in care delivery were observed during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, which may have long-term consequences in morbidity and survival implications for patients who were unable to receive cancer screening, treatment, and surgery throughout this time.
New CRC Screening Recommendations Posted for Adults Aged 45 to 75 Years
October 30th 2020A draft recommendation statement was published by the United States Preventive Services Task Force stating that screening for colorectal cancer should start at the age of 45, according to a press release from the Task Force Bulletin.
3-Month CAPOX Regimen Appears Less Toxic Than 6-Month Treatment in CRC
October 30th 2020Results of a randomized phase 3 trial demonstrated that the 3-month regimen of adjuvant combination therapy caused significantly less grade 2 or more peripheral sensory neuropathy than the 6-month regimen as treatment of patients with high-risk stage II colorectal cancer, while not affecting the 3-year disease-free survival rate, according to a report in the Annals of Oncology.
PLK1 Inhibitor, Abiraterone Combo Shows Preliminary Efficacy and Safety in mCRPC
October 22nd 2020In a phase 2 trial, onvansertib, a polo-like kinase 1 inhibitor, combined with abiraterone acetate in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have early abiraterone resistance, demonstrated a decent safety profile across 3 dosing schedules and efficacy in the evaluable arms.
Investigators Tailor TNBC Therapy Using Genomic Alterations
October 21st 2020In a presentation at the 2020 Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium, Virginia G. Kaklamani, MD, DSc, reviewed the current genomic tools in the triple negative breast cancer landscape that predict response to targeted treatments.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Goes to Developers of Genome Editing System CRISPR
October 9th 2020The creation of the CRISPR-Cas9, a novel gene-editing technology used in oncology and other areas of scientific research was the antecedent for Emmanuelle Charpentier, PhD, and Jennifer A. Doudna, PhD, being awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Expert Highlights Importance of Biomarker Testing in Pancreatic Cancer
October 7th 2020At ISGIO 2020, Michael J. Pishvaian, MD, PhD, discussed the importance of using standard-of-care chemotherapy and to test for actionable mutations in patients with pancreatic cancers, which can identify ways to individualize therapy for these patients.
FDA Grants Fast Track Designation to CAR T Therapy for B-Cell Malignancies
October 2nd 2020The “switchable” chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy CLBR001 plus SWI019 received a Fast Track designation for patients with B-cell malignancies such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to a press release from Scripps Research.
Longer Survival Observed With Atezolizumab for High PD-L1 NSCLC
October 1st 2020In a phase 3 trial, atezolizumab demonstrated a significantly longer overall survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had high PD-L1 expression regardless of histologic type compared with platinum-based chemotherapy.
DFS Improvement Shown With Nivolumab for High-Risk Urothelial Cancer
September 28th 2020Nivolumab monotherapy administered after surgery demonstrated a significant improvement in disease-free survival compared with placebo in patients with high-risk, muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma, for all patients randomized in the phase 3 CheckMate-274 trial and those with PD-L1 ≥1% in their tumors, meeting the primary end point of the study.
Bridging the Gap Between Oncology and Cardiology Takes a Nurse Navigator
September 23rd 2020During the 2020 Association of Community Cancer Centers Virtual National Oncology Conference, a cardio-oncologist and nurse navigator explained the importance of identifying cardiotoxicities in patients with cancer and how to implement a program to help these patients have improved care coordination and experience through employing a nurse navigator
Deferred Cytoreductive Nephrectomy Plus Sunitinib Bests Immediate Surgery in RCC
September 22nd 2020In a post hoc analysis of the randomized phase 3 SURTIME trial of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, early treatment with sunitinib demonstrated better control over the disease as well as detection of progression before planned cytoreductive nephrectomy.
Olaparib Shows PFS Benefit at 5-Year Follow-Up in BRCA Ovarian Cancer
September 18th 2020Patients with newly diagnosed, advanced BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer who experienced complete or partial response following platinum-based chemotherapy continued to exhibit benefit in progression-free survival when receiving olaparib at long-term follow up versus placebo as first-line maintenance.
Promising Activity Seen With Dabrafenib Doublet in BRAF V600E+ Biliary Tract Cancer
September 18th 2020The combination of dabrafenib and trametinib in patients with biliary tract cancer and BRAF V600E mutations demonstrated clinical activity and a manageable safety profile, according to results from the phase 2 ROAR study.
Black Patients Experience Lower OS With CRC Liver Metastases Than Others
September 12th 2020Compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Black patients were the least likely to receive chemotherapy or surgical resection for colorectal liver metastases and experienced worse survival, according to a published research paper.
Ixazomib Combination Shows 13+ Month PFS in Multiple Myeloma
September 10th 2020The efficacy of ixazomib with lenalidomide and dexamethasone versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone plus placebo was shown in the phase 3 TOURMALINE-MM2 trial for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who were not eligible for autologous stem cell transplant, according to a press release from Takeda.
Frontline Durvalumab/Chemotherapy Shows Promising Activity in Mesothelioma
September 4th 2020In the first reported trial of an immune checkpoint inhibitor with chemotherapy in patients with treatment naïve malignant pleural mesothelioma, durvalumab in combination with cisplatin and pemetrexed demonstrated clinical activity and tolerability, according to published study.
Snapshot of the Oncology Workforce Shows Shortage of Specialists in Pockets of the Country
September 3rd 2020The American Society of Clinical Oncology gathered the most recent data on the supply of oncologist in comparison to the demand for them in the United States. A significant shortage of specialists was discovered.
Targeted Therapy Combinations With JAK inhibition Show Early Promise for Myelofibrosis
August 31st 2020Patients with myelofibrosis have complicated pathology and multiple pathways, creating the opportunity to use multiple targeted agents for treatment, but also leading to greater potential for resistance to monotherapy, according to Lucia Masarova, MD.
FDA to Release Guidance on Evaluating Cancer Drugs for Brain Metastases
August 31st 2020The FDA announced draft guidance, which provides recommendations for the design of clinical trials and biological products for product labeling for those with brain metastases regulated by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
Trial Investigates a Novel Engineered Toxin Body, Lenalidomide Combo in NHL
August 25th 2020A phase 2a study is recruiting patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma to receive the combination of MT-3724, a novel CD-20–targeting engineered toxin body and lenalidomide, according to a poster presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Advances in Malignant Lymphoma Meeting.
Lung Cancer Care Quality Improvement Model Released by ACCC
August 21st 2020A quality improvement tool called “Improving Care Coordination: A Model for Lung Cancer” released by the Association of Community Cancer Centers is a model framework to be used by cancer care providers to improve care coordination for patients with lung cancer who are covered by Medicaid.
Novel IAP Inhibitor Shows Significant OS Benefit for High-Risk Head and Neck Cancer
August 13th 2020Debio 1143, a potential first-in-class inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, demonstrated a statistically and clinically significant overall survival improvement when used in combination with chemoradiotherapy as treatment of patients with high-risk locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, according to a press release from Debiopharm.