Upfront Fulvestrant Improves OS Compared With Anastrozole in HR-Positive MBC
December 13th 2014Fulvestrant (Faslodex) improved overall survival (OS) by 5.7 months compared with anastrozole as a frontline treatment for postmenopausal women with HR-positive metastatic breast cancer. These findings from the phase II FIRST trial were presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Addition of Bevacizumab to Chemo Improves pCR Rates in Patients With Basal-Like Breast Cancer
December 12th 2014Adding bevacizumab to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved pathologic complete response rates in women with basal-like breast cancer compared with non-basal-like subtypes. These results from the CALGB 40603 trial were presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Autologous Transplantation Effective, Safe for HIV-Associated Lymphoma
December 8th 2014Patients with HIV-associated lymphoma can effectively be treated with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHCT), with outcomes that are similar to patients without HIV. Joseph Alvarnas, MD, presented results from a phase II study at the 2014 ASH Annual Meeting.
Pembrolizumab Extends Survival Versus Chemotherapy in Metastatic Melanoma
November 19th 2014Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) by over 43% compared with chemotherapy as a treatment for patients with metastatic melanoma who were refractory to ipilimumab (Yervoy).
Frontline Nivolumab Improves OS, PFS Versus Dacarbazine in Advanced Melanoma
November 19th 2014Frontline treatment with nivolumab (Opdivo) significantly extended overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) when compared with dacarbazine in patients with untreated BRAF wild-type advanced melanoma.
Access to Radium-223 Restored Following Brief Suspension
November 7th 2014Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals restored access to radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo) following a temporary suspension in production to adjust its manufacturing process to meet certain quality standards that the company has in place.
ODAC Votes 5-2 Against Panobinostat in Myeloma
November 7th 2014The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 5-2 against the accelerated approval of panobinostat (Farydak) in combination with bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy.
Ramucirumab Plus Paclitaxel Gains Approval for Advanced Gastric Cancer
November 7th 2014Based on data from the phase III RAINBOW trial, the FDA has approved ramucirumab (Cyramza) in combination with paclitaxel as a treatment for patients with previously treated advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.
Trebananib Does Not Improve Survival in Ovarian Cancer
November 5th 2014A statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS) was not seen with the combination of paclitaxel and the angiogenesis inhibitor trebananib when compared with paclitaxel alone for patients with recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
TAS-102 Receives Fast Track Designation for mCRC
October 21st 2014TAS-102 (tipiracil hydrochloride) has received a fast track designation from the FDA as a treatment for patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), according to an announcement by Taiho Oncology, the company developing the drug in the US.
Priority Review Granted to Lenvatinib for RAI-Refractory DTC
October 18th 2014The FDA has granted a priority review to the oral multiple tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor lenvatinib as a treatment for patients with progressive, radioactive iodine (RAI)-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).