BREAST CANCER

According to findings published in<em> Nature Communications, </em>a&nbsp;blood test detecting early changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may provide earlier indication of whether patients with hormone receptor&ndash;positive, HER2-negative breast cancer are responding to the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib (Ibrance).

A wave of novel treatments and FDA approvals have flooded the HER2-positive breast cancer space.

New indications were approved by the FDA within the last month, including abemaciclib for HER2-negative breast cancer, durvalumab for non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, and abiraterone acetate for castration-sensitive prostate cancer.

According to results from a retrospective study published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology, </em>low-coverage genome-wide sequencing of cell-free DNA from plasma is capable of profiling cancer genomes from blood and predicting survival outcomes for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

Based on data from the phase III MONARCH 3 trial, abemaciclib has been granted FDA approval for use in combination with an aromatase inhibitor for the frontline treatment of postmenopausal women with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer,&nbsp;according to Eli Lilly and Company, the manufacturer of the CDK4/6 inhibitor.

In a final analysis of the phase III CALOR trial, the survival benefit demonstrated with adjuvant chemotherapy&nbsp;was sustained in patients with ER-negative breast cancer with isolated locoregional recurrence.

The optimal neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen in triple-negative breast cancer has not been clearly defined. Achieving a pathologic complete response provides important prognostic information, and, especially in TNBC, is considered a surrogate endpoint for event-free survival.

Lisa A. Carey, MD, professor, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the CALGB 40502/NCCTG N063H trial in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, a randomized phase III trial of paclitaxel compared with nab-paclitaxel or ixabepilone with bevacizumab as first-line chemotherapy for locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.<br /> &nbsp;

A novel therapeutic vaccine, TPIV200, is being investigated in a new randomized, multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial in patients with triple-negative breast cancer TNBC.

Priyanka Sharma, MD, has been named vice chair of SWOG&rsquo;s Breast Committee. Formerly known as the Southwest Oncology Group, SWOG is a global cancer research community and 1 of 5 National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network-funded groups.

Findings from a phase Ia, multicenter, open-label, study published in the&nbsp;<em>Journal of Clinical Oncology</em>&nbsp;showed a disease control rate of 58.2% with alpelisib (BYL719) in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Eflapegrastim (Rolontis), a novel long-acting granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, has met its primary endpoint of non-inferiority in duration of severe chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in comparison with pegfilgrastim (Neulasta) in the phase III ADVANCE study, according to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the biotechnology company developing the agent.

In findings from the phase II&nbsp;MDV3100-11 study published in the<em> Journal of Clinical Oncology</em>, enzalutamide demonstrated early signs of efficacy in&nbsp;patients with androgen receptor-positive triple-negative breast cancer.

Denise Yardley, MD, Senior Investigator, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, offers advice to community oncologists on managing patients.

Matthew Goetz, MD, professor of oncology and pharmacology, Mayo Clinic, discusses a secondary analysis of the MONARCH 1 and MONARCH 2 clinical trials in breast cancer.

Kathy S. Albain, MD, has been named the inaugural Huizenga Family Endowed Chair in Oncology Research at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Funded by Heidi Huizenga, one of Albain&rsquo;s beholden patients, her husband, and her family, the endowed chair recognizes Albain&rsquo;s notable contributions as a physician, research, teacher and mentor.

Just as CMS moves ahead with payment reforms designed to reduce the total cost of hospital care, results from a new study show that cancer treatment costs remain significantly lower at community oncology clinics compared with hospitals.

Susan Domchek, MD, discusses the&nbsp;evolving treatment landscape for patients with <em>BRCA&shy;</em>-related,<em> </em>metastatic breast cancer.

Charles Coombes, MD, professor of medical oncology, Imperial College London, discusses a study of celecoxib versus placebo in primary breast cancer patients.&nbsp;

According to long-term follow-up results from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-31 trial published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology</em>,<em>&nbsp;</em>trastuzumab (Herceptin) did not reduce cardiac function in women with node-positive,&nbsp;HER2+, early-stage breast cancer.

Based on results from the phase III OlympiAD trial, the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) has been approved by the FDA&nbsp;for the treatment of patients with germline&nbsp;BRCA-positive, metastatic breast cancer.

Hope S. Rugo, MD, discusses findings of the&nbsp;CALGB 40502/NCCTG N063H study, which was a randomized phase III trial of paclitaxel compared with nab-paclitaxel or ixabepilone with bevacizumab as first-line chemotherapy for locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.

Aditya Bardia, MD, MPH, discusses&nbsp;phase I/II trial of sacituzumab govitecan which showed favorable clinical activity in patients with relapsed or refractory metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who have received at least 2 prior treatment regimens.

Howard A. &ldquo;Skip&rdquo; Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO, has been elected as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for the 2019-2020 term, which will begin in June 2019.

Hope S. Rugo, MD, a medical oncologist and Director of the Breast Oncology Clinical Trials Program at University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses 5-year follow-up data from the&nbsp;CALGB 40502//NCCTG N063H study, which was a randomized phase III trial of weekly paclitaxel (Abraxane) compared with nab-paclitaxel or ixabepilone (Ixempra) with bevacizumab (Avastin) as first-line chemotherapy for locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer.