BREAST CANCER

When findings of larotrectinib, a pan-TRK inhibitor co-developed by Bayer and Loxo Oncology, that generated significant excitement for the treatment of both adult and pediatric patients with TRK fusion cancers, were presented during the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting, the small molecule was lauded as a future standard of care for patients with advanced solid tumors harboring a TRK fusion.

The immunotherapy agent balixafortide (POL6326) has been granted Fast Track designation by the FDA in combination with eribulin (Halaven) for the treatment of patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who have previously received at least 2 chemotherapeutic regimens in the metastatic setting, according to Polyphor, the manufacturer of the potent and highly selective CXCR4 antagonist.

Fabrice André, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Medical Oncology at the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France, addresses questions regarding the use of platinum regimens for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). He discusses 2 platinum agents, cisplatin and carboplatin, and when it is recommended that these agents be used. 

Pembrolizumab produced a &ldquo;modest but durable&rdquo; response in heavily pretreated women with PD-L1&ndash;positive, estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, according to results from the KEYNOTE-028 trial which were recently published in <em>Clinical Cancer Research</em>.

Updated results of the&nbsp;phase III randomized OlympiAD trial, presented at the 2018 AACR Annual Meeting, suggest women with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer associated with a germline <em>BRCA</em> mutation may have a slight survival advantage with a poly polymerase inhibitor instead of chemotherapy.

According to the results from a phase I study, BLU-667, a next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was well-tolerated and demonstrated clinical benefit in patients with advanced,&nbsp;<em>RET</em>-altered solid tumors who had progressed on previous therapies. These findings were presented April 14 to 18 at the ASCR Annual Meeting 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.

Jennifer Litton, MD, associate professor in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses her opinion on the use of PARP inhibitors in the field of breast cancer.&nbsp;

Jennifer Litton, MD, associate professor in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the role of biosimilars in the treatment of breast cancer.

In an interview with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Mark Robson, MD, discussed the current and future role of olaparib, as well as the role of genetic testing in the treatment of breast cancer.

A&nbsp;marketing authorization application for olaparib (Lynparza) for the&nbsp;treatment of women with <em>BRCA</em>-mutated, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who previously received chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or metastatic setting has been accepted by the&nbsp;European Medicines Agency.

A marketing authorization for ABP 980, a biosimilar to trastuzumab (Herceptin), has been issued a positive opinion by the&nbsp;European Medicines Agency&rsquo;s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP).

Mixed results have occured in recent trials testing immuotherapy in patients with breast cancer. Checkpoint inhibitors have been used as monotherapy in a pair of trials, reporting lackluster overall response rates. When immunotherapy was paired with chemotherapy, on the other hand, it usually showed better results, and gave signals that immunotherapies combined with targeted agents could work better than immunotherapy alone.

The new drug application for larotrectinib (LOXO-101) for treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors that harbor an NTRK gene fusion&nbsp;has been completed.&nbsp;

Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD,&nbsp;discusses several exciting advancements in the field of breast cancer, including immunotherapy, PARP inhibitors, and liquid biopsies.

Elizabeth Mittendorf, MD, PhD, director of the Breast Oncology Program at the Susan F. Smith Center for Women&rsquo;s Cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the importance of identifying biomarkers in patients with breast cancer. Current studies are looking at PD-L1 as a possible biomarker, but Mittendorf believes there may be other biomarkers that will prove to be more reliable.&nbsp;

Lung Cancer

Tumor reduction for patients with ER-positive breast cancer can be achieved with endocrine therapy and can&nbsp;possibly avoid the need for chemotherapy or even surgery in some patients. Hyman B. Muss, MD, who presented at the 2018 Miami Breast Cancer Conference, said that deciding how long to continue this therapy can be tricky, however.

Uttara Nayar, PhD, shares the findings of recent studies in patients with ER+ breast cancer. Findings&nbsp;have shown that acquired HER2 mutations lead to endocrine resistance, the most frequent cause of breast cancer mortality in the country.

Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, explains how ovary suppression is done in patients with breast cancer. This is a particularly important treatment for younger women who still wish to have children one day.