GI CANCERS

In a 7-to-5 vote, the FDA&rsquo;s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee recommended the PARP inhibitor olaparib as first-line maintenance therapy for patients with germline&nbsp;BRCA-mutated metastatic pancreatic cancer whose disease did not progress after first-line treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy, AstraZeneca and MSD, Inc. reported in a press release.<br /> &nbsp;

New results from the KEYNOTE-164 trial have shown that patients with previously treated microsatellite instability-high DNA mismatch repair advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer who received pembrolizumab responded well to the drug.

The FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee has announced a hearing to discuss a supplemental new drug application for olaparib tablets&nbsp;<a>for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline&nbsp;<em>BRCA-</em>mutant metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma</a>&nbsp;who have not progressed on first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

Timil Patel, MD, discusses how to sequence therapies in a patient with rectal cancer with a single lung nodule.

In November 2019, the FDA approved a number of treatments, including acalabrutinib for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic leukemia, as well as zanubrutinib for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma. A biosimilar for pegfilgrastim was also approved under indications.

In patients whose solid<strong> </strong>tumors harbor a mutation in <em>KRAS </em>G12C, therapy with MRTX849 has produced promising responses and acceptable toxicity across 3 tumors types, according to data presented at the 2019 American Association for Cancer Research&ndash;National Cancer Institute&ndash;European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics.

The FDA has granted a priority review designation to a New Drug Application for pemigatinib, as a treatment for patients with previously treated, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements, according to a press release from Incyte.

Surufatinib has been granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, according to a press release from Hutchison China MediTech Limited.

Given the frequency of <em>FGFR2</em>&nbsp;alterations in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, investigators have identified it as a potential prognostic indicator of survival and a rational target of systemic cancer therapies.

TT-00420, an investigational spectrum-selective multiple kinase inhibitor received an orphan drug designation from the FDA for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma, TransThera Biosciences Co. Ltd announced in a press release.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Daniel Catenacci, MD, discusses how he makes decisions with immunotherapeutic agents for the treatment of patients with gastroesophageal junction cancer. He says he bases his sequencing decisions on a number of factors.

Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD, explains how prognoses for patients with colorectal cancer differ based on whether their cancer is left-sided or right-sided and discusses how knowledge of these differences have led to the development of more agents to treat both groups of patients.

The combination of onvansertib, a third-generation adenosine triphosphate inhibitor, with FOLFIRI and bevacizumab achieved positive responses in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in the second-line setting, according to the results of a phase Ib/II reported in a press release from Trovagene, Inc.<br /> &nbsp;

The FDA has approved a supplemental New Drug Application for a single dose of aprepitant injectable emulsion for intravenous use in patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. The approval expands the dose for aprepitant to include a 130 mg single-dose regimen for the prevention of acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.<br /> &nbsp;

Pamela L. Kunz, MD, discusses the most recent FDA approval of Lutathera (lutetium [Lu 177] dotatate) for the treatment of patients with gastroenteropancreatic NETs (GEP-NETs), including foregut, midgut, and hindgut tumors.

TAS-102 improved overall survival in patients with metastatic gastric/gastroesophageal junction cancer, regardless of prior gastrectomy, according to a preplanned subgroup analysis from the phase III TAGS trial published in&nbsp;<em>JAMA Oncology</em>.<br /> &nbsp;

Treatment targeting molecular pathways such as <em>BRAF, </em>HER2<em>,</em> and <em>RAS</em> has typically been reserved for later lines of therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Benjamin A. Weinberg, MD, said that agents targeting these pathways are not yet ready for the upfront setting, but data from ongoing trials suggest that these agents may eventually have a role to play in first- and second-line treatment.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Daniel Catenacci, MD, discussed the clinical trials supporting immunotherapeutic options for patients with GEJ cancer. He also highlighted how physicians can sequence these agents appropriately in their patients.