GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS

A subset of patients with GI cancers harboring&nbsp;<em>NTRK</em>&nbsp;gene fusions had positive responses to selective TRK inhibition with larotrectinib, confirming efficacy of the agent in this group. The results of the confirmatory trial were recently reported the 2020 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

Managing A Case of Heavily Pretreated Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

A phase Ib/II clinical trial of the experimental anti-mitochondrial drug devimistat in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine has been initiated in patients with biliary tract cancer, according to a press release from Rafael Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The company will collaborate with Michigan Medicine to proceed with the randomized multicenter clinical trial.

Myriad Genetics, Inc, has submitted a supplementary premarket approval application to the FDA for the myChoice CDx test for use in predicting outcomes for women with frontline platinum-responsive advanced ovarian cancer who are treated with niraparib, a PARP inhibitor, according to a press release from Myriad Genetics, Inc., the manufacturer of the test.

Dasatinib, a second-generation Abl-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, used concurrently with an intensive chemotherapy regimen yields superior outcomes compared with imatinib plus chemotherapy in pediatric patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, according to the results from the first randomized phase III clinical trial comparing the 2 drugs in this patients&nbsp;<a>population</a>.

Antonio&nbsp;Gonzalez Mart&iacute;n, MD, discusses the results from the phase III PRIMA study, which evaluated the PARP inhibitor niraparib versus placebo as a frontline treatment of patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer who responded to platinum-based chemotherapy.

Integrating a geriatric assessment into the care of older adults who are receiving cancer treatment in communi&shy;ty oncology practices improves patient and caregiver satisfaction and encourages commu&shy;nication about aging-related concerns, accord&shy;ing to results of a clinical trial that enrolled 541 patients with advanced cancer.

In an interview with&nbsp;Targeted Oncology, Eric Pujade-Lauraine, MD, PhD, discussed the data from the JAVELIN Ovarian 200 trial, which he presented at the 2019 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting. He highlighted the need for biomarkers in this space, as well as some data from an exploratory analysis from this trial.

The supplemental New Drug Application for olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, in combination with bevacizumab has been granted Priority Review by the FDA as maintenance treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer who are in complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, based on the results from the phase III PAOLA-1 trial, according to a press release from AstraZeneca and Merck &amp; Co, Inc.1<br /> &nbsp;

The present and future benefits of telehealth in oncology can be observed through Tahoe For&shy;est Cancer Center and its affiliation with the UC Davis Cancer Center, use of other remote clinics, and participation in virtual tumor boards. Even though there are roadblocks to telehealth reaching more locations and more patients, the potential benefit warrants the time needed to get over those hurdles.

Aiwu Ruth He, MD, discusses the current role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in upper gastrointestinal and gastric cancers and which patients are most likely to benefit from the anti&ndash;PD-1 agents.

First-Line PARPi Maintenance in Advanced Ovarian Cancer

Preliminary data showed that the combination of sitravatinib and tislelizumab is well tolerated and may promote antitumor activity when administered to patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, according to a press release from BieGene, Ltd, which reported data from a phase Ib study at the 2019 European Society of Oncology Immuno-Oncology Congress in Geneva, Switzerland.<br /> &nbsp;

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