GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS

According to Huma Q. Rana, MD, genetic testing provides valuable benefit in the treatment landscape of gynecologic cancers. It can inform physicians of the individual and familial risk for developing a malignancy, alert patients of potential screening and preventative measures, and guide selection of potential targeted therapies.

Advances in checkpoint inhibitor therapy have gained speed in cancer care; however, ovarian cancer has yet to see any approved indications for immunotherapy agents, said Lana E. Kandalaft, PharmD, PhD, to an audience at the European Society for Medical Oncology 2018 Immuno-Oncology Congress.

Data from a retrospective study suggests an adjuvant gastrointestinal-based chemotherapy regimen is more beneficial than one that is gynecologic-based in patients with mucinous ovarian cancer, said Katherine C. Kurnit, MD.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>&nbsp;during the 2019 SGO Annual Winter Meeting, Shannon Westin, MD, discussed the advances seen with PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer, novel investigational agents, and the importance of molecular testing.

A look back at all the&nbsp;FDA news&nbsp;in oncology from the month of&nbsp;January 2019, including several new approvals, breakthrough therapy designations, and a partial clinical hold.

Targeted therapy has effectively been established as an option for patients with ovarian cancers. However, beyond PARP inhibition in the <em>BRCA</em>-mutated or homologous recombination deficient population, questions remain about how to best treat these patients,&nbsp;Ramez N. Eskander, MD, said at the 2019 SGO Annual Winter Meeting.

Robert Coleman, MD,&nbsp;highlights recent advances made in gynecologic cancers and provide insight into ongoing research to move the needle forward.

General Cancer

A partial clinical hold has been placed on the&nbsp;phase III AIM2CERV trial by the FDA, Advaxis, Inc. has announced.¹ The trial is evaluating the use of the investigational immunotherapy agent axalimogene filolisbac in high-risk locally advanced cervical cancer.

Despite all the positive data associated with PARP inhibitors for the treatment of patients with&nbsp;epithelial ovarian cancer who have known <em>BRCA</em> mutations, these agents are not curing patients, said Leslie M. Randall, MD, MAS, at the 2019 SGO Annual Winter Meeting.

Women with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer who fail prior treatment are known to have a poor prognosis, but immunotherapy may extend their survival, according to a presentation by Deanna Teoh, MD, MS, at the 2019 SGO Annual Winter Meeting.

Genomic testing can help physicians in the treatment decision process for women with ovarian cancer.&nbsp;As more of these platforms become commercially available, however, physicians must also learn the similarities and differences between each of these tests.

Debra Richardson, MD, discussed the role of PARP inhibitor combinations for frontline maintenance of women with ovarian cancer at the 2019 SGO Winter Meeting.

Findings of a recent study suggest HPV testing should be incorporated into cervical cancer screening programs. The&nbsp;nested case-control Swedish study&nbsp;found that the presence of&nbsp;specific subtypes of HPV, namely HPV-16 and -18, were associated&nbsp;with a higher risk of developing high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in women under the age of 30.