GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS

The number of women who develop gestational trophoblastic neoplasia during pregnancy is limited, yet physicians believed that a greater understanding of how to manage this disease was necessary. New guidelines were recently issued by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network to help gynecologic oncologists understand how to treat this rare gestational cancer. Generally, the use of single-agent chemotherapy for most patients with low-risk disease is recommended, with the guidelines reserving surgery and combination chemotherapy for patients at high risk of GTN.¹

Douglas A. Levine, MD, has suggested that many cases of ovarian cancer are preventable, especially in the case of women with hereditary mutations that lead to an increased risk for developing the disease.

Combining the PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab with the CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab led to superior survival rates compared to treatment with nivolumab alone in patients with persistent or recurrent ovarian cancer, according to findings from the phase II NRG-GY003 trial.

Krishnansu S. Tewari, MD, discusses the excitement around immunotherapy in cervical cancer. 

Gardasil 9 (HPV 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant), a vaccine for the prevention of HPV, has been approved by the FDA for use in males and females aged 9 through 45 years.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>, lead investigator Krishnansu S. Tewari, MD, discussed the investigation&nbsp;of cemiplimab in cervical cancer and the promise of immunotherapy.

The next-generation sequencing assay clonoSEQ has gained FDA approval as a test for minimal residual disease in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or multiple myeloma.

The landscape for treatment of gynecologic cancer has changed since 2014, however, better therapeutic strategies and better biomarkers are needed in the realm of gynecologic cancers,&nbsp;Bradley J. Monk, MD, said during a recent webinar about meeting unmet clinical needs in cervical cancer.

Matthew Powell, MD, discusses the promise of immunotherapy in ovarian cancer, despite its challenges.

David O&rsquo;Malley, MD, lead investigator of the FORWARD II trial,&nbsp;discusses the emerging combination of mirvetuximab soravtansine plus bevacizumab and the evolving treatment landscape in ovarian cancer.

Ophira Ginsburg, MD, discusses cervical cancer prevention, screening, and elimination on a global scale.

Laura Michaelis, MD, associate professor of medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, discusses thrombotic risk for patients with essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera.

Vicky Makker, MD, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses 2 agents, lenvatinib and pembrolizumab, in patients with endometrial cancers.

Adding the combination of venetoclax (Venclexta) and navitoclax (ABT-263) to chemotherapy induced an objective response rate of 66.7% in adults with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma, according to results from a small phase I study presented at the 2018 SOHO Annual Meeting.

In a presentation during the 2018 SOHO Annual Meeting, Terry J. Fry, MD, discussed some of the data that have been seen so far with CD19- and CD22-direct CAR T cells, and addressed resistance to these products. &nbsp;

The adoption of intensive pediatric treatment regimens has resulted in improved survival for adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia over the past decade, said Wendy Stock, MD, at the 2018 SOHO Annual Meeting.

A supplemental biologics license application for dasatinib (Sprycel) for use in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of pediatric patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome&ndash;positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been accepted by the FDA.

Blinatumomab (Blincyto) has been approved by the European&nbsp;Commission for the treatment of&nbsp;pediatric patients with Philadelphia chromosome&ndash;negative, CD19-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia that is refractory or in relapse after receiving at least 2 prior therapies or in relapse after receiving prior allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

New guidelines issued by the&nbsp;US Preventive Services Task Force recommend that women aged 30 to 65 years who are at average risk for cervical cancer can choose to receive a Pap smear alone every 3 years&nbsp;or screening with the high-risk human papillomavirus test alone or cotesting every 5 years.

Tisagenlecleucel has gained approval from the European Commission as a treatment for adult&nbsp;patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that is relapsed or refractory after 2 or more lines of systemic therapy, or patients up to 25 years of age with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia that is refractory, in relapse posttransplant, or in second or later relapse.

David O&rsquo;Malley, MD, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the results seen so far with the combination of bevacizumab plus mirvetuximab soravtansine, an antibody-drug conjugate, in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, lead author of the&nbsp;phase II QUADRA trial, discusses the activity and tolerability of niraparib in patients with heavily pretreated&nbsp;homologous recombinant deficiency-positive ovarian cancer, and other recent data in ovarian cancer.

Mesothelin-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy has shown early evidence of efficacy in a phase I trial of patients with malignant pleural disease and mesothelioma,&nbsp;non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, or breast cancer. Additionally, significant responses were seen in patients who went on to receive subsequent PD-1 checkpoint inhibition treatment.

The combination of apatinib and oral etoposide showed promising efficacy and a manageable safety profile in patients with platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory ovarian cancer, according to findings from the phase II AEROC trial recently published in <em>The Lancet Oncology</em>.

The first patient has been enrolled in the phase III ATHENA trial looking at rucaparib (Rubraca) in combination with nivolumab (Opdivo) in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer, according to Clovis Oncology, the company developing rucaparib.