HCC

Topline results from the phase III CheckMate 459 trial revealed that the trial did not meet its primary endpoint of improved overall survival with nivolumab as compared with sorafenib for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. 

The American Cancer Society, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Baptist Cancer Center, and the Mayo Clinic report that treatment patterns varied markedly by cancer type and care facility setting for patients with de novo metastatic disease who died within 1 month after diagnosis, based on an analysis of data from 100,848 patients collected from the National Cancer Database, a hospital-based cancer registry that captures 70% of patients in the United States with a new diagnosis.

The FDA recently released 5 new draft guidance documents that promote broader patient eligibility for cancer clinical trials. The policies encourage inclusion of certain individuals who were previously disqualified due to medical conditions or biological factors, including brain metastases, organ dysfunction, prior or concurrent malignancies, chronic infections, and age.

A cohort of cancer centers was selected to serve as models for identifying key strategies for racial and ethnic minority group engagement in clinical trials. On the basis of several qualifying criteria, such as sustained accrual of minorities into clinical cancer research, an established minority population ≥10% in the overall catchment, an established clinical trial infrastructure, and a formal community outreach program, the investigators identified 8 cancer centers for participation.

Josep M. Llovet, MD, PhD, discusses the evolution of treatment options for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

In a case-based-style discussion, Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, and Wells Messersmith, MD, reviewed the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer whose tumors express rare gene mutations or molecular signatures, such as <em>NTRK</em> fusions.

In an interview with&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology,&nbsp;</em>Andrew X. Zhu, MD, PhD, FACP, discussed the results from the REACH-2 trial and the significance of the approval of ramucirumab monotherapy in patients with advanced HCC and high AFP levels who have previously failed sorafenib.

Sorafenib in combination with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy demonstrated an improvement in overall survival compared with sorafenib alone for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and portal vein invasion, according to the results of a randomized phase III trial.

During a recent&nbsp;<em>Targeted Oncology&nbsp;</em>live case-based peer perspectives presentation, Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, discussed with a group of physicians the treatment options for patients with gastrointestinal cancers and the characteristics that influence his decision making. Bekaii-Saab explained his clinical decisions based on the case scenario of one patient with colorectal cancer and one with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Determining the optimal therapy strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma when patients are eligible for multiple different agents in clinical practice requires detailed analysis of patient- and tumor-specific characteristics.

A look back at all the&nbsp;FDA news&nbsp;that happened in the month of&nbsp;May 2019, including several new approvals, orphan drug designations, breakthrough therapy designations, fast track designations, and more.

Ahmed Omar Kaseb, MD, discusses the current treatment landscape for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The combination of sorafenib plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin demonstrated &ldquo;moderate&rdquo; benefits compared with sorafenib monotherapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, according to findings from an open-label phase II trial recently published in the <em>British Journal of Cancer.</em>

Emil Cohen, MD,&nbsp;discusses the locoregional therapies available for the treatment of patients with HCC and offers insight into optimal strategies.

The FDA has granted P-BCMA-101 with an orphan drug designation for the treatment of patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma.

Ramucirumab monotherapy has received an approval from the FDA for the treatment of&nbsp;patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who have an alpha fetoprotein of &ge;400 ng/mL and have been previously treated with sorafenib.

Ahmed Omar Kaseb, MD, associate professor of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, says 2 major challenges in hepatocellular carcinoma are the lack of effective treatments and the co-existing underlying chronic liver disease.

A new meta-analysis has found that the combined regimen of bevacizumab (Avastin) plus erlotinib (Tarceva) is effective in treating advanced or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.

Sequential therapy with sorafenib (Nexavar) followed by regorafenib (Stivarga) for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma demonstrated real-life benefit in a study of patients treated in a Japanese hospital.

Besides standard-of-care chemotherapy in the frontline setting, definitive therapy selection in patients with cholangiocarcinoma in both the adjuvant and second-line settings require data from confirmatory clinical trials for further clarification, says Lorenza Rimassa, MD.

A discussion between&nbsp;regulators and special interest groups has cooled some of the excitement generated by the emergence of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for treating hematologic cancers.

Before a community oncology practice considers getting involved in clinical trials research, there are many factorsto consider. Perhaps foremost is the fact that cancer clinical trials provide the evidence base for new advances in oncology.&nbsp;

Artificial intelligence has made inroads in many industries&mdash;banking, finance, security&mdash;but its adoption in healthcare has been lagging and real-world clinical implementation has yet to become a reality. Nonetheless, proponents say it is only a matter of time and pilot programs are starting to yield some practical results.&nbsp;

Frederick L. Locke, MD, discusses how chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies have evolved over the last 30 years of research in the field of hematologic malignancies.

The success of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy observed in hematologic malignancies has not yet translated into the solid tumor setting; however, efforts continue to try to bring this new modality into the treatment paradigm for solid tumors, including pancreatic cancer.&nbsp;