Latest Conference Articles

D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, director of thoracic oncology, University of Colorado, discusses mechanisms of resistance to TKIs in oncogene-driven non–small cell lung cancer.

In an effort to determine best practices and ensure consistent clinical interpretation of tumor mutational burden assessment for patients with cancer, a group of diagnostic test partners conducted an in silico analysis and found that panel-derived TMB strongly correlated with whole-exome sequencing data provided from The Cancer Genome Atlas. 

Matthew Farren, PhD, post-doctoral fellow, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, discusses immunologic biomarker findings in a study of mFOLFOX6 plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in colorectal cancer.

There has been a rapid expansion to the treatment landscape for adjuvant melanoma and there is no head-to-head comparative data for the challenge of selecting between immunotherapy and targeted therapy. When selecting a type of therapy, communicating relative merits and risks of both options to patients is necessary in making a shared decision, said Hussein Tawbi, MD, PhD.

According to Anna C. Pavlick, BSM, MS, DO, MBA, the treatment landscape for&nbsp;cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma has changed dramatically in September 2018. During her session at the&nbsp;<em>36th Annual</em> CFS^&reg;, she said this is due to PD-1 inhibitor cemiplimab, the first agent approved specifically for advanced CSCC.

Personalized immunotherapy regimens for patients with cancer is a long-term goal of the immuno-oncology field, yet progress toward this goal necessitates the discovery of an effective biomarker for guiding treatment decision making, according to Jason Luke, MD.&nbsp;

Robert A. Figlin, MD, director, Division of Hematology/Oncology, professor of biomedical sciences and medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, discusses the potential for immunotherapy/TKI combinations in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Richard Furman, MD, discusses how survival times for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia have increased dramatically in the past decade, thanks to an ever-expanding armamentarium of novel agents and more patients now being diagnosed earlier.

Novel agents and treatment strategies continue to expand the armamentarium in follicular lymphoma, explained John P. Leonard, MD, in a session at the <em>36th Annual </em>CFS<span style="font-size:10.8333px">.</span>

The high durable response rates seen with CAR T-cell therapies have helped fill a high unmet need for patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, with questions remaining on the optimal way to use these agents following the FDA approval of 2 therapies in the past year, explained Anas Younes, MD, during a presentation at the <em>36th Annual </em>CFS.

During a presentation at the 2018 International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology Annual Meeting,&nbsp;Dustin Deming, MD, discussed treatment options showing promise for patients with&nbsp;<em>BRAF</em> V600E&ndash;mutant metastatic colorectal cancer.

Anthony F. Shields, MD, PhD, discusses pivotal data from the IDEA pooled analysis, consisting of 6 international, noninferiority, phase III colon cancer studies.

Al B. Benson III, MD, FACP, FASCO,&nbsp;discusses the treatment landscape for advanced and metastatic CRC and how molecular profiling can play a vital role in selecting the optimal treatment plan for each patient. He also emphasizes the importance of participation in clinical trials to further understand these patients.

In a presentation at the 2018 International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology Annual Meeting, Yung-Jue Bang, MD, PhD, discusses the most promising biomarkers and treatment approaches for patients with GEJ cancer, highlighting recent and ongoing trials of immunotherapy.

Ben George, MD,&nbsp;discusses the findings from the phase III TAGS study and how these data can impact the treatment landscape of metastatic gastric cancers.

Thor Halfdanarson, MD, discusses his takeaway message on neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) at the 2018 ISGIO Annual Conference.

Kabir Mody, MD, discusses the evolution of the hepatocellular carcinoma treatment landscape over the past year&nbsp;during a presentation at the 2018 International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology.

Weijing Sun, MD, discusses a major topic in locally advanced gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma covered at the 2018 ISGIO Annual Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

During a presentation at the Association of Community Cancer Centers&rsquo; 35th National Oncology Conference,&nbsp;Marc Matrana, MD, discussed the development of the Ochsner Health System&rsquo;s Precision Cancer Therapies Program to provide early phase clinical trials in the community setting across the state.<br /> &nbsp;

During a preconference presentation at the Association of Community Cancer Centers 35th National Oncology Conference in Phoenix, a panel of experts discussed the challenges they foresee with the wave of new biosimilar launches expected in 2019.

James L. Wade III, MD, FACP, FASCO, discusses the importance of clinical trials in the community.

In a presentation during the Association of Community Cancer Centers 35th National Oncology Conference (NOC) in Phoenix, Arizona, featured speaker Vicki Hess, RN, MS, discussed how oncology teams can become more resilient in the face of challenges.

Groundbreaking developments in cancer therapies can change lives, extending survival and sending patients who previously thought their chances were slim into remission. But these therapies come at a cost, and many patients reel at the prospect of heavy financial burdens. To help patients and programs meet the challenges of affording cancer treatments, community cancer centers are expanding the role of financial advocates in their organizations.

Thomas A. Gallo, MS, MDA, president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers, discusses his mission as president to &ldquo;reflect, renew, and reignite&rdquo; in order to create a more resilient oncology team for the community.

Results from the phase III IMpower130 trial demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in both progression-free survival and overall survival with a triplet regimen of&nbsp;atezolizumab, carboplatin, and nab-paclitaxel compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with previously untreated stage IV nonsquamous non&ndash;small cell lung cancer.

Cisplatin plus radiotherapy improved overall survival compared with cetuximab plus radiotherapy in patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, according to late-breaking research from the De-ESCALaTE HPV trial presented at the 2018 ESMO Congress.^&nbsp;Results from this trial support the use of chemoradiotherapy as the standard of care for treatment in this patient population.

Ulrik Lassen, MD, PhD, discusses the updated response findings with larotrectinib in TRK+ cancers.

Among patients with advanced solid tumors associated with <em>NTRK</em> gene fusions, more than half had responses to&nbsp;the small-molecule inhibitor entrectinib, according to an integrated analysis of 3 clinical trials presented at the 2018 ESMO Annual Congress.

Among men&nbsp;in the ongoing phase II TRITON2 trial with&nbsp;BRCA1/2 alterations, 51%&nbsp;had a confirmed prostate-specific antigen response to rucaparib (Rubraca), according to preliminary data reported in a poster presentation by&nbsp;Wassim Abida, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the&nbsp;2018 ESMO Congress.

Frontline maintenance therapy with olaparib demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival for women with&nbsp;<em>BRCA</em>-positive advanced ovarian cancer.