Latest Conference Articles

Results from a genomic and molecular analysis presented at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting and published in Acta Neuropathology indicate that low-grade gliomas may be classified into three distinct prognostic categories based on genomic data.

Ian W. Flinn, MD, PhD, director, Blood Cancer Research Program, principal investigator, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses a phase I story which examined cerdulatinib in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies.

An analysis of three interrelated biomarkers in high-risk low-grade glioma has identified distinct risk groups by isocitrate dehydrogenase mutation status and suggested appropriate treatment strategies.

Single-agent atezolizumab (formerly MPDL3280A) had excellent clinical activity in both chemotherapy-naïve and previously treated patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the phase II FIR study,

Matthew H. Taylor, MD, Oregon Health and Science University, discusses the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib for the treatment of patients with 131I-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer with and without prior VEGF-targeted therapy.

ASCO has revealed its first clinical trial, which will provide patients with limited options an opportunity to receive a potentially beneficial targeted therapy that matches their distinct genetic make-up and is FDA-approved for another type of cancer.

Marking the first time a phase III study has shown a survival advantage for patients with soft tissue sarcoma, treatment with eribulin (Halaven) demonstrated improved overall survival (OS) by 2 months compared with dacarbazine in patients with advanced leiomyosarcoma (LMS) and adipocytic sarcoma (ADI).

Frontline nivolumab more than doubled progression-free survival (PFS), both as monotherapy and combined with ipilimumab compared with ipilimumab alone in patients with advanced melanoma, according to results from the phase III CheckMate-067 trial.

The addition of everolimus to sorafenib extended progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) that had progressed on sorafenib alone, according to findings from a single-arm open-label phase II study.

Adding the immunotherapeutic vaccine, rindopepimut to bevacizumab may help boost survival in patients with a genetic subtype of glioblastoma associated with poor outcomes.

Patients with BRAF-mutant late-stage melanoma derive a lasting overall survival (OS) benefit from treatment with the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib compared with dabrafenib and placebo, according to the final results from the COMBI-d phase III double-blinded trial.

Marcia S. Brose, MD, PhD, associate professor of Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses the effect of age and lenvatinib treatment on overall survival for patients with 131I-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer in the SELECT trial.

Compared with best available therapy, the novel JAK2 inhibitor pacritinib demonstrated significantly better outcomes in spleen volume reduction and symptom control when administered to patients with myelofibrosis.

Monotherapy with daratumumab demonstrated promising overall survival and objective response rates in patients with double-refractory multiple myeloma.

Patients of all ages with iodine-refractory thyroid cancer lived significantly longer when treated with the targeted agent lenvatinib, a new analysis of a randomized trial showed.

Treatment with obinutuzumab in combination with bendamustine nearly doubled progression-free survival compared with bendamustine alone in patients with rituximab-refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Nivolumab (Opdivo) improved overall survival and was less toxic compared with docetaxel in chemotherapy-pretreated patients with nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer.

Adding palbociclib to standard fulvestrant more than doubled progression-free survival in pretreated patients who have HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

The anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab produced broad and durable responses in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

MPDL3280A reduced the risk of death by 53% compared with docetaxel in previously treated patients with PD-L1-positive squamous and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibition will continue to attract interest at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting, with a number of abstracts focused on this emerging class of agents

Scott Eggener, MD, associate professor of surgery, co-director, Prostate Cancer Program, director, Transitional and Outcomes Research, Section of Urology, The University of Chicago Medicine, discusses screening for prostate cancer.

Douglas M. Dahl, MD, FACS, discusses the long-term results of post-prostatectomy radiotherapy.

Enzalutamide significantly improved progression-free survival and PSA progression compared with bicalutamide in men with metastatic and non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Taking the vitamin B3 pill nicotinamide could reduce the risk of recurrence for those with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer.

Adding docetaxel to standard androgen deprivation therapy significantly improved overall survival in men with newly diagnosed, hormone-naïve advanced prostate cancer.

Treatment with elotuzumab in combination lenalidomide and dexamethasone prolonged remission by 4.5 months in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma when compared with lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone.

Treatment with the PARP inhibitor olaparib demonstrated a durable ORR of 87.5% in a biomarker-defined subgroup of men with pretreated sporadic mCRPC in a phase II multi-step adaptive trial.