News

The FDA approved nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab for the frontline treatment of adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.

The “switchable” chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy CLBR001 plus SWI019 received a Fast Track designation for patients with B-cell malignancies such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to a press release from Scripps Research.

Here is a look back at the FDA happenings from the month of September 2020.

Targeted Oncology reviews trending news online for the week of October 2, 2020, including updates in oncology and the latest conference coverage.

The FDA issued a Complete Response Letter to remestemcel-L for the treatment of pediatric patients with steroid-refractory acute-graft-versus-host disease.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Anthony P. Conley, MD, discussed findings from an analysis of the efficacy and safety of entrectinib in patients with non-small cell lung cancer harboring a ROS1 or TRK fusion.

Due to the high prevalence of KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer and the fact that many different KRAS variants are found in these tumors, developing treatment for patients with KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer is an area of unmet medical need

In a phase 3 trial, atezolizumab demonstrated a significantly longer overall survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had high PD-L1 expression regardless of histologic type compared with platinum-based chemotherapy.

During a Targeted Oncology Case Based Peer Perspectives event, Ghasson K. Abou-Alfa, MD, reviewed the case of a 77-year old woman with hepatocellular carcinoma.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa, MD, discussed the evolution of the liver cancer treatment landscape and recognizes some of most important advances in the field during Liver Cancer Awareness Month.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Daniel A. Vorobiof, MD, discussed the evolution of the breast cancer treatment landscape and the emerging role of genomic testing in this space during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

A New Drug Application for pacritinib is planned to be submitted for potential accelerated approval from the FDA for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis and severe thrombocytopenia.

Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla, MD, MSEd, FACP ascended to the presidency of the Pennsylvania Society of Oncology, albeit virtually, during the society’s Annual Scientific Conference held via ZOOM on September 25.

A review was conducted to understand how precision medicine strategies can be successfully implemented in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab, carboplatin, and paclitaxel demonstrated continued progression-free survival and overall survival benefit at 20 months of follow-up compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with chemotherapy-naïve metastatic nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer who harbor an EGFR mutation, IMpower150 study results show.

Relugolix demonstrated a similar rate of castration resistance-free survival compared with the current standard of care leuprolide acetate as treatment of patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

A Fast Track designation was granted by the FDA to eganelisib in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor and chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with inoperable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

CLR 131, a phospholipid ether molecule, is showing promising disease control in an ongoing phase 2 study as treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and Waldenström macroglobulinemia, according to initial study results.

Camrelizumab plus apatinib demonstrated a high objective response rate and disease-control rate, as well as durable responses and long survival as treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, according to the results from the phase 2 RESCUE clinical trial.

The sintilimab injection in combination with IBI305, a biosimilar to bevacizumab, improved overall survival as well as progression-free survival compared with sorafenib as front-line treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, meeting the predefined primary end point of the phase 3 ORIENT-32 clinical trial.

Nivolumab monotherapy administered after surgery demonstrated a significant improvement in disease-free survival compared with placebo in patients with high-risk, muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma, for all patients randomized in the phase 3 CheckMate-274 trial and those with PD-L1 ≥1% in their tumors, meeting the primary end point of the study.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Tanja Gruber, MD, PhD, discussed the advances she has observed in recent years for the treatment of pediatric patients, including the evolving role of CAR T-cell therapy.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, David Roberge, MD, discussed the role of radiation treatment in patients with brain metastases and the clinical trial evaluating treatment approaches for patients with more than 5 brain metastases.

Some of the most exciting new data at this year’s congress included advancements in lung cancer, breast cancer, genitourinary cancers, and gastrointestinal cancers. Several experts spoke with Targeted Oncology to share their thoughts on some of the most impactful abstracts from the 2020 ESMO Congress.

The Association of Community Cancer Centers National Oncology Conference each year helps community oncologists approach both unique and typical challenges with innovative strategies. This year, one of the challenges addressed that has been increasingly raised throughout the year was the topic of disparities in the medical field.

Targeted Oncology reviews trending news online for the week of September 25, 2020, including updates in oncology and new information regarding COVID-19.

The impetus for taking a closer look at cancer drug spending starts with their costs. But the other side of the equation, the revenue coming in, can also be a factor that requires adjusting.

During the 2020 Association of Community Cancer Centers Virtual National Oncology Conference, a cardio-oncologist and nurse navigator explained the importance of identifying cardiotoxicities in patients with cancer and how to implement a program to help these patients have improved care coordination and experience through employing a nurse navigator