News

“RASMT associated with adverse phenotypic features were concluded to be an independent predictor of inferior overall survival and were associated with a higher cumulative incidence of leukemic transformation."

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

“Dexamethasone is the first drug to be shown to improve survival in COVID-19. This is an extremely welcome result."

During a debate made available as part of the 2020 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Virtual Annual Conference, Deborah Stephens, DO, and Mazyar Shadman, MD, MPH, discussed the most optimal frontline therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

IMpassion031, a clinical trial of atezolizumab plus chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, has met its primary end point.

In an interview with  Targeted Oncology,  Marcia Brose, MD, PhD, discussed the importance of conducting genetic testing on all patients with metastatic solid tumors following the exciting data on larotrectinib.

Fruquitinib was granted Fast Track Designation for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have received prior fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy and anti-VEGF therapy, as well as anti-EGFR therapy for RAS wild-type tumors

“Community-based clinical trials come with many benefits. They enable patients to be matched with potentially life-saving research while staying within the comfort and familiarity of their local oncologist’s office.”

"Cancer is now the number 1 cause of death in many parts of the United States and overall, men are at a 50% likelihood of having some sort of cancer diagnosed in their lifetime, where it is slightly lower in women at about a third."

“The completion of this New Drug Application submission marks an important milestone in bringing us 1 step closer to providing umbralisib as a potential treatment option for patients with relapsed/refractory marginal zone lymphoma and follicular lymphoma."

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Suresh Ramalingam, MD, FASCO, discussed the findings from the CheckMate 227 study that support the FDA’s approval of the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with advanced NSCLC.

A liposomal irinotecan combination was granted FDA Fast Track designation for the treatment of untreated and unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

“While the trial is still ongoing, we are encouraged by the efficacy we are seeing thus far in patients with relapsed/refractory AML, particularly the durability of response observed in some patients."

"KEYNOTE-158 has confirmed clinical activity of pembrolizumab in tumors harboring a TMB ≥10 across a variety of solid tumors including anal, biliary, cervical, endometrial, mesothelioma, neuroendocrine, salivary, small cell lung, thyroid, and vulvar cancers."

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Lucy Gilbert, MD, MSc, discussed the interim findings for mirvetuximab in combination with bevacizumab as treatment of patients with platinum-agnostic ovarian cancer.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Andrew L. Coveler, MD, discussed the phase 1 trial study of SEA-CD40 combined with a chemotherapy regimen, which he recently presented during the ASCO Virtual Scientific Program.

The FDA expanded the approval of gemtuzumab ozogamicin to include an indication for the treatment of newly diagnosed pediatric patients with CD33-positive acute myeloid leukemia, which includes patients as young as 1 month old.

"We can potentially offer a new treatment option for patients with high-risk HR-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer. "

“These results, complimented with a favorable safety profile, indicate the utility of this novel immunological combination as a potential treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma."

A pooled analysis of phase 3 clinical trials in advanced renal cell carcinoma showed that combination immunotherapy can reduce toxicity compared with sunitinib.

“These interim results from the PROTECTIVE-2 Phase 3 study, which compares the Plinabulin-Neulasta combination to Neulasta alone, have the potential to be clinically meaningful for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy."

“Today’s approval for the prevention of HPV-related oropharyngeal and other head and neck cancers represents an important step in Merck’s mission to help reduce the number of men and women affected by certain HPV-related cancers.”

"Breakthrough designation for the companion diagnostic is a big step forward in our endeavor to ensure that more clinicians can have quicker access to comprehensive genomic information."

"This interim analysis demonstrated ropeginterferon in low-risk patients is more efficacious in keeping the hematocrit [at target levels]. In addition, we get a better quality of life and the target was reached with a reduction of phlebotomy needs."

"The data from this ongoing trial of eprenetapopt with azacitidine continue to be very encouraging in these most difficult-to-treat [patients with] TP53-mutant MDS and AML, who not only have at least one TP53 mutation but the majority of whom also have high risk cytogenetic abnormalities,."

"Treatment with liso-cel resulted in high response rates and durable complete responses in a patient population considered to be high risk.”

In an interview with Targeted Oncology following the American Urological Association Virtual Annual Meeting, Eric A. Klein, MD, discussed the importance of molecular testing in Caucasian and African American patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. He also discussed the pros and cons of active surveillance.

We believe that lenvatinib could be a standard second-line treatment option for patients with thymic carcinoma.”