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Full EU Approval Given to Blinatumomab for Treatment of B-cell Precursor ALL
June 19th 2018Based on survival data from the phase III TOWER study, blinatumomab has been granted full marketing authorization by the European Commission for the treatment of adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative relapsed/refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia, according to Amgen, the developer of the anti-CD19 immunotherapy.
Pembrolizumab Survival Benefit in Melanoma Sustained at 4 Years
June 19th 2018Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) induced a median overall survival (OS) of 32.7 months versus 15.9 months for ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with unresectable stage III-IV melanoma, according to 4-year survival results from the KEYNOTE-006 trial presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting.
Expert Highlights Preclinical Activity Seen With Cowpea Mosaic Virus in Ovarian Cancer
June 18th 2018Christa Dominick, MD, a gynecologic oncology fellow at University Hospitals, discusses the rationale behind this trial and the results. She also highlights her plans moving forward with other trials involving the cowpea mosaic virus in ovarian cancer.<br />
Wang Discusses Potential for CAR T-Cell Therapy in MCL
June 14th 2018The biggest clinical unmet need in the treatment of patients with mantle cell lymphoma is overcoming resistance to BTK inhibitors, as patients who progress on treatment with ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and acalabrutinib (Calquence) are often incurable, according to Michael Wang, MD. Investigators are now challenged to find a new avenue of treatment.
Durable Responses Seen With Ivosidenib in Relapsed/Refractory AML
June 14th 2018An overall response rate of 41.6% (95% CI, 32.9-50.8) was induced with the use of ivosidenib in patients with <em>IDH1</em>-positive relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia, according to data presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting and published simultaneously online in the <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em>.
MSK Announces New Chief of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology
June 14th 2018Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, has been appointed chief of the Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Service in the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She will succeed Leonard Saltz, MD, who had held this position for 5 years. Saltz will assume the position of executive director for clincal value and sustainability.
Pembrolizumab Approved by FDA for Relapsed/Refractory PMBCL
June 13th 2018Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) has been granted an accelerated approval by the FDA for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with refractory primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL), or those who have relapsed after 2 or more prior lines of therapy. The approval is based on results from 53 patients with relapsed/refractory PMBCL enrolled in the multicenter, open-label, single-arm KEYNOTE‑170 trial.
Lenvatinib/Pembrolizumab Combo Shows Early Promising Activity in Unresectable HCC
June 13th 2018The combination of the VEGFR/FGFR inhibitor lenvatinib and the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab induced a confirmed overall response rate of 26.9% (95% CI, 11.6%-47.8%) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, according to results from a 2-part, phase Ib trial.
Bevacizumab Approved by FDA to Treat Ovarian Cancer Following Surgery
June 13th 2018Based on results from the phase III GOG-0218 trial, bevacizumab (Avastin) has been approved by the FDA for use in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel, followed by bevacizumab monotherapy, for the treatment of women with advanced ovarian cancer following initial surgical resection.
Survey Reveals Lack of Knowledge in Oncology Community on Utility of Medical Marijuana
June 13th 2018While 70.6% of oncologists do not feel sufficiently informed to make clinical recommendations regarding medical marijuana, most do conduct discussions in the clinic and close to half recommend it to their patients, according to findings from a national-level survey recently published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology</em>.
Indication for Scalp Cooling System Expanded by FDA to Include All Solid Tumors
June 13th 2018The indication for the Orbis Paxman Hair Loss Cooling System has been expanded by the FDA to include the prevention of chemotherapy-related alopecia in patients with solid tumors, according to Paxman, the maker of the device. The system was previously approved to treat chemotherapy-related alopecia in patients with breast cancer.
Pembrolizumab Granted FDA Approval for PD-L1+ Cervical Cancer
June 13th 2018Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) has been granted an accelerated approval by the FDA for the treatment of patients with advanced, PD-L1–positive cervical cancer with disease progression on or after chemotherapy.<br />
FDA Approves Addition of Survival Data to Carfilzomib Myeloma Label
June 13th 2018A supplemental new drug application adding overall survival data from the phase III ASPIRE trial to the label for carfilzomib (Kyprolis) has been approved by the FDA, according to Amgen, the manufacturer of the proteasome inhibitor. Carfilzomib is approved for use in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
Multimodal Approach Considered to Relieve Opioid Abuse Crisis
June 13th 2018During a presentation at the 2018 Community Oncology Conference, hosted by the Community Oncology Alliance, Bob Twillman, PhD, emphasized a lack of understanding within the medical community on pain management. He referenced a survey conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges, which found that a significantly small percentage of medical schools included a separate course in pain management in their curriculum.
Osimertinib Granted European Approval for Frontline Treatment of EGFR-mutant NSCLC
June 12th 2018Osimertinib (Tagrisso) has been approved by The European Commission as a frontline treatment for patients with <em>EGFR</em>-mutant locally-advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer. The approval is based on data from the phase III FLAURA trial.
Expert Discusses Advancements, Challenges With Genetic Testing in Ovarian Cancer
June 11th 2018An important step for treatment of patients with ovarian cancer has been testing for genetic alterations. Mike Janicek, MD, says that the use of genetic testing must become more common in order to push the field of ovarian cancer forward.
Extended Survival Observed in Patients With Solitary Brain Metastasis From RCC
June 11th 2018Although patients who develop brain metastases from renal cell carcinoma typically have poor outcomes, investigators from Yale University have identified a subset of patients who demonstrated extended survival.<sup>1</sup>Those patients with a single metastasis were less likely to develop central nervous system\ recurrence after local therapy. This is an encouraging development because these patients have historically been excluded from participating in clinical trials and receiving aggressive treatment regimens.
Venetoclax Granted Full FDA Approval for CLL, Regardless of 17p Deletion
June 8th 2018Based on data from the phase III MURANO trial, venetoclax has been granted a regular approval by the FDA for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma, with or without 17p deletion, who has received at least 1 prior therapy.
Ibrutinib/Buparlisib Induces Responses in Half of NHL Cohort
June 8th 2018An objective response rate was achieved in 18 of 37 patients with relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma who received the combination of the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib with the PI3K inhibitor buparlisib, according to findings of a phase I/II trial reported at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting.
Fonseca Discusses the Importance of MRD Negativity in Patients With High-Risk Multiple Myeloma
June 8th 2018Rafael Fonseca, MD, recently shared the treatment considerations and decisions he makes when treating patients with multiple myeloma. Fonseca, professor of medicine, chair, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, explained how he would treat these patients based on case scenarios during a <em>Targeted Oncology </em>live case-based peer perspectives presentation.
Talazoparib Granted Priority Review by FDA for BRCA+ Metastatic Breast Cancer
June 7th 2018According to Pfizer, the manufacturer of the PARP inhibitor talazoparib, a priority review was granted by the FDA to a new drug application for this PARP inhibitor for treatment of patients with germline <em>BRCA </em>mutation–positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
Oncology Experts Reflect on Key Takeaways from Data Presented at ASCO Annual Meeting
June 7th 2018The 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting was a great success, with over 40,000 people in attendance and over 5000 abstracts presented from June 1-5 in Chicago, Illinois. Data from several phase III trials in lung cancer were presented, with especially significant results in non–small cell lung cancer. Other big areas during this year’s meeting included breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and hematologic cancers.
Patients With Advanced HCC See Extended Survival With Ramucirumab
June 7th 2018In results from the phase III REACH-2 trial, ramucirumab reduced the risk of death by 29% versus placebo as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Results from the study were presented during the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting.
Dacomitinib Proves Superior to Gefitinib as Frontline Treatment for EGFR-Mutant NSCLC
June 6th 2018The investigational second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor dacomitinib demonstrated an improved median overall survival of 34.1 months compared to 26.8 months with gefitinib as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced, <em>EGFR</em>-mutant non–small cell lung cancer, according to data from a open-label, phase III trial presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting.<sup>1</sup>
Overall Survival Increased in NSCLC With First-Line Atezolizumab Combination
June 5th 2018Overall survival improved with the combination of atezolizumab, bevacizumab, carboplatin, and paclitaxel versus a treatment regimen of bevacizumab and chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced wild-type nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer.
No Benefit From Added Heated Chemotherapy in Advanced Colorectal Cancer
June 5th 2018In patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis undergoing surgery, the addition of heated chemotherapy to the abdomen during surgery did not provide a survival benefit, data from a phase III study presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, in Chicago, Illinois, showed.
Potential Benefit Found With Pegilodecakin/PD-1 Inhibitor Combo in NSCLC
June 4th 2018According to findings of an early study presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, the combination of pegilodecakin and a PD-1 inhibitor demonstrated an overall response rate of 41% in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer.
Notable CR Rate Induced by Moxetumomab Pasudotox in Relapsed/Refractory Hairy Cell Leukemia
June 4th 2018According to results presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, moxetumomab pasudotox, a first-in-class recombinant immunotoxin targeting CD22, demonstrated deep and durable responses in a substantial proportion of pretreated patients with relapsed/refractory hairy cell leukemia.