June 2019

The American Cancer Society, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Baptist Cancer Center, and the Mayo Clinic report that treatment patterns varied markedly by cancer type and care facility setting for patients with de novo metastatic disease who died within 1 month after diagnosis, based on an analysis of data from 100,848 patients collected from the National Cancer Database, a hospital-based cancer registry that captures 70% of patients in the United States with a new diagnosis.

By testing circulating tumor DNA at critical time points throughout neoadjuvant chemotherapy and cystectomy,&nbsp;clinicians may be able to better predict which patients with advanced bladder cancer would likely benefit from additional systemic therapies, according to results of a study published in the <em>Journal of Clinical Oncology</em>.

The FDA recently released 5 new draft guidance documents that promote broader patient eligibility for cancer clinical trials. The policies encourage inclusion of certain individuals who were previously disqualified due to medical conditions or biological factors, including brain metastases, organ dysfunction, prior or concurrent malignancies, chronic infections, and age.

Diffuse&nbsp;large B-cell lymphoma is the most common adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma, accounting for about a third of&nbsp;all cases.&nbsp;The World Health Organization classification recognizes over&nbsp;15 subtypes of DLBCL, based on the primary tumor site, specific genetic alterations, or association with specific viruses.

A cohort of cancer centers was selected to serve as models for identifying key strategies for racial and ethnic minority group engagement in clinical trials. On the basis of several qualifying criteria, such as sustained accrual of minorities into clinical cancer research, an established minority population &ge;10% in the overall catchment, an established clinical trial infrastructure, and a formal community outreach program, the investigators identified 8 cancer centers for participation.

In a case-based-style discussion, Tanios S. Bekaii-Saab, MD, and Wells Messersmith, MD, reviewed the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer whose tumors express rare gene mutations or molecular signatures, such as <em>NTRK</em> fusions.

Radiolabeled somatostatin analogues, a form of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, have gained clinical use in treating neuroendocrine tumors found in the midgut, the non-midgut, and the pancreas. NETs generally have high expression of somatostatin receptors, the target of somatostatin analogues. The most commonly used radionuclides, lutetium 177&nbsp;and yttrium 90&nbsp;are &beta; emitters.

In the current oncology climate, the search for affordable access to cancer care is a growing concern because of the steep price of treatment advancements, inpatient, outpatient, and ED costs, and financial bankruptcy or mergers that limit the number of community cancer clinics. During the 2019 Community Oncology Alliance annual conference in Orlando, Florida, Lucio N. Gordan, MD, of Florida Cancer Specialists addressed the complex challenges faced by community oncology clinics.

Determining the optimal therapy strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma when patients are eligible for multiple different agents in clinical practice requires detailed analysis of patient- and tumor-specific characteristics.

The development and advancements in targeted therapies and immunotherapies have dramatically changed drug development and clinical practice. With access to widespread genomic research and next-generation sequencing, details about somatic and germline mutations in solid tumors can better inform the treatment plan,&nbsp;Howard &ldquo;Skip&rdquo; Burris III, MD, explains.

The recent approval of erdafitinib has significant implications for the field, says Arjun V. Balar, MD. It marks the most recent in a string of FDA approvals in urothelial carcinoma after nearly 3 decades of little to no advancement but is, importantly, the first targeted therapy in UC, which should open the door for more biomarker-driven drug discovery.