A new retrospective analysis presented at ASCO 2018 lends support to precision medicine in cancer. In the Initiative for Molecular Profiling and Advanced Cancer Therapy (IMPACT) clinical trial, selecting a targeted therapy based on patients’ tumor molecular analyses independently predicted longer overall survival (OS) compared with nonmatched therapy across a [ Read More ]
Colorectal Cancer, Immunotherapy, Web Exclusives
San Francisco, CA—The immunotherapy combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) provides durable clinical benefit in patients with previously treated DNA mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)’s first guideline (version 1.2018) for the management of side effects from immunotherapy recognizes “a new spectrum of adverse events” in patients who are receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, said John A. Thompson, MD, Director, Phase I Clinical Trials Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, [ Read More ]
Emerging Therapies, Web Exclusives
Atlanta, GA—Sotatercept, an investigational activin receptor IIA ligand trap, when used alone or in combination with ruxolitinib (Jakafi), safely increases hemoglobin levels in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm–associated myelofibrosis, according to data from a phase 2, investigator-initiated clinical trial, presented at ASH 2017. Ruxolitinib is the only medication approved by the [ Read More ]
Emerging Therapies, Web Exclusives
Atlanta, GA—Treatment with ivosidenib, an IDH1 inhibitor, resulted in an objective response rate (ORR) of 41.6% in a phase 1 dose-escalation and expansion clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and IDH1 mutation. Ivosidenib induced a complete response (CR) or a CR with a partial [ Read More ]
Multiple Myeloma, Web Exclusives
Chicago, IL—The era of immunotherapy in multiple myeloma is near. Two presentations at ASCO 2017 demonstrated that cellular therapy can steer immune reconstitution against multiple myeloma. Edward A. Stadtmauer, MD, Chief, Hematologic Malignancies Section, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, reviewed cellular strategies, from vaccine-primed T-cell transfer after autologous [ Read More ]
Multiple Myeloma, Web Exclusives
Atlanta, GA—A maintenance regimen of lenalidomide (Revlimid) and elotuzumab (Empliciti) after autologous stem-cell transplant (ASCT) improved the quality of responses achieved with induction therapy in patients with multiple myeloma. In a phase 2 study, 36% of patients receiving the combination as maintenance showed an improvement in response, and 20% of [ Read More ]
Multiple Myeloma, Web Exclusives
Atlanta, GA—Single-agent daratumumab (Darzalex) shows significant activity in smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). The 12-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate with a long dosing schedule of daratumumab was 95%, and the median PFS was not yet reached in any of the 3 dosing schedules studied, announced Craig C. Hofmeister, MD, MPH, Associate [ Read More ]
Atlanta, GA—Ibrutinib (Imbruvica) plus venetoclax (Venclexta) led to an objective response rate of 100% in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), with 47% in complete remission at 6 months. These high response rates were achieved with only 1 case of laboratory tumor lysis syndrome, said Peter Hillmen, [ Read More ]
Orlando, FL—Enthusiasm for immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer must be balanced with a healthy respect for the power of T-cell activation. Autoimmunity is recognized as an effect of prolonged T-cell activation via PD-1/PD ligand 1 inhibition. Although immune-related adverse events are generally easily managed, they occasionally can be fatal [ Read More ]
Atlanta, GA—Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies directed against the CD19 protein garnered much attention at ASH 2017, CAR T-cells targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a protein expressed nearly universally on multiple myeloma cells, were found to be remarkably effective in patients with heavily pretreated multiple myeloma. In the [ Read More ]
Atlanta, GA—A novel, third-generation, oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), PF-114 mesylate, has antileukemic activity in heavily pretreated patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), including those with T315I mutation, said Jorge E. Cortes, MD, Deputy Chair, Department of Leukemia, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, at ASH 2017. In an ongoing, [ Read More ]
ASH Highlights, Conference Correspondent, Web Exclusives
Atlanta, GA—More than 25,000 attendees converged on Atlanta during the middle of a rare winter snowstorm to attend ASH 2017, which featured nearly 5000 scientific abstract presentations ranging from cutting-edge advances in gene therapy and personalized medicine to practice-changing discoveries in immunotherapies. Featured topics included the use of combination therapies [ Read More ]
Uncategorized
The application of molecularly targeted cancer therapies has rapidly expanded in the past 2 decades. The identification of genetic mutations in tumors has led to a growing list of therapies developed to specifically target those alterations. Indeed, molecularly targeted therapies—along with predictive biomarker testing and site-specific chemotherapy—have significantly improved the [ Read More ]
September 2014, Part 3 - Emerging Therapies
The cancer drug pipeline continues to boast many new therapies, reinforcing the recent trends of new and improved monoclonal antibodies and other classes of targeted therapies for different types of tumors. At ASCO 2014, researchers presented findings for many of these drugs, with immunotherapies leading the way in current drug [ Read More ]
June 2014, Part 2 - Gastrointestinal Cancer
San Francisco, CA—The use of immunotherapy for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers should become a reality in the not-too-distant future. Uncovering the signaling networks within the tumor microenvironment that regulate host immune responses is leading to strategies to alter these responses to treat GI malignancies. Combinations of therapies that [ Read More ]
August 2013, Vol 2, No 5 - Uncategorized
Ten years of adjuvant tamoxifen is superior to 5 years in reducing the rates of late recurrence and death in women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, reported Richard G. Gray, MSc. Previously, 5 years of tamoxifen have been shown to reduce breast cancer mortality by about one-third over 15 [ Read More ]
August 2013, Vol 2, No 5 - Uncategorized
Advances in the understanding of the biology of multiple myeloma (MM) and the identification of new drugs have resulted in improved management of MM, including patients who are refractory to proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory agents.An update on initial therapy was offered by Donna E. Reece, MD, director, Program for Multiple [ Read More ]
August 2013, Vol 2, No 5 - Uncategorized
“Building Bridges to Conquer Cancer” was the theme of the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), as well as the address of ASCO president Sandra M. Swain, MD. Her address focused on 3 pillars of the theme: 1) ensuring global health equity, 2) the need [ Read More ]
April 2013, Vol 2, No 2 - Uncategorized
About 3% to 5% of the general population is believed to have a mutation in the gene that encodes a major 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) metabolizing enzyme. This mutation can extend the half-life of 5-FU, leading to increased plasma concentrations and potential toxicities, said Colleen Rock, PharmD, PhD, at the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy [ Read More ]
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