May 19, 2016
November 2015, Vol. 2, No. 6
Two New Options for Renal Cell Carcinoma
Patients with advanced, pretreated renal cell carcinoma (RCC), who have limited treatment options, received good news from 2 important practice-changing trials presented as late-breakers at the recent 2015 European Cancer Congress (ECC)—CheckMate 025 and METEOR. CheckMate 025 found a survival benefit for nivoluÂmab over standard everolimus therapy in previously treated [ Read More ]
Intralesional Oncolytic Immunotherapies Show Benefit in Melanoma
For patients with advanced melanoma, checkpoint inhibitors are not the only means of modulating the immune system to treat disease. According to research presented at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting, intralesional oncolytic therapy is also providing profound benefit in several phase 2 and phase [ Read More ]
The Next Generation of Agents for Lung Cancer
At the 16th Annual International Lung Cancer Congress, Tony Mok, MD, Professor of Clinical Oncology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, provided an overview of the next generation of agents, taking stock of the recent past for insights into the future of drug discovery. Drug discovery is rarely, if ever, [ Read More ]
Immunotherapy Will Alter the NSCLC Treatment Landscape
Despite the promise of molecular profiling, approximately 80% of patients with lung cancer lack a defined genotypic mutation and thus become resistant when treated with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. According to data presented at the congress, however, lung cancer remains a highly mutated disease, suggesting great potential for immunotherapy. “If [ Read More ]
Looking into the Future of Lung Cancer Research
Each year, the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) recognizes luminaries in the quest to cure lung cancer with the Addario Lectureship Award. This year, Fred R. Hirsch, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Pathology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, delivered his keynote lecture on the many [ Read More ]
Exploring the Possibilities of Manipulating the Immune System to Improve Outcomes
Dear Colleague, We are pleased to continue our in-depth coverage of the role of immunotherapy in oncology care. Immunotherapy has long captured the interest of researchers combating disease, and none more so than oncology researchers. Recent advances in immunotherapy have made headlines and been the main attraction at association meetings. [ Read More ]
Letter to Our ReadersHigh-Dose Interleukin-2 as a Second-Line Option in Metastatic Melanoma
An Interview with Elizabeth I. Buchbinder, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Many patients with melanoma have benefited from the recent employment of therapeutic agents targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) such as ipilimumab and the immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) agents targeting the programmed death-1/ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) pathway. As more patients are [ Read More ]
Targeting Programmed Death-1 (PD-1) and Its Ligand (PD-L1)
Immunologic checkpoint blockade with antibodies targeting PD-1 or one of its ligands, PD-L1, is showing promise as a method for reversing cancer immunosuppression and thereby promoting immune responses against several cancer types.1 While the first checkpoint inhibitor approved by the FDA in 2011 was ipilimumab, an antibody that targets cytotoxic [ Read More ]
Update to Approaches to Therapy in Malignant Melanoma
Current approaches to the treatment and follow-up of patients with malignant melanoma, including those with brain metastases, were reviewed by speakers at the 2015 World Cutaneous Malignancies Congress. Approach to the BRAF-Positive Patient Melanoma is an immunogenic oncogene-driven cancer, said Grant McArthur, MB, BS, PhD, in explaining the rationale for [ Read More ]
Genetic Testing for Melanoma: What’s State of the Art?
Genetic testing in metastatic melanoma should include testing for all actionable mutations in exon 15, said Grant McArthur, MB, BS, PhD, at the 2015 World Cutaneous Malignancies Congress. Testing at the time of disease progression is not yet ready for routine clinical use. Test the Metastases In metastatic melanoma, tumor [ Read More ]
Another Immunotherapy for NSCLC?
Immunotherapy is poised to become a game changer for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nivolumab is now approved by the FDA for the treatment of NSCLC, and atezolizumab is the second checkpoint inhibitor to show promise as second- line or later therapy in NSCLC. Results of the POPLAR [ Read More ]