ASCO Annual Meeting | Conference

Dr. West on Emerging Changes in the Field of EGFR-Mutant NSCLC

June 6th 2017

H. Jack West, MD, a thoracic oncologist of Swedish Cancer Institute at Swedish Medical Center, discusses some potential emerging changes coming to the field of EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including next-generation EGFR inhibitors such as osimertinib (Tagrisso) that is now being explored in the FLAURA trial as a frontline treatment for these patients.

Dr. McBride on the Excitement With Oral Oncolytics

June 6th 2017

Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCPS, clinical coordinator, Hematology/Oncology, secretary, Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), discusses the importance with and excitement of oral oncolytics.

Dr. von Minckwitz on Phase III Results of the APHINITY Trial for Breast Cancer

June 6th 2017

Gunter von Minckwitz, MD, PhD, president of the German Breast Group in Neu-Isenburg, Germany, discusses the phase III results of the APHINITY trial, which explored the addition of pertuzumab (Perjeta) to standard postoperative trastuzumab (Herceptin) therapy for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer.

Pembrolizumab/ Epacadostat Combo Active in Urothelial Carcinoma

June 6th 2017

Combining the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab with the IDO1 inhibitor epacadostat led to an overall response rate of 35% in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma.

Dr. Shaw on the Phase III Results of the ALEX Trial in NSCLC

June 6th 2017

Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, attending physician, Thoracic Cancer Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the phase III results of the international ALEX trial, which compared the alectinib (Alecensa) with crizotinib (Xalkori) in the frontline setting for patients with ALK-positive, metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Epacadostat/ Nivolumab Shows Promising Efficacy for Melanoma, Head and Neck Cancer

June 6th 2017

The combination of the IDO inhibitor epacadostat and nivolumab demonstrated promising signs of activity for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and those with melanoma.

BCMA CAR T-Cell Therapy Yields High Remission Rate in Multiple Myeloma

June 6th 2017

Early results from a Chinese study showed that 33 of 35 patients (94%) with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma experienced clinical remission after treatment with chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting B-cell maturation protein.

Dacomitinib Bests Gefitinib in EGFR-Mutant NSCLC

June 6th 2017

Dacomitinib, a second-generation EGFR inhibitor, reduced the risk of disease progression by more than 40% and resulted in an average 6.5-month improvement in response duration compared with gefitinib (Iressa) as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced, EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer.

Adjuvant Pertuzumab May Help Some Early Breast Cancer Patients

June 5th 2017

The addition of pertuzumab (Perjeta) to standard postoperative trastuzumab (Herceptin) therapy for patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer slightly improved the rate of recurrence overall but had a greater benefit for individuals with higher-risk disease, particularly as more time elapsed, according to early results from the phase III APHINITY trial.

Nintedanib Chemo Combo Promising for Malignant Mesothelioma

June 5th 2017

Frontline treatment with nintedanib plus pemetrexed and cisplatin improved progression-free survival by 3.7 months for chemotherapy-naive patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, according to data reported at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Nivolumab Alone or With Ipilimumab Controls Disease, Extends Survival, in Mesothelioma

June 5th 2017

Nivolumab as monotherapy or in combination with ipilimumab may present a new second- or third-line treatment option for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, based on preliminary findings from a phase II trial where nivolumab alone or in the combination improved disease control and prolonged survival in patients with this rare but aggressive cancer.

Alectinib Delayed Progression, Reduced Risk for Death by 53% in ALK+ NSCLC

June 5th 2017

In patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer, the second-generation TKI inhibitor alectinib (Alecensa) delayed progression by an additional 15 months compared with the standard-of-care crizotinib (Xalkori).

Pembrolizumab Again Demonstrates Durable Activity in TNBC

June 5th 2017

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) showed durable antitumor activity in patients with heavily pretreated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to findings from cohort A of the phase II KEYNOTE-086 trial presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Dr. Tolaney on Activity With Abemaciclib in Patients With HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer

June 5th 2017

Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, instructor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, attending physician of medical oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the results of a phase II trial exploring the efficacy of abemaciclib as a treatment of brain metastases that are secondary in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive,HER2-negative breast cancer.

Dr. Sharman on the Phase III Results of the GENUINE Study in CLL

June 5th 2017

Jeff Sharman, MD, medical director, Hematology Research, The US Oncology Network, discusses the phase III findings of the GENUINE study, the combination of ublituximab (TG-1101) and ibrutinib (Imbruvica) for patients with previously treated high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Pembrolizumab Gastric Cancer Data Updated, as FDA Considers Approval

June 5th 2017

Pembrolizumab continued to show promising signs of clinical activity as a treatment for patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer in updated findings from the KEYNOTE-059 study.

Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Highly Active in Patients With Melanoma Brain Metastases

June 5th 2017

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab demonstrated an intracranial response rate of 42% in asymptomatic patients with melanoma brain metastases who had not received prior local therapy to the brain.

Lenalidomide Consolidation OS Plateau Intrigues in CLL

June 4th 2017

Induction therapy with fludarabine and rituximab followed by lenalidomide consolidation therapy (FR-L) demonstrated a distinct plateau in overall survivalbeyond that seen with FR or FR plus cyclophosphamide (FCR) alone for patients with symptomatic, untreated non-del(11q) chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Patients With Advanced Cancer Live Longer When They Report Symptoms Online and in Real Time

June 4th 2017

Patients receiving treatment for metastatic cancer who used a web-based tool to report their symptoms either while at home or during clinic visits lived on average 5 months longer than their counterparts who had standard symptom monitoring, according to findings of a randomized trial reported at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Study Backs 50% Chemo Cutback After Surgery for Low-Risk Colon Cancer

June 4th 2017

Most patients with low-risk advanced colon cancer would benefit from a 50% reduction in the oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy they typically receive after surgery without notably increasing their risk of recurrence and while markedly decreasing the likelihood that they will develop neuropathy, according to an analysis that challenges the current standard of care and paves the way for a more personalized approach.