Vol. 21/No. 4 | Oncology Live®

ASCO Identifies Additional Ways to Improve Hazardous Drug Safety

February 24, 2020

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) General Chapter is a good start for improving the protection of healthcare workers exposed to hazardous drugs, but more studies and safety protocols are needed, according to an American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) expert panel that evaluated USP and various other guidelines in a report last year.

Neoadjuvant Radiosurgery Shows Efficacy for Large Brain Metastases

February 21, 2020

Neoadjuvant stereotactic radiosurgery has gained interest. This approach allows for easier target delineation; a smaller margin of normal brain parenchymal receiving the radiosurgery dose, which may decrease toxicity; and the potential to reduce the risk of leptomeningeal disease by sterilizing the tumor margin preoperatively.

If Only That Phase III Oncology Trial Had Been Designed Differently

February 19, 2020

The cancer treatment community's ultimate perception of a successfully completed phase III randomized trial depends in large part on how well the trial was conceived and structured. To permit adequate accrual in a timely manner and optimize the chances for a study to achieve success, the question it poses must be relevant to ensure interest by clinical investigators, referring clinicians, and potential research subjects. Further, the initiative must have adequate funding for data collection and analysis, translational laboratory investigations, and other trial components.

Investigators Test PARP Inhibitor in IDH-Mutant Solid Tumors

February 13, 2020

Investigators will challenge therapeutic convention by testing a PARP inhibitor instead of an IDH-targeted therapy in patients with metastatic IDH1/2-mutated glioma, cholangiocarcinoma, and other solid tumors that are refractory to standard treatment.