Five Under 5: Top Oncology Videos for the Week of 2/9

Welcome to The Five Under 5, your go-to roundup of the top 5 videos of the week.

These short videos are designed for busy oncologists to view on the go, and feature expert insights on breaking news, regulatory updates, practice-changing data shared at medical meetings, and other key topics in the realm of oncology.

Here’s what you may have missed:

Christopher L. Moertel, MD, pediatric neuro-oncologist; professor; director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Fellowship Program in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; faculty in the Department of Pediatrics; medical director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology and Neurofibromatosis Programs; co-medical director of Katie Hageboeck Children's Cancer Research Fund Clinic; clinical neuro-oncology leader of the Brain Tumor Program; and The Kenneth and Betty Jayne Dahlberg Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, discusses the FDA approval of mirdametinib (Gomekli) for treating adult and pediatric patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)–associated plexiform neurofibromas (PN). On February 11, 2025, the agent was cleared for patients aged 2 years and older with symptomatic PN that cannot be fully removed through surgery. The decision was supported by data from the phase 2b ReNeu trial (NCT03962543), which showed that mirdametinib significantly reduced tumor volume, alleviated pain, and improved quality of life in both adult and pediatric patients.

Ryan Sullivan, MD, director of the Center for Melanoma at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, discusses the phase 2 IGNYTE trial (NCT03767348) evaluating RP1, an oncolytic herpes simplex virus, combined with nivolumab (Opdivo) in patients with advanced melanoma who progressed on prior anti–PD-1 therapy. The combination elicited an objective response rate (ORR) of 33.6%, with responses observed in both injected and non-injected lesions, indicating immune activation. RP1 works by infecting tumor cells and releasing antigens that stimulate immune responses, potentially enhancing systemic immune activation when combined with nivolumab. Further randomized trials are needed to confirm RP1’s efficacy, as this could represent a promising option for those with limited alternatives after PD-1 inhibitor failure.

Bhagirathbhai Dholaria, MBBS, associate professor in the Division of Hematology Oncology at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, discusses a phase 1 study (NCT04960579) evaluating P-BCMA-ALLO1, a non-viral, allogeneic BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapy, in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, focusing on results from the optimized lymphodepletion cohort (arm C). The study included 32 evaluable patients who had received at least 3 prior lines of therapy, with some having previously received BCMA-directed therapy. Data showed an ORR of 88%, with an ORR of 100% in those naive to BCMA therapy and 75% to 78% in those with prior BCMA exposure. Safety data revealed no grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or neurotoxicity, with most CRS cases being mild, and immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) events resolving with minimal steroid use.

Elias Jabbour, MD, professor in the Department of Leukemia of the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, discusses the phase 1/2 cAMeLot-1 study (NCT04811560) evaluating single-agent bleximenib (JNJ-75276617) in patients with relapsed/refractory acute leukemia harboring KMT2A rearrangements or NPM1 mutations. Bleximenib elicited overall response rates of 36.4%, 47.6%, and 55.0% at doses of 45 mg, 90/100 mg, and 150 mg, respectively. Composite complete response rates ranged from 18.2% to 40.0%. The recommended phase 2 dose was established at 100 mg twice daily, as it showed superior efficacy vs the 45-mg dose and better safety than the 150-mg dose. The study’s findings suggest that bleximenib is well tolerated, with manageable safety concerns, and the phase 2 portion is ongoing to further evaluate its efficacy and safety.