Another win for Merck and Keytruda, as the FDA granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with locally recurrent unresectable or metastatic TNBC whose tumors express PD-L1 based on PFS. The FDA also approved a companion diagnostic, PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx.
Olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in germline (g)BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Find out whether the results from this latest report will emphasize the value of molecular characterization (homologous recombination (HR)–related genes other than BRCA1/2) for treatment decisions in MBC.
Are traditional cytotoxic chemotherapies becoming a thing of the past? This study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows a move toward targeted agents, as a combination of obinutuzumab, ibrutinib, and venetoclax induced deep remissions in patients with treatment-naive or relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
In this article/podcast from KevinMD.com, the author fears that after decades of progress in detecting, treating, and preventing many types of cancers, this nation could face a “cancer pandemic” in the next ten years as a result of this delay in routine screenings. These missed cancer screenings will likely result in delayed cancer diagnoses, recurrence […]
In this article from the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the authors suggest the need for caution and well-conducted trials to systematically address the question of total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) in rectal cancer, which can lead to overtreatment and unnecessary toxicity without a proven benefit. Despite some of its theoretical advantages, declaring TNT a new standard […]
In the past decade, several promising immunotherapies have been developed, changing the treatment landscape for children with relapsed ALL. These advances in treatment offer real promise for less toxic and more effective therapy for children. In this article from Blood, the authors present several cases highlighting contemporary treatment decision-making.
In this article/podcast from the pages of KevinMD.com, the physician authors describe their distress upon hearing and reading the recent disparaging comments about osteopathic medicine, which attacked Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley, DO, the Physician of the President: “When someone challenges the validity of a legitimate medical degree, the entire house of medicine is under […]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval – the first for mesothelioma in 16 years and the second FDA-approved systemic therapy for mesothelioma – was based on a randomized, open-label trial, of 605 patients. The endpoint was to determine if the nivolumab-ipilimumab combo improved overall survival compared to chemotherapy.
In Study CK-301-101, the primary efficacy endpoint was objective response rate (complete + partial response, by independent central review), which was 47% (n = 15) in 32 mCSCC patients evaluable for response, including 3 complete responses and 12 partial responses. The results from the study were presented at the ESMO Congress.
In this Original Investigation from JAMA Oncology, the authors attempt to discover whether increased coffee consumption is associated with improved survival in patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were the main outcomes and measures, and both decaffeinated and caffeinated coffee were studied.