Articles related to CHECKPOINT INHIBITORS

In a recent study presented at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Annual Meeting, researchers reported that more than 75% of patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) were still alive and event-free at 1 year. The treatment was also well-tolerated, with a manageable rate of side effects. The 1-year event-free survival rate was 78.3%, and the 1-year overall survival rate was 88.0%. The postoperative complication rate was 35.6%, and the rate of grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events was 18.1%. The most common side effects were leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, and hyperglycemia. Overall, the results of this study suggest that neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with an ICI is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with resectable esophageal cancer. The treatment was associated with a high rate of pCR and R0 resection, and the side effects were generally manageable.

The number of patients who get immune-related adverse events (irAEs) will increase as the reasons for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) therapy broaden. Because irAEs can progress and result in catastrophic or fatal results, early detection and therapy are crucial. Systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressive medications are crucial to treating moderate to severe irAEs, although withdrawal of ICIs is often advised for high-grade occurrences. Preventing irAEs, treating corticosteroid-refractory instances, and evaluating whether ICIs may be safely reintroduced after the incidence of severe irAEs are all challenges. The ongoing search for predictive biomarkers of irAEs is critical for informing treatment strategies that maximize the clinical advantages of ICIs while lowering the risk of toxicities.

This educational program aims to improve the knowledge and comprehension of the clinical trial and real-world evidence for the CDK4/6i class among HCPs. A greater percentage of patients with HR+/HER2 metastatic breast cancer (mBC) will have access to this therapeutic option by filling care gaps linked to CDK4/6i usage. The course will largely center on three (3) core learning areas: best practices in CDK4/6i therapy management, the significance of real-world evidence (RWE) in treatment decision-making, and CDK4/6i in mBC: indications, clinical data, and RWE.

The 2023 AACR meeting has seen a large number of clinical abstracts presented, demonstrating that science from the lab is moving to the clinic. Examples include an RNA vaccine from Moderna in combination with pembrolizumab in a neoadjuvant setting in patients with melanoma, and the AEGEAN trial, which looks at perioperative therapy in patients with lung cancer. The conference is also seeing a focus on more diverse speakers, including junior investigators. The field of mRNA cancer vaccines is evolving, with personalised vaccines being used to activate the immune system in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, resulting in positive results in some cancers. The conference is an opportunity to learn about new science, make new connections and collaborations, and gain a better understanding of how to push the field forward.

This CME program discusses how Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) have improved treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and other B-cell malignancies. However, due to adverse events and treatment resistance, many patients discontinue treatment. A new generation of BTKi with a different mechanism of action (MOA) is emerging as a possible alternative. The program presents four modules that discuss the MOAs of covalent and non-covalent BTKi, current practices for using BTKi in treatment of CLL and MCL, the efficacy and safety data for novel BTKi, and the potential role of non-covalent BTKi in future treatment plans.

Results from the RUBY trial of dostarlimab and the GY018/Keynote-068 of pembrolizumab were presented at the 2023 SGO Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer in March and were simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The studies examined the efficacy and safety of the medications in all individuals and those with mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) illness. Each trial examined a separate PD-1 inhibitor, pembrolizumab or dostarlimab, in combination with chemotherapy in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. In individuals with dMMR illness, both medications lowered the chance of disease progression or death by roughly 70%.