In this phase 3 nonrandomized controlled trial of 331 patients, patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (nGBM) receiving autologous tumor lysate-loaded dendritic cell vaccination (DCVax-L) had a median OS of 19.3 months from randomization (22.4 months from surgery), while contemporaneous, matched external control patients receiving SOC had a median OS of 16.5 months from randomization; for patients with recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM), the median OS was 13.2 months from relapse in the DCVax-L group vs. 7.8 months in the external control cohort. Both in nGBM and rGBM, significant increases in the long-term tails of the survival curves were seen.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with Philadelphia chromosome positivity (Ph+) has a poor prognosis historically, so allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is advised after the first complete remission (CR1). The rapid achievement of a complete molecular remission (CMR), however, is associated with excellent outcomes without allo-HCT in the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) era, indicating transplant may not be necessary for these patients. To test this theory, the authors of this journal-based CME program looked into 5 transplant centers in the US to find adult Ph+ ALL patients who received induction therapy, such as TKIs, and received CMR within 90 days of diagnosis. They then compared the outcomes of people who received allo-HCT in the first remission versus those who did not.

The final results of this randomized clinical trial of 493 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) showed that treatment with modified FOLFIRINOX as opposed to gemcitabine significantly increased overall survival (median survival, 53.5 vs. 35.5 months). Younger age, well-differentiated tumors, lower-stage tumors, larger-volume centers, and finishing the prescribed course of therapy all predicted better survival; early disease relapse was an adverse prognostic factor for overall survival from relapse.

A video conversation between a senior advisor at ADVI, a physician from Texas Oncology, and the division director of practice health for ASCO discuss the main provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its implications for oncologists and oncology practices. The panel discusses why practices may have to bear a larger share of the cost of drugs and be ready for utilization cuts by focusing on two important aspects of the IRA: the $2,000 cap on patients’ out-of-pocket expenses and Medicare price negotiation. All three concur that if the act isn’t changed, it might slow down the development of medicines for some indications.

The majority of the decrease in the risk of local recurrence was seen in the first decade, according to the researchers’ observations of a differential effect over time. With or without irradiation, the risk of recurrence is not significantly different in the second decade. However, others pointed out that the goal of radiotherapy is not to increase overall survival but rather to lower the risk of local recurrence, which is a crucial aspect of breast-conserving therapy.

Early triple-negative breast cancer patients who received pembrolizumab along with neoadjuvant chemotherapy had a significantly higher rate of pathological complete responses than those who received placebo along with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.