James H. Doroshow, MD, of the National Cancer Institute, describes a new precision medicine initiative called the MATCH trial: Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice. In 2,400 NCI clinical trial sites, 3,000 patients will be screened and their tumors analyzed to determine whether they contain genetic abnormalities for which a targeted drug exists.
Charles L. Bennett, MD, PhD, MPP of the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy, and James O. Armitage, MD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, discuss the emerging and future benefits of biosimilars.
Daniel A. Vorobiof, MD, of the Sandton Oncology Centre, and Bernardo Leon Rapoport, MD, of The Medical Oncology Centre of Rosebank, discuss the first study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a single dose of intravenous fosaprepitant. The use of this NK1 inhibitor and another (rolapitant) in a second study discussed may change the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and improve quality of life for patients (Abstracts 9629 and 9615).
Thomas W. LeBlanc, MD, of Duke University Medical Center, and Eric Roeland, MD, FAAHPM, of the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center, discuss the use of palliative and hospice care for patients with solid tumors vs hematologic cancers and clinicians’ attitudes (Abstracts e20554 and 9524).
Andrew Zelenetz, MD, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses two important lymphoma trials presented at ASCO and his views on whether their results are indeed practice-changing (Abstract 8504 and LBA8502).
Richard G. Margolese, MD, of McGill University discusses the improvement in breast cancer-free interval with anastrozole vs tamoxifen in patients with DCIS undergoing lumpectomy plus radiotherapy (Abstract LBA500).
