July 10, 2020 - Supplement: Conference Highlights ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program (View All Issues)
Conference Highlights From the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program
The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced many cancer societies, including ASCO, to cancel their in-person meetings this year and instead present the latest advancements and new approaches in oncology care via a virtual platform. For the first time in its 56-year history, the ASCO Annual...
Disease-Free Survival in Early-Stage EGFR-Positive NSCLC Improved by Adjuvant Osimertinib
Compared with placebo, adjuvant osimertinib significantly improved disease-free survival in patients with stage IB to IIIA EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent complete resection of primary tumor and received chemotherapy if indicated. Reported during the Plenary Program of ...
Advanced Bladder Cancer Survival Improved With Maintenance Avelumab
According to an interim analysis of the phase III JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial, rates of survival among patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma who did not progress on first-line platinum-based chemotherapy were significantly prolonged by maintenance therapy with avelumab and best supportive care...
Rates of Progression-Free Survival in MSI-H/dMMR Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Doubled by Pembrolizumab
Upfront treatment with immunotherapy not only improved results in a subset of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, it doubled the rates of median progression-free survival. These findings—the first of their kind—arose from the interim analysis of the randomized open-label phase III...
Outcomes in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Unimproved by Carfilzomib Triplet vs Standard Bortezomib-Based Regimen
No superior efficacy was shown with the combination of carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (KRd) in newly treated patients with standard- and intermediate-risk multiple myeloma who are not slated for immediate autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), compared with the standard of care: ...
No Survival Benefit from Local Therapy in de Novo Metastatic Breast Cancer Study
Results of the phase III E2108 study indicate that surgery and radiotherapy given after systemic treatment afforded no additional survival benefit among women with newly diagnosed metastatic breast cancer. The practice may, however, reduce locoregional progression of disease, according to a report...
Belantamab Mafodotin Shows Activity in Relapsed or Refractory Myeloma
Treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma yielded responses with the antibody-drug conjugate belantamab mafodotin, both as a single agent and in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone. Two reports from the DREAMM team expanded on these findings at the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific...
Expert Point of View: Philip McCarthy, MD
Philip McCarthy, MD, Professor of Oncology and Internal Medicine and Director of the Transplant and Cellular Therapy Center at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, found the results of the DREAMM-6 study to be “exciting and promising.” He commented: “The overall response...
Pembrolizumab Improves Progression-Free Survival vs Brentuximab Vedotin in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
Treatment with the anti–PD-1 agent pembrolizumab significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma compared with standard brentuximab vedotin, according to results of the phase III KEYNOTE-204.1 The study results were presented during the ASCO20 Virtual...
Phase III BOSTON Study Finds Selinexor Improves Outcomes in Myeloma
When added to bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with multiple myeloma, selinexor significantly improved progression-free survival and response rates, with a lower incidence of peripheral neuropathy, compared with bortezomib/dexamethasone alone, according to results from the global phase III...
First-Line Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab Shows Activity in NSCLC, With or Without Chemotherapy
Advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients whose tumors have no EGFR or ALK alterations poses a particular challenge in terms of first-line therapy. The use of nivolumab plus ipilimumab as well as nivolumab/ipilimumab plus two cycles of chemotherapy, respectively, as first-line therapy ...
Study Indicates Effectiveness of Tucatinib Combination in Previously Treated HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer With Brain Metastases
Tucatinib, a small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is highly selective for HER2, plus trastuzumab/capecitabine significantly improved central nervous system (CNS) progression-free survival, overall survival, and intracranial response rate vs placebo plus trastuzumab/capecitabine, as shown...
Alpelisib Deemed Effective in Advanced Breast Cancer After Treatment With CDK4/6 Inhibitor
The phase II BYLieve trial indicates the effectiveness of the PIK3CA inhibitor alpelisib in patients with PIK3CA-positive, hormone receptor–positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer previously treated with a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor plus an aromatase inhibitor. These results...
For Patients With Early-Stage Cervical Cancer, Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Declared Oncologically Safe
Bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy represents the current “gold standard” for lymph node staging in cervical cancer—but an assessment of disease-free and disease-specific survival among patients with early-stage cervical cancer determined that sentinel lymph node biopsy alone is a valid standard of...
Avelumab Shown Effective in Rare Chemotherapy-Resistant Gynecologic Tumor in TROPHIMMUN Trial
Almost 50% of patients resistant to single-agent chemotherapy responded in the first trial of immunotherapy for gestational trophoblastic tumors, reported French investigators in an abstract presented during the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program.1 Benoit You, MD, PhD, of Lyon University Hospital,...
Maintenance Olaparib Shows Overall Survival Benefit in Ovarian Cancer
In the final, preplanned, overall survival analysis in the randomized phase III SOLO2/ENGOT-ov211 trial, maintenance treatment with the PARP inhibitor olaparib extended overall survival by an unprecedented 12.9 months, compared with placebo. This marks the first time that overall survival has been...
Final Analysis of Phase II Trial in Recurrent Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer
In a poster presentation at the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program, Mansoor Raza Mirza, MD, of the the Department of Oncology, Rigshopitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, and colleagues reported the final analysis of the phase II NSGO-AVANOVA2/ENGOT-OV24 trial comparing the...
Savolitinib vs Sunitinib in MET-Driven Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma
Targeting MET alterations with savolitinib appears to be a better strategy than sunitinib for patients with MET-driven papillary renal cell carcinoma, according to results of the open-label, randomized, phase III SAVOIR trial.1 Patients with MET-driven metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma...
PSMA-Targeted PET/CT Imaging May Be Useful in Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer
Positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging with the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radiotracer fluorine F-18 DCFPyL (PyL) successfully identified areas of occult metastasis in men with biochemically recurrent metastatic castration-resistant prostate...
Longer-Term Results of Pivotal Study in Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
New, longer-term data from a pivotal phase II trial in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), were presented during the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program and discussed during a poster discussion.1 Danny Rischin, MD, of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victoria, Australia, presented...
