Final Overall Survival Results With Fulvestrant Plus Anastrozole in Metastatic Breast Cancer
As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Mehta et al, the final overall survival results of the phase III SWOG S0226 trial show that the addition of first-line fulvestrant to anastrozole was associated with improved overall survival in postmenopausal women with hormone...
FDA Expands Palbociclib Indication in HR-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer to Include Male Patients
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the indication of palbociclib (Ibrance) capsules in combination with specific endocrine therapies for hormone receptor (HR)–positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer to include male patients. “Today, we are...
AACR 2019: Small Study of Virotherapy Plus Radiotherapy for Patients With Esophageal Cancer Unable to Receive Standard Treatments
The experimental oncolytic adenovirus telomelysin in combination with radiotherapy was safe and showed early clinical efficacy in vulnerable patients with esophageal cancer, according to results from a phase I clinical trial presented by Fujiwara et al at the American Association for ...
AACR 2019: Does Use of Oral Contraceptives Decrease the Risk of Fatal Ovarian Cancer?
Researchers have observed for several years that people who have a history of using oral contraceptives are less likely to develop ovarian cancer. A team from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University at Buffalo analyzed those connections more deeply, reporting that the protective ...
AACR 2019: Phase I Trial Evaluates LOXO-195 in Patients With NTRK-Positive Solid Tumors
The investigational anticancer therapeutic LOXO-195, which targets a family of proteins called tropomyosin receptor kinases (TRKs), was safe, tolerable, and showed signs of clinical activity in patients who had solid tumors that harbored NTRK gene fusions and had become resistant to other...
Lenvatinib Plus Pembrolizumab in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
In an interim analysis of a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Makker et al found that lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab was active in advanced endometrial cancer. Study Details In the study, 54 patients from 11 sites with metastatic endometrial cancer unselected for microsatellite...
AUGMENT: Addition of Lenalidomide to Rituximab in Relapsed or Refractory Indolent Lymphoma
In the phase III AUGMENT trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Leonard et al found that the addition of lenalidomide to rituximab significantly prolonged progression-free survival in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent lymphoma. Study Details The double-blind trial...
Differences in Medical Cannabis Use in Patients With and Without Cancer
People with and without cancer are more likely, over time, to use a more potent form of medical marijuana with increasingly higher amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a new study published by Kim et al in the Journal of Palliative Medicine has shown. “Although there is growing...
Serum MicroRNA-371a-3p as a Biomarker for Testicular Germ Cell Tumors
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Dieckmann et al found that serum levels of microRNA (miR)-371a-3p (M371 test) showed very high accuracy for detecting testicular germ cell tumors. Study Details In the prospective international study, serum samples from 616 patients with...
Long-Term Outcomes for Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation vs Observation in Locally Advanced NSCLC
As reported in JAMA Oncology by Sun et al, a long-term update of the phase III NRG Oncology/RTOG 0214 trial has shown that prophylactic cranial irradiation was associated with a reduced incidence of brain metastases and improved disease-free survival—but not overall survival—compared...
AACR 2019: Does Primary Tumor Surgery Increase Survival in Patients With Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer?
Surgery was associated with higher survival rates for patients with HER2-positive stage IV breast cancer compared with those who did not undergo surgery, according to results presented by Mudgway et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting (Abstract 4873). Between...
AACR 2019: Maintenance Rucaparib Treatment in BRCA- or PALB2-Mutated Pancreatic Cancer
Maintenance treatment with the PARP inhibitor rucaparib was well tolerated and showed activity among patients with advanced BRCA- or PALB2-mutated pancreatic cancer sensitive to platinum-based chemotherapy, according to results from an interim analysis of an ongoing phase II clinical...
AACR 2019: Effect of Timing of Radiotherapy on Mucositis in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
New research presented by Gu et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2019 found that administering radiation treatments in the morning as opposed to later in the day may significantly reduce the severity of mucositis and its related impacts (Abstract 4860). ...
Racial Disparities in Matched Volunteer Stem Cell Donors
Although the pool of registered bone marrow donors has increased in recent years, a new study suggests that most patients of southern European and non-European descent are unlikely to have a suitable match if they need a bone marrow transplant. If an immediate registry search does not identify a...
Geriatric Assessment, Hospitalization, and Long-Term Care Use in Older Cancer Survivors
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Williams et al found that items in geriatric assessment were significantly predictive of hospitalization frequency and long-term care use among older cancer survivors. Study Details The study included 125 patients aged ≥ 65 years from...
BEACON Colorectal Cancer Trial: Safety Lead-in With Triplet Therapy for BRAF V600E–Mutant Metastatic Disease
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Van Cutsem et al, treatment with encorafenib, binimetinib, and cetuximab for BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic colorectal cancer was associated with a manageable safety profile and evidence of activity in the safety lead-in to the phase III BEACON ...
AACR 2019: Entinostat Plus Pembrolizumab in Patients With Melanoma Previously Treated With Anti–PD-1 Therapy
A combination of the experimental histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor entinostat with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor pembrolizumab showed clinical responses in patients with melanoma that had progressed on prior anti–PD-1 treatment, according to results from the phase...
AACR 2019: Higher BMI Before Age 50 May Increase Risk of Pancreatic Cancer
A higher body mass index (BMI) before age 50 may be more strongly associated with pancreatic cancer mortality risk than excess weight at older age, according to the results of a study presented by Jacobs et al at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2019 (Abstract...
AACR 2019: Gilteritinib in Patients With FLT3-Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Treatment with the FLT3-targeted therapeutic gilteritinib improved survival for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) harboring an FLT3 mutation compared with standard chemotherapy regimens, according to results from the phase III ADMIRAL trial presented by Perl et al at ...
Germline Mutations and Risk for Neoplastic Disease Progression During Pancreatic Surveillance
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Abe et al found previously unidentified deleterious germline mutations in patients with family history as the basis for pancreatic surveillance. Moreover, the study showed the risk of pancreatic cancer was higher in individuals with germline...
AACR 2019: CD40 Antibody Combined With Chemotherapy in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
An interim analysis of a small phase Ib study by O’Hara et al evaluating the CD40 agonistic monoclonal antibody APX005M in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel with or without the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor nivolumab in untreated patients with metastatic...
AACR 2019: Data Analysis Shows Activity of Pembrolizumab in Pretreated Patients With Advanced Small Cell Lung Cancer
The results of an analysis of pooled data from the phase Ib KEYNOTE-028 trial and the phase II KEYNOTE-158 study of the anti–programmed cell death protein 1 monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab in the treatment of advanced small cell lung cancer has found that the therapy provided antitumor...
AACR 2019: HER2-Targeted CAR T-Cell Therapy Plus Chemotherapy in Advanced Sarcoma
A small phase I study by Navai et al investigated a combination of lymphodepletion chemotherapy and HER2-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for pediatric and adult patients with advanced HER2-positive sarcoma. The combination showed promising antitumor activity and was found to ...
FDA Oncology Center of Excellence Issues Annual Report
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) has issued its 2018 Annual Report, including updates on regulatory reviews and initiatives, OCE programs, guidances, and more. Regulatory Reviews The OCE is tasked with clinical medical oncology reviews, irrespective...
FDA Pipeline: Mammography Policies, Designations for Leukemias and Myelodysplastic Syndrome
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced policy changes to modernize mammography policies and issued a Breakthrough Therapy designation, an Orphan Drug designation, and an investigational new drug application. FDA Advances Policy Changes to Modernize Mammography Services...
Risk of Subsequent Primary Cancers After Carbon Ion Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer
In a Japanese retrospective study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Mohamad et al found that carbon ion radiotherapy was associated with a lower risk of subsequent primary cancers compared with photon radiotherapy in patients with localized prostate cancer. The study included data on 1,455 patients ...
Venetoclax Plus Low-Dose Cytarabine in Older Patients With Previously Untreated AML Ineligible for Intensive Chemotherapy
In a phase Ib/II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Wei et al found that the combination of venetoclax and low-dose cytarabine produced a high response rate in previously untreated older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who were ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. In...
Characteristics and Prognosis Associated With Thin Nodular Primary Melanomas
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Dessinioti et al found that thin nodular primary melanomas are associated with aggressive characteristics that may portend poorer prognosis vs superficial spreading melanomas. Study Details The study involved data on 5,062...
Lorlatinib in Advanced NSCLC With ALK Resistance Mutations
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Shaw et al found that lorlatinib showed greater efficacy in patients with vs without anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) resistance mutations among patients with advanced ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in whom one or more...
Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, Elected AACR President-Elect
The members of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) have elected Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, as their President-Elect for 2019–2020. He will officially become President-Elect at the AACR Annual Meeting 2019 and he will assume the presidency in April 2020 at the AACR Annual Meeting...
Keratinocyte Carcinoma: Update on Treatment and Prevention
Keratinocyte carcinoma, previously known as nonmelanoma skin cancer, is the most common malignancy in fair-skinned populations worldwide. In a review article published in Current Opinion in Pharmacology, Alexander Zink, MD, MPH, PhD, of the Technical University of Munich, proposed that...
Addition of Docetaxel to Androgen Suppression and Radiotherapy for Localized High-Risk Prostate Cancer
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Rosenthal et al, the phase III NRG Oncology RTOG 0521 trial showed that the addition of docetaxel to androgen suppression and radiotherapy improved overall and disease-free survival as well as the distant metastasis rate in patients with high-risk...
Patient Preferences for Oncologist and Primary Care Provider Roles After Initial Breast Cancer Treatment
In a study reported in the Journal of Oncology Practice, Radhakrishnan et al found that the level of involvement of medical oncologists and primary care physicians during initial cancer care in women with early-stage breast cancer affected patients’ preference for provider roles after initial ...
Focal Laser Ablation in Prostate Cancer
Researchers have shown that selectively destroying cancerous prostate tissue may be as effective as complete prostate removal or radiation therapy, while preserving more sexual and urinary function than these other treatments. The study was published by Wasler et al in the Journal of Vascular and...
Breast Density Assessment Variation by Screening Modality
Fewer women are assigned to a dense-breast category when evaluated with advanced mammographic screening technologies compared to standard digital mammography, according to a new study published by Gastounioti et al in Radiology. Density Assessment A woman’s breast density is assessed during ...
Ultradeep Next-Generation Sequencing in Patients With Lung Cancer
A new method of determining the sequence of molecules in DNA can be used to detect small fragments of cancerous genetic material in blood samples from patients with lung cancer with a high degree of accuracy, according research published by Li et al in Annals of Oncology. Liquid Biopsies and...
Genomic Testing Associated With Lower Health-Care Costs in Patients With High-Risk Breast Cancer
New research published by Dinan et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network provides evidence that genomic recurrence score testing using the 21-gene assay is associated with decreased cancer care costs in real-world practice among certain patients with breast...
Pachymeningeal Seeding After Neurosurgical Resection in Patients With Brain Metastases
In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Oncology, Cagney et al found that pachymeningeal seeding was fairly common after neurosurgical resection in patients with brain metastases treated with adjuvant stereotactic radiation. Study Details The study involved 1,188 consecutive patients...
Pertuzumab Plus Trastuzumab in HER2-Amplified Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Meric-Bernstam et al, the combination of pertuzumab and trastuzumab showed activity in HER2-amplified metastatic colorectal cancer in the phase IIa multiple basket study MyPathway. The study is evaluating activity of targeted therapies in nonindicated tumor...
Artificial Intelligence vs Radiologists in Breast Cancer Detection With Digital Mammography
In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Rodriguez-Ruiz et al found that a stand-alone artificial intelligence (AI) system had accuracy comparable to an average breast radiologist in detecting breast cancer using digital mammography. Study Details In the retrospective...
Therapy-Related Cardiac Disease Risk in Childhood Cancer Survivors
As reported by Bates et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, an analysis from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study indicated that radiation doses in conjunction with heart volume exposed to radiation and anthracycline treatment were associated with increased risk of late-onset cardiac disease in...
Immunotherapy Directed Against Precancerous Skin Lesions May Prevent Squamous Cell Carcinoma
A treatment previously shown to treat the precancerous skin lesions called actinic keratosis now appears to also reduce the chance that these pretreated lesions will develop into squamous cell carcinoma. In a report published by Rosenberg et al in JCI Insight, researchers found that treatment with...
FDA Pipeline: Safety Warning About Investigational Use of Venetoclax in Multiple Myeloma, Warning Letter on Unapproved Products
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted a safety statement on the investigational use of venetoclax in multiple myeloma, and also posted a warning letter against a company for illegally marketing unapproved products labeled as homeopathic. Safety Statement The FDA posted...
Does Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery for Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer Decrease the Risk of Surgical Complications?
In a Danish study reported in JAMA Surgery, Jørgensen et al found that the nationwide introduction of minimally invasive robotic surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer was associated with a reduction in the incidence of severe complications. The nationwide prospective cohort study...
Effect of Microsatellite Instability and Tumor Mutational Burden on Outcome in First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
In an analysis of the phase III CALGB/SWOG 80405 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Innocenti et al found that tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability status affected overall survival in patients receiving first-line chemotherapy plus bevacizumab or cetuximab for...
Validation Study of Several Models of Breast Cancer Risk
In a validation study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Terry et al found that the Breast and Ovarian Analysis of Disease Incidence and Carrier Estimation Algorithm model (BOADICEA) and the International Breast Cancer Intervention Study model (IBIS) were the best of 4 models tested for predicting...
Persistent Long-Term Fatigue and Impact on Quality of Life Among Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Survivors
A study among epithelial ovarian cancer survivors from 25 cooperative Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup centers in France showed similar quality of life compared to healthy controls who were randomly selected from the electoral rolls, but persistent long-term fatigue. The researchers found depression,...
Infertility in Women and Low Absolute Risk of Cancer
A study of over 64,000 women of childbearing age in the United States has found that infertility is associated with a higher risk of developing cancer compared to a group of over 3 million women without fertility problems—although the absolute risk is very low, at just 2%. These findings ...
Number of Pregnancies May Influence Breast Cancer Risk in Women With BRCA Mutations
Researchers have found the lower risk of breast cancer associated with multiple pregnancies and breastfeeding in the general population extends to those at the highest risk of breast cancer. These results were published by Terry et al in the JNCI Cancer Spectrum. Methods and Findings The...
Demographic Factors Increasing Risk of Liver Cancer Development in Patients With Fatty Liver Disease
A new study published by Zarrinpar et al in Liver International has found that elderly, diabetic, and Hispanic patients with steatohepatitis—fatty liver disease—may have a higher risk of developing liver cancer. Ali Zarrinpar, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery at the...
