Ignace B. Vergote, MD, PhD, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, discusses the need to develop novel therapies in endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer is the most frequent gynecologic malignancy among women in the United States, says Vergote. Additionally, endometrial cancer has a high mortality and morbidity rate.

The current standard of care for patients with endometrial cancer is platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with a taxane, explains Vergote.

However, there are no established treatment options for patients who recur after first-line therapy, Vergote adds.

As such, developing novel therapies to treat patients who recur, maintaining remissions after first-line therapy, and extending the time patients are not on chemotherapy remain unmet clinical needs in endometrial cancer, concludes Vergote. 

Ignace B. Vergote, MD, PhD, discusses the need to develop novel therapies in endometrial cancer.



Dr. Vergote on the Need to Develop Novel Therapies in Endometrial Cancer

Ignace B. Vergote, MD, PhD

Thomas Cluzeau, MD, PhD, head of hematology department, Central University Hospital of Nice, in Nice, France, discusses the response rates of a phase 2 study with APR-246 and azacitidine in 

-mutated myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Patients enrolled in the study were treated with APR-246 at 4500 mg intravenously from days 1 to 4 followed by azacitidine at 75mg/m2 from days 4 to 10 in 28-day cycles. A total of 52 patients were enrolled on the trial. Results pertaining to response to the treatment were promising, says Cluzeau; the overall response rate (ORR) was 58%, with 37% of patients achieving a complete response (CR).

Specifically, in 39 evaluable patients who received ≥3 cycles of treatment, the ORR was 77%, with 49% of patients achieving a CR, adds Cluzeau. When analyzing by subgroups, in 34 evaluable patients with MDS, the ORR was 75%, with 57% of patients experiencing a CR. For patients with AML with 20% to 30% of blasts, the ORR was 78%, with 33% of patients experiencing a CR.

Finally, in terms of survival, after a median follow-up of 9.7 months, the median overall survival (OS) was 12.1 months. In patients who received ≥3 cycles of treatment, the median OS was 13.7 months. Thus, the results from this study demonstrated great responseswith this treatment in this high-risk patient population, concludes Cluzeau.

Thomas Cluzeau, MD, PhD, discusses the response rates of a phase 2 study with APR-246 and azacitidine in TP53-mutated myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia.

Dr. Cluzeau on the Efficacy of APR-246/Azacitidine in TP53-Mutated MDS and AML

Thomas Cluzeau, MD, PhD

Fred Saad, MD, FRCS, professor and chief of Urology, director of Genitourinary Oncology, Raymond Garneau Chair in Prostate Cancer, University of Montreal Hospital Center, and director, Prostate Cancer Research, Montreal Cancer Institute, discusses unique characteristics of apalutamide (Erleada) compared with other antiandrogen agents in nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (M0CRPC).

Apalutamide, enzalutamide (Xtandi), and darolutamide (Nubeqa) have shown similar efficacy and quality of life (QoL) data in patients with M0CRPC, says Saad.

In a QoL analysis of apalutamide, asymptomatic patients were given antiandrogen therapy that had the potential to cause adverse events, explains Saad. However, patients’ QoL remained stable with no signs of deterioration compared with placebo.

Apalutamide, an androgen receptor-targeted agent, differs from androgen synthesis inhibitors such as abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) in that it has a different mechanism of action, says Saad. Additionally, rates of fatigue appear to be lower with apalutamide compared with historical rates in this setting.

Fred Saad, MD, FRCS, discusses unique characteristics of apalutamide compared with other antiandrogen agents in nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. 



Dr. Saad on Unique Characteristics of Apalutamide in M0CRPC

Fred Saad, MD, FRCS

Andrei Gafita, MD, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich in Germany, discusses sequencing lutetium-177 PSMA-617 (

Lu-PSMA-617) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Typically, men with prostate cancer are given androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) as initial treatment, says Gafita. However, the majority of patients will eventually progress on ADT.

In mCRPC, patients will likely receive chemotherapy such as docetaxel, anti-androgen agents such as abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) or enzalutamide (Xtandi), or radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo), says Gafita. Additionally, PARP inhibitors have also become available for patients with mCRPC who harbor homologous recombination repair gene mutations.

Despite this, many patients exhaust all available treatment modalities, says Gafita. As such, 

Lu-PSMA-617 may have utility in patients who have progressed on all conventional therapeutic options.

Andrei Gafita, MD, discusses sequencing lutetium-177 PSMA-617 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.



Dr. Gafita on Sequencing 177Lu-PSMA-617 in mCRPC

Andrei Gafita, MD

Panayiotis S. Savvides, MD, a medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic Arizona, discusses the utility of immunotherapy in lung cancer.

Documenting the efficacy of immunotherapy in lung cancer has revolutionized what patients have been offered over the past few years, says Savvides. The options that are avaliable to patients have significantly improved with these advances, adds Savvides. Interestingly, the safety profile of immunotherapies completely differs from that of cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens that the field had been using. Immunotherapy appears to have a more favorable safety profile, concludes Savvides.

Panayiotis S. Savvides, MD, discusses the utility of immunotherapy in lung cancer.

Dr. Savvides on the Utility of Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer

Panayiotis S. Savvides, MD

Optimal Management of Locally Advanced Melanoma

Identifying Patients for Neoadjuvant Melanoma Therapy

Molecular Testing in Locally Advanced Melanoma

pCR and Neoadjuvant Therapy for Melanoma

Advances in the Treatment of Malignant Melanoma

Sunandana Chandra, MD, Northwestern Medicine

Muhammad Bilal Abid, MD, MRCP, assistant professor of medicine in the Divisions of Hematology/Oncology and Infectious Diseases at the Medical College of Wisconsin, discusses the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its clinical impact on patients with cancer.

Several observational studies around the globe have unanimously shown that patients ​with cancer who contract COVID-19 have much worse outcomes with COVID-19 compared with individuals who do not have cancer, says Abid. Depending on the tumor type, patients with cancer could have higher rates of ICU admissions, morbidity, and mortality. 

Moreover, recent studies discovered that patients with hematologic malignancies and those who are actively receiving immunosuppressive treatments have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19​–related complications, Abid concludes.

Muhammad Bilal Abid, MD, MRCP, discusses the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and its clinical impact on patients with cancer.

  Dr. Abid on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients With Cancer

Muhammad B. Abid, MD, MRCP

PSMA-Targeted Imaging in Prostate Cancer

Conventional Versus PSMA Imaging in Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer: Evolving Treatment Approaches

Benjamin H. Lowentritt, MD, FACS, Chesapeake Urology

John P. Sfakianos, MD, an assistant professor of urology and urologic oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System, discusses the importance of restaging transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBTs).

Patients with localized bladder cancer must be appropriately staged, says Sfakianos. It is very important to differentiate a non-muscle invasive tumor from a muscle-invasive tumor because the treatments drastically differ. With muscle-invasive tumors, multimodal therapies and more radical treatments must be considered, while intravesical treatments should be considered for those with non-muscle invasive tumors, says Sfakianos.

If a patient has a non-muscle invasive tumor and a minimal amount of disease in the bladder at the time of treatment, theyare going to achieve the best response rate, adds Sfakianos; these patients have a better response rate than someone who has a single TURBT with adjuvant therapy. The reason for that is because the patient is probably getting a better effect and the disease is being minimized. Thirty percent to 50% of patients will still have tumors at the time of restaging, and up to 20% of patients will have a higher stage than initially thought; thischanges the therapy that these patients receive, concludes Sfakianos.

John P. Sfakianos, MD, discusses the importance of restaging transurethral resection of bladder tumors.

Dr. Sfakianos on Importance of Restaging Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumors

John P. Sfakianos, MD

Harry H. Yoon, MD, ​associate professor of oncology, consultant, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, co-chair, Esophageal/Gastric Cancer Disease Group, Mayo Clinic, discusses the updated results of the phase 3 KEYNOTE-061 trial in advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer.

Prior to the KEYNOTE-061 trial, randomized data suggested that nivolumab (Opdivo) was superior to placebo in patients with previously treated advanced gastric/GEJ cancer, says Yoon. However, data also showed that PD-L1 inhibitors did not outperform chemotherapy as third-line treatment. 

The KEYNOTE-061 study randomized previously treated patients with PD-L1–positive advanced gastric/GEJ cancer to receive pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or paclitaxel in the second-line setting, Yoon explains. The long-term findings showed that pembrolizumab elicited a shorter progression-free survival and similar overall survival compared with chemotherapy. 

Further research is needed to determine why the PFS was shorter but the OS was sustained, Yoon concludes. 

Harry H. Yoon, MD, discusses the updated results of the phase 3 KEYNOTE-061 trial in advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer.

Authors