Precision Medicine in Oncology®

The FDA has approved the FoundationOne Liquid CDx for use as a companion diagnostic for 3 targeted therapies: alpelisib in advanced or metastatic breast cancer, rucaparib in advanced ovarian cancer, and alectinib in a specific type of metastatic non–small cell lung cancer.

PLX8394, a next-generation BRAF inhibitor, in combination with cobicistat was found to demonstrate encouraging clinical activity with an acceptable safety profile in patients with BRAF-mutated, refractory solid tumors.

The FDA has approved the FoundationOne CDx comprehensive genomic test as a companion diagnostic for larotrectinib (Vitrakvi) to identify patients with NTRK1/2/3 gene fusions across all solid tumors.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Taiho Pharmaceutical have formed a collaboration to do preclinical and early clinical research on potential therapies to treat brain metastases and those with cancers refractory to available therapies.

In a special episode of OncLive On AirTM Vivek Subbiah, MD, discusses the FDA approval of pembrolizumab in TMB-high solid tumors and addressed the controversy surrounding the approval.

p53 presents a significant challenge for investigators, and the field is littered with clinical trial failures and abandoned drug development programs.

An ongoing, collaborative clinical trial has been expanded to evaluate the investigational protein kinase C inhibitor IDE196 in combination with the multikinase inhibitor crizotinib (Xalkori) for patients with GNAQ- or GNA11-mutated solid tumors, including metastatic uveal melanoma , skin melanoma, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer.

In our exclusive interview, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD, discusses the prevalence of TP53 mutations in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia, the prognosis these mutations confer, and the development of eprenetapopt and magrolimab in this patient population.

Anna Giuliano, PhD, discusses the work efforts to advance the reach of preventive vaccines and cancers, and the challenges researchers are facing in the process.

In our exclusive interview, Rodolfo Gutierrez, MD, discusses the issues that surround access to care and clinical outcomes with Hispanic patients, efforts The Angeles Clinic has spearheaded to bridge this gap in care, and the importance of patient and provider education and awareness.

Sofia D. Merajver, MD, PhD, discusses the importance of germline testing in patients with breast and ovarian cancer along with how this testing is being used to personalize treatment.

Goutham Narla, MD, PhD, discusses the revolution of genetic testing and how it has led to more accurate and widespread assays for patients with cancer.

Caroline Farrington, PhD, shares her insight as both a researcher and a cancer survivor on the importance of patient advocacy, as well as the proper resources to aid patients through a cancer diagnosis.

John M. Carethers, MD, MACP, discusses recent developments in multi-gene panel testing.

Timothy Yap, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, discusses the rationale for the ongoing phase 1b/2 SEASTAR trial in advanced solid tumors.

In our exclusive interview, Vivek Subbiah, MD, discusses the FDA approval of pembrolizumab in tumor mutational burden–high solid tumors, shares the “transformative importance” of the regulatory decision, and speaks to the controversy surrounding the approval.

Mobocertinib elicited a 43% objective response rate and an 86% disease control rate in select patients with non–small cell lung cancer who have EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations.

Elena M. Stoffel, MD, MPH, discusses the importance of genetic testing in detecting Lynch syndrome and other hereditary syndromes associated with risk of colorectal cancer and other diseases.

Andre Goy, MD, MS, discusses how matching the right treatment with the right patient resides at the heart of precision medicine, but with continued interest in pursuing the molecular milieu of cancers, precision medicine has the potential to better inform pre- and post-cancer interventions as well.

Efforts to leverage targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which have been approved modalities in advanced non–small cell lung cancer, are leading to improved survival in patients with advanced and earlier-stage disease.

Andre Goy, MD, MS, discusses updates in precision medicine. 

Over the past decade in gastrointestinal cancer treatment, the acknowledgement that cancer is heterogeneous and likely polyclonal has prompted a shift from gene testing for some patients, to many patients.

Benjamin P. Levy, MD, discusses the disease-free survival benefit with adjuvant osimertinib in the phase 3 ADAURA trial.

Natalie I. U. Vokes, MD, discusses investigative biomarkers of response to checkpoint inhibitors in the field of oncology.

Implementing population-based BRCA1/2 testing is not only cost-effective in high- and upper middle–income countries but could also prevent tens of thousands of breast and ovarian cancer cases compared with the current clinical strategy, which recommends testing only for high-risk women.