Gynecologic Oncology

Phuong L. Mai, MD, discusses the situations in which genetic testing should be considered and the importance of bridging awareness and access within oncology.

R. Wendel Naumann, MD, discusses numerous investigations of PD-1 inhibitors in combination with PARP inhibitors or other targeted agents, as well as chemotherapy, and how it could finally start the next chapter of immunotherapy in gynecologic malignancies.

December 21, 2020 - Rucaparib was found to result in a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival compared with chemotherapy in patients with BRCA-mutant ovarian cancer who had previously received 2 or more lines of chemotherapy.

Allison M. Puechl, MD, discusses the role of second-line maintenance therapy in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer and considerations that may limit the accessibility of PARP inhibitors in this space.

December 16, 2020 - Pembrolizumab/lenvatinib has significantly improved survival and responses compared with chemotherapy in patients with advanced endometrial cancer who have received previous systemic treatment.

Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, discusses the need to improve responses to immunotherapy among patients with recurrent gynecologic cancers.

December 4, 2020 - The completion of the biologics license application for balstilimab in the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer has been delayed to the first half of 2021.

In our exclusive interview, Dr. Huntsman discusses the elements of precision medicine that have contributed to its growth in the field of oncology, some of the setbacks regarding its integration, and areas of research that have the potential to propel precision medicine to the next tier of scientific discovery and application.

December 3, 2020 — The survivin-targeted T-cell therapy DPX-Survivac, when used in combination with intermittent low-dose cyclophosphamide, prolonged clinical benefit with promising tolerability in patients with recurrent, advanced platinum-sensitive and -resistant ovarian cancer.

Lan G. Coffman, MD, PhD, discusses the role of genetic testing in breast and gynecologic cancers and the many advances made with targeted therapies.

December 2, 2020 - The novel immunotherapeutic vaccine DSP-7888, in combination with pembrolizumab, has been dosed in the first patient with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

In our exclusive interview, Dr. Karlan discusses pivotal moments in her career as a gynecologic oncologist, the challenges of forging a name for herself, and future directions for the field.

Targeted therapy approaches have expanded rapidly in ovarian cancer over the past 3 years, with the FDA approving 4 new strategies in frontline settings that allow women to remain free of disease progression longer than the previous standard of care.

The phase 3 SIENDO study, which is evaluating maintenance selinexor in endometrial cancer, has been recommended by the Data and Safety Monitoring Board to continue as previously planned without the need to add additional patients to the trial or amend the study protocol, following a prespecified interim futility analysis.

November 21, 2020 — Maintenance niraparib, when administered at an individualized starting dose, led to a 70% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared with placebo in Chinese patients with recurrent ovarian cancer who were in a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy.

The management of carcinoma of the cervix represents a remarkable dichotomy.

The European Union has approved olaparib in combination with bevacizumab for use as a first-line maintenance treatment in patients with homologous recombination deficient–positive advanced ovarian cancer.

Ursula Matulonis, MD, highlights immunotherapy agents have demonstrated moderate clinical activity for patients with gynecologic cancers, however they fail to yield significant response rates in both the newly-diagnosed and recurrent settings.