Latest Conference Articles

Data that emerged from the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting represent potential paradigm shifts for patients with advanced melanoma.

Stephen M. Ansell, MD, PhD, discusses recent progress made with non–CAR T-based approaches in the non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment paradigm, opportunities for sequencing available options, and ongoing efforts that are picking up momentum.

The majority of patients with newly diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukemia have better outcomes with BTK inhibitors compared with standard chemoimmunotherapy, making them the logical choice for frontline therapy.

Zanubrutinib demonstrated clinical activity and tolerability in previously treated patients with B-cell malignancies who were intolerant to therapy with ibrutinib and/or acalabrutinib, according to results of the phase 2 BGB-3111-215 trial.

As more CAR T-cell therapies are approved for the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies, adopting management strategies for cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome using newly standardized grading criteria is an important component of utilizing these products in practice.

Acalabrutinib, alone or in combination with obinutuzumab, demonstrated superior efficacy and an acceptable safety profile in patients with treatment-naïve chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The combination of loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl and ibrutinib displayed encouraging antitumor activity with a manageable safety profile in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma.

Alison J. Moskowitz, MD, discusses recent developments made in the Hodgkin lymphoma paradigm, shared advice for optimal stratification, and spotlighted potential emerging prognostic markers that might further help to guide treatment decisions.

CAR T-cell therapy has proven to be an effective treatment option in non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes, such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma.

Five-year survival rates in renal cell carcinoma are drastically improving due to recent regulatory approvals of combination therapies involving checkpoint blockade and VEGF TKIs.

“Smarter screening” and a better understanding of the breast cancers women of color are more likely to develop are all crucial to helping these patients survive this disease at the same rates as their White counterparts.

With more oral cancer therapies available, the importance of medication adherence and education must be recognized.

Understanding the functionality and naming convention of biosimilars vs their biologic counterparts are important concepts to utilizing these agents in oncology, according to a presentation given by Teresa Knoop, MSN, RN, AOCN, during the 5th Annual School of Nursing Oncology Meeting.

Data that were presented during the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting shed light on new therapeutic strategies, and treatment considerations that are expanding the paradigms of gastrointestinal malignancies.

Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, highlights that although differences in overall survival and toxicity profile could inform treatment selection with CDK4/6 inhibitors, optimal sequencing with these agents remains uncertain.

Physicians treating patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer have had their share of wins with treatment advances in the past few years.

Karen L. Kelly, MD, discusses overcoming osimertinib resistance in patients with non–small cell lung cancer through the use of bispecific antibodies.

Karen L. Reckamp, MD, discusses the significance of the final results of the ALTA trial in patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer.

Ongoing studies with biomarker-selected cohorts may help to identify subsets of patients with thoracic malignancies who might confer benefit from PARP inhibitors.

Many checkpoint inhibitors are currently under investigation in combination with concurrent radiotherapy in stage III non–small cell lung cancer, which experts propose could have practice-changing implications.

Significant advances have been made regarding the development of KRAS G12C inhibitors in non–small cell lung cancer in recent years, explained Karen L. Reckamp, MD, who added that research regarding predictive co-mutations, acquired resistance, and combination strategies is expected to propel the utility of these agents even further.

Maria E. Arcila, MD, highlights important considerations for selecting among molecular diagnostic tests for patients with lung cancer.

Osimertinib has emerged as the standard of care for patients with EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer, but the need for novel agents is underscored as disease progression on the agent is inevitable.

David R. Gandara, MD, discusses how minimal residual disease testing might be incorporated into lung cancer clinical practice.

Sukhmani K. Padda, MD, discusses strategies to overcome EGFR resistance in patients with non–small cell lung cancer.

Neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors has shown encouraging preliminary evidence in patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, but confirmation of durable benefit is needed in the adjuvant setting before they are brought into routine clinical practice.

Bispecific antibodies have become an interesting new class of agents in the lung cancer pipeline, most recently with the developments of amivantamab-vmjw, zenocutuzumab, and tarlatamab.

Sukhmani K. Padda, MD, discusses treatment selection following osimertinib resistance in patients with non–small cell lung cancer.

Strategies focused on improving the efficacy of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor osimertinib in the first line setting are the key to unlocking the next wave of success in treating lung cancer.

Sandip P. Patel, MD, discusses the potential of combining PARP inhibitors with immunotherapy for patients with non–small cell lung cancer.