Latest Conference Articles

Omidubicel was associated with a significantly improved median time to neutrophil engraftment compared with standard umbilical cord blood transplantation in patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies.

Brexucabtagene autoleucel displayed significant and durable responses and a reduction in adverse effects in patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma.

The emergence of multiple combination regimens with immunotherapy and TKIs has been welcome for the frontline treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma; however, without head-to-head comparative data, treatment selection has become individualized based on available patient characteristics.

Treatment options for patients with metastatic urothelial cancer have rapidly expanded as FDA approvals of immunotherapeutics push the boundaries of a once stagnant treatment landscape. Combination regimens and the addition of targeted approaches, further demonstrate progress in areas that have been tough to crack.

Anjana Pillai, MD, discusses the importance of multidisciplinary discussion in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Olaparib and talazoparib failed to demonstrate statistically significant improvements in overall survival compared with chemotherapy in pretreated patients with BRCA1/2-mutant metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer. However, the results are unlikely to affect the drugs’ utility in practice, given that both agents continue to show favorable tolerability and disease control

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed for some reflection on the different evolutions that the oncology community went through in response to the many challenges posed by the virus.

Stimuli for biologic aging include ionizing radiation, ultraviolet light, diet, exercise, oxidative stresses, and perhaps, worst of all, smoking. All of these can trigger intracellular processes, including DNA methylation, or epigenetic change, telomere shortening and damage, DNA damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

A wave of approvals and a rapidly evolving treatment landscape could make the next decade a watershed period in breast cancer care.

Even in 2021, disparities in outcomes of younger women with breast cancer vs their older counterparts remain; addressing behavioral issues and psychological concerns in this population could vastly improve their quality of life, treatment adherence, and ultimately, survival.

Off Our Chests: A Candid Tour Through the World of Cancer is a memoir that dives into Liza Marshall’s breast cancer journey.

Although phase 3 data suggest that the addition of checkpoint inhibitors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy could improve pathologic complete response rates for patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, immature data and the risk of long-term toxicity indicate that the therapy is not ready for primetime

Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS, discusses the potential of antibody-drug conjugates across breast cancer subtypes.

Hope S. Rugo, MD, discusses the benefit of margetuximab-cmkb in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who have received prior HER2-targeted therapies.

The introduction of new therapies for patients with recurrent HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer has resulted in a crowded landscape for third-line treatments and beyond, raising questions about how best to sequence a wealth of options.

Targeted agents and chemotherapy regimens are at the crux of systemic research efforts focused on improving outcomes for patients with breast cancer who have brain metastases and/or leptomeningeal disease.

Debu Tripathy, MD, discusses efforts being made to minimize the risk of disease recurrence in patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer.

Olufunmilayo Falusi Olopade, MD, FACP, discusses racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes.

With the identification of numerous molecular abnormalities that can affect treatment and the course of disease in patients with breast cancer, it’s become understood that genetic profiling can define clinical trial eligibility, the presence or absence of aberrations help to drive treatment decisions, and variants can be predictive for response or resistance.

Although there is evidence to suggest that surgery with or without radiation therapy can be utilized in some patients with stage IV breast cancer who have experienced locoregional progression or symptoms to some success with regard to locoregional disease control, most patients will not achieve a survival benefit.

CDK4/6 inhibitors plus aromatase inhibitors have shown benefit as frontline treatment for patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, but more data are needed to determine their role as adjuvant therapy before they are adopted into standard practice for patients with early-stage disease.

Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, discusses the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer.

Patrick I. Borgen, MD, discusses eliminating the use of opioids in patients with breast cancer.

Genomic sequencing is a critical step in informing the prognosis of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and more information regarding specific subgroups of ALL, such as lineage ambiguous ALL, could pave the way for more personalized therapies for patients.

Although it is too soon to tell whether the addition of a CD20-directed antibody to novel agents in relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma should become standard practice, it is clear that immunotherapy could represent the next paradigm shift.

With an increased understanding of disease biology, several approaches are under examination to optimize the management of patients with graft-versus-host disease.

Minimal residual disease has helped to predict relapse in numerous leukemia subtypes, with novel testing methods helping to identify the biomarker at a higher sensitivity than ever before.

The treatment landscape of Waldenström macroglobulinemia is becoming increasingly complex with second-generation BTK inhibitors; however, the combination of bendamustine and rituximab remains the frontline standard of care for this patient population.

Immune therapy has evolved rapidly in multiple myeloma, and the field is on the verge of major improvements in outcomes.

Although scientific advances in hematology and oncology have been extraordinary, the US health care system faces significant challenges in ensuring that patients receive high-quality, cost-effective care.