Latest Conference Articles

Dr. Spira on Atezolizumab in the POPLAR Study for NSCLC

Alexander Spira, MD, PhD, FACP, medical oncology, hematology, Virginia Cancer Specialists, discusses the POPLAR study for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Dr. Reck Discusses Prognostic and Predictive Factors for OS With Necitumumab in NSCLC

Martin Reck, MD, PhD, Head of Thoracic Oncology, Hospital Grosshansdorf, discusses the maximum severity score (MSS) of baseline patient-reported Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS) as a prognostic and predictive factor for overall survival (OS) in the phase III SQUIRE study.

Largest-Ever Precision Medicine Oncology Trial Ready for Launch

A landmark clinical trial that will channel patients into treatment arms based on molecular abnormalities rather than cancer types aims to test the efficacy of more than 20 drugs simultaneously in an ambitious National Cancer Institute plan to further propel oncology drug discovery into the precision medicine era.

ASCO Provides Early Look at CancerLinQ Big Data Initiative

At the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting, the much heralded CancerLinQ big data system for helping oncologists more clearly understand treatment patterns and options was offered for demonstration in advance of its rollout.

Off-Label Access to Targeted Therapies Offered Through ASCO's First-Ever Clinical Trial

Physicians will now have a new option for some patients who have run out of them, but whose tumors have a genomic variation matching a drug target that is FDA-approved for a different cancer.

Dr. Creelan Discusses Results of MEDI4736 in Combination With Gefitinib in NSCLC

Ben Creelan, MD, medical oncologist with Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the results from a phase I study of MEDI4736, an anti-PD-L1 antibody in combination with gefitinib, an EGFR inhibitor, in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Palbociclib More Than Doubles PFS in Pretreated HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer

In the phase III PALOMA-3 trial, adding palbociclib to standard fulvestrant more than doubled progression-free survival in pretreated patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

Eribulin Elicits Survival Advantage in Phase III Sarcoma Study

Treatment with eribulin (Halaven) improved overall survival by 2 months compared with dacarbazine in patients with advanced leiomyosarcoma and adipocytic sarcoma.

Survivors of Childhood Cancers Living Longer Due to Improvements in Care and Follow-up

Over the past 30 years, survivors of childhood cancers have become less likely to die of illnesses caused by their treatment, such as new malignancies or cardiac or lung disease.

Preventive Neck Lymph Node Surgery Should Become Standard of Care in Early Oral Cancer

Elective neck dissection performed at the same time patients have surgery for early-stage, node-negative, oral squamous cell cancer significantly improved overall survival and reduced the risk of death and recurrence when compared with a watchful waiting approach.

Whole Brain Radiation More Harmful Than Beneficial for Small Brain Metastases

Patients with small brain metastases from other tumor types should not routinely receive adjuvant whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), according to a study that showed the treatment dramatically increases the incidence of cognitive decline without improving survival outcomes.

Numerous NSCLC Studies Offer Optimism for New Therapies

Novel targeted therapies against ALK, BRAF, and RET have demonstrated promising outcomes in molecularly-defined patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Frontline Nivolumab Regimens Significantly Improve PFS Versus Ipilimumab in Melanoma

Frontline nivolumab as monotherapy and in combination with ipilimumab more than doubled progression-free survival versus ipilimumab alone in patients with advanced melanoma.

Study Disputes Lymph Node Removal Standard in Melanoma

Patients with melanoma who are found to have micrometastases after an initial positive sentinel node biopsy can safely forgo a complete lymph node dissection, thus avoiding the risk of debilitating adverse events from the surgery.

Atezolizumab Doubles OS in PD-L1-Positive NSCLC

Treatment with atezolizumab doubled overall survival compared with docetaxel in previously treated patients with PD-L1-positive squamous and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

MEDI4736, Tremelimumab Combo Active in Pretreated NSCLC

An immunotherapy combination demonstrated "high levels of clinical activity" in previously treated non-small cell lung cancer across a range of doses.

Anastrozole Shows Preventive Advantages Over Tamoxifen After DCIS

The first study to compare the efficacy and safety of tamoxifen versus anastrozole in women treated for ductal carcinoma in situ suggests that anastrozole may be the better choice for preventing the escalation of DCIS into invasive cancer.

Dr. Jeffrey Jones on Efficacy of Idelalisib/Ofatumumab Combination in CLL

Jeffrey Jones, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and section head of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) research program at Ohio State University, discusses the results of a phase III randomized, controlled study evaluating idelalisib (Zydelig) in combination with ofatumumab (Arzerra) compared to ofatumumab alone for previously treated CLL.

First Effective Adjuvant Treatment Identified in High-Risk Prostate Cancer

Treatment with an adjuvant combination of docetaxel, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), and radiation therapy (RT) improved 4-year overall survival rates in patients with high-risk localized prostate cancer, when compared with ADT plus RT alone.

Obinutuzumab Doubles PFS in Refractory Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Patients with relapsed indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma experienced a doubling of progression-free survival when treated with a combination of the anti-CD20 agent obinutuzumab and bendamustine.

Dr. Chanan-Khan on Ibruitinib Combined with BR in CLL/SLL

Asher A. Chanan-Khan, MD, chair, Hematology/Oncology, Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, discusses a recent study that examined ibrutinib combined with bendamustine and ritxuimab (BR) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

Novel JAK Inhibitor Alleviates Key Myelofibrosis Symptoms

Patients with myelofibrosis achieved significantly better outcomes in spleen volume reduction and symptom control with the novel JAK2 inhibitor pacritinib compared with best available therapy.

Daratumumab Data Impresses in Myeloma, FDA Submission Expected

Daratumumab demonstrated a 65% one-year overall survival rate and a 29.2% objective response rate in patients with double refractory heavily pretreated multiple myeloma.

Ibrutinib Regimen Improves PFS by 80% in Phase III CLL Study

Adding ibrutinib to standard bendamustine and rituximab (BR) reduced the risk of disease progression by 80% compared with BR plus placebo in patients with pretreated CLL or SLL.

Phase III Data Show Nivolumab Improves Survival Across Lung Cancer Subtypes

Nivolumab has now been shown to have an overall survival benefit versus docetaxel in both nonsquamous and squamous non–small cell lung cancer.

Dr. Seiwert on Pembrolizumab in Head and Neck Cancer

Tanguy Seiwert, MD, assistant professor of medicine and associate leader of the head and neck cancer program, University of Chicago, discusses the efficacy of pembrolizumab in head and neck cancer.

Study Opens Door for Nivolumab in HCC

Nivolumab generated antitumor responses in nearly 20% of patients with advanced HCC in a small study that suggests a promising role for the immunotherapy agent in a malignancy with dismal outcomes.

Pembrolizumab Demonstrates "Remarkable Efficacy" in Advanced HNSCC

In a multisite study offering the largest experience to date of how immunotherapy can be deployed in patients with head and neck cancer, the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab produced broad and durable responses in patients with advanced disease.

Mismatch Repair a Potential Biomarker for PD-1 Inhibition

Treatment with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab demonstrated high response rates in patients with heavily pretreated colorectal cancer who harbored genetic defects in mismatch repair.

Dr. Burris on the Impact of the ASCO Annual Meeting

Howard Burris, III, MD, chief medical officer and executive director of Drug Development at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute discusses the importance of the ASCO annual meeting, taking place May 29 - June 2.